Well so much has happened in the last month on so many very emotional levels.
Hopefully in the next day or so I can write about each of these events and the trials and tribulations that have come along with them. I have been travelling all over the state to see our Troops and Families. I've flown to 7 different villages and towns in 3 weeks, needless to say I am exhausted.
We experienced a heartbreaking suicide in our Unit of very young and dedicated young man to the military.
We have gotten a new TAG for the state of Alaska.
We have some homecomings ! Something I know their Families have waited a long time for .
And then of course we have all sat glued to our televisions to see the horrible and devastating news unfold at Fort Hood, Tx.
I want to talk about all of these but tonight I want to talk about something else.
Tonight I was getting gas , and a young girl walked up to me. And I say girl not to be offensive but as I am almost 40 , she looked to be in her 20s , I still often say "girl". This young girl asked me for a couple of dollars, she had left her wallet at home. Now I usually am very on guard on this type of situation and had to make a quick assessment. One , she had children in her car and she was visibly upset that she had to ask for money. She kept apologizing and saying she was sorry.
Now , there are two schools of thoughts here. I was raised to give and it will come back ten fold. And so I do , often , but usually to places I know where my funds and or time is going. I rarely give money to anyone off the street because well I do not know where it is going.
So while my children sat in the car waiting to hear my response I had to make a quick , but well thought out decision. I chose to give her the money I had in my purse. My husband would be glaring at me ( the police officer in him) but I think I made the best choice.
My kids and I talked about it on the way home. And my reality was , if I lost a few dollars and it was a scam well then so be it. because really I had to go on a gut instinct and I felt like she was telling the truth.
An interesting lesson for us all tonight.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Well again I have been going at top speed. But now that I am down with a double ear infection and strep this is a great time to catch up on my blog...
I was blessed to be able to spend the first week of September in Chicago again with people in all areas of the military working together to build a stronger more resilient force and families.
We spent hours in work shop groups with all the senior leaderships discussing and building plans to grow our programs. We know that the military will not go backwards in terms of our families being taken care of. They have made promises in writing in way of the Family Covenants all across America.
The key leadership has made mental health for our Service members and Families a top priority and we are not going to ever let them do anything but go forward on these promises.
So far this year alone Alaska has lost over 24 Soldiers , that means children without a parent to be there this Christmas or for birthdays, weddings, graduations. Spouses who have lost the one person they thought they would spend their life with.
Granted in America this is an all volunteer force, but we owe them and we will take care of those left behind.
The conference made sure that we all stood firmly on the same ground as to what we felt was a priority for our Troops and Families.
Since I have been home it has also been non stop, I am trying to get out to all the rural areas at least every 6 weeks . We went to Ft Greely twice in the last week and met with the Families there. What an amazing strong group . They are so positive in light of being so far away and so cold there! They nonetheless have an incredible strength between them and I look forward to watching it flourish and grow.
This upcoming month I will be in several towns across Alaska visiting with the National Military Families Org. Doing town halls in Anchorage, Kodiak and Fairbanks , listening to and working with the Families of our military.
So yes I have been busy , however I have found some time to get in some fun stuff. While in Chicago I got to go to a Cubs game ! Which they won! I must have been their good luck! We went to the Navy Pier and had deep dish pizza !
I got to go to Santa's House in the North Pole!!!
And I am running right into the Holidays ( my favorite time of year) and working to plan a Halloween Carnival for our militarys youth and a Christmas feast for our Families.
So while I seem to be burning at both ends honestly at the end of every day I couldn't be more blessed. Its amazing what you can do each day no matter how large or small to change the lives of another. I'm committed to making that difference for the rest of my life. A little each day.
I was blessed to be able to spend the first week of September in Chicago again with people in all areas of the military working together to build a stronger more resilient force and families.
We spent hours in work shop groups with all the senior leaderships discussing and building plans to grow our programs. We know that the military will not go backwards in terms of our families being taken care of. They have made promises in writing in way of the Family Covenants all across America.
The key leadership has made mental health for our Service members and Families a top priority and we are not going to ever let them do anything but go forward on these promises.
So far this year alone Alaska has lost over 24 Soldiers , that means children without a parent to be there this Christmas or for birthdays, weddings, graduations. Spouses who have lost the one person they thought they would spend their life with.
Granted in America this is an all volunteer force, but we owe them and we will take care of those left behind.
The conference made sure that we all stood firmly on the same ground as to what we felt was a priority for our Troops and Families.
Since I have been home it has also been non stop, I am trying to get out to all the rural areas at least every 6 weeks . We went to Ft Greely twice in the last week and met with the Families there. What an amazing strong group . They are so positive in light of being so far away and so cold there! They nonetheless have an incredible strength between them and I look forward to watching it flourish and grow.
This upcoming month I will be in several towns across Alaska visiting with the National Military Families Org. Doing town halls in Anchorage, Kodiak and Fairbanks , listening to and working with the Families of our military.
So yes I have been busy , however I have found some time to get in some fun stuff. While in Chicago I got to go to a Cubs game ! Which they won! I must have been their good luck! We went to the Navy Pier and had deep dish pizza !
I got to go to Santa's House in the North Pole!!!
And I am running right into the Holidays ( my favorite time of year) and working to plan a Halloween Carnival for our militarys youth and a Christmas feast for our Families.
So while I seem to be burning at both ends honestly at the end of every day I couldn't be more blessed. Its amazing what you can do each day no matter how large or small to change the lives of another. I'm committed to making that difference for the rest of my life. A little each day.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Mongolian visit
We had two amazing Lt. Cols visiting this week from Mongolia.
What an amazing experience.
At 18 every male is required to join their military for free.... After the initial year they can volunteer to stay in or not, but at that point once they become NCO they will receive a nominal pay which is what they use to support their families in this country where the primary income is farming.
You may be asking why we have a connection to Mongolia ? The answer is they are our sister country. Each National Guard has a country they train with and help grow. Mongolia is ours.
They do have a system of support for their families during their deployments but are lacking the financial backing and info structure we have over the years grown here in America.
So while we discussed how to strengthen those areas , I was enthralled with the many incredible ideas that had as well for us. And I look forward to getting many chances to go over and help establish some programs for their Soldiers and Families.
What an amazing experience.
At 18 every male is required to join their military for free.... After the initial year they can volunteer to stay in or not, but at that point once they become NCO they will receive a nominal pay which is what they use to support their families in this country where the primary income is farming.
You may be asking why we have a connection to Mongolia ? The answer is they are our sister country. Each National Guard has a country they train with and help grow. Mongolia is ours.
They do have a system of support for their families during their deployments but are lacking the financial backing and info structure we have over the years grown here in America.
So while we discussed how to strengthen those areas , I was enthralled with the many incredible ideas that had as well for us. And I look forward to getting many chances to go over and help establish some programs for their Soldiers and Families.
Gen. and Mrs. Renuart
This week I had the distinct pleasure and honor of sitting down with our Northern Commanders wife Mrs.Renuart.
Gen. Renuart and Mrs. Renuart were visiting Alaska from NORAD/NORTHCOM's headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo. He will meet with Brig. Gen. Tom Katkus, acting DMVA commissioner and adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard, and John Madden, director of the Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, among other key department leaders. Renuart will discuss the Alaska National Guards capabilities in emergency contingencies as well as the state's response capabilities.
It was amazing to sit down and listen to this incredible woman on the plight of our Soldiers and families. And as we spoke I can honestly say from my heart she will work to make sure we are taken care of . She believes in our programs and the mission we push forward every day.
Gen. Renuart and Mrs. Renuart were visiting Alaska from NORAD/NORTHCOM's headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo. He will meet with Brig. Gen. Tom Katkus, acting DMVA commissioner and adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard, and John Madden, director of the Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, among other key department leaders. Renuart will discuss the Alaska National Guards capabilities in emergency contingencies as well as the state's response capabilities.
It was amazing to sit down and listen to this incredible woman on the plight of our Soldiers and families. And as we spoke I can honestly say from my heart she will work to make sure we are taken care of . She believes in our programs and the mission we push forward every day.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Happy Fall!!!!
Well it has been a whirlwind last month . I took the twelve hour flight to Chicago July 18th for the Mrs. International Pageant. It was so amazing to be around so many accomplished and dedicated women.
I was so in awe listening to the things that they have done in the communities and states.
After the pageant I flew home only to rush off the plane to my baby sisters rehearsal dinner , literally rush.
The following weeks have been somewhat of a blur as I went straight back to go,go go mode.
The first week I had a fabulous time at the Govs picnic. It turned out to be a beautiful day and what seemed like the entire city showed up not only to see her but to also meet the new Lt. Gov. My favorite General Campbell. Although we will miss him dearly as The Adjutant General, I know he will be an incredible leader for our State as Lt. Gov . and he will take us to great new places.
The following Monday we had Gen. Campbell's retirement. It was bittersweet but in the end I know in my heart he will never be far from helping our Military.
Then the next week I met with two representatives from The National Military Families Association in from DC. This group is amazing because they are truly the only group that gets to testify and is called on to testify on behalf of our military Troops and Families before Congress. I am very excited and look forward to a long , full filling working relationship with this incredible group of people.
The following days were spent in the State Legislative Veterans Summit.This was the first of its kind here, and brought out most of our State Legislature and Lawmakers. We all broke into work groups to address the issues we thought to be the most prominent for our Vets. I had a great work group with several lawmakers, lawyers and Judges. We spent hours putting together and educating each other on the things we found to be most needed for our State for these honorable men and women. At the end of the day we made amazing progress and brought forth some great ideas for our Legislature to look over this session.
At the end of the month I am back on my way down to Chicago for a DOD conference on helping Military families get through deployments , we will have an entire week of workshops and I know every time I attend something like this is one more chance for us to show our Troops and Families how thankful we are for their sacrifices. And how we will always stand beside them in gratitude and love for the United States of America.
God Bless our Nation, God Bless our Troops and Families and May God bless you!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
SMA Kenneth Preston
We must ensure each Soldier is equipped and trained to fight and win. We must
also provide for our families. We will not be successful if we fail to care for our
loved ones waiting for their Soldiers to return. We must fight for their healthcare,
children, housing, and Well-being with the same vigor we fight with on the
battlefield. They deserve nothing less.34
- SMA Kenneth O. Preston
Sergeant Major of the Army
Today I had the honor of meeting with the Sergeant Major or the Army . We are thankful everyday that he stands up and fights for our Troops and their families with a passion that is unwavering and true.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Happy Independence Day!
Today is the United States of America's 233 birthday! Many men and women have sacrificed blood, sweat, and tears to make this great ongoing experiment live on! America is not an accident that happened on a whim but rather a miracle! Today take a moment to show gratitude to a veteran or active duty service member of the U.S. Armed Forces! Today we celebrated with what seemed like the entire state to recognise and honor our veterans from the past and present that have helped us to see Americas 233 Birthday! And to make the day even more wonderful it was our 12th wedding anniversary!
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