Be knowledgable!

Since I have been dealing with so many wives on a regular basis, I have come across something that is driving me insane... this "something" is one of the reasons I had decided to make my fan page on facebook - *AWDIWH*

For me, when I got to our first duty station, I had to learn a lot on my own because my husband was shipped off to Iraq after a few months. Thank God for the women I met who helped me b/c I didn't have access to the internet and my best friend "google" =)...

Here are some things I think are important:

1. Know the location of the Tricare Office, DEERS, JAG, commissary, PX, your husbands company, the hospital, the Army Community Service building...and so on... some places may be found in one single building like here at Stewart we have the Soldier Service Building..either way, know where the important places are at each post you live at!!

2. When your spouse deploys make sure you have access to mypay and the bank account!! Make sure you have a POA (power of attorney) that will cover everything you might need. We always get me specific POA's because some places are just ananl. This last deployment I had a general POA, a special POA, a POA for DEERS, Taxes, JAG and one specifically for housing. Find out what ones you need for your post and get them!! If you need one that you don't have while he is gone it is going to be hell trying to get one with him in another country.

3. For the soldier specifically - DON'T LEAVE YOUR SPOUSE IN THE DARK!! TELL YOUR SPOUSE THE THINGS THEY SHOULD KNOW!!! There are some things that I see and it leaves me wondering "why the hell didn't your soldier tell you these things?!" You soldiers who are married need to realize that we, as spouses, CAN NOT help you properly with day to day things that concern the army or help you with certain things when you're gone if you don't tell us what we need to know!! ((Special thanks to my husband for always keeping me informed!))

4. OPSEC/PERSEC - just read it..and follow it lol

5. Please please please!!!! make sure you have a support network!! You never know when you will need it for an emergency or just your sanity. =)