Stars Earn Stripes - See what the Operatives had to say!

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the Press and Media conference call, BUT they were gracious enough to provide me with a transcript! The transcript is 27 pages long so I will not post all of it, but will share some of the questions and answers.

From my previous post about Stars Earn Stripes we learned that Military Operatives would be working with celebrities to compete in competitions inspired by real military exercises. They compete for money to be donated to several different charities that benefit our military service members and their families.

Helping Someone you Love who has PTSD

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur after you have been through a trauma. PTSD in the military doesn't just come from being in a war zone. It can come from other things too... being robbed, being in a horrible accident, being raped or being a victim of any sexual assualt.

Let's start with some PTSD facts -

Experts think PTSD occurs:
*In about 11-20% of Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars (Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom), or in 11-20 Veterans out of 100.
*In as many as 10% of Gulf War (Desert Storm) Veterans, or in 10 Veterans out of 100.
*In about 30% of Vietnam Veterans, or about 30 out of 100 Vietnam Veterans.
*23 out of 100 women (23%) reported sexual assault when in the military.
*55 out of 100 women (55%) and 38 out of 100 men (38%) have experienced sexual harassment when in the military.

During my google search I found this - Five Rules for Helping Someone with PTSD


Rule #1: Do not take her behavior personally.
PTSD is not about you. It is about her fear. It is about her anxiety. It is about her pain. It is not about you. Understanding this does not make the problems (or obnoxious behaviors) go away. But it can keep your feelings and your relationship from being hurt unnecessarily.

Rule #2: Set boundaries
Do not under any circumstances tolerate unacceptable behavior.
Do not tolerate abuse of any kind. You are not a punching bag or a target for degrading insults.

Rule #3: Do not expect much in return.
Right now your loved one doesn't have much to offer because they are most likely struggling just to get through the day. You WILL NEED your own support network.

Rule #4: Do not judge.
Your loved one may need/want to talk about it with you. It may make them feel better to get it out and they need someone they can trust to come to w/o fear of being judged.

Rule #5: Have fun.
Remind your loved one of fun times and do fun things together. Even if they don't want to, they might just do it to please you and they might just get into it. Laughter heals...having fun almost always brings about laughter.

((I found this info at http://www.heal-post-traumatic-stress.com/index.html - lots of other great links on this site too))

More helpful links:
16 Ways To Help A Friend With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
HELP WITH POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS (PTSD)
PTSD Support
Help 4 PTSD

If you're an app person with your phone, check out PTSD Coach - PTSD Coach mobile app wins FCC award for helping people use technology to manage PTSD symptoms.

Hope this helps some =)

Communion - by: Jean Blasiar & Jonathan Marcantoni

A few months ago Jonathan asked me if I would read "Communion" and give him a review. Of course I jumped at the chance and told him yes. I'm very honored at having the opportunity to review the book.

"Communion" is a mixture of magical realism and war-set family drama revolving around a little girl, Gem, who's ability to communicate with animals assists her in her search to locate her father, who has gone missing in action at the height of World War II. It is at once an intimate portrait of a small Ohio town affected by war and an emotional epic about the enduring love between husband and wife and father and daughter.

This book brought on so many emotions throughout it and I can’t even begin to describe them all, but I will touch on a few.

I liked all of the characters for certain reasons, even Abby, but I had three favorites: Gem Commons, Melanie Commons, and the General.

I immediately fell in love with Gem and her innocence. I could picture her in my mind going about her daily activities in a carefree way, playing with her bears and interacting with her animal friends. I knew she was going to be special. I love that she was so determined and strong-willed...qualities that in the end would pay off big time.

My love for Melanie did not happen so fast. My first thought was that she was too easily pushed over by her mother-in–law and that annoyed me. However, as the story progressed, she became such a strong woman. When her husband left for war, I knew, being a military spouse myself, I was going to feel a connection with her. I could understand her struggles and feel her pain. I felt sympathy for her and had hope for her.

The General was also a favorite as soon as he appeared in the book. He was a little pushy, yet polite. He was firm and direct, yet with compassion. His generosity and love towards Gem and Melanie melted my heart. Towards the end I felt fate is what had brought him into their lives. With his connections and power and Gem’s unique gift and determination the book came to a very emotional end for me.

If you're looking for a great, heart warming story, "Communion" is a must read. I really feel that ALL military spouses will love this book as much as I did.

To get your copy (I'll be ordering my own book very soon!) you can go to the following -

Savant Books & Publications

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

"Communion" by Jean Blasiar and Jonathan Marcantoni - 280 pages - 5.25" x 8" Pocketbook -ISBN 978-0-9832861-4-1. Suggested retail price $16.95. Released October 2011 by Savant Books and Publications, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.

*Personal note: I am not receiving any kind of "reward" for posting this review. I genuinely loved the book and simply want to help spread the word.

My husband, the jokester!

This morning I went to WalMart to pick up some school supplies for the kids...which isn't cheap by the way lol... and I come out to my car to find something I thought was a bit creepy. First I notice on my seat is a business card that had some writing on it but I couldn't make out what it said b/c the pen looked like it was out of ink.. I go to put the stuff in the trunk and my daughter brings me a piece of paper that she said was "under the rain keep away things" - haha gotta love her...

Anyway, I was all excited b/c I thought someone saw my Scentsy stickers on my window and was leaving a note for me to contact them. Nope, my excitement flew out the window when I saw it wasn't what I hoped. It was actually "someone" telling me they thought I was sexy and left their number! So now I was totally creeped out b/c I thought about the business card IN my car and now this note!

I get in the car and call my husband to tell him about it and he starts laughing at me and asks me was the guys name "Sean" and was it written in brown marker? Yeah!! Then it dawned on me that HE did it!! He called me while I was in WalMart so he knew where I was... he stalked me down just to mess with me! I hope he knows this is war...lol

Osama, the wicked witch of the East is dead -

I woke up to all kinds of things in my news feed, in my groups and on my army wives page...one friend even called me at 11pm last night to tell me the news, but I was sleeping... so it wasn't until this morning that is saw the news - The Wicked Witch is DEAD ((Osama))

People are rejoicing and celebrating the death of the man who was the supposed mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. A man who was the leader of suicide terrorists who flew their planes into the Twin Towers, killing nearly 3,000 people on American soil. It's obvious to me and to many others that this man needed to be taken down. This will go down in history, along with the capture and death of Saddam Hussein.

Some people think these events don't deserve the recognition they are given. I agree to a certain point, in that I think we should not only recognize this but lift our troops higher, especially those who have given their all, literally. The point where my disagreement comes in is this - let the world know, let all the terrorists know, the enemies of the United States..... we set out on a mission to destroy the ones who attacked our home. Granted, it took years and years to finally catch him, but what does that tell you? We hunted a man for 10yrs!!! Ten years!!! That tells me the United States will NOT lay dormant while men who threaten everything we stand for is free. The men who died in this "battle", died knowing what they were trying to protect and their deaths, however sad, are not in vain.

This sends the message to all Osama's followers that we will not lay low, we WILL NOT go quietly into the night, WE WILL NEVER LET TERRORISM WIN. If we go out, we will go out with a fight for what we believe in.

I think Osama's network has been shook. They thought he was untouchable. Yes, they want revenge and I'm sure their attacks will become worse now, but I don't believe for long. They are truly on a suicide mission. Our men and women were trained to deal with organizations like this. They may be a greater danger to begin with b/c of retaliation but in the long run they are a deminished force.

Now is the time, more than ever, to lift up or Troops and show them our love and support!!! First and most importantly, IMO, the ones still on the ground fighting, but always still lighting that flame for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Celebrate and rejoice the death of this man who threatened the livelihood of America and then give due honor and respect to the men and women who brought him down.

Some say it is wrong to celebrate the death of Osama, that is it God's job to deal with him. I agree it is God's job to deal with him, but what if this was God's way of dealing with him? Didn't Joshua and the Israelite Army celebrate and rejoice when they took down Jericho? Was this not God's doing? His plan? Were they wrong in rejoicing when they conquered the city God told them to take? NO. Just like our people are not wrong for celebrating the demise of a man who has killed THOUSANDS. Those who know God, know He works in mysterious ways. In the Bible there are always celebrations when one wins something of significance in a war. This is definitely something significant. I doubt God minds everyone is cheering. Just sayin'...

I also want to touch on him being buried at sea already. GOOD! Who wants him buried somewhere that sick individuals can go and worship him? He isn't worth the ground he would have went in. Let the sharks devour him and rip him to shreds. He deserves nothing more.

One of my biggest hopes out of all of this is that the people affected by 9/11 have some sort of closure or relief now that the man who is behind all the death and destruction is DEAD.






Just a few of my thoughts on this...

 Thank God that Osama is dead.
Thank God for the troops who fight the good fight.
Thank God for the troops who gave their all.