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Military parents and proponents of equal opportunity for military children in Virginia will have a chance today, Thursday, Jan. 31, to make their case to remove barriers to the educational success of military children. The Virginia General Assembly’s House Committee on Education Subcommittee Teachers and Administrative Action will conduct a hearing at 5:30 p.m. in Richmond to consider supporting Virginia joining an interstate compact that will strive to establish a uniform policy platform to resolve issues of transitioning military youth.

Military children already face numerous challenges to their academic progress given the stresses related to relocations and parental deployments. Differences in state requirements frequently present obstacles that impact students’ grade point averages, course placement, records transfer, and, in some cases, even graduation.

The hearing on Virginia H.B. 395 Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the General Assembly Building, 901 E. Broad St., Richmond, Va.

The compact will become effective when 10 states enact the compact into law. Efforts are underway to get states to join the compact to help military children.

To find out more about the Interstate Compact for Military Children, go to http://www.usa4militaryfamilies.dod.mil/, click on Key Issues, then Military Children during School Transitions and Deployments.

Kaplan University announced Jan. 29 the launch of a 10 percent tuition discount for military spouses, on the same day that President Bush called for Congress to allow service members to transfer unused G.I. Bill education benefits to their spouses and children. Kaplan, a leading provider of online higher education, offers more than 100 academic programs that can be completed from anywhere in the world.

“At Kaplan University, we recognize the sacrifices that military personnel and their families make for their country and don’t want them to feel like they have to sacrifice their education as well,” Andrew S. Rosen, CEO and President of Kaplan University. “While military families can’t predict when they will get permanent change of station orders, one thing that can remain constant is their college education. Kaplan offers military spouses the flexibility of earning a degree online that will help them enter a new career or advance in their current career regardless of where the military takes them.”

Kaplan University already offers a 15 percent tuition discount to all active military personnel, who are able to earn their degrees online from stateside bases or during overseas deployments. Kaplan has a dedicated military admissions team that understands the issues facing active duty military personnel and their families, and is prepared to help them meet their educational goals.

The military spouse tuition discount will be available as of Wednesday, Jan. 30. For more information, visit www.militaryspouses.kaplan.edu or call 866-889-4582.

When America’s sons and daughters are stationed overseas, especially during wartime, contact with loved ones back home becomes an essential part of life. During World War II, a new mail processing method was introduced to increase the amount of mail that could be exchanged overseas.

“Victory Mail,” a new temporary exhibition opening March 6 at the National Postal Museum, showcases the museum’s collection of World War II V-Mail correspondence. “V” for “Victory,” a popular WW II symbol, was the inspiration for the name of this new-fangled correspondence style.

The V-Mail system was developed to help reduce the shipping space needed for the massive increase in mail being sent between American armed forces overseas and their family and friends at home. “By reducing letters to microfilm size, thousands of pieces of mail could be shipped, taking up only a fraction of the space traditional letters used,” says exhibit curator Lynn Heidelbaugh. “More letters meant better morale, and less shipping space ensured other vital war materials reached the battlefront.”

Among the exhibit highlights are V-Mail letters — including illustrated greetings awash in local color and humor of military life in the Pacific and European theaters — items that reveal the writer’s recorded thoughts and sentiments to visitors; a rare strip of 16mm V-Mail microfilm; and advertisements and posters from the era that demonstrate the depth of community and business cooperation in helping the military promote V-Mail service to the American people.

The National Postal Museum is located at 2 Massachusetts Ave. N.E., across from Union Station. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information visit the museum’s Web site at www.postalmuseum.si.edu.

Just in time for the “big game,” PXs and BXs are rolling out a “military-only” contest tailored to the unique needs of armchair quarterbacks in CONUS, Europe, and the Pacific.

From Jan. 25 to 31, digital media supplier BDMI, Pepsi, Frito-Lay, and media mounting manufacturer Vantage Point will team up with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) to offer football fans an exclusive opportunity to win one of five grand prizes valued at $2,700. Each grand prize winner will take home a 47” Sabre LCD HDTV, Sabre Progressive Scan DVD player, Vantage Point U50 TV mount, and a $500 AAFES gift card along with a complete assortment of chips and drinks from Pepsi and Frito-Lay.

“The prizes offer the perfect way to kick back and watch the game,” said AAFES’ Chief Marketing Officer Richard Sheff. “From tailgate fixings to the latest electronics, five lucky AAFES shoppers will definitely be feeling like champions come game time.”

Besides the opportunity to register for the Sabre Bowl grand prize at the PX or BX, everyone who stops by there during the last week of January also can score huge savings as AAFES unleashes a value blitz on everything needed to get ready for the big game. For example, Sabre, the military’s exclusive value brand of electronics made for the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, will offer a 47” LCD HDTV for $300 off and, for a limited time, even throw in a free Sabre progressive scan DVD player with purchase.

“Kick off will be here before you know it,” Sheff said. “We encourage military shoppers to call a time out and save by stopping by the exchange and taking part in the Sabre Bowl.”

The Navy Exchange has a number of programs and services available that helps military families. One of them is the A-OK Student Reward Program that awards savings bonds to deserving students to help pay for college expenses.

The A-OK Student Reward Program allows any eligible full-time student with a B grade point average equivalent or better to enter the drawing to win a $5,000, $3,000, $2,000, or $1,000 U.S. savings bond, denomination at maturity. Four drawings are held each school year.

“The A-OK Student Reward Program was created in 1997 to reward students for getting good grades in school,” says Mike Mongin, operations specialist at the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM). “We are proud to be able to help students fulfill their dreams of a higher education. It’s just one more way the Navy Exchange supports the Navy family.”

Eligible students include dependent children of active duty military members, reservists, and military retirees enrolled in first through 12th grade. Dependent children without an individual Dependent Identification Card must be accompanied by their sponsor to submit their entry. Each student may enter only once each grading period and must re-enter with each qualifying report card.

To enter the drawings, stop by any Navy Exchange with the child’s current report card and have a Navy Exchange associate verify the minimum grade average. The child is also eligible for an A-OK ID, which entitles him or her to discount coupons for Navy Exchange products and services.

Since its inception, NEXCOM has awarded $416,000 in savings bonds. For more information, visit www.navy-nex.com/command/customer_service/a.ok.program.html.

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force unveiled its new F-22A Raptor exhibit on Jan. 17. The Raptor, which was given a declaration of Full Operational Capability by the Air Force on Dec. 12, combines stealth, maneuverability, and the ability to fly long distances at supersonic speeds into an aircraft capable of performing both air superiority and air-to-ground missions. Raptors participating in Exercise Northern Edge in June 2006 at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, achieved a staggering kill ratio of 144 to 0 flying against legacy fighters and recorded an impressive 97 percent mission capability rate.

“The F-22A Raptor’s unique combination of stealth, speed, agility, precision and situational awareness combined with air-to-air and air-to-ground combat capabilities makes it the best overall fighter in the world,” said Assistant Vice Chief of Staff and Director, Air Force Staff, Lt. Gen. Frank G. Klotz. “It will fundamentally change how America fights – shortening wars and saving lives.”

The F-22A Raptor is built by the Lockheed Martin Corporation in partnership with Boeing and Pratt & Whitney. Raptors currently are assigned to five U.S. bases. Flight testing takes place at Edwards AFB, Calif. Operational tactics development is ongoing at Nellis AFB, Nev. Pilot and flight training takes place at Tyndall AFB, Fla. Operational Raptors are assigned to Langley AFB, Va. and at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. Raptors also will be based at Holloman AFB, N.M., and Hickam AFB, Hawaii. For more information, contact the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at (937) 255-3286, or visit www.nationalmuseum.af.mil.

This February, hearts at home are connecting with hearts overseas through an America Supports You (ASY) effort to send valentines to military men and women. ASY nonprofit organizations already are gathering supplies for February care packages and time is running out for troops to get these special messages by Valentine’s Day.

The effort is part of the ASY program’s year-long calendar to show appreciation for U.S. servicemembers and their families. The calendar — a helpful reminder that can be downloaded into Outlook or iCal calendars — can be viewed online at americasupportsyou.mil.

“Every February, loved ones exchange flowers, candy and cards, but for troops overseas who are separated from the ones they love, Valentine’s Day can be hard,” says Allison Barber, architect of the America Supports You program, a Department of Defense initiative that helps showcase America’s support for the troops and their families.

To meet postal deadlines for sending packages overseas, ASY homefront groups are gearing up now for February activities.

Homefront groups planning to send valentines to servicemembers include Hugs for Soldiers Inc., My Soldier, and Operation Pinecone.

Supporters can access these groups and other monthly ideas to support the troops and learn about homefront groups in their area by visiting americasupportsyou.mil and clicking on “Homefront Groups.” Organizations that will be sending valentines can be found by clicking on “Letters and Messages.”

The final report of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves will be delivered to Congress and the Secretary of Defense on the morning of January 31 and will be released to news organizations at 10:00 that morning. Since March 2006, the independent Commission has been developing recommendations for changes in laws and policies that will enable the National Guard and Reserves to best meet the current and future security requirements of the United States at home and abroad.

Congress charged the Commission to report on the reserve components’ roles and missions, compensation and benefits, career paths, training and readiness, equipment and personnel, and their overall organization, structure, and funding. The Commission has met this charge with a report documenting the most comprehensive, independent review of the Guard and Reserve forces in 60 years — a review producing what Commissioners characterize as “overwhelming evidence of the need for change” in the face of continuing heavy use of these forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the homeland, and in light of growing threats to national security.

The Commission’s recommendations for changes in laws and policies have been informed by 17 days of public hearings involving 115 witnesses, interviews with more than 850 officials and other subject matter experts, numerous visits to military installations and panel discussions involving Guard and Reserve personnel, and analysis of thousands of documents.

According to its slogan, the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation “Honors Marines by Educating Their Children.” Since its founding in 1962, the organization has distributed more than 21,000 need-based, college scholarships and bonds totaling more than $34 million. In 2007, they awarded more than 1,000 Marine children. The Foundation provides assistance to the children of Marines — or Navy Corpsmen serving with Marines — with special consideration given to a child whose parent was killed or wounded in action.

“These scholarships provide life-changing opportunities for students that need financial assistance toward a college degree, and they increase their chances for success in their personal and professional lives,” Chris Randolph, the Foundation’s president, says. “That’s critical for our Marine families.”

To be eligible to apply, a student must be the child of a current U.S. Marine or the child of a retired or deceased Marine retired. Applicants also must be high school graduates or registered as an undergraduate student at an accredited educational institution. Scholarships are not offered for graduate study. Scholarship recipients must have a family income of $77,000 or less. This limit increases if siblings apply.

Children whose parent is participating or has participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom may qualify for additional scholarship funding.
Upcoming application deadlines are March 3, 2008, for graduating high school seniors and first-time college freshman and April 15, 2008, for all other students.

To learn more about the foundation and its scholarships, visit its Web site at www.mcsf.org or call (800) 292-7777.

When a parent is deployed, children suffer in ways that aren’t always obvious. Direct questions can often bury the feelings even deeper, making getting to the heart of the hurting painful for all.

Using a book or a game as springboards to conversation have been proven time and again as ways to get a child to open up. With her new releases “My First Deployment” and “Mail Call! The Military Deployment Game”, Navy wife, therapist, and mother Lisa Stillion, M.S.W., gives caregivers everywhere the tools needed to make this happen.

Lisa’s first book, “My First Deployment” is more than a cute, whimsical tale. A rambunctious little girl, Allie, radiates a range of emotions when her father leaves for a military deployment. Exploring the causes and effects of separation anxiety, “My First Deployment” encourages creative ways for children to express thoughts and emotions, and gives caregivers easy ways to help young ones cope with the loss they feel.

“Mail Call! The Military Deployment Game,” is the first of its kind, designed with the family in mind as players chase each other around the game board, trying to get a care package assembled and mailed out to a loved one.

Fun and exciting, “Mail Call!” helps military families maintain strong family ties through understanding and sharing. Because the needs of each individual family differ, “Mail Call!” can be played competitively or as a team — there is no winner or loser.

Designed and written for military families or anyone touched by war, both the book and game are wonderful stepping stones to the first point of healing: an open, honest conversation with our children.

For more information, visit www.stillionpublications.com.