Making it in the MilLife

L-R: Stephanie Himmel-Nelson, Monique Rizer and Vivian Greentree after Vivian receives NewsChannel 3's amazing military spouse award

I felt a little like Oprah as I walked a stunned Vivian Greentree to the stage to receive her plaque and flowers at the 2010 Military Spouse Symposium last week.

Vivian was honored by Bianca Martinez, who was one of our panel moderators and is a military spouse and anchor on WTKR NewsChannel 3, as part of the station’s month long tribute to amazing milspouses. It feels so good to acknowledge the hard work of a military spouse, because we all know how tough it is sometimes. And though we don’t seek recognition it is nice to give it when it’s due, so congrats Vivian!

Earlier that day we held a lively discussion during our Social Media in the Military panel and, for the first time, included spouses from across the country by taking questions from Twitter (#moaaspouse10) and broadcasting the event live. You can check out the archives of the event at www.moaa.org/livestream. One spouse living on the west coast woke up at 6AM to catch the 9AM live broadcast from Virginia Beach. Stay tuned because you’re going to see many more live webstreamed events at MOAA.

My favorite bit from the panel was about how much more of a voice we have when we connect in the virtual world. For example, a Facebook page sprung from the MyCAA shutdown and now more than 2,700 fans have gathered to share information and advocate for full reinstatement of the program.

We also urged senior leaders to use social media to be more accessible to service members and families. Admiral and Mrs. Mullen both have Twitter accounts, and they actually update them. There are more than 300 official DoD Twitter accounts, and more than 680 Facebook pages! I know, because I counted them all on the official list .  Find it on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/moaaspouse

I was thrilled to hear about family readiness leaders who had already incorporated virtual FRGs. That was just taking root when I was an FRG leader during my husband’s 2005-2006 deployment. The audience was excited about the possibilities of reaching family members who couldn’t travel to meetings and asked how to keep the information secure. One way to achieve this, said Chrisi West, MOAA web manager, is to create a Facebook group (not a Facebook page), and limit members to invite only. That way you decide who gets in and sees the information on your group site.

Our resident financial planner, Phil Dyer, had the audience’s full attention discussing ways to leverage the Post-9/11 GI Bill, what’s going on with MyCAA, and the Federal Military Spouse Hiring Authority. Check out “5 Simple Secrets to Maximizing Your Post-9/11 GI Bill”  along with several other resources mentioned at the event.

We ended the panel discussions with Andi, Ruthie and Kate from SpouseBUZZ. They made us laugh, they made us think – and they made us cry laughing as they discussed the civilian/military connection and Ruthie’s crazy Russian mother-in-law. You just have to watch to understand…

Thanks to everyone who attended in person and over the web. What would you like to see next year?

Here’s a little bit of trivia; which of these Sandras was a military spouse?

• Sandra Bullock
• Sandra Dee
• Sandra Day O’Connor

While you think about the answer, let me tell you why I ask. Because it shouldn’t surprise us if any of these women were married to the military. Military spouses are extraordinary. We find ways to thrive in a unique lifestyle with many challenges. And we do it with the support of everyone from battle buddies to new friends. They get it. We connect.

That’s why this year’s spouse symposium is themed “Spouse Solutions Summit; Make the Connection.” Through our relationships with those in and outside the military world, we make it work. We find creative solutions, get a tip on a great restaurant, preschool or job opportunity. Or, in my case, someone to call when my husband was deployed, my kitchen was invaded by ants, a pipe burst and it was time to get my son off to school – all in one morning. She came to my rescue on her only day off from a demanding job in intelligence, a deployed husband of her own and with her baby in tow. That’s a milspouse.

I hope you will join us on May 13 in Virginia Beach for our 4th annual Military Spouse Symposium where we’ll be talking about Social Media in the Military, hosting the ladies from SpousBUZZ and getting an important benefits update. We’ll also celebrate the 2010 Heroes at Home Military Spouse of the Year with guest speaker Gen. James Mattis, USMC, Commander U.S. Joint Forces Command.

We have a free bus leaving Alexandria to Virginia Beach on the day of the event. Contact moaaspouse@moaa.org for more details. Register for the symposium here. But, if you can’t make it in person watch live at www.moaa.org/livestream

Got something to say? Put it here in our (short) symposium survey.

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22AGBQKS3DS

Meanwhile, look for nominations to join our Spouse Advisory Council, upcoming events, guest bloggers and breaking legislative news here at moaa.org

The answer to the question? Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Join the discussion
www.moaa.org/spouse
www.facebook.com/moaaspouse
Twitter: @rizermonique @MilitaryOfficer