Army Wife Network is completely powered by passionate volunteers, many of whom include our AWN Band of Bloggers team members. Our Experience Bloggers are military spouses or former or current service members who have experience with all things military life, covering topics related to PCS (military moves, for the new folks), military lifestyle, deployment, overseas locations, travel tips, parenting, family, and more. Our Expert Bloggers are those associated with military-connected organizations that are supporting service members and their families through this life, covering topics related to veterans, family, faith, volunteering, traditions and etiquette, career advice, home searches, and more. Get to know them all here.

EXPERIENCE BLOGGERS

Mary Spangler

Mary was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana. She currently lives on Scott Air Force Base with her husband, their sons, and one cat. Previous duty stations include Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; Rivanna Station, Virginia; and Fort Shafter, Hawaii.

She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Indiana University in 2009. During her college years, she spent some time volunteering for the Student Veteran’s Association and participated briefly in the Army ROTC program. She loves writing, music, gardening, watching documentaries and movies, cooking, hosting get-togethers, spending time with family and friends, and traveling.

Sharita Knobloch

Sharita has been married to her beloved infantryman husband Brandon for just shy of a decade. The joys and challenges of #ArmyWifeLife ignited her faith on a deep level, so she answered the call to ministry in July 2011. Soon after, Sharita received her Master’s degree in Christian Leadership from Liberty University. She is currently in pursuit of her EdD in Educational Counseling with an emphasis in Pastoral Counseling, also from Liberty University.

Sharita is not only an Army wife, but is also a Tiny Human mama of two kiddos, a 6-year-old girl and a 2.5-year old destroyer, um, boy. She is also a smallish-dog-owner, aspiring-runner, writer, speaker, and spiritual leadership coach. She finds such joy by encouraging others through her personal blog, 7 Days Time. The Knobloch family believes that it is a great privilege to watch God work as they minister in their Army community, regardless of zip code or time zone. As it is with most military families, they aren’t sure what the future holds, although the running joke is that when her hubs retires (potentially four years and counting!) they are going to “slap hands,” and she is going to start bringing home the bacon while he works part time at Home Depot and drives the soccer van.

Sharita gets way too excited about office supplies and journal shopping. She is a certified auctioneer, wore duct tape to senior prom (for a scholarship contest, #DontJudge), loves napping, reading for fun, and cheering others on as they strive to reach their goals.  Sharita overuses #Hashtags on a regular basis with #NoShame and frequently uses #America! as a verb. Sharita currently serves as the Owner and Commander of Army Wife Network.

Sarah Peachey

Angie Andrews

Angie is a lucky lady. Lucky, and blessed to be a wife and an Army wife to boot. She lives in Japan with her husband and two cats, Hunter and Matthews. Angie and her husband were married in 2013, and he began his military career in 2008. They met in Florida, and Angie hopes they will live off the Gulf Coast within walking distance to the beach one day. Along with the beach, Angie loves to have a good laugh, a good friend, and a good read or write. She has some serious favorites: food—macaroni and cheese, music—Tom Petty, workout—elliptical miles. Angie graduated from UCF with a degree in Elementary Education and taught for seven years, five of those years as a first grade teacher, and the last two as a reading coach. She has a collection of other jobs before and after teaching as well. Presently, she works as a writer and editor. Angie is thrilled to be a part of the Army Wife Network blog contributors and invites your thoughts and responses. You can reach out to her on Twitter @wifeitupwife. Angie also serves as AWN’s Assistant Content Editor.

Elisa Ruvalcaba

Elisa is the first granddaughter in her family to be born here in the U.S. and is the first from her family to be affiliated with the military. While her soldier’s story is much the same, he is actually a second-generation soldier because his father served with an Airborne team in the U.S. Army. She has four kiddos, ranging in age from four to 19. About a year ago Elisa finished school to become a certified makeup artist, but it is only one of her many certificates as she’s still trying to figure out what it is she wants to do in life. So far, being a mostly full-time mom is her biggest joy, passion, and motivator. She loves to volunteer, advocate, and coordinate big events. Her passion lies in the world of dance, poetry, writing, and a touch of playing photographer.

Jolene McNutt

Jolene is a writer, editor, and graphic designer. She co-owns a business with her retired teacher dad creating hands-on resources for elementary and middle school teachers. Jolene has been married to her extroverted husband, Phil, for more than 11 years! Phil recently jumped ship as an AGR soldier in the Wisconsin Army National Guard and re-enlisted in the Big Army with 17 years of active duty service. Jolene and Phil have an elementary-aged son, Finn, who loves legos, math, and reading. Jolene enjoys traveling, reading, and making allergy friendly recipes for Finn. Despite her introverted nature, Jolene loves hosting friends and family. You can find her volunteering or playing with a pup or two during her spare time. Find her on Instagram @jolenemichelle1.

Kathleen Palmer

Kathleen is an educator and project seeker from Texas. In her 25 years as an Army wife, Kathleen has taught and coached in six different states and Germany. Kathleen has a big heart for both Army families and soldiers having served as a Soldier for Life counselor in both Germany and Korea. Her favorite part of Army life is her acquired community of battle buddies!

Kathleen loves words (both speaking and writing them) and has contributed to AWN, NMFA, The Fort Hood Sentinel, The Army Spouse Handbook, Inside Abu Ghraib, Memoirs of Two US Military Intelligence Officers, and The Army War College at Carlisle.  Her favorite writing piece about being an Army wife is   “The Lady in the Grey Suit”  that was published in 2015 in Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors (Vol.3).  You can find her on Instagram, Facebook, or on her website, Life Is Messy, Love Big.  Just like Kathleen, the site is a WORK in Progress!

Sara Jane Arnett

Sara Jane is a seasoned Army spouse of 13 years, mother of dragons (four boys), and considers supporting fellow military families as one of her greatest joys. She serves in various leadership roles through military and civilian organizations such as Family Readiness Groups, community events, non-profits, and schools. Sara Jane currently serves as a Great Lakes Recruiting Battalion FRG Senior Advisor and is an Army Family Team Building and Four Lenses Self Discovery Instructor. Sara Jane actively collaborates with FRG leaders, volunteers, battalion staff, and company commanders throughout the state of Michigan, ensuring all families are taken care of and remain valued.

Newell Dickerman

Newell lives in Overland Park, Kansas, with her husband, James, who serves in the Army National Guard, and their son, Lewis. James and Newell met in 2015 through a mutual friend at a masquerade party. They share a love of the arts and can often be found in Kansas City enjoying one of the many arts opportunities.

Newell graduated from Kansas State University earning a degree in Pre-Law, Women’s Studies. Today, she works at a retirement community as the Director of Sales where her heart serves the older adults she loves. She spends the rest of her time volunteering on worship teams, helping local arts programs, and has previously served as an FRG leader.

Newell’s heart and mind strive to focus on service, teaching, growth, and connecting people through compassion. Otherwise, you’ll find her enjoying dinner with friends and family, breaking out a board game, or dancing the night away.

Anna Larson

Anna is a 14-year military spouse, homeschool mom of two amazing kids, fur baby owner, and entrepreneur. She started her own business after nearly 20 years in marketing and program management. NomadAbout helps businesses with copywriting, social media management, and marketing strategies.

She contributes monthly to a number of publications, hosts a weekly podcast and livestream business show called “15ish Minute Coffee Chat,” sits on the board as the Director of Operations for a non-profit that offers support to cancer patients, and co-leads the Fort Hood chapter of the Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs.

In her spare time, she likes to travel the world with her family.

You can find Anna on social media @iamnomadabout or by visiting her website, www.nomadabout.com.

Annie Pearce

LaVaughn is originally from Michigan and met her husband while they were both students at Cedarville University in Ohio. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Arts, and she also studied bible, theatre, and American Sign Language. She is certified in Teaching English as a Second Language.

LaVaughn’s husband commissioned in the U.S. Army in 2004, and the two of them overcame a long-distance relationship through five different duty stations and two deployments before they finally married in 2011. Since then, they have been stationed at seven different installations together, have had four incredible children (two born overseas), and have travelled a decent fraction of the world.

LaVaughn loves Jesus Christ, being an Army wife, adventuring with her family, musicals, chocolate, chai lattés, and a quality cup of decaf. She is a homeschooling mom who volunteers in SFRGs, PWOCs, and enjoys helping service members and their families whenever and however possible. She would enjoy connecting with you on Facebook.

Sarah is a born-and-raised South Jersey girl from a big family. She moved to upstate New York after finishing her graduate degree to pursue her dream job as a surgical Physician Assistant. It wasn’t long after her move that she met her better half, Manny, who proudly serves in the Army National Guard. Together they have a lab/Australian shepherd mix named Buck. Sarah still works as a surgical PA, and in her spare time she loves exercising and traveling. But above all else, Manny and Sarah love spending time with family and hope one day to have a big family of their own.

Chrissy married her husband in 2010 and jumped right into her milspouse role. She knew that life would be more adventurous and sometimes more difficult, but it would always be worth it. She had previously received her teaching degrees from Niagara University in Special Education and spent a few years teaching, but once she began having children, she chose to put those talents to work in her own home. Chrissy is a mother to four energetic boys and one husky pup (also a male), so you could say she’s the queen of the castle! Chrissy and her family are currently living in Fort Leavenworth but will have another PCS on the horizon.

Amanda is an Army wife and mom. She met her husband while he was enlisting, online to boot, even though at the time they only lived five miles apart.

She has BA and MA Theology degrees from Ave Maria University and the Franciscan University of Steubenville, as well as an MA in English and Creative Writing. Her hope is to publish a memoir chronicling her life as a woman with a disability who happens to be married to a military man.

A stay-at-home mom and still relatively new to military life, Amanda spends her days taking care of her family and learning as much as she can about military life. She’s passionate about body positivity, disability representation, self care, her faith, and good food. She loves to see new places and try local cuisine. Her bucket list for Fort Drum after three years of living there still includes a trip to Canada, and trying all of the Mom and Pop ice cream shops in the area! (Ice cream counts as cuisine, right?)

Amanda loves the seasons at Fort Drum but is looking forward to the change of scenery when her family heads to Texas next year. You can find her on YouTube here.

Justine Kaneris

Justine is a writer. Whether writing in her journal, blog, or sharing a post on social media, writing is a form of meditation and a way to connect her mind and spirit. What she enjoys most is making unique connections with people.

Being a military spouse has allowed her to travel and to be a part of many communities throughout the United States. It has been a privilege to see different cultures and groups within the many cities she has lived during the past 16+ years.

Along with writing, she is a mother of two and a yoga teacher. She is deeply in love with the wealth of knowledge and wisdom she gains from faith, yoga practice, and the community in which you will often see her writing. Throughout the week she teaches yoga classes and pursues her bachelor’s degree in psychology; her weekends are best spent going on hikes or watching movies with her family.

EXPERT BLOGGERS

George Banker

George is the Operations Manager for the Army Ten-Miler (US Army / MDW), the second largest 10-mile road race in the United States. This year the race will accept 35,000 runners. His responsibilities include the operational planning, logistics, community outreach, design of the course, volunteer recruitment, and support to medical and police jurisdictions. He has been in this position since August 2003.

Prior to joining the Army Ten-Miler, he worked 25 years at IBM serving in administration and management within the federal marketing environment in Bethesda, Maryland. He is retired from the U.S. Air Force (enlisted grade Technical Sergeant), where his experience included ground refueling supervisor and cryogenic fluids production supervisor. He received 14 military decorations including the Air Force Commendation Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal (1969-1989).

Since 1983, he has worked as a freelance photographer and journalist, senior writer for the Runner’s Gazette, and contributor to Running Journal newspaper. He is the District of Columbia Road Runners Club (DCRRC) Hall of Fame Inductee for 2006, the former president and meet director for the Mid-Atlantic Corporate Athletic Association Relays (1986-1993), Director for the Washington’s Birthday Marathon Relay (1989-1999), and he started the Relay. He has been a race consultant and steering committee member with the following events: Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run (1989), George Washington’s Parkway Classic 5K/10 Miler, Lawyer’s Have Heart 10K, Marine Corps Marathon (Historian—Ad Hoc Publicity Committee). He has been the State Record Keeper USA Track & Field from 1993 to present. Chair, Trends and Issues Committee, Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) 1993-2000. He is an avid runner, with 114 marathons completed and serves in an additional capacity as race announcer, media relations, and invited elite runner coordinator for several local area races. He’s completed seven JFK 50 Milers to date. The Marine Corps Marathon in October 2019 will be his 115th marathon and his 35th time running it. He is the author of “The Marine Corps Marathon: A Running Tradition” (1976-2006), with a September 2007 publish date. He has completed 30 MCMs to date.

December 2006 MetroSports Athlete of the Month Hall of Fame Inductee 2011 – Marine Corps Marathon Running PRs: Marathon 3:04:32 (’88) Houston-Tenneco, Half-Marathon 1:22:40 (’84) Philadelphia Distance Run, 10-Miles 1:02:10 (’87) Army Ten-Miler, 10K 37:42 (’84) Diabetes Derby, 5K 18:28 (’88) Stanford University, 1600 Meters 5:18 (’87) Gallaudet University.

Graduated with an AA in Accounting from Prince George’s Community College with honors, Largo, MD (’76), and a BBA in Accounting from George Washington University, Washington, DC (’84). Educational community involvement: Volunteer speaker local schools for Career Day. (1993- Present).

MilitaryByOwner Advertising, Inc.

MilitaryByOwner Advertising was founded in January, 2000, by Dave and Sharon Gran. The website provides advertising for homes located near military installations as well as resources related to real estate, homeownership, and military life. MilitaryByOwner.com has become the “go to” site for military families finding, selling, or renting homes near military bases.

Dave proudly served in the Marine Corps and retired after 21 years. Early on, Sharon was in the education field as a math/software consultant, then later worked in the real estate field. Dave and Sharon combined their passion for supporting military families through PCS moves with their knowledge of real estate and the emergence of the web. They have four children, four grandchildren, and when time allows, they enjoy relaxing on the water in their trawler.

The company is located in Stafford, Virginia, just outside Quantico Marine Corps Base, about 35 miles south of Washington, D.C. MilitaryByOwner strives to provide superior customer service by being available for questions through live chat online, email, and regular office hours. The majority of the MBO staff are military spouses or dependents who can relate to the joys and stresses of a military move. Contact MilitaryByOwner by here, or connect on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter. You can also reach them by phone, (866) 604-9126, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. eastern, or on Live Chat during from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. eastern.

Ann Crossley

Ann has been associated with the Army all her life. An Army daughter, she moved with her Army dad (NCO and CWO) to Japan in 1948, then later to France and Germany where she graduated from high school.  After college at the University of Georgia, where Ann studied Home Economics, she married her Second Lt. love in 1960, and they started moving—22 times in 28 years.

During those years, protocol and etiquette were strictly adhered to, yet there wasn’t any source of guidance for Army wives. They had to learn what was expected of them by observation, trial, and painful error. One of Ann’s solutions was to take courses from the Foreign Service Institute and other protocol and etiquette gurus. The takeaway from those experiences proved most useful as she served proudly as the first lady of the many units her husband commanded from field artillery batteries to corps artillery. Still, there was no support during the loneliness experienced during the separations of her husband’s two combat tours in Vietnam.

Throughout those years, she shared her lessons learned through newspaper articles, presentations at AWAG, and to various wives clubs throughout the Army. Finally, when her husband retired from the Army in 1988 (as a one-star general) and Ann had time to write, she penned The Army Wife Handbook and The Air Force Wife Handbook (selling more than 60,000 copies). Later, Ann wrote a protocol and etiquette column for the early issues of Military Spouse magazine.

Over the intervening years, it became obvious to Ann that life with the Army was changing, and that meant that an updated version of her Army book was needed. Fate put her in touch with Ginger Perkins who also had a long-standing interest in protocol and etiquette, and Ginger put together a committee of 20 Army spouses to help with that work. Two years later, The Army Spouse Handbook was born.

Ginger Perkins

Ginger thrived as an Army spouse for 38 years as an active-duty spouse, which included more than 20 moves around the world and multiple combat deployments as the spouse of the commanding officer until he retired from the Army in 2018 as a four-star general. She is also the mother of soldiers, with a daughter who is a Blackhawk helicopter pilot with two combat tours to Afghanistan, and a son who is a West Point graduate and engineer. 

Ginger’s experience and dedication has been forged through the trials of combat and sacrifice. Ginger knew the Army spouses and families needed encouragement, support, and inspiration. She has had the honor to lead multiple spouse groups and community organizations, each time gaining insights into how important protocol, history, and traditions are to understand why we serve this great nation. Ginger has published several Army spouse advisory and unit social guides, such as Training and Doctrine Command’s Army Spouse Protocol and Social Guide and most recently two books—The Army Spouse Handbook with Mrs. Crossley, and Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Customs, Courtesies & Traditions of the United States Army: A Primer for Family Members. Ginger was part of the Army’s Professional Military Education program, teaching Army spouse customs and traditions to battalion and brigade-level spouses of commanders and command sergeants major, as well general officer and nominative command sergeant major spouses. She continues to conduct workshops for spouses of all ranks and mentors spouses through the General Officer Spouse Mentorship Program.

Ginger currently lives with her husband in New England and continues to advocate for the Army Spouse. 

Michelle Hodge

Michelle was born and raised in Norton, Ohio. She and her husband, Jim, who is from the same town, married after he graduated from The United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1978.

She was very active in volunteering throughout Jim’s 34-year career, in various positions and in a variety of organizations both on installations and in the nearby communities. She trained to become a facilitator in a program at The Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, entitled Facilitator, Leadership, and Group Skills.

Michelle helped develop a Company Command and First Sgt. Spouse Course at Fort Stewart, Georgia, facilitated there, and then again at Fort Carson, Colorado. She was a Spouse Club President twice at both EUCOM (European Command) in Stuttgart, Germany, and at Fort Stewart and served as a senior advisor on three boards to include one on a joint base at Scott AFB, Illinois. She was also on a historical restoration committee and a women’s board at a hospital in Petersburg, Virginia. The Enlisted Aid Spouse Perspective Brief was developed and facilitated by her, while she and Jim were stationed at Fort Lee, Virginia.

After Jim retired from active duty in 2012, Michelle found ways to continue volunteering. She was an Army Family Team Building instructor at Fort Carson and facilitated additional courses in The Family Enrichment Program, like Army 101, which provided classes and tours of the post with the surrounding community, and a Formals class. One of her favorites was Customs and Courtesies. She served for three years on the Association of the United States Army, Spouse Advisory Group and was instrumental in expanding the membership to family members.

In 2014, when they relocated to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, she became a mentor for a middle school-aged girls in The Blue Ribbon Mentoring Advocacy program through the school district and joyfully still serves in that capacity. Michelle is also a member of the General Officer Spouse Mentorship Program, dedicated to mentoring new brigadier general spouses and networking through other current topics. She also is an active volunteer with a local food pantry, helping clients on-site and recently worked to organize and run one of their key fundraisers.

Michelle and Jim happily raised three children and now have two granddaughters.  

Lynda R. Smith

Lynda and her husband have been on this Army adventure together for 25 years and counting. They’ve experienced 10 duty stations and multiple combat deployments and mission rotations. 

Lynda has served as the senior advisor for an armored combat brigade as well as a cavalry squadron and soldier and family readiness group (SFRG) leader for each of her soldier’s company commands. She enjoys spending time getting to know as many of the soldiers and families as possible. Additionally, Lynda is helping to revive the USO Gift the Gown program on Fort Riley as well as serving as the senior advisor for the Combined Scholarship Fund of Greater Fort Riley. With her vast experiences in company SFRG and advisor roles, she is heavily committed to teaching and mentoring spouses in the brigade and around post in the nuances of SFRG, unit traditions, and command challenges and opportunities. 

A love for travel, Lynda has been to 45 of 50 states with plans for the other five coming soon. She has visited many other countries including New Zealand, Israel, and a semester abroad in Australia. 

Lynda holds a BA in anthropology and American history and has been associated with the military for generations. She is a self-proclaimed history geek and credits her love for American cultural and military history to the telling and retelling of family stories from the Revolutionary War to Desert Storm. At a young age, she developed a passion for helping soldiers and families as well as any four-legged, furry creatures.

Lynda likes a good challenge and enjoys finding new ways to bring old Army traditions to life with fun and humorous experiences, a little old-school vibe, and a modern twist. She and her husband have shared the richness of Army life with the soldiers and spouses in each of her soldier’s commands by holding tight to the best Army customs. 

When she is not volunteering for the Army, Lynda likes to be doing anything physically or mentally active. She particularly loves doing anything outside with her family and dog, Scout, preferably at the beach. She dotes on their two beautiful girls (now 11 and 15) who have both thrived and grown with all the opportunities in the life of an Army “brat.”

Lynda’s advice to any military spouse new or experienced: use whatever adversity comes at you to make you the best version of yourself. 

Hope For The Warriors

Founded in 2006, Hope For The Warriors is a national nonprofit dedicated to restoring a sense of self, family and hope for post-9/11 veterans, service members, and military families. What began as post-combat bedside care and support has evolved to a national organization that has adapted to ongoing changes within the military community. The organization has stayed the course with our country’s post-9/11 veteran population as physical wounds healed, but emotional wounds still needed care. Since its inception, Hope For The Warriors has served over 23,200 through a variety of support programs focused on clinical health and wellness, sports and recreation, and transition. For more information, visit hopeforthewarriors.org, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Hire Heroes USA’s Serving Spouses Program 

Hire Heroes USA’s Serving Spouses℠ Program is a career coaching program tailored specifically to military spouses. Military spouses who register for the program are individually paired with a transition specialist on our team who understands the unique challenges they face in the job search, like communicating gaps in employment and understanding transferable skills. We do our best to ensure military spouse registrants are paired with a military spouse on our team—someone who knows the challenges first-hand and has overcome them. Searching for employment is stressful enough without the added challenge of being a military spouse, but you don’t have to do it alone!

What We Offer To You

Military spouses can register for free services at hireheroesusa.org.

Active-duty spouses, reserve spouses, and those spouses whose service member has retired or separated from the military are all eligible for Hire Heroes USA’s services.

Free Services Include:

• One on One Professional Mentorship with a Serving Spouses Transition Specialist
• A Professionally Revised Resume
• LinkedIn / Networking Assistance
• Interview Preparation Guidance to include Mock Interviews
• Access to Workshops, Webinars, and Events
• A Job Board
• Federal Resume Help
• Virtual Career Fairs
• Targeted Industry / Job Mentorship (Hire Heroes USA has a volunteer core of more than 1000+ industry experts)

Find out more by joining the Military Spouse Support Facebook Forum or the Serving Spouses LinkedIn Group.

The USO

The USO strengthens America’s military service members by keeping them connected to family, home, and country, throughout their service to the nation. At hundreds of locations worldwide, The USO is united in its commitment to connect service members and their families through countless acts of caring, comfort, and support. The USO is a private nonprofit organization, not a government agency. Its programs, services, and entertainment tours are made possible by the American people, the support of corporate partners, and dedicated volunteers and staff. To join them in their vital mission and learn more about the USO, visit USO.org or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Just Moved Ministry 

Just Moved Ministry is dedicated to the emotional well-being and spiritual growth of women who are uprooted by a move. Through Biblical teaching, resources, and one-on-one encouragement, we prepare, inspire, and equip a woman to trust God with her future, put down new roots, and embrace life in a new community. Connect with Just Moved at justmoved.org and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Military installations, churches, seminaries, mission organizations, and corporate settings around the world offer the in-person or online study based on Susan Miller’s popular book, After the Boxes Are Unpacked. For any military PWOC that chooses to start an After the Boxes are Unpacked study, Just Moved Ministry provides the essential materials to launch the study for up to six members at no cost. Go here to learn more about offering the study at your military installation.

Susan Miller, America’s Moving Coach® and Founder of Just Moved Ministry, is invited to speak nationally and internationally at women’s events, leadership conferences, military installations, and for corporations that relocate their employees.

Contact Susan at susanmiller@justmoved.org or learn more about her speaking for your retreat or conference at www.susanmiller.org.

‘Ai Pono Eating Disorder Treatment Center 

‘Ai Pono Hawaii Eating Disorder Treatment Center provides residential, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient eating disorder treatment. With more than 35 years of expert experience and currently under the clinical direction of Dr. Anita Johnston, ‘Ai Pono offers evidence-based, trauma-informed holistic eating disorder treatment in a peaceful home-like setting. ‘Ai Pono Hawaii proudly serves active-duty military members and their families as well as veterans.

To learn more about ‘Ai Pono, visit aipono.com or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Lauren Weldon May

Lauren Weldon May is a Certified Professional Organizer and founder of Manifesto Home + Office. She has spent thousands of hours organizing hundreds of clients since she started her company in 2013 after years in the luxury hotel industry. While Lauren loves to organize any space from playrooms to closets for clients from all walks of life, her primary focus is on military family organization as well as paperwork processes and systems. Lauren lives in Vicenza, Italy with her JAG officer husband and their toddler son.

The Ohana Homefront Foundation

The Ohana Homefront Foundation was founded on Oct. 4, 2021 by military spouses Natalie Ealy and Sarah Otto. Both Natalie and Sarah have been milspouses for more than two decades and have a heart for the military community as a whole. They realized that there is a gap when it comes to mental health awareness and suicide prevention and want to make sure that everyone in the military community is receiving the mental health care they need. The Ohana Homefront Foundation Board of Directors and numerous volunteers are working to bring awareness to help bring an end to suicide within the military community.

The Ohana Homefront Foundation is always looking for volunteers! Volunteers help with events, the hotline/text line/chatline, gathering local resources, and so more!

The Ohana Homefront Foundation Mission Statement: Suicide in our military community is an issue, especially for the families, yet it is not spoken about at the same level as active-duty members and veterans. The OHF’s mission is to support the entire military community when it comes to suicide awareness by bringing the talk of suicide to the front and offer support to all that hold down the home front.

If you would like to share your heart, talents, expert advice, or experiences with Army Wife Network by contributing a monthly blog, click here for more information.