As military spouses, we understand what it’s like to have to search for a job every couple of years. PCSing is stressful enough, without throwing in a career search at the same time. That’s where the Arm Me Up Career Campaign comes in.

Whether your spouse retired after 20 years or has only been in one day, the Arm Me Up Career Campaign can help you find your next job. Even if you happen to be in a season where you actually aren’t looking for a job – it’s always best to stay workforce ready and there are classes that can help. The Arm Me Up Career Campaign is run by Military Spouse Jobs and serves all branches, family members, caregivers, active, or retired.

The Arm-Me Up “Outreach” career campaign was created to help and empower Army Spouses who have experienced gaps in employment due to child rearing, remote duty stations and frequent moves. We are a career resource that is solutions based. We help empower spouses by creating pathways to acquire adequate employment. With the support of our program sponsors, we have assisted over 400 Army spouses find meaningful and fulfilling employment. 

Angie Fair is a career development professional, military employment advocate, and proud Army Spouse of 15 years. Angie serves as the Arm-Me Up Program Coordinator for Military Spouse Jobs. Angie has extensive knowledge of resume writing, strategic job search, interview best practices, and the federal job application process. Angie is fueled by her love of cultivating personal relationships and brokering community connections.

Denise Lewis is an Army Brat and an Army Retired Spouse, who has been an advocate of the Army all of her life. Denise holds a Masters in Management and Leadership and was drastically impacted by employment opportunities due to frequent moves and remote duty stations. She is grateful to work for an organization that is in line with her passion to empower spouses with upskill and employment opportunities at no cost.

Listeners, if you would like to learn more about the Arm Me Up Career Campaign, check out their website here, you can also check out Military Spouse Jobs at their website here, or connect with Military Spouse Jobs on social media via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter.

Empowerment Patrol Report with Amanda B.

Today we are showcasing one of our volunteers who is an MRE winner, which by the way, that stands for Motivated and Ready to Empower. A huge congratulations to Army Wife Network Command Team Member, our Content Editor, 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!

So much thanks goes out to Kathleen for doing your part to empower military families all across the globe.

News 6 with Jolene

Here is this week’s News 6 mashup of stories for the week of June 20, 2022, straight from AWN News 6 Correspondent, Jolene McNutt:

3D Printed Tourniquets Heading to Ukraine

Jakub Kaminski, a robotics engineering graduate student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, received “a grim message from his friend, a surgeon in Ukraine: Tourniquets were in short supply, and without them, many Ukrainian soldiers could bleed out and die,” reported Stars and Stripes. Kaminski thought that he could design a tourniquet that could be 3D printed. Eight versions later, he created a design durable enough for war but also easy enough for a soldier to use. He uploaded the design to the internet where other individuals and companies with 3D printers have accessed it. 

IRS Mileage Rate Increases

A bit of relief is coming for those of you facing official travel this summer, reported Military.com. The mileage rate for PCSing will be increasing from 18 cents to 22 cents per mile. For those traveling for TDY, the rate will increase “from about 59 cents to 63 cents for the second half of the year.” Record high fuel costs “prompted the IRS to bump up its benchmark standard mileage expense rate.”

Patriotic NASCAR Race Designed by Airman

At a NASCAR Memorial Day weekend race, one car was decked out in an olive drab design by Air Force Staff Sgt. Sabatino DiMascio. His design paid homage to C-47s flown in World War II, reported the Department of Defense. “I wanted to design a car that stood out and signified a great part of our history, both Air Force and Army Air Corps,” said DiMascio. Check out pictures of the final design at Defense.gov

You can check out more of this week’s top stories here.

Special Feature Interview with First Command

Joining us today to discuss how career challenges affect military spouses and how Jing’s been able to overcome them. is two guests from First Command. Jing Lisanby has been an Air force spouse for 11 years and working as a First Command financial advisor for 6 years. Her work is mainly focused on coaching our military families to be financially squared away during their time in the service and transitioning to civilian life. And Hisako Sonethavilay the Senior Advisor for Research and Innovation at Hiring Our Heroes. She manages the strategic execution of research and initiatives that support military spouses’ and veterans’ ability to thrive in the workplace. Hisako is also the spouse of a Retired Marine.

First Command and Hiring Our Heroes did a survey together to understand how the employment challenges that military spouses face can impact their long-term financial future. They also wanted to find out how they can help military spouses to feel empowered to make smart financial decisions. Many respondents said that the military lifestyle does negatively affect their career. But moving can also be seen as an opportunity – especially with more remote work military spouses have the ability to grow in tenure in one job.

Thank you again to today’s sponsor, First Command Financial Services. With four out of five of financial coaches coming from the ranks of military spouses or veterans, they’re uniquely qualified to help you pursue financial security. Visit www.firstcommand.com to learn more and find a financial coach near you.

Thank You

Thank you for tuning into this week’s episode. Please leave a five-star rating and review on Apple podcasts, then send us a screenshot of your review to info@armywifenetwork.com or DM us on Facebook or Instagram @armywifenetwork to receive a special in-real-life gift as a thank you on behalf of AWN. We appreciate your engagement and support.

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