Real Stories

Volunteer Spotlight: Why Do You Give Your Time to NMFA?
Volunteer Spotlight: Why Do You Give Your Time to NMFA? I started volunteering with the National Military Family Association at the beginning of 2017. I had been volunteering within my spouse's squadron, and on our installation for a few years, but I was...

NMFA Recognizes Three Outstanding Volunteers for 2017
NMFA Recognizes Three Outstanding Volunteers for 2017 NMFA was started by a few military spouses in 1969, and with the selfless service of volunteers giving their time, we've grown into what we are today. April 15-21, 2018 marks the celebration of Volunteer...

Survive and Thrive: Naval Air Station Atsugi, Japan
Survive and Thrive: Naval Air Station Atsugi, Japan So you just received orders to Naval Air Station Atsugi, Japan? Well get excited because you are about to embark on a very unique adventure! You might be feeling a bit overwhelmed about packing up and relocating all...

4 Things Your Divorced Friends Want to Tell You
4 Things Your Divorced Friends Want to Tell You Let's face it, divorce sucks! It doesn't matter how you got there, but the feeling once you are there is isolating and unsettling. It wasn't my goal. I wanted to live happily ever after. I'm not a...

Military Divorce: Where Do We Even Start?
Military Divorce: Where Do We Even Start? We all know the struggle of military life: constant deployments, TDYs, random shifts, and all that comes along with one (or both) spouse being married to military. Those struggles can lead to marriage battles that are tough to...

Celebrate the Month of the Military Child with Sesame Street
Celebrate the Month of the Military Child with Sesame Street At Sesame Workshop — the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street — we know that when a parent serves in the military, the whole family serves. That's why we created Sesame...

How We Survived PCS-Turned-Deployment Orders…and Lived to Tell!
How We Survived PCS-Turned-Deployment Orders...and Lived to Tell! My husband's PCS orders to Atlanta were cancelled at the last hour, and, instead, he was deployed overseas. In January of 2010, I was living in San Francisco with my kids, working for the federal...

Thanks, but No Thanks: What I Really Think of Your Deployment Advice
Thanks, but No Thanks: What I Really Think of Your Deployment Advice The D-Word. Some fear it, some hate it, some welcome the time apart. Whatever you think of deployments, we can all agree that having our service member home is the ideal scenario. But deployments are...

You Know You’re a “Seasoned” Military Spouse When…
You Know You're a "Seasoned" Military Spouse When... I would never consider myself old. I don't even think I technically qualify as middle-aged (don't correct me if I am wrong there). But, in military spouse years, I am considered to be...

5 Tips to Save $1000 in Your Emergency Fund
5 Tips to Save $1000 in Your Emergency Fund We all know we need to have an emergency fund, but how to make that happen is another story. And why do you even need one? Simply put, an emergency fund allows you to deal with those unexpected expenses that always seem to...