Everyone needs a sounding board, a place to freely vent. For military wives, with the additional stressors that pop up during PCS moves, deployments and everyday struggles, that need becomes almost a requisite for survival. The chance to talk to those who empathize is invaluable; yet, sometimes that's difficult to do in a close-to-home setting.

The True Military Wives Confessions, or TMWC, board allows wives to do just that: voice their fears, concerns, triumphs, and questions to a group of their peers - even if they've never met them. To the 2,452 registered members, the site touts itself as "your anonymous best friend," meaning they can say anything without fear of judgment.

Well, almost anything. Members can start a new discussion on any topic, so long as it is respectful to other members and adheres to the guidelines barring inappropriate content, which includes abusive language, name-calling, insults, harassment, and personal attacks. If something offensive is posted, members are urged to contact the site's administrator rather than engage the offender themselves.

Current topics range from the more mundane, such as birth control choices, what household chores are worst or coping with the kids, to the more dramatic, such as how to talk to husbands about re-enlistment or whether a justice of the peace wedding is advisable prior to deployment.

Wives also use TMWC to gather information on new duty stations, especially those overseas, or even to informally advertise a place to rent. Photos are posted, and friendships are formed, so the forum's stated goal of building camaraderie among these women separated by many miles is clearly working.

The current administrator and editor of the site, Romi Lassally, is a military spouse with three kids, so she understands the concerns of her audience. The goal, according to her, is to allow these women to provide comfort, friendship, and support to each other.

TMWC also can act as a gateway to other groups, such as ones specifically for military teen-agers and another geared toward military husbands. Additional groups of interest are listed under a "groups" header, which can be found easily once you're signed into the site. Membership is free, simple and requires as little or as much information as you want to share. For instance, displaying your real name is not required if you are not comfortable, and rank never enters into the equation.

Visit http://truemilitarywivesconfessions.ning.com and find out what the buzz is about.