Military Life
The Kids in Koncert (aka KiK) choir, which operates out of the Capital Playhouse in Olympia, has been around for close to 15 years. In that time, Director Troy Arnold Fisher has taken about 40 kids a year, most of whom have no professional vocal training, and made them into
Focus
The state's Emergency Management Division, (EMD), which is located on Camp Murray, is built to withstand earthquakes and other physical threats. The futuristic structure was built using the Friction Pendulum Seismic Isolation system, most notably used for the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco, and allows the EMD building
Health
Prazosin is not a household name, nor does it have a catchy commercial airing multiple times a day; however, it is making a difference for those facing vivid, and often violent, combat-related nightmares when they go to sleep. Col. Kris Peterson, chief of Psychiatry at Madigan Army Medical Center, has been
Focus
The headquarters of the Washington National Guard, located at Camp Murray, is in our backyard. Yet, most of us don't know much about it. The Washington State Military Department has four major operational divisions - the Army National Guard, the Air National Guard, the Emergency Management Division, and State Services.
Operation Family Support
Over the next six months, approximately 7,500 single soldiers will be returning home with the 3rd, 4th and 5th Stryker Brigades. Members of two organizations, the Air Force Sergeant's Association Auxiliary and Support America's Armed Forces, have teamed up and are preparing to welcome them home with a little something
Military Life
When someone talks about a thrift store, it can conjure up the old expression about one man's junk being another one's treasure and so on. But in reality, that is the truth. One man wandered into the JBLM-McChord Field thrift store to browse and wound up finding the spark plugs
Business News
The Fort Lewis Chapter of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), which has approximately 1,200 members, has been working to expand its reach with the formation of five satellite subchapters in towns surrounding the base. That goal was realized this week when the second subchapter signed its bylaws
Education
Though Yorktown University just received its national accreditation with the Distance and Education Training Council in 2008, it is already becoming well known among the ranks of military students. The online-based school is focused on the armed forces at a time when higher education is moving to the forefront of
Operation Family Support
At the grocery store sometimes you are stopped just outside the front door and asked to purchase more than what is on your list. Organizations that employ this donation tactic range from Boy Scouts working on a service project to local food banks trying to bolster their supplies. Now another
Veterans
The Associated Retired Officers Wives group, or AROWS, claims to provide its members with ‘pleasant associations', but the best word to describe what it provides is camaraderie. "It is about our sisterhood," said past president Carolyn Guppy. "Sometimes, especially when living overseas or during deployments, all you have is the other
Operation Family Support
"When people come in for counseling, we ask them to fill out a form listing their issues. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the first problem they list is communication," said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Danny Holcomb, who works out of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Family Counseling Center. Holcomb recently teamed up with
Focus
Joint Base Lewis-McChord hosted a black history month celebration on JBLM-North this week. I Corps and Madigan Army Medical Center (MAMC) co-sponsored the event, which was held at the North Fort Chapel and was the culmination of over three months' planning according to Staff Sgt. Misty Jackson. "We worked so hard
Military Life
Military wife Beth Stroehman leads a support group for military spouses, but she is quick to acknowledge that the idea for the group did not originate with her. Instead, she credits one of the pastors on staff at the Lighthouse Christian Center, or LCC, in Puyallup where she attends with
Operation Family Support
From the outside, elementary schools across America often look the same. But inside there are differences - especially when it comes to one in a military community. There the faces of students and teachers change regularly; entire classes shift around; and a lot of the time at least one parent
News Articles
"This merger creates an even more powerful asset in the defense of our nation," said Army Col. Thomas Brittain, Joint Base Garrison commander. "We have worked together on deployments and now we are bringing that joint system back home." As of Jan. 31, Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force base merged
Operation Family Support
Volksmarching is a German word meaning ‘peoples' march', which is exactly what it looks like when it happens. This type of organized, non-competitive fitness walking involves participants walking 10 kilometers, about 6.2 miles, on a designated outdoor trail. While the walkers are not competing at these walks, they are typically
Operation Family Support
Children of military service members are no different than other kids - except for the fact that they are expected to be stronger and to understand when one of their parents is sent to the other side of the globe. With routine deployments continuing, one organization is attempting to bridge
Focus
In 2009, Army suicides reached an alarming level, accounting for 20 percent of the total suicides nationally. The Army issued a statement recently acknowledging the growing number of suicides among service members. Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Peter Chiarelli said that in order to work on suicide
Jobs
Dressing well doesn't necessarily mean spending an exorbitant amount of money or donning a cocktail dress. It usually just means dressing appropriately for your body type, which can be a challenge for a lot of women since styling rules are far from generic and everyone's fashion taste is unique. The
Children
Not all military families live on post. As a result, many are often challenged to find safe, affordable child care options close to their homes. The new Army Child Care in Your Neighborhood, or ACCYN, program promotes sponsored off-post care as a supplement to on-post care. ACCYN is a joint venture
