A wonderful discovery

Last night I, along with Airforcewife and Sarah, had a wonderful conversation on SBTR with author Judith Heimann.  You can read AFW's post about the synopsis of the book so I don't repeat everything she said.  But I do highly encourage you to listen to the radio show and hear for yourself what a wonderful book The Airmen and The Headhunters really is!  It's an incredible, true story from WWII.  Ms. Heimann traveled far and wide, and worked on this book for 10 years to piece together an incredible story.

A story of survival, friendship, embracing a new culture, and many other things that we military spouses experience every time we move (PCS).  This book is not about milspouses, but Sarah brought up a great point about (wondering) how the families of the Airmen in this story coped with the "unknown" of their loved ones.  Were they dead?  Did they come home?

You don't want to miss this book!  Even if you aren't a "military buff," I guarantee this book will leave a lasting impression.

There's a (Slight) Chance AirForceWife Might Tell Me to Go to Hell

Airforcewife is constantly coming up with these embarrassing stories about herself.  I don't know if she really is a disaster magnet, or if she only imagines that the whole world is staring at her in horror when really no one has noticed the hole in her skirt or the pee her son deposited in the pool.  In all the times I've been around her, I have never seen her in all her mortifying glory, but she does have quite a reputation for being accident and embarrassment prone.

So much so that I've begun to imagine her face on literary characters who find themselves in airforcewife-ian situations.

Why I chose, Ben Stein's The Real Stars for this months book club.

He really says it all doesn't he. Also note all proceeds from the book go to T.A.P.S..

H/T: to Chuck Z. on this video

SpouseBuzz Book Club: The Real Stars

As a military spouse, I really must say I was proud when Ben Stein wrote a piece titled The Real Stars, for his Monday Night At Morton's gig. 

I recall it being sent to me via e-mail, I read the piece online and I never did get tired of reading it.  Heck I think I might have sent it to every military service member I knew.  It really was refreshing to read. 

I copied part of his essay for those of you that have not read it below the fold. 

Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage

A few weeks ago, we added Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage to the SpouseBUZZ Book Club. Tomorrow evening on SpouseBUZZ Talk Radio, we'll be interviewing the author, Tanya Biank, about her book and the Lifetime television series, Army Wives. Tanya's book was the inspiration for the television show.

The book was, at least for me, much more interesting than the television series because it's based on real, tragic and extraordinary events that took place around Ft. Bragg in the summer of 2002. Once I dug in to Army Wives, I couldn't put the book down. 

If you've read the book, you now know that some of the seemingly outrageous storylines depicted in the television show really did happen. The son abusing his mother, the surrogate story, etc.. You have also met the real women behind the characters in the show.

In Reverse Order

A couple of weeks ago, I received my copy of Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage, by Tanya Biank.

As most of you know, Tanya's book was the inspiration for the television series, Army Wives. I began reading the book as soon as I received it, but was forced to put it down to read something else that took priority. And I assure you, I wouldn't have put this book down for any other reason. Last weekend, during a road trip, I was able to pick it up again. I devoured the book and finished reading it in a matter of hours.

Review of Michelle Keener's book Shared Courage

If I could go back and talk to myself on September 10, 2001, what would I say?  What advice could I give myself on how to get through the next decade?

I think about this hindsight when I try to remember what I was feeling on certain key days in my family's military history: as the WTC fell, as the president announced that Saddam had 48 hours to comply, as Shock and Awe started, when the Saddam statue came down.  I try to remember what I was thinking on those days and whether what I predicted really did come true.  I remember arguments after 9/11 about how long the war would last, I remember those initial reports that Saddam was killed during Shock and Awe, and I remember elation when the statue fell, thinking it meant the end was nigh.  Some predictions were true, some were not.

But all of this happened before my husband ever became a part of the War on Terror.
Michelle Keener's husband was standing next to that Saddam statue when it came down.

Meet the Author

I spoke with Michelle Keener today, the author of Shared Courage: A Marine Wife's Story of Strength and Courage, the latest pick in the SB Book Club. She asked I invite you to one of her book signings if you are in the San Diego area.

"I will be at a number of bases out here this week. I will be at Miramar tomorrow (June 6th) from 11am-1pm, MCRD San Diego on Thursday from 12-2pm and Camp Pendleton on Saturday (June 9th) from 11am-1pm and 29 Palms on Monday June 11 from 11-1pm...if you are in the area come on by! And bring any SpouseBuzz readers! I'd love to meet you. I will be at the exchanges on all the bases."

I wish I lived closer to San Diego! I've already read the book, and I encourage you to pick it and join our upcoming discussion!

The SpouseBUZZ Book Club Features "Shared Courage"

Shared Courage: A Marine Wife's Story of Strength and Courage, by Michelle Keener is our pick for the third book to be featured in the SpouseBUZZ Book Club.

The Quantico Sentry has a nice summary of the book:

‘‘Shared Courage” by Michelle Keener is a touching story of a country at war, a husband on deployment, and a wife searching within herself for the courage to keep her family afloat.

Keener tells the story of the back-home warriors, the women who fought the good fight on the home front while their husbands fought the war abroad.

From the beginning, military life was not easy for Keener, and she shares her struggles to – as Marines would say – adapt and overcome. Before Keener married, she was studying to become a nun. Unlikely as marriage seemed to her at the time, she followed her heart, which led her to Paul Keener, a Marine communications officer. After their short courtship and marriage, Keener found herself in unfamiliar territory.

A stranger to the Marine Corps, Keener describes her intimidating arrival at Quantico and her adjustment to military life. But suddenly her problems with base housing and meeting the neighbors seemed obsolete: on Sept. 11, 2001, planes hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and marked the beginning of a long and emotional road for Paul and Michelle Keener, as well as for the rest of the country.

A Conversation With Marna Krajeski

The second book in our SpouseBUZZ Book Club was Household Baggage: The Moving Life of a Soldier's Wife, by Army wife and author Marna Krajeski. Household Baggage is a hilarious look at the challenges that military spouses face.

Several weeks ago, some of the SpouseBUZZ authors sat down with Marna to talk to her about her book. I had some technical difficulties editing the podcast, and it took far too long to get this up. I'd like to thank Marna, who has the patience of a saint, for being such a good sport. Joan D'Arc, airforcewife and Guard Wife joined in on the podcast.

If you haven't read Household Baggage, order a copy and read it. You will laugh - a lot, and you might just look at your military experience with a whole new appreciation for the sacrifices you make by simply being a military spouse.

You can click the "get podcast" button on the right navigation bar to subscribe to the podcast feed and receive SpouseBUZZ podcasts in your iTunes folder, or you can click the "play" button below to listen.

Turn the volume all the way up during the first half because Marna's voice is a little faint.

Apologies to Marna and a Call for Your Stories

We taped our podcast discussion with Marna Krajeski about her fabulous book Household Baggage three weeks ago. I ran into some editing problems with the podcast and it has taken me some time to work it out. However, there's light at the end of the tunnel and we hope to post the podcast next week. Marna has been incredibly gracious during this entire process. Stay tuned, you won't want to miss the podcast.

Something else you don't want to miss is sending your story to Marna for consideration of publication in her next book, which she is currently working on. Marna has extended the date for submissions to August 1. Your story does not have to be about moving, it only has to be a military story. See the "continue reading" section for submission requirements.

Household Baggage Discussion Thread

For those of you participating in the SpouseBUZZ Book Club, today is discussion day for pages 1-104 of Household Baggage.

I thought that Household Baggage was easy to read because the chapters are made up of very short, funny essays. I found myself saying, "oh, yeah," laughing out loud and being comforted by the fact that although no two milspouses are alike, our lives, in many ways, are very much alike.

Re: Book Club

Below is a post written by Andi giving some info about the SpouseBUZZ Book Club and how we are going to tackle the first book, Household Baggage.  I want to share with you all my (quick) review of the book so far... it is awesome!!! 

I am a little more than halfway through and I have enjoyed every page.  It's a quick and easy read - each little story is only 2 or 3 pages long.  As a "seasoned" milspouse I have been able to identify, in one form or another, with every story.  It's a very witty, fun, and laugh-out-loud kind of book!

It is also a good book for newer milspouses.  I know you will identify with some of the stories, and it will also give you incite and "for-warning" about what may be in your future.  As I have said many times, we all have a different story to share.  Marna's story is as similar and different as all of ours. 

I encourage all of you to read this book at some point in time.  And no, Marna didn't ask me to write this "review" for her... I just wanted to let you all know that if you DON'T read it, you'll be missing out! :)

RE: SpouseBUZZ Book Club

Household Baggage arrived in my mailbox on Saturday. It's now Monday morning and I'm almost halfway through the book. I'm also sick, which gave me some reading time. But, even if I wasn't under the weather, this book would be a fast read.

We received some questions about the SpouseBUZZ Book Club over the weekend. Here's the way it will work: Buy the book and start reading anytime you wish. We'll post discussion threads which we'll use to discuss the book as a group. Because this book is an easy read, I think we'll have two discussion forums. One will deal with pages 1-104. The other will deal with pages 105-188 (the end of the book). Everyone has a different schedule and some can read faster than others, so we're keeping that in mind. Let's plan for the first discussion thread to be posted on February 9 and the second discussion thread one week later, February 16. At that time, you can submit your questions for the author, Marna Krajeski.

By the way, who's playing? Would be nice to get an idea of how many of you are participating.

A Conversation With Kristin Henderson

On Tuesday evening, four of the SpouseBUZZ authors sat down for a conversation with author and journalist, Kristin Henderson. Kristin is the author of While They're at War: The True Story of American Families on the Homefront. Kristin's book focuses on life during a wartime deployment from the perspective of the spouse left behind. Kristin has a unique vantage point, she too is a milspouse, her husband is a Navy Chaplain and has deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq.

The SpouseBUZZ authors who read While They're at War agreed that this book was difficult to put down. One of the strengths of this book is the wide variety of milspouses who are featured. Kristin speaks with Vietnam-era spouses, our generation of spouses, Gold Star spouses and male spouses. There's a lot of information in this book. While They're at War is more than a collection of milspouse stories, it's also a history lesson. How were modern-day support groups born? How did casualty notification procedures evolve? How did the programs that milspouses currently enjoy come to be? We learned the answers to these questions, and more, from reading Kristin's book.

We'd like to thank Kristin for an interesting and candid conversation about While They're at War. For more information on Kristin and her work, you can visit her website. You can also purchase the book from Kristin's website.

One note: Kristin was kind enough to be our guinea pig. Our interview with Kristin was our very first podcast. The podcasting equipment was acting up and the issues were beyond my control. I'm technically challenged! During the interview, the volume varies in a couple of places through no fault of my own because I'm technically challenged. Here's hoping practice makes perfect..... 

If you have a subscription to iTunes, simply click the blue button below to retrieve the podcast.

Open iTunes and the podcast will automatically upload. If you'd like to subscribe to iTunes, it's free and easy. Use this link.

If you're not interested in subscribing to iTunes, click this link. Save the file to your desktop, right click on the file and "open with" whatever program you'd like to use. You can use Windows Media Player to listen, as one example.