A few weeks ago I attended Heart Link, an Air Force spouse awareness program that helps spouses understand more about their base's mission, military lingo, protocol and available resources/services. I have to say, if you are a new military spouse it is well-worth the few hours to check it out.
For those who may have missed the Heart Link program at their base, I have outlined in this post some of the new items I learned/thought were interesting. ENJOY!!!
- You DO actually have to stop driving your car and pull over every time the national anthem is played on base
- If you're outside when the national anthem is played, stop, face the flag or music and put your hand over your heart (or hands to your sides)
- The AFRC offers a financial assistance program that will put together a personalized budget based on your income and expenses
- There are a variety of community programs available that offer free child care (Give Parents a Break for spouses of deployed family members, Permanent Change of Station program, AFAS care program for volunteers)
- Many Health and Wellness Centers (HAWC) will offer nutrition classes, tobacco cessation and discounted massages (!)
- AND onto a not so fun topic: it's really important that Casualty Services has your updated address for when your spouse deploys. If, god forbid, something were to happen to your deployed spouse Casualty Services would need your updated address to contact you and eventually discuss your survivor benefits with you.
I got a large folder FULL of other useful information (i.e what all those stripes and stars on their uniforms mean, important telephone numbers, various scholarships, etc.) So the next time you hear people murmuring about an upcoming Heart Link, make sure you sign up. Plus, if you decide at a later date you'd like to become a Key Spouse, then you've already fulfilled one of the requirements - woo hoo!
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