Military Spouses' Career Network

Military Family Living Links

The National Military Family Association
NMFA is a nonprofit organization representing the families of the uniformed services and active, reserve, and retired servicemembers. For over 30 years, NMFA has been our "voice in Washington," advocating to maintain and improve the benefits and essential resources upon which military families rely.

CGSpouses.Net
"The Best Spot" on the net for Coast Guard Spouses! CGSpouses.Net and its predecessor sites ("Our House" and "Terri's Corner") have served as a source of inspiration and "technical support"... The MSCN webmaster is grateful to all of the CG Spouses who've contributed to the site, and generously shared their ideas and "know how."

DoD's Standard Installation Topic Exchange Service (SITES)
Information on every DoD installation. It's an on-line welcome aboard package full of information for those getting ready to PCS. Includes information on the local job market, and how to contact the installations' Family Member Employment Assistance Program.

Lifelines for Quality of Life
A project of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Coast Guard, and the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, Lifelines brings quality of life information to military families around the world, around the clock-- A Virtual Family Service Center.

Air Force Crossroads

The official community website of the U.S. Air Force, "Crossroads" provides information on employment, relocation, parenting, eldercare, and family readiness. A "Spouses Forum" is available, although access is restricted to Air Force and Air Force Reserve spouses.

DoD's Military Assistance Program (MAP) Website
MAP pulls together invaluable information for military family living, integrating links to SITES, Military Teens on the Move, Operation Transition: The Defense Outplacement Referral Service, and a link to The Military Family Resource Center. Convenient access to "official" programs sponsored by the Department of Defense.

DoD's Military Children and Youth Website

Sponsored by the Office of Family Policy, this website provides information on military children and youth issues, programs, and initiatives. It is designed to share information on military efforts with the civilian community as well as to facilitate efforts within the military community.

Today's Military Wife: Meeting the Challenges of Service Life by Lydia Sloan Cline
Now in its fourth edition, this book is packed with current information essential for spouses (not just wives!) of all military personnel, regardless of service, rank, or whether they are on active duty or in the reserves. Includes everything you ever wanted to know about military family life but didn't know who to ask. Also includes a chapter on, "Your Own Career." This book makes a great gift for new-to-the-military spouses.

Orchids in the Snow by Charlie Hudson
Written by an Army wife, Orchids is a provocative, compelling book that depicts the challenges and life choices of being a military spouse. The characters are believable, the situations are realistic, and the heroine experiences them with a candid journey of self-discovery that is both interesting, and at times discomforting, to read. Beyond being the kind of book you enjoy too much to put down, it is a wonderful impetus for introspection into one's own life and choices, something we all need to do at some point. The book jacket calls it "A book for any woman who has ever wondered if she made the right choices for her life." -- I highly recommend this book to every military spouse.

The Accidental Diplomat: Dilemmas of the Trailing Spouse by Katherine L. Hughes
An interesting book by a sociologist and daughter of an American Foreign Service Officer, about the spouses of the U.S. Foreign Service. The sociological, professional, and personal challenges of living the life of a "trailing spouse" are highlighted in interviews with Foreign Service spouses. The similarities to the plight of military spouses, as well as nearly parallel evolutions in spouses' attitudes toward the services make this an interesting book for those interested in the sociology of the military family community.

Pass it On! How to Thrive in the Military Lifestyle by Kathleen P. O'Beirne
This book contains valuable information for thriving rather than just surviving the military life. It focuses on the strategies for living a fulfilling, healthy, satisfying life as a military family member; It includes a chapter "Portable Careers and Education," as well as tips and strategies for everything from parenting to protocol.

Pass it On, II: Living and Leaving the Military Lifestyle by Kathleen P. O'Beirne (Published by Lifescape Enterprises, West Mystic, CT).
A "sequel" to her first book, Kathleen covers everything you were left wondering after the first one. Includes chapters on "Military Spouses' Leadership Skills," and "Employment and Education." Don't let the title fool you-- although it includes a chapter on "Leaving the Military," don't wait until you're transitioning out before getting a copy, because you'll find it useful even now!

Service Etiquette by Oretha D. Swartz
Though nearly ten years old, this book is still an invaluable reference for military spouses who want to make sure everything's just right!

The Army Wife Handbook: A Complete Social Guide by Ann Crossley

The Air Force Wife Handbook: A Complete Social Guide by Ann Crossley

A Mother's Place: Choosing Work and Family Without Guilt or Blame by Susan Chira
Susan Chira, a journalist with The New York Times tackles the issue of working motherhood. Written in the aftermath of the trial which acquitted an au pair of murder but subjected the child's mother to criticism and scrutiny for pursuing a career, the author presents a viable vision of working motherhood and dispels myths about the incompatibility of work and parenting.

She Works/He Works: How Two-Income Families are Happy, Healthy, and Thriving by Rosalind C. Barnett & Caryl Rivers
This book discusses the results of a study sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) about dual-career families, the majority of whom had children. The results provide outstanding reassurance for working parents, and while conducted with civilian families, the results parallel findings of Department of the Navy research which found positive benefits of spouse employment on servicemembers' and their families' well-being.

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I'd love to hear about your favorite military family living resources. Send me an e-mail, including the URL, if applicable (and if you don't mind, tell me what you like about it and why.) I'll add it to the list.