WE ARE STILL SEEKING SUBMISSIONS FOR:

***HOME FRONT HEARTH: Recipes from Military Families around the World

This cookbook will be published in conjunction with the Museum’s exhibit, Host Nation Hospitality. Seeking recipes and stories to go with them, or food-related stories. Deadline: June 30, 2017.  Recipes/Stories should be sent to: militaryfamilymuseum@comcast.net

 

***WAR CHILD: Lessons Learned From Growing Up In War

Looking for first-hand stories from all perspectives—service members who were teenagers while deployed into combat, adults who, as children, grew up in a war zone, or children who experienced a parent or sibling serving in war.  Submissions can be about the recent campaigns, Vietnam, the Korean War era or World War II—and conflicts in between. All pieces should be from a child’s perspective and, if applicable, include a reflection or lesson learned from the experience. We especially would like to include stories from children and young adults whose parents are currently serving. Deadline June 30, 2017

To submit a story, please e-mail Writer-in-Residence Paul Zolbrod at mamfwriter@gmail.com.

***SHOUT!  Sharing our Truth:  An Anthology of Writings by LGBT Veterans and Family Members of the U.S. Military Services

Seeking first-hand experiences—good, bad, and in between—as an LGBT Veteran or family member, during and/or after military service. Our goal is to create a book that tells parts of your story that which will help others who live, or want to understand, the LGBT military family experience. Stories should reflect military experiences and/or family life.

Deadline June 30, 2017.  Send submissions to: mamfshout@gmail.com .

 

Military Loved Ones and the Internet

By Libby Hopkins
Until Vietnam, American wars were truly an enigma to families and the country back home.  Still photos, long awaited letters, films created by United States officials, and news reports whose information came from government spokespeople were all that loved ones and the American public could see.  In contrast, due to most American families having television in their homes by the time of Vietnam, actual visual footage of war was broadcast directly into regular Americans’ living rooms.

Fast forward to the present, real time news with graphic visuals transmitted digitally by embedded reporters is commonplace.  Further, loved ones can often communicate with their deployed service members in actual time via email, text or Facebook messaging, and can even see one another and the troops’ surroundings while communicating via Skype, Face Time or the like.  Consequently, parents, spouses and other loved ones can have access to up-to-the-minute information about the service member and his/her unit’s whereabouts, combat situation, location, movements, schedule and leave expectations.  When a loved one gets excited and innocently shares that information with friends and loved ones publicly on social media, there can be dire consequences.

Something as simple as, “So excited that John’s coming home from Fallujah on Thursday in time for the birth of the baby”, posted on Facebook or Twitter, could trigger consequences ranging from the entire unit’s leave being delayed or cancelled, to tipping off the enemy as to the unit’s plans to move out, possibly jeopardizing missions, damaging national security, causing territory to be overtaken or even the loss of American or allied troops, or civilian lives. » Read more

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