Today, we recognize Veteran’s Day by honoring our military forces and veterans for all they have done, and continue to do, for this country. November is Military Family Appreciation Month, and serves to raise awareness and support for families with members currently or previously enlisted in the military. Whether these family members are mothers or fathers, wives or husbands, sisters or brothers, daughters or sons, New Jersey is here to support them, this month and always.
Featured photo courtesy of June Bug Photography
Behind our brave service men and women, are strong and dedicated family members who live a life of service and sacrifice every bit as valuable as their military loved one. As a Marine wife, I’ve experienced, first hand, the impact of deployment, spending birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays apart, holding down the home front without my husband, and working diligently in maintaining normalcy in our home for our three-year-old boy.
– Diana Robles, Military Wife, Paterson, NJ
Diana’s three-year-old son welcoming his father home. Photo via Lara E. Photography
If you know somebody in a military family, there are many ways to give back. From gestures as simple as saying, “thank you,” or offering to babysit their children, to making a donation to an association dedicated to counseling and assisting military families.
The National Military Family Association, acting as “the voice for military families,” by raising awareness of the issues these families face, and acting as a communication liaison between military families and members of Congress. Get involved with NMFA this month, and year-round, by donating, joining as a member, or taking action by voicing your support of military family benefits including compensation, child care, health care, mental health, military children’s education, and spouse education/ career support.
Closer to home, the New Jersey National Guard Family Program provides all the information a military family will need in one, organized website. The website, “provides an overview of military benefits and how to access them, identifies eligibility requirements associated with some entitlement, and, most importantly, lets you know where you can obtain assistance when you have specific questions and problems.”
Visit the New Jersey Military Family Assistance Centers on Facebook for information on the association’s six locations in Jersey City, Morristown, Toms River, Bordentown, Lawrenceville, and Woodbury.
The New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs offers assistance to the families of veterans as they work to claim benefits from the federal government, and also, “offers low-cost loans to acquire farms or homes.”
A Military family’s journey isn’t an easy one, but it is a rewarding one. As we celebrate Military Family Appreciation month, let us be reminded of the never ending sacrifices of our heroes and their families who, proudly, serve alongside of them.
– Diana Robles, Military Wife, Paterson, NJ
Diana welcoming her husband home with their three-year-old son. Photo via Lara E. Photography
Thank you to our armed forces, veterans, and their supportive families.
