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8 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • May 2016 letter to the readers PUBLISHER Leigh Anne Van Doren Tabitha & Jamie Nelle's mom EDITOR-AT-LARGE Chris Jones Jordan, Quincy, Hayden & Olive's dad OPERATIONS Stephanie Maldonado Julia, Tyler & Aiden's mom BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING Heidi DiEugenio, President, HD Solutions Duke & Dane's mom ADVERTISING & SALES Julie Brosnan, twins Chris & Finn's mom Gemma Bruce, Bella's mom Bret Hammond twins Joshua & Caleb, Ellie & Michael's dad DESIGN & PRODUCTION Cheryl Carter, President, Carter Creations Alex, Kate & Jackie's mom WEBMASTER Karen Charney Joshua & Spencer's mom SOCIAL MEDIA Brenda Sapanghila Archer, Maddox & Oliver's mom CALENDAR Leigha Pecher Jake & Luke's mom COMMUNITY BLOGS Mary Becelia Katherine Laura & Robert Joseph's mom FACEBOOK COMMUNITY Pamela Quinones Corinn, Michael, Isabella & Dalton's mom parent fredericksburg & family Entrepreneur of the Year PROUD FOUNDING MEMBER ADVERTISING PHONE 540/374-1495 E-MAIL adsales@fredericksburgparent.net CALENDAR & SOCIAL MEDIA E-MAIL socialmedia@fredericksburgparent.net EDITORIAL PHONE 540/374-1495 E-MAIL editor@fredericksburgparent.net SNAIL MAIL P.O. Box 7884, Fred'bg, VA 22404 www.fredericksburgparent.net The publishers reserve the right to reject any advertisement, editorial or listing that does not meet the publication's standards. No part of this magazine may be reproduced with out permission. Listing and advertising rates are available upon request. Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information con- tained herein, however, the publisher cannot guarantee such accuracy. Listings and advertisements are subject to typographical errors, ommissions and/or change without notice. For terms and conditions please visit our website at www.fredericksburgparent.net © Copyright 2016 Nurture, Inc. All rights reserved. WRITTEN BY CHERYL CARTER LIKE facebook.com/ FredericksburgParent SIGN UP www.FredParent.net TWEET facebook.com/ FredericksburgParent PIN www.pinterest.com/ fredparent FOLLOW @fredparentmagazine …Is a Marine spouse. I have seen many sides of military life. My father made a career working for the Navy as a civilian. We didn't move, nor did dad deploy. When I met my husband, he was a young Marine officer at The Basic School (TBS). While the wives were polite, I was a "signifi- cant other," and most definitely not part of the family. Once married, I was immersed in the culture and quickly learned the expectations of a military spouse. The United States Marine Corps trained us to notice when others needed help, to offer help without being asked and to anticipate problems. Even 25 years ago, the USMC realized the importance of the military spouse and family in the success of our service men and women. They understood that the family supported the Marine, so the USMC needed to support the family. They offered formal programs, such as Morale Welfare and Recreation programs, Family Readiness Centers and Key Volunteers to lend support to families in need. While on active duty — and living on or near a base — these services were well known and easily accessible. Several years later, we left active duty service and moved to reserve status. I saw and experienced the disconnect of military life from the perspective of a reservist's spouse and family. They might attend "Family Day" once a year for a reserve weekend, but other than that, they had no idea what their Marine did once a month during their drill weekend. Many reserve spouses have not had the benefit of active duty life and are completely unaware of the services that exist to support them and their Marine. My husband deployed twice as a reservist. At the time, we lived hundreds of miles from his reporting duty station. While I knew family support services existed, they weren't logistically available. Despite having limited military support, we had a wonderful community and helpful friends who filled the void. Similarly, Fredericksburg is fortunate to have the military presence it does. There is a natural sense of service that exists in military-based regions like Fredericksburg, and it benefits the entire community. While the military and private organizations (see page 14 for our feature on Blue Star Families) have established more virtual and reserve-directed services over the years, there is no substitute for local involvement. Friends and neighbors (whether military or not) are the key to the success of the military family. I'm not sure the toughest job in the Corps is a Marine spouse. But I do know how important the job of a M arine spouse is! And that job is made more successful with the presence and involvement of friends, family and community. The Toughest Job in the Corps A very young and naive me suited up for USMC spouse visitation (aka "Jane Wayne Day").