Marine General John Allen – caught up and cleared in the email scandal that brought down CIA director David Petraeus – …
Military Families
Building Better Schools for Troops’ Kids
The divide between U.S. society and the American military reveals itself in strange places – children’s classrooms, for example. More than 1 million military kids face unusual challenges: they haven’t been in a specific school …
Not Everyone’s Coming Home
My Kayak
As I type this I am sitting in the San Diego airport preparing to head home to Dallas. The TAPS weekend seminar is over and I am filled with a powerful sense of faith.
I am not sure what I was hoping to get from this weekend, …
Reconnecting…with Myself
One of the things I heard early on at TAPS, as well as from my counselor at home, is the importance of self-care.
I’m a mother of three young children. Whenever this term “self-care” is thrown around in my presence I …
“I Refuse to Give Up”
Today, I am tired of suicide.
I ache in my bones and muscles and soul for all the suffering that continues to occur.
I am tired of learning about people who reached out for help, sometimes screaming for help, and they were …
That’s What Friends Are For…
Saturday night was our “family dinner” at our suicide-survivors’ conference in San Diego.TAPS provided us with fried chicken (I was one happy Texan!) and several other comfort foods.
Through a Child’s Eyes
Shannon, Tim and John.
These names, prior to our trip to the TAPS National Military Survivors Seminar in Washington, D.C., in May were not names I heard spoken in our home. Now, they receive nearly daily mentions and are …
My New Family…
Thursday morning I bounced out of bed early and yelled “Oh my gosh!”
I never get up on time and certainly never bounce. But this morning I knew that I would be headed to California for the TAPS seminar.
I went to work — my …
No Longer Alone…
As I lay out the clothes and review the checklist for our trip Friday, I can’t help but reflect on what TAPS — Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors — means to me and my children.
Not everyone finds TAPS right …
“My Daughter Was Scared of Me”
Army Major Andrew March has pulled three combat tours – a pair in Iraq and his most recent, in 2010 and 2011, in Afghanistan. In this recently-posted June interview with the Combat Studies Institute at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, March details his role keeping aircraft flying – and spying – as part of Task Force Odin.
“My Husband is a True American Hero”
My husband, Staff Sergeant Jeremy Breece, is a True American Hero.
In 2008, my husband and I thought it would be best that I separate from the Air Force because of two reasons. One being I was pregnant and two, my husband had …
Leaving Home: All War Stories Begin Like This…
The hardest part of the deployment was saying goodbye to my wife and 15-month-old son. The emotions I felt the morning I left were not of pride and excitement but of dread, regret, and overwhelming heartache. It took several …