There is a saying that if the military wanted you to have a spouse, they would have issued you one. While there are days we may encounter when that feels like it’s all too true, the military has come a long way in the services and support that it offers military families. While each service and installation may differ in what is available, there are the ones we can count on to be there for us-no matter where we are relocated to.

 

MWR or Morale, Welfare and Recreation:

MWR offers military families everything from entertainment options to outdoor activities to Arts & Crafts centers to Automotive centers, where, if you’d like to, you can learn to change your own oil. These folks arrange festivals and free concerts for service members. They manage your installation’s library where you can find excellent summer reading programs for kids on summer break. They are also the place to find out about sports and leisure or recreational activities available to family members. MWR also handles Respite Care program offered during deployment should your installation have one. For more information on your military branches MWR program, please check out the following links:

Army: www.armymwr.com

Navy: www.mwr.navy.mil

Marines: www.usmc-mccs.org

Air Force: www.afsv.af.mil

Coast Guard: www.uscg.mil/MWR/

Army Reserves: www.armymwr.com

 

 

Family Readiness Programs:

The military offers trainings and support to families in order to better support military family life and help with deployment readiness. In a time where deployments have become a near constant in today’s current military way of life, these services can help ensure a family member is as ready as they can be to handle deployment. These programs often offer classes to learn new skills or polish up some old ones. You can often find classes from learning acronyms to balancing your checkbook to improving parenting skills to leadership. You may also find volunteer opportunities through this service.

Army: Army Family Team Building (or AFTB): www.myarmylifetoo.com

Navy: Fleet and Family: www.nffsp.org

Marines: Marine Corps Family Team Building: www.usmc-mccs.org/links/

AirForce:

Air Force Aid Society and Heart Link Program: www.afas.org/community/body_spouse.cfm

Army Reserves: www.arfp.org

 

MilitaryOneSource is a fantastic resource for finding out about anything you might need as a military family member. These great folks can help you find anything from a new hair salon to a roofing contractor in your area. They can also provide resources for counseling and offer up to six sessions with a counselor per issue you may have. They do also provide up to six sessions for marriage counseling, which Tricare currently does not authorize. You can contact them online at www.militaryonesource.com or call them at 1-800-342-9647. MilitaryOneSource is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you aren’t sure where to go, these helpful people can help point you in the right direction.

Oftentimes you can also check your installations webpage to find any services specific to your location:

 

Find Your Army Installation: www.hqda.army.mil/acsimweb/installations.htm

Find Your Air Force Base: www.af.mil/sites

Find Your Navy Base: http://www.navy.mil/navydata/bases/navbases.html

Find Your Marine Corps Base: http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/websites.nsf/unitslocation

 

In addition to these resources many installations have a community services office (in the Army this is ACS or Army Community Services) or family resource centers. These places are excellent resources for finding information on the resources available to you at your location.

 

The military life may be one where the only certain thing is uncertainty but resources available have come a long way. Check out any of above links to see what is available for you.