Special Homecoming Highlights Partnership with Sierra Club

Campers from the National Military Family Association’s Operation Purple® program were recently welcomed home by their parents in the exciting tradition of a military homecoming. Usually these children are the ones waiting with signs and cheers for their moms and dads returning from a deployment, but this time it was their turn. More than 120 military children from Southern California wrapped up a week long stay at the Operation Purple Camp at Catalina Island, California with a star-studded family day barbeque and special visits from military leadership. <<more>>

Armed Forces Voter Week August 31 to September 7, 2008 is designated Armed Forces Voters Week. The purpose of this week is to encourage all service members and their families to register to vote and request an absentee ballot, if needed. Commanders and Voting Assistance Officers (VAOs) will motivate and encourage all eligible citizens to participate in the remaining state primaries and vote in the November 4, 2008 general election. <<more>>

Record Number of Military Spouses Head Back to School with NMFA Scholarships The National Military Family Association (NMFA) is proud to announce the nearly 400 recipients of its 2008 Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship Program. This number represents a dramatic increase over previous years, thanks to new partnerships with the Fisher House Foundation and Health Net Federal Services, who helped meet the increasing demand of military spouses for education benefits. In addition, the new Folds of Honor Foundation provided generous scholarship funding for 180 spouses of military service members disabled or killed in the line of duty during the Global War on Terror. <<more>>

Military Families Claim Education Victory Tenth State Signs on to Educational Compact! Military families won an enormous victory last week when Delaware became the tenth critical state to adopt The Interstate Compact for Educational Opportunity for Military Children. The first state to adopt the compact was Kansas exactly three months ago in April. Since then, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and Oklahoma have all signed on to the compact. The compact is now activated in these 10 states that have adopted it, and for other states that subsequently join. <<more>>

TRICARE Coverage for College Students Before sending a son or daughter off to college, it is important for military families to review their child’s health care options because some TRICARE options will work better than others. Choosing the best health care option depends mainly on where the school is located and the student’s transportation options at the school. For example, TRICARE Prime is only offered in designated Prime Service Areas. Military families should call their regional TRICARE contractor to find out if their child’s college is in one of these designated areas. If the school is in a Prime Service Area, but not where the family is registered, then a split enrollment under TRICARE Prime would be the best option <<more>>