Deployment
Homefront Encouragement
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Copyright Benita Koeman 2008 - 2012
Gold Star Spouses - American Widow Project (AWP)
The American Widow Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to the new generation of those who have lost the heroes of yesterday, today and tomorrow, with an emphasis on healing through sharing stories, tears and laughter…Military Widow to Military Widow. Site features include at 75 minute video, resources (songs, poems, books, do-it-yourself, finding support), newsletter, a hotline, and events.
Gold Star Spouses - F.I.N.E. Young Widows (Females in Need of Empowerment)
The main focus of F.I.N.E. Young Widows is to provide empowerment, support and healing to each other. From that, the group wants to provide assistance and support to other young widows nation-wide by maintaining our website as a place to find comfort and by writing a book of our journeys through grief. It is our hope that F.I.N.E. Young Widows can expand and bring support and healing to anyone going through a similar loss… We are not alone!
Gold Star Spouses - Gold Star Wives
Gold Star Wives Of America, Inc. is an organization of military widows/widowers whose spouse died while on active duty or from service connected disabilities. This military survivors organization has been serving war widows from all conflicts and service connected disabilities since it was founded in 1945.
Gold Star Spouses - Military Ministry Gold Star Wife
Military Ministry a division of Campus Crusade for Christ. My ministry call is to share the hope and healing to wives of wounded and fallen military men. My personal journey through PTSD and loss equips me with the knowledge, compassion and determination to minister to wives in the throws of supporting their wounded warriors while ministering to other Gold Star wives who have lost their beloved husbands.
Gold Star Spouses - Real Widows (Blog Talk Radio)
Military widsters Deb Petty and LaNita Herlem host an engaging show for, about and by widows. These "Wise Owls" as coined by a fellow widster tackle the issues and topics faced by today's military widow. Join them in their new journey as BTR hosts.
Gold Star Spouses - Soaring Spirits Loss Foundation
The Soaring Spirits Loss Foundation will be recognized as the leading worldwide resource for providing peer-based grief support programs. With five different Internet based programs, a vibrant community of widowed people, a large list of grief support resources in cities all over the country, and a positive forward looking energy cultivated at every level of our organization Soaring Spirits Loss Foundation is creating a network of support that is available all around the world.
The Soaring Spirits Loss Foundation is committed to providing compassionate community support to anyone grieving the loss of a loved one; through the creation and implementation of programs dedicated to the ideals of hope and healing.
Gold Star Spouses - Society of Military Widows
This organization benefits widows of members of all branches of the uniformed services of the United States.
- Gives moral support, advice, referral service and, in general, help the widows of career military members to return to the main stream of normal living.
- Educates the American public concerning the problems and needs of military widows in today's society, and
- Preserves the basic truths and enduring principles on which the government of the United States is founded.
After the casualty officer and the caseworker have gone home and the paperwork is finished, how do you get through the lonely hours? As a military survivor, you very often face problems your civilian counterpart does not. The death of your spouse may be followed by a change of residence and separation from the network of support you have come to expect in the armed forces. You need someone who can help you through this difficult time.
Grief is a natural healing process that must be lived through. As military widows, we are here for you -- to help with your problems, as a support network, as friends, and, sometimes, simply a shoulder to cry on.
If you have specific questions related to your spouse's death or about your rights and benefits as a military survivor, please contact us.
Gold Star Spouses - Surviving Spouses Support Group
Surviving Spouse Support Group (SSSG) is a dedicated group of widows who lost our military spouses while serving in the military. SSSG has only one goal - to reach out and offer friendship and support to other military families who have lost a spouse after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
SSSG is for all military widowers post 9-11, from all the Armed Forces (active and reserve) including the National Guard and Coast Guard.
SSSG is a support group focused on military surviving spouses in the southwest region, including all southern California, and Yuma, Arizona.
Gold Star Spouses - Widows Match (Widows Bond)
Widow Match is a program designed to provide an opportunity for widows of similar circumstances to offer each other support and understanding through internet correspondence. Sharing experiences with another widow does not take the place of professional counseling, is not a forum for spiritual guidance, and should not be a burden on either party. It can be an avenue for talking about things other people don�t understand, airing feelings that are overwhelming, and finding comfort in knowing you are not alone. I found having a friend who knew the difficulties of widowhood as well as I did to be an invaluable support as I grieved the loss of my husband. It is my hope that through this program many meaningful, lasting friendships are formed and that the experience of offering loving support to another hurting woman will bless both of you in ways you never imagined.
Gold Star Parents - Fans of Gold Star Mothers
This group is my way of thanking the wonderful Gold Star mothers I have come to know through our shared experience of losing a child while in the service of our Armed Forces.
Gold Star Parents - Gold Star Dads
Quite often I get letters and emails from gold star mothers, daughters or other family members who tell me they are so glad we started this organization for dads. They tell us how hard it has been on their husbands and their fathers and how they worry about them. For so long the fathers of soldiers have felt left out....With that in mind, we have opened the GSD Patriot Forum for members to help each other work those kinks out, brag about our sons and help with our loneliness. The GSD Patriot Forum is located in a members only section of the site and requires that you register. This Members Section is open to Gold, Blue & Silver Star family members as well as American Patriots who want to be part of this growing community.
Gold Star Parents - Gold Star Fathers
We are the fathers of the fallen, who are seeking to assure that those who become Gold Star Fathers in the future always have someone by their side. This website was created because of a fallen soldier.
Gold Star Parents - Gold Star Moms
Welcome to American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. We're an organization of mothers who have lost a son or daughter in the service of our country. If you've lost your child and would like the community of others in your situation, we invite you to join us. No one knows how you feel like another mother who has lost a child.
Gold Star Parents - Parents of War: Surviving the Folded Flag
For parents who have suffered the ultimate sacrifice of a child in a time of war. A group created by Gold Star Mom Deborah Tainsh of Panama City Beach, Florida to link her Gold Star friends to one another for continued support if they so choose.
Gold Star Parents - Umbrella Ministries
A support ministry reaching to the hurts and hearts of mothers who have experienced the loss of a child.
Gold Star Children - The Fallen Soldiers Children Support Page
This page is for kids who have lost a loved one in war. We want to help kids get through the loss of a loved one.
Gold Star Siblings - Gold Star Siblings
Numerous opportunities exist to provide much needed support for our surviving Siblings who have lost a Sibling in a War. The life and needs of a surviving sibling are unending. Siblings face many challenges the rest of their lives. The goal of Gold Star Siblings of America is to provide the necessary resources to let all siblings who have lost a part of themselves, when their sibling was taken away from them.
Gold Star Siblings - Gold Star Siblings
This site was created for brothers and sisters who have lost a sibling during war or service. Where they can express their feelings about their loss or share memories of their loved one. Other family members and friends are welcome too.
Siblings are often forgotten about their feelings or their feelings are secondary. It should be remembered that one family lost a loved one and that we grieved together not as second individuals.
No more grieving in silence. Speak out. You are not alone. We are now a band of brothers and sisters that will help each other heal. And continue to live life to the fullest for our HEROES.
Other - Gold Star Family Support
"Gold Star" is a generic term used to describe a family member who has lost a loved one in military service. There are many organizations using the term "Gold Star". MarineParents.com, Inc. offers services to Gold Star Marine Corps Families. We offer grieving parents, spouses, and family members a Place to Connect & Share™ with one another.
Other - Gold Star Family Support Group
Supporting each other while sharing our grief, memories and ways to heal. This is how we come together to heal and help others to do the same. The death of a service person just doesn't affect the parents but also the entire family and extended family. Each person has a different way that they grieve and each one has the same goal and that's to come together and learn how to adjust to that "new" normal that life has for each one.
Share your stories, pictures and begin to heal. Help others along the way and in doing so you will also be helping yourself.
Other - Grief Net
War and Combat Losses: GriefNet creates new support groups based on the interests and needs of those who come here. We began this section with two groups for adults, grief-vets and lost-in-service and two groups for children. We will create new groups as requested, including groups for vets only where they can talk freely about their losses and experiences with the only other people who can really understand: other vets.
Other - Grief Share
GriefShare is a friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experiences. You don’t have to go through the grieving process alone.
GriefShare seminars and support groups are led by people who understand what you are going through and want to help. You’ll gain access to valuable GriefShare resources to help you recover from your loss and look forward to rebuilding your life.
There are thousands of GriefShare grief recovery support groups meeting throughout the US, Canada and in over ten other countries. There’s one meeting near you!
Also features A Season of Grief daily e-mails: 365 daily e-mails to help you through the grieving process.
Other - Not Alone
Not Alone started in 2008 when a group of warriors and professionals discovered a significant gap in the government's capacity to help warriors and their families come home from war. There needed to be a confidential online community where those warriors could congregate to help each other. Our personal experiences with war trauma led us to reach out to those that need help.
Not Alone has formed partnerships with various organizations to create new ways across the nation to help those returning from war.
Not Alone draws on a unique group of individuals with personal experience in the Iraq and Afghanistan war. We have been in your shoes. We have struggled to regain our lives and to find the new normal at home. Professionals, warriors and experts have been vital in helping to bring the Not Alone vision into reality. We've been through the experience of war and returning home from war and hope that our persistence, experience and passion can help others in their journey as well. We understand. We get it.
Other - Survivor Outreach Services (SOS)
Our Fallen Warriors have paid the ultimate sacrifice. The army has a commitment to their families. Families deserve our respect, gratitude and the very best we can provide. The purpose of SOS is to deliver on that commitment:
- By providing access to support, information and services
- Closest location to where the Survivor resides
- When and for as long as they desire
Other - The Compassionate Friends
Whether your family has had a child die (at any age from any cause) or you are trying to help those who have gone through this life altering experience, The Compassionate Friends exists to provide friendship, understanding, and hope to those going through the natural grieving process.
Through a network of more than 625 chapters with locations in all 50 states, as well as Washington DC and Puerto Rico, The Compassionate Friends has been supporting bereaved families after the death of a child for four decades. The National Office and its staff also provide many levels of support to our chapters, as well as individual responses to those who call on the phone, contact us through our website, or send an e-mail that simply says, “My child has died. Help me!” We will be here as long as you need us. That is our commitment to you.
Other - Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
www.taps.org or 1-800-959-8277 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
Remember the love, celebrate the life, share the journey
Welcome to the home of America's front line resource for all who are grieving the death of a loved one serving our country. We are here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whether it is just to talk, or meet others with shared experiences and understanding, or to find support and information from our professional network of resources.
Other- USA KIA/DOW Family Foundation
The USA KIA/DOW Family Foundation (USAKIA) is here to increase ability to demonstrate the strength of families with killed in action (KIA) or died of wounds (DOW) while in our U.S. Armed Forces. KIA family and public support through USA KIA programs such as membership, memorials, and direct support to KIA families will honor their memory, show gratitude, and provide America with social justice. We are there for the whole family, and we are also a unique organization begun by KIA family members, for USA KIA family members, and for us, every day is Memorial Day. "All gave some... Some gave all."
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Blogging service - Free hosted blogging service for veterans and their families (Warriors Wall)
The Warriors Wall is a free, hosted blogging service for veterans and military families who want to share their stories. The site makes it easy to create a blog and provides writing tips and ideas from a professional writer with a personal connection to the veteran community.
Blogs, stories - American Widow Project
The American Widow Project, a wonderful site for military widows, has links to widow blogs as well as numerous stories that include these topics:
- Combat
- Non-Combat
- Suicide
- The 1st Year
- The 2nd Year
- Holidays & Anniversaries
- Moving Forward
- A Good Laugh
- Parenting
- Their Belongings
- Other
Blogs, stories - Army Well-Being
A blog by an Army spouse whose husband has been killed, written to help others also dealing with grief.
Blogs, stories - Stories of love, tragedy- survival (American Widow Project Documentary DVD)
On May 21, 2007, 21-year-old Taryn Davis lost her husband, Michael, to a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq. Feeling lost and alone in the new life she’d been thrown into, she began traveling around the country to hear six other stories of love, tragedy-and survival. The film will start being distributed FREE of charge to all Military Widows/Widowers. If you are not a Military Widow, you have the ablilty to purchase one in our AWP store, with the contributions making sure another widow/widower receives the film.
Blogs, stories - Widow's Voice (Soaring Spirits Loss Foundation)
Seven widowed people, seven days of the week, seven different perspectives on the journey of widowhood.
Cancer Widows - Military Cancer Widows
This is a group to help spread the awareness and information about service connected cancers. Many soldiers are coming home from deployments (or in some cases not making it home) only to get diagnosed with cancer. The word needs to get out and help get the care and benefits for the soldiers and their families. Many are getting denied benefits and this needs changed. Help spread the awareness. This group is open to all widow(er)s and other families affected by this.
Memorial Event - National Weekend of Remembrance (July 23-24, 2010)
Families United is honored to invite our country's Gold Star Families—families who have lost a loved one in service to our country in Iraq or Afghanistan—to the 2010 Weekend of Remembrance in Washington, D.C. on July 23-24, 2010.
The 2010 Families United Weekend of Remembrance will bring together more than 2,000 Gold Star families—the mothers, fathers, wives, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country—along with military officers, elected officials, wounded warriors, and dignitaries to pay tribute to America’s fallen Heroes from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Gold Star Families are invited to register now to attend the 2010 National Weekend of Remembrance. Registration is open to all immediate family members of our Nation's fallen.
Memorial Event - Time of Remembrance (September 25-26, 2010)
September 25th and 26th 2010, a statewide effort is being planned to honor the families and comrades of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Hawaii and Alaska's Fallen during this Global War on Terrorism. This tribute, being held in the cities of Richland, Kennewick and West Richland, Washington, honor those who have died for their country and the families left behind. The 2010 "Time of Remembrance" committee, is leading this effort.
Saturday, September 25th the families and fellow comrades of the fallen will have the opportunity to privately meet for a time of sharing, and will attend break-out sessions which will provide information to assist in the process of coping with their loss and sacrifice. A Candlelight Vigil will take place Columbia Park at the Veteran's Memorial in Kennewick. The public is invited to join the families at the beautiful Candlelight Ceremony next to the Columbia River. The Vigil will start at 7:00 pm.
Sunday, September 26th, there will be an official State Recognition Ceremony hosted by the City of West Richland at Flat Top Park. Our goal is to have each of our heroes memory represented. This will be the forth year for the families of Washington brought together for a time of comfort and healing. We encourage all citizens to attend this important event as we give back to those who have given their all. Please help us welcome the Families of the Fallen from the States of Oregon, Idaho, Hawaii and Alaska for the first time. The Memoral Ceremony will begin at 11:00 am.
Organizations, speakers - Deborah Tainsh
Surviving the Folded Flag and Heart of a Hawk author and speaker for military personnel and familiesGold Star Mom and wife of USMC Sgt Maj (ret) - Deborah H. Tainsh
As the parent of a son killed at war, trained grief mentor through the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors of military personnel since 2005 and having assisted more than 400 Gold Star parents after the death of a child in Afghanistan or Iraq, my messages and workshops on how Gold Star families cope, how our military families can help in the wake of a military death, and how important it is to families to connect with their fallen loved one's military friends has been shared with the Association of the United States Army, Fort Bragg Family Readiness Conference (Special Operations); 335th Signal Command Chaplains' Conference, Fort Benning, Georgia Officers' & NCO Wives, and others.
As a published author, through facilitating journaling/writing workshops, I offer others the opportunity to gain tools to help them easily write their personal thoughts for cathartic purposes or record their family legacy.
Surviving the Folded Flag: Parents of war share stories of coping courage & faith, my second book, is a compilation of 25 family journey stories and celebration of the life of their fallen heroes. Heart of a Hawk, my first book, was inspired by the appearance of a red tail hawk (the symbol of healing for Native Americans) at our home and its visits after SGT Patrick Tainsh, our son, was KIA in Baghdad, February 11, 2004.
My new project is connecting with wounded warriors to share Gold Star parents’ support, love, and letters in efforts to help relieve the pressure of guilt carried by these great men and women.
Contact me at: deborahtainsh@msn.com
For more information see:
Organizations, speakers - Grief Solutions
Teaching America to respond to military lossGrief Solutions tackles the tough subject of sudden death and traumatic grief with knowledge, experience and compassion.
Grief Solutions teaches America how to respond to traumatic loss, particularly a military line of duty loss -- We deliver relevant knowledge and practical skills through customized training solutions in a variety of formats to professionals, volunteers, and all caring individuals who work with people who have experienced a traumatic loss and are coping with traumatic grief.
Grief Solutions produces self-help materials for those who have lost a loved one in the line of duty -- We provide compassionate, yet insightful survival-guide materials for grievers who seek the roadmap to survive, cope, and live again after a traumatic loss.
Grief Solutions provides a full array of training solutions on military loss, delivered in a format consistent with standard military training. Our training modules deliver professional knowledge, no-nonsense skills, and valuable lessons learned on how to respond to sudden loss and traumatic grief in the military. Customized, user-focused training is available for professionals, volunteers, and all caring individuals who work with those who are coping with the traumatic grief of military loss.
Widow Tips - American Widow Project
The American Widow Project, a great site for military widows, has numerous tips given by military widows for military widows with topics such as: Things You Should Know...to Survive, Telling Your Children, Christmas Spirit, So You've Met Someone and Now You Feel Guilty, Too.
Widow Tips - F.I.N.E. Young Widows FAQ page
Four widows answer questions that help other widows and give insight to the rest of us:
- Why is it that your friends think you should be cured a year later?
- Why do your friends always want to try to “help” you?
- Is it wrong for me to look at another man/person and enjoy it?
- When can I start dating again?
- How many times do I have to hear…
- Are you ok? How are you doing? Are you getting through this alright?
- You have changed…
- Will I survive this?
- Will my child still know/remember their daddy?
- Where do I go from here?
- Others are making decisions for me; is this okay/normal?
- I feel like my life is in slow motion/I'm watching my life play in front of me, do others experience this too?
- I can't see my husband before burial, how do I deal with this?
- Is it okay to be mad at him/God?
- I'm angry and don't know why...
- Why are people avoiding me?
- What to say when people ask 'how are you'?
- Why is it good to stay busy?
- Who can I call for help?
resources
Military supporters, churches
Military chaplains
Organizations that support
Resources for
Encouragement
Military life
Free downloads for kids
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To be directed to the COMPLETE LISTING of resources for Loved Ones of the Fallen, click HERE.
Resources for the loved ones of fallen warriors
Gold Star spouses
Gold Star children
Gold Star parents
Gold Star siblings
Other support organizations
Blogging service, blogs, stories
Cancer widows
Memorial event
Organizations, speakers
Widow tips
