CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS: There are only a few slots left to volunteer at TAPS annual National Military Survivor Seminar in Arlington, VA next week! Give back to the military family community at this life-changing event by helping at registration, setting up family dinners, delivering flowers to families on Memorial Day, and more! Your hands and heart will make a difference. Comment "volunteer" for the registration link!
Memorial Day is next weekend. But for the families of our fallen heroes, every single day is Memorial Day.
"For the other 364 days of the year, there are no parades, no public tributes, no flowers arriving at the door. There is only the daily reality of loving and missing someone whose absence changed everything."
This Memorial Day, honor not just those who gave their lives, but the families still carrying that weight every day after.
Read our full @militarytimes article. Comment "Honor" below to receive the link.
Today is Children of Fallen Patriots Day.
A day to recognize the children grieving someone who served and died.
Their grief may look different at every age. Some are old enough to remember every detail. Some are too young to fully understand the loss yet. But all of them carry the absence of someone who should still be here.
Behind every flag, every headstone, and every act of remembrance, there are children growing up while grieving a military loved one.
Today, we honor them. Their love. Their resilience. And the lifelong impact of their loss.
#ChildrenofFallenPatriotsDay #grief #childrensgrief #militaryfamilies #griefjourney
On #ChildrenOfFallenPatriotsDay, revisit our Army Matters podcast with Bonnie Carroll, founder of Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (@TAPSorg ), and Jennie Taylor, founder of the Major Brent Taylor Foundation (@majorbrenttaylorfoundation ).
Link in bio.
Grief can affect so much more than emotions.
It can make it hard to focus.
It can leave you exhausted after simple tasks.
It can make the world feel louder, heavier, and harder to move through.
These reactions are more common than many people realize, and they’re part of what TAPS explores in the article You Are Not Crazy, You Are Grieving from the TAPS Magazine with author @drwolfelt .
If any of this feels familiar, comment “You’re Grieving” and we’ll send you the article.
#GriefSupport #GriefAwareness #LifeAfterLoss #YouAreNotAlone
Last week, Stars and Stripes hosted Rooted in Resilience, The Sacrifices of Military Children.
Speakers included Fleet Master Chief David Isom (SEAC), Major General Antoinette Gant (Commander MDW), and Representative Don Bacon (R-NE).
Thank you to all who attended!
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#militarynews #militarychildren #militarybrat #militaryfamilies #militarycommunity
It’s the quiet moments when the house is too still. It’s the split second when you forget they’re gone, followed by the crushing weight of remembering all over again. Most people expect you to move through it—to “heal” on a timeline that makes sense to them—but grief doesn’t work that way.
It isn’t just a feeling. It’s a physical ache. It’s the exhausting, circular math of “what if” and the brutal reality that “never again” is a very long time.
If you feel like you’re fighting a battle just to exist in a world that looks completely different than it did before, you aren’t failing. You’re grieving. And that is a full-time, soul-deep job.
You don’t have to “be strong” for anyone today. It’s okay if all you did was survive the last hour. We see you, and we know how heavy this is.
#grief #loss #griefjourney #youarenotalone #death
The “remarriage penalty” for bereaved military spouses is deeply misunderstood, says Ashlynne Haycock-Lohmann, TAPS Director of Government and Legislative Affairs and surviving daughter of Army SFC Jeffrey and Air Force SRA Nichole Haycock in @militarytimes .
“The benefits our family earned were not given out of pity or to offset the loss of my dad’s income, but to offset the decade my mom was out of the workforce...The current law does not acknowledge the true service and sacrifices our surviving spouses have made. They are not property. They are not divorced. They are people who had their futures taken from them, people who would give anything to have their loved ones back.”
Learn how the remarriage penalty shaped Ashlynne’s family after her own father’s death, and why she is fighting to end it. Comment Penalty and we’ll DM the full article.
No one prepares you for the guilt that can come with feeling okay again.
Laughing. Having a good day. Getting distracted for a while. Sometimes even those moments can hurt when you’re grieving.
Grief is strange like that. Joy and sadness can exist at the same time. Missing someone doesn’t stop just because you smiled today.
If this feels familiar, you’re not alone.
#grief #griefsupport #griefjourney #healing #loss
May is Military Appreciation Month. Thank you to all who serve or have served. We honor you. We never forget. Show your appreciation for our military by caring for the families of fallen heroes. Head to the link in our bio to donate now!
