News

Welcome to the Macho Spouse newsroom. You're in the right place to read what others are saying about the Macho Spouse project and the work we're doing in all corners of the country.

This is also the place to get the scoop on the latest Macho Spouse happenings. Scroll down for news releases announcing special events and our efforts to help civilian male military spouses.

News Headlines

Be Careful What You Post

We found this article written at the Fort Belvoir newspaper and decided to share as we feel this is a very important issue.

Sesame Street and USO Tour - Japan and Korea

YEAH SESAME STREET! This tour is still going on for those in Japan and Korea. Could be a great way to spend an afternoon with your family!

May Is National Military Appreciation Month

Did you know that May Is Proclaimed National Military Appreciation Month by the President of the United States? Did you know that May 10th is Military Spouse Day? Check out this article in the Wall Street Journal that gives more details on the subject.

National Military Appreciation Month Celebrates 14th Year

LA JOLLA, CA--(Marketwired - May 7, 2013) - National Military Appreciation Month (www.nmam.org) founder Alice Wax informs America that the President of the United States has proclaimed May is National Military Appreciation Month. The recognition was designated by the United States Congress in 1999 and in 2004, as a means for Americans to say "Thank You" to the men and women of the of the U.S. Armed Forces -- all branches of the services, National Guard and Reserves ("Citizen Soldiers"), those who have served throughout our history, and all of their families -- over 90 million Americans still living today and to those sacrificed throughout America's 237 year history. The month-long recognition provides an opportunity for all Americans to express their appreciation for the contributions our armed Forces have made to the building and safeguarding of this nation.

Military Spouse Appreciation Day Virtual Career Fair by Veteran Recruiting Services

Did you know that there are virtual career fairs held that allow you to meet and interact with recruiters from the comfort of your own home? Check out this press release from Veteran Recruiting Services about an upcoming virtual career fair for military spouses.

Why Hire a Military Spouse?

If you need some talking points for your next interview, check out CompTIA's blog. There's a post you will find helpful as it effectively answers the question, "Why Hire a Military Spouse?"

From CompTIA:

This week, CompTIA's CEO Todd Thibodeaux had the distinct pleasure of participating in a White House event hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden (also attended by their supportive spouses, the President and Vice President) to celebrate the success of a program they spearheaded called Joining Forces. CompTIA has played an important role in Joining Forces since its inception. To date we have certified nearly 12,000 transitioning troops, putting them on a pathway to success for careers in IT.

Macho Spouse at the 2013 Military.com Spouse Summit

Macho Spouse and Chris Pape are mentioned in Alice Swan's article, Tuning in to the Military Spouse Network, in which Alice covers lessons she learned at the 2013 Military.com Spouse Summit (April 11-12, 2013). Here is what Alice wrote:

Build a service out of your unique experience and skill: A great example is Chris Pape, male military spouse and founder of Macho Spouse (https://malemilspouse.com/). Chris was kind enough to talk with me about how he started Macho Spouse. Living in Columbia, SC, while his spouse is working on an ROTC assignment, Chris said he began to feel pretty isolated. He thought he was the only guy spouse out there looking for information and help. About two years ago, Chris began researching male military spouses on the web but found only two articles about guys manning the home fronts. One of the stories was written by Amy Bushatz who you may remember from my Spouse Summit blog: https://www.dcmilitaryfamlife.com/profiles/blogs/you-are-not-alone.

Chris emailed Amy, who helped introduce him to Wayne Perry, founder of Manning the Home front (https://www.dcmilitaryfamlife.com/profiles/blogs/the-outlook-for-mil...) – it was the Military Spouse network in action. A video producer for 15 years, Chris had been working in Arkansas for the Department of Education, creating instructional videos before the PCS to Columbia. “I didn't see any information sites out there for guys to help share lessons learned or how to find jobs,” Chris told me, “so I decided to use the skills I'd developed making the educational videos to create learning videos for male military spouses.” Chris's fledgling video series has grown into a full service site for male military spouses to connect, get information on employment, money tips or gain insights through the Male Spouse 101 tutorial.

Facing another PCS soon with his Air Force spouse to San Antonio, Chris is excited about the opportunities the move presents. “I'm building a business I can take with me,” he explained. And while Macho Spouse is his future, Chris feels it can also lead to other opportunities in the present. Chris is confident that the work he's done creating Macho Spouse will lead to video and film production work in Texas.

Male Military Spouses Create Their Own Support Networks

Male military spouses continue to attract more attention from the media. In this article, Wayne Perry of MANning the Homefront and Chris Pape of Macho Spouse, share why they decided to start organizations specifically designed to help male military spouses and their families. This was initially published in the Journal Inquirer (Connecticut) by Kristen Tsetsi, who also authored the novel Pretty Much True..., the at-home war story inspired by her husband's 2003 deployment to Iraq.

We may be a little biassed, but we think it's a great read. Thank you Kristen and the Journal for taking an interest in male military spouses!

You can read the article here.

Virginia Wounded Warrior Program Healthy Families Retreat April 26 thru 28

Here's an event for your military family that you may want to check out. The Virginia Wounded Warrior Program is inviting military familieas and veteran families to the Healthy Families Retreat this April 26 thru 28. This is a great opportunity for families to learn and play together while gaining skills to help foster resilience.

2013 MOAA Spouse Symposium Recap

Lucky number seven. That's what this year's annual MOAA spouse symposium was – though it was a lot more than luck that made the day great. It was the 300 military spouses from across the Pacific Northwest who made the cold trek through Seattle-Tacoma traffic to spend a day at MOAA's 7th Annual Military Spouse Symposium. Here's what we learned, what made us cry, what made us laugh, and who made a special appearance.

Next DoD Advisory Panel on Special Needs 13 September in Arlington, VA

Nicholas Sabula has a post on the American Military Families Autism Support (AMFAS) website with great information about the upcoming DoD Advisory Panel on Special Needs.

What: DoD Advisory Panel on Special Needs

When: 13 September, 2012

Where: Arlington, Virginia

Jeremy Hilton: U.S. Militaryâ€™s First Male Spouse of the Year

Military Spouse Magazine honored the dad for his stay-at-home work with disabled daughter.

When Deanie Dempsey, whose husband is the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, took the stage at the Marine Barracks Washington earlier this month to announce 2012's “Military Spouse of the Year,” she fumbled for her words. There were six nominees—five women and one man—and Dempsey clearly had trouble finding the appropriate gender-neutral pronoun, in order to not blow the identity of the winner. Finally, she gave up. “I have confidence that he will do his fellow spouses proud,” she said. The room collectively gasped.

Male Military Spouses Cope With Added Challenges, Expert Says

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3, 2011 – Brian Campbell knew some challenges were in store for him after he left his Navy career to follow his military wife across the country.

But what he didn't count on were the additional challenges brought on not by his status as a military spouse, but by his gender.

Man, Myth, Legend: The Male MilSpouse

“The male military spouse? What is that? There is no such thing!”

Au contraire, but there is.

Key Character Traits for Male Military Spouses

Our recent interview with Everett Lopez revealed some of the difficulties associated with being a man in the predominately female community of military spouses.

Macho Spouse Chris Pape to Represent Male Military Spouses at MOAA Military Spouse Symposium

This Friday, Macho Spouse Chris Pape will represent male military spouses at the 7th annual Military Spouse Symposium hosted by our friends at the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). Chris will be one of the featured speakers at the event to talk about the support network for male military spouses we have here at Macho Spouse.

Military spouses, service members and veterans are invited to attend the 2013 MOAA Military Spouse Symposium “Keeping a Career on the Move,” hosted by the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).

Macho Spouse Chris Pape on USMC Life Radio

Macho Spouse Founder Chris Pape talks with Kristine and Jackie, of Semper Feisty Radio with USMC Life, about civilian male military spouses, the Macho Spouse project and making life work as a male military spouse. You can listen to Kristine and Jackie interview Chris in the second segment of the Semper Feisty radio show, starting at 25:50.

Chris shares how the Macho Spouse project started as a result of PCS that left him unable to find a job in his career field. He also shares insight into the growing number of civilian male military spouses and the similarities and differences between civilian male military spouses and their female counterparts. Also, you can hear Chris explain why he chose the name "Macho Spouse" for the project.

First National Guard Spouse to Win the 2013 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year Award

Washington, DC (PRWEB) May 09, 2013

Alicia Hinds Ward was named the 2013 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year ® today in recognition of her outstanding commitment to the military community.

Video of the awards ceremony will be available on Military Spouse mag YouTube channel.

Nominated by her husband, Tech. Sgt. Edwinston Ward, Alicia's accomplishments include serving as the Key Spouse for the 113th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Relocation Assistance contractor, Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) Family Panel Representative for the National Guard and the co-founder of the Joint Base Andrews Business and Community Support Group and Spouse Forums. She is the first National Guard spouse to receive this prestigious award. With the reach of the Military Spouse of the Year ® organization behind her, Hinds Ward is planning to advocate for better spouse employment options and special needs resources.

Alicia Hinds Ward - 2013 AFI Military Spouse of the Year -1st National Guard spouse to win the award

"We want to create an opportunity for these winners to advocate and engage the military spouse community through Military Spouse's media channels: Military Spouse magazine, militaryspouse.com, and social media," said Kate Meeuf, Brand Director

Male Military Spouses: Increasingly Common Yet Still Invisible

Chris Pape, the man behind Macho Spouse, is featured in an article on AOL's Homepage for Heroes.

It's unclear exactly why, but the divorce rate among female military personnel is more than twice as high as for their male counterparts, and higher than that of female civilians -- even though for men the divorce rate is lower in the military than outside it.

Chris Pape has been with his wife ever since she just graduated her college ROTC program in 2000, and never felt the need to reach out to other military spouses. "I'm such a fiercely independent person. My wife did her thing, I did my thing. I didn't really embrace the military as a lifestyle."

Military Spouse Connections Looking for Military Spouse Entrepreneur

For those of you in or near Colorado Springs, Colorado, Military Spouse Connections is looking for a military spouse entrepreneur for their upcoming event.

From Military Spouse Connections:

Attention military spouses in the Colorado Springs area. We love entrepreneurs and are looking for a military spouse entrepreneur to come speak at our event in Colorado Springs on 23 May. If you are a military spouse who has a start-up business that would like to share their business with us and others contact us! You will be able to speak as well as have a table at the event.

If interested send an email to snelson@militaryspouseconnection.org.

Till Next Time…Let's Stay Inspired

News Headlines

Macho Minute - You Are Not Alone!

MALE MILITARY SPOUSE YOU ARE NOT ALONE - MACHO MINUTE

A message to Civilian Male Military Spouses to let them know that "You Are Not Alone" in this journey as a male military spouse.

Posted in Macho Minute

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Macho Minute - You Are Not Alone!