Married to the Military: A Survival Guide for Military Wives, Girlfriends, and Women in Uniform (Paperback)

by Meredith Leyva (Author) "Welcome to the sisterhood of military women!..." (more)
Key Phrases: health care finder, military servicemembers, relocation counselor, Air Force, Marine Corps, San Diego (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
With Operation Iraqi Freedom winding down, it’s easy to forget about our military troops and their families. Unfortunately, the peacekeeping effort is the most dangerous part of the battle, and even after the January elections in Iraq many service members have no idea when they will be sent home. Your support means so much to our troops and their families, and here are some things you can do to wave the flag:

• Nearly every neighborhood in America is home to a deployed service member who has left behind a spouse and kids. Help these families by offering to babysit the kids or mow the lawn. The spouse will be overjoyed, and the service member will be relieved to know that his or her community is taking care of his family while he is gone.
• If you don’t know any military families, donate to a charity like Operation Homefront that provides emergency services to these families. You’ll help offset the "Murphy’s Law" of the military, which is the minute a service member deploys away from his family the roof will leak, the car will break down and the plumbing will burst. Knowing their families are cared for, service members can then focus on the dangerous task at hand.
• Send a greeting to a service member through Operation Dear Abby (http://www.OperationDearAbby.net) or Defend America’s virtual thank you card (http://www.defendamerica.mil). You’d be surprised at how many service members in Iraq actually read your comments and find themselves inspired.
• Donate blood to the American Red Cross. Military hospitals are filled with wounded, and you never know what hero needs your blood to continue the fight.

Most importantly, don’t forget to thank our troops and families in person. If you see a young mom with a military sticker on her car, take a moment to thank her for doing her part. Nothing brightens up the day of a struggling military wife like your heartfelt appreciation. -- Don’t Forget Our Troops and Their Families!--An Essay by Meredith Leyva

Review
"For someone new to military life, adjusting can sometimes be overwhelming. Married to the Military provides great information and a commonsense approach that will help military wives and significant others make the best of their experiences." -- Sylvia Kidd, director of family programs for the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) and spouse of the Sergeant Major of the Army (Ret.) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Fireside; 1 edition (June 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743255542
• ISBN-13: 978-0743255547
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (108 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #159,883 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Because I couldn't give it LESS than one star, August 10, 2005

By	Laura Downing "Army Wife of 20+ Years" (Germany) - See all my reviews

I found this book to be offensive on several levels. Other reviewers have mentioned these complaints, but I want people to know that it isn't just a handful of women who found the book repellent.

First off, it seems to support a 1950's mentality. Granted, it talks about working outsite the home, etc., but only if it may cause others to look up to you, supporting your husband's possible promotion. It also talks about advancing your husband's career and how to effectively suck up to his superiors. I could vomit.

Secondly, all of the information can be found elsewhere for free. Some of it is good information, I'll grant Ms. Leyva that, but there was nothing that really impressed me so much to think that this this book was worth the money that was paid for it.

Luckily, it was given to me as a gift. I've been known to re-gift from time to time, but I wouldn't even pass this one on! I value my friendships too much.

Also, as mentioned in other reviews, the book REALLY pushes its website, leading me to believe by the end of the book that it was nothing more than a giant write-up for the website. I visited the site, as the book suggested (over and over and over), and I was absolutely appalled by what I saw! I certainly will not be returning. I felt like I was in High School all over again--18 year old girls grouped off into the cool and not-cool, only on the site it's "the pregnant vs. the not", "the Navy vs. the others", etc. And it seems that some girls (very young and barely H.S. educated) go there really looking for guidance with serious military family issues and what they get instead is "cyberhugs" and "don't worry"'s. But that was not the worst of it. I then stumbled upon forums that seemed to be nothing more than political forums where people are openly racists and hateful toward others (I saw several posts that showed this intolerance to be especially true of Arabs). How they maintain their status as non-profit, I do not know. Leaving it up there for all to see is, in effect, condoning it and I was sickened.

I can say without fail that had I stumbled upon the website before hearing about the book, I definitely would not have read the book, and I'd recommend the same to others.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars [...], February 14, 2004

By	Kimberly (Beale AFB, California) - See all my reviews

[...] I am an Air Force wife and after patiently reading the entire book, I found that nothing written in it pertained to any branch EXCEPT the Navy and Marines. If you are going to write a book, and name it "Married To The Military", you need to do just that...write about the military...ALL branches, not just the one your husband is in. IMO, Meredith should have named it "Married To The Navy", because that's what the book is about. [...] I give this book [...] 2 very big thumbs down!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars not worth it, August 10, 2005

By	Navy Spouse (FT Meade MD) - See all my reviews

Basically, a shameless plug for the website, which isn't any different than the many others out there doing the same thing. The Chat Forums are full of ignorant and uneducated children who give out bad information left and right, which they probably got from the book. The book itself is not much, most of the information can be found on the web or at your local Family Support Center.