fromtheeditor
We Appreciate You
For years, military spouses silently have supported America’s
servicemembers, from the Civil War to today’s confl icts in Iraq
and Afghanistan. The least they deserve is recognition.
I
n 1984, President Reagan said, uting editor Gina DiNicolo
“Throughout the years, as the num- takes a look at DoD’s Foreign
bers of our married men and women Military Sales (FMS) program
in uniform have grown, and as their — an effective, yet controver-
military missions have become more sial function — in “Dealing in
complex and dispersed, their spouses have Diplomacy,” page 68.
made countless personal sacrifi ces to sup- FMS and other security as-
port the armed forces. In many instances, sistance programs are rooted
they subordinated their personal and pro- in the Truman Doctrine of
fessional aspirations to the greater benefi t 1947. At that time, such mili-
of the military families.” tary assistance was targeted
With this speech, President Reagan at containing communism.
proclaimed each Friday before Mother’s Today, the FMS program sells
Day to be Military Spouse Appreciation equipment, training, and ser-
Day, so at least one day a year, Americans vices to other countries, gov-
would recognize the contributions of the ernment-to-government, to
husbands and wives of U.S. servicemem- help build relationships that
bers. Today, his words are even more fi t- promote U.S. interests.
ting than they were 24 years ago, because On a lighter side, we offer “Movie Blun-
the intensity of current military opera- ders,” page 64. Have you ever watched a
tions and the frequency of deployments movie about the military and groaned at a
are putting greater pressure on military blatant error? Was it the fi lmmakers’ care-
families. The nation is asking for tremen- lessness? Or is it an intentional error com-
dous sacrifi ces from military spouses. mitted with DoD’s consent? This feature
If you haven’t guessed by now, this sheds some light on these movie mistakes.
issue’s theme is the military spouse. Check And, in honor of the beginning of spring
out the cover wrap; “From the President,” and the outdoor grilling season, MOAA
page 12; and “Recognizing Their Sacrifi ce,” assistant editor Blair Sabo visits some ex-
page 52. Each of these items highlights an pert military grillers in the story “Grilling
aspect of military spouses’ role and what Gurus,” page 58. We hope you fi nd some
MOAA is doing to help support military tips and recipes to help you and your family
families. We offer this coverage in the spirit enjoy the great American cookout tradition!
of May 9, 2008, Military Spouse Apprecia-
tion Day. But, as we all know, our apprecia-
tion of spouses continues year-round.
This issue also offers a few diverse
stories. On the more serious side, contrib- — Col. Warren S. Lacy, USA-Ret.
1 0 M I L I T A R Y O F F I C E R M AY 2 0 0 8 PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT
MMay_edpage.indd
10ay_edpage.indd 10 44/8/08 7:54:24 PM/8/08 7:54:24 PM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92