Information about Armed Forces legal assistance for financial matters

If you are struggling financially, you are not alone. You can get help.

Recently the economic news across the country has not been good. Consumer prices are rising. Real estate prices are falling.

Foreclosures are up. Often this impacts renters too, who are forced to relocate when their landlords are forced into foreclosure.

Military members face many of these same challenges.

A new law allows the government to pay for some local moves when military members or their dependents are forced to move because their landlord is facing foreclosure. There are also a number of laws specifically designed to help military members when they face economic or legal difficulties.

Legal proceedings can be delayed. Military members generally cannot be evicted unless a court orders it. Mortgages can be renegotiated. Grants or low cost loans may be available.

If you are having problems making ends meet or are being forced to move from your rented home, you can get free, confidential help from a number of sources:

-- Your Installation Family Readiness/Support Center can provide financial counselors.

-- Your military legal assistance office can provide a licensed attorney. This web site will identify the military legal assistance office closest to you: http://legalassistance.law.af.mil/content/locator.php

-- Military OneSource can provide financial counselors --24/7-- by calling, toll-free, 1-800-342-9647.

Outward Bound Wilderness Excursions for Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom Veterans

After spending time in a combat zone you will certainly need some time to relax and unwind.  One program designed to do just that is the Outward Bound Wilderness Excursions for OEF/OIF Veterans.  Outward Bound is an international non-profit outdoor education program which is offering fully funded outdoor adventure excursions to all OEF/OIF veterans.  It doesn't matter what your current military status is (active, inactive, discharged, retired) - you're eligible to attend as long as you deployed in support of OEF/OIF combat operations while in the military.

These five-day excursions offer adventure activities such as backpacking, rock climbing, canyoneering, canoeing, and dog sledding in beautiful wilderness areas in Maine, Texas, Colorado, California, and Minnesota.  

All expedition costs for lodging, equipment, food, and instruction are completely funded by a milt-million dollar Sierra Club grant, including the participants' round-trip transportation between home and the wilderness site.  

That is right, these excursions are offered at no cost to the participant!  In my book I talk about other great programs that are offered free to veterans.

For more information pertaining to the Outward Bound OEF/OIF War Veterans Expeditions check out their website at www.outwardboundwilderness.org/veterans/html

September 11, 2001

There are certain events in a person's life that when they occur, leave an indelible imprint on their life. For some it was the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for others it was the assassination of President Kennedy.  The event for me were the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

I remember that day like it was yesterday.  On September 11, 2001, I was a young attorney practicing out of Flint, Michigan. In fact I had only been practicing law for a little more then two years at the time of the attacks.  My practice focused on Criminal Law, Family Law as well as a few other areas.  On that fateful day I was representing a client in family court.  As I recall, I was sitting in Judge Farrah's court room (one of the family court judges) in Flint, Michigan when all of a sudden one of my colleagues, attorney Jay Clothier, ran into the court room and stated that a plane flew into one of the twin towers in New York City. Little did Jay and I realize the gravity of the situation. I left Judge Farrah's court room and went back to my office. Downstairs from my office was the headquarters of the Genesee County Bar Association. From there I watched both towers fall as well as millions of other Americans on the morning television show Good Morning America.

I remember remarking to Angie Lewis (my administrative assistant at the time) that I might be deployed soon because of the attacks and to start making plans in case I was in fact deployed.   My deployment did come, however, not for some 5 years latter.

The sequence of events on September 11, 2001 changed America forever. On that day, The United States of America lost its innocence. The land of the free was no longer as free as it once was. Open and free travel no longer seemed as open and free following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Subsequently, America soon found itself at war with Iraq and Afghanistan. The number of service members needed to adequately fight the war was tremendous. The number of service members on active duty were not enough to engage in effective combat. As such, the burden to pick up the slack fell upon the Reserve and National Guard forces of our military. Not in recent memory has there been a greater number of service members deployed conus or oconus. From a military development standpoint, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan provoked the number of deployments to grow substantially. Since September 11, 2001, over 1.7 million service members have been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Operation Enduring Freedom’s military focus is on securing the nation of Afghanistan, while as its name suggest, Operation Iraqi Freedom is concerned with securing the nation of Iraq. In addition to the service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, thousands of service members were deployed to Kuwait and Qatar in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Moreover, tens of thousands service members were deployed in support of contingency operations around the world.

So what happens when you receive your "orders" to go? Generally speaking your Unit, if you are deploying as a unit, will receive unit orders informing the Command that their unit will be deployed. If on the other hand you are an individual deployer as I was, you could receive your initial order via a phone call followed by orders requesting that you report for active duty. The amount of notice given to a service member ranges anywhere from several months in advance to only several days prior to the date ordered to active duty. I received my orders only three weeks before my scheduled day to report for duty.

There have been millions of Americans deployed to war zones around the world since this great country was founded over 230 years ago, however, recently it appears that many soldiers are deploying in greater frequency then ever before. In addition, some of those deployed are on their 2nd, 3rd, 4th and even 5th deployment. In many cases, the deployment is involuntary and not knowing all of the information that will make the deployment less stressful creates a tremendous burden not only for the deploying service member but the family of that service member as well.

Deployment is much like a roller coaster ride at an amusement park. You first have the uncertainty of the entire event much like what you feel as you enter the gate to a roller coaster that you have never ridden before. You are unsure if you will make it. You may even attempt to get out of it at the very last minute. The roller coaster makes its climb and just as you begin the process of family planning and the actual deployment, you become anxious and nervous. After you’ve made it to the top of the roller coaster, you brace yourself for your quick decent, and at this point you realize there is no turning back. This is a similar feeling to what you may experience upon reaching your mobilization site but you brace yourself anyway and prepare for the many highs and lows this ride will offer.

In my new book, I will attempt to share some insights for service members and their families as to of what to expect during the time of deployment and the best way to minimize many difficulties sure to occur...  How to take care of business at home before taken care of business overseas. 

What every Soldier, Sailor, Airmen and Marine should know prior to being deployed.

So you have learned that you are about to be deployed! There may be all sorts of emotions you now feel. You may be scared, you may be excited, or maybe you do not know how to feel. One thing is certain, your life will never quit be the same. Soon reality will set in and you will wonder to yourself what am I suppose to do now? How will my family be taken care of? What will happen to my job? If you are self-employed, you may wonder what will happen to my business?

If you are a family member of the deploying service member, you may be wondering how to get in contact with that service member while they are deployed? What will happen if there is a family emergency? Most of all you may wonder if and how you will be able to stay in contact either as a deployed service member or the family of the deployed service member?

My book "The Service Members Guide to Deployment..." was written just for you, the service member and the family! After reading my book these as well as other questions will be answered giving you a greater sense of comfort during this stressful time of uncertainty.

Reuniting with family after a combat deployment

It has been said that it can take anywhere between 6 and 18 months to fully recover back to "normalcy" after a combat deployment. I can tell you that the relationships you maintained and possibly improved upon will shorten that time. For many the first emotion felt after coming home from a combat deployment may be surprising to some. Things to look for upon a service member's return from a combat deployment and how to react are as follows.

1. The returning Service Member may have moments of isolation.
2. They may also have high emotions.
3. You as the family member should listen but do not react to the service member's possible expressions of anger.
4. However, you should never accept emotional or physical abuse.

It has been said that war is hell! However with proper planning you as well as your family and other relationships will survive. It is very important to take your time and expect a readjustment period. You have been gone away from home for a very long time. This absence is only compounded if you have small children. When I left home my son was 9 months old and upon my return he was nearly 3 years old. I saw a tremendous growth. There was an adjustment that we both made. Even though you may not notice, you as well as your loved ones have changed in many ways. Take it slow and seek help if needed from your local family support center or religious/spiritual advisor. Do not let your marriage become a casualty of war.