By Jenna Moede

I remember packing up the minivan that my parents gave me for college and driving out to meet my fiancé for our courthouse wedding.  I had this really pretty picture in my head about how easy married military life would be. 

Coming from a family with many service members, I thought I knew what to expect. But, I’ve dealt with a few twists along the way to my perfect picture.

Expect imperfections 

By Amy Nielsen

It’s fall in upstate New York where I live. The leaves are turning and the air is getting crisp. October is always my favorite season, yes, season. I have lived in many places in the world and there is nothing like fall in New England, especially October in New England.

Even in other parts of the world at similar latitudes, with similar trees, there is just something different about New England. The only place I have been where it is similar, yet a different magic is cast upon the land, is the Scottish Highlands. In October. Go figure.

It’s no secret that military spouses experience plenty of barriers as they try to maintain full-time careers and frequently relocate due to PCS orders.

For many, the choice becomes to either stay where they are and keep the current job, or keep the family intact and risk not getting a job in their chosen career at the new duty station. But, why should they have to choose between the two? They shouldn’t! And thanks to the work of the Military Spouse JD Network, fewer attorneys have to make that choice.

Guess what? There is a huge retirement benefit out there that I will bet many of you didn’t even know you had.

Leave.

Careful handling of leave days in the last couple of years before retirement or separation can put you in a position to have paid time off right before you retire. Potentially, months of it.

Upon retirement, every service member is granted what’s called “terminal leave.” Previous to my husband putting in his paperwork late last year, I thought terminal leave was free – meaning it didn’t count against your leave days and was automatically granted.