Military OneSource’s Free Tax Filing Service is Back!

Filed under DoD News by on January 27, 2012 at 10:29 am {no comments}

Robert L. Gordon III, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Military Community and Family Policy)

Robert L. Gordon III, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Military Community and Family Policy)

With the winter weather we’ve seen in many parts of the country recently, it’s hard to imagine that the April tax season is around the corner.  Now is a great time to start preparing your 2011 tax returns.  Between relocations and deployments, getting your taxes in order can be a hassle, so we want to make sure that you have the support you need.  I am pleased to announce that the Military OneSource Free Tax Filing Service is back!

If you are eligible under the Military OneSource program, you can complete, save, and file your 2011 federal and up to three state tax returns online for free with the H&R Block At Home® tool.  To access this free service, use the Military OneSource H&R Block At Home® link.  Your first step is to log in to Military OneSource (new users will need to create a Military OneSource account).  From there, you will be directed to a page with additional information on tax preparation, including a link to the Military OneSource H&R Block At Home® service.

The Military OneSource free tax filing service is designed to help military families complete their tax returns with ease.  It’s fast and secure and H&R Block guarantees that your calculations are 100 percent accurate.  Once you create an account, you can work at your own pace and save, close, and return to your taxes as often as you need to.  If you get stuck, have a question, or have to go track down a form, you can logout without starting over! For information about deductions, exemptions, and filing deadlines visit the Military OneSource Tax Program page.

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Dr. Biden Thanks Marines, Families at Camp Pendleton

Filed under DoD News, Family Focus Friday by on January 27, 2012 at 7:23 am {no comments}

By Elaine Sanchez, American Forces Press Service
From www.defense.gov 

Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, visits with Marines at the Warrior Hope and Care Center on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Jan. 20, 2012. The center offers counseling and transition services to wounded and ill Marines, sailors and their families. (DOD photo by Elaine Sanchez)

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, took a whirlwind tour of ,Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, thanking Marines and their families at each stop along the way.

Biden’s first stop was the infantry immersion trainer, located down a winding dirt road. This state-of-the-art training complex simulates situations Marines may encounter, both indoors and out, in Afghanistan.

Standing on a rooftop, Biden watched a live-fire exercise unfold on the dusty roads below. The center features a realistic bazaar, complete with shopkeepers calling out to troops to entice them to buy their wares.

A Marine patrol entered the bazaar and, moments later, a loud explosion echoed in the air. A role-player acting as an Afghan woman, whose leg had been “blown off,” fell to the ground, screaming in pain. The Marines rushed to help her as a rocket-propelled grenade, shot from Biden’s rooftop, flew past.

After the Marines secured the area and carried the woman out of the bazaar, Biden descended to survey the scene below. She watched as Marines met with simulated Afghan leaders, then spoke with members of a female engagement team.

The overall experience was incredible, she told reporters on her way out.

“It’s been an amazing experience to be here,” she said. “It made me realize just how difficult it is for our military when they go to Afghanistan and when they went to Iraq. The sights and sounds and smells — everything is so different than they’re used to.

“Americans should be really proud,” she added.

The experience, she said, also made her think of what her son may have experienced during his deployment. Beau Biden, who is a major in the Delaware Army National Guard, deployed to Iraq for a year in 2008.

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Family Focus Friday: Military Kids Connect

Filed under DoD News, Family Focus Friday by on January 27, 2012 at 7:01 am {no comments}

Information provided by www.militarykidsconnect.org

www.militarykidsconnect.org

MilitaryKidsConnect (MKC) is an online community of military children (ages 6-17 yr old) that provides access to age-appropriate resources to support children from pre-deployment, through a parent’s or caregiver’s return. MKC offers informative activities, fun games, helpful videos, and interesting user surveys that can guild and reinforce understanding, resilience, and coping skills in military children and their peers.

Today’s military kids grow up in a world where they may experience multiple deployments of important family members. They need a unique set of skills to draw on in order to get through long and often difficult separations and situations. MKC helps children prepare for the challenges faced during these significant family transitions.

Through participation in MKC’s monitored online forums, children can share their own ideas, experiences, and suggestions with other military children, helping them to know they are not alone in dealing with the stresses of deployment. MKC’s focused parent and educator tracks provide information to help them understand what it takes to support military children in at-home and school settings.

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Dr. Biden: Military Kids Need Schools’ Support

Filed under DoD News, Family Focus Friday by on January 27, 2012 at 6:45 am {no comments}

By Elaine Sanchez, American Forces Press Service
From www.defense.gov 

Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, participates in a roundtable discussion with educators, students and military family members at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. (DOD photo by Elaine Sanchez)

LOS ANGELES, CA – Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden,  joined a group of educators  for a discussion on how schools can better serve and support military families and to learn about a program that’s having a positive impact in military children’s lives.

Sitting alongside teachers, administrators and military family members at the University of Southern California here, Biden, who holds a doctorate in education, noted the importance of community and school support for military families, especially as they weather the multiple challenges of moves, new schools and deployments.

As a military mom, “I know firsthand just how important it is for a child to have the support of a community and school when Mom or Dad is at war,” she said. The Bidens’ son, Beau, a major in the Delaware Army National Guard, deployed to Iraq for a year in 2008, leaving two young children behind.

While he was away, Biden recalled, her granddaughter Natalie’s teacher hung a picture of her father’s unit outside her classroom. “Every day when she walked into her class, she would stop and kiss her dad,” she said. “All of her schoolmates knew her dad was at war.”

In some cases, however, a child’s struggles may go unnoticed by teachers who aren’t aware of the military family members in their midst. Biden recalled a story a general told her while she was in Iraq two years ago. During a concert at his 6-year-old daughter’s school, a child burst into tears during the song “Ave Maria.” A teacher rushed over and asked her what was wrong. “That was the song that they played at my father’s funeral,” she told the teacher. “He died in Iraq.”

“That story is heartbreaking for all of us, especially the educators here who can imagine the impact an incident like that would have on a child,” said Biden, who is a longtime educator herself.

This story spotlights the importance of boosting community and school-based support, she noted.

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Worth a Thousand Words: 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment

Filed under Worth A Thousand Words by on January 27, 2012 at 6:30 am {no comments}

1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment was split across three distinctly different areas of operation. Charlie Company was in Marjah, reinforcing Marine and Afghan forces operating in the city’s remaining troubled regions. Alpha Company was in Sangin District, where they supported the 3rd and later, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. During Operation Eastern Storm, Headquarters, Bravo and Weapons companies secured route 611, which runs through Kajaki Sofla, an area that had long been a safe haven for insurgent sub-commanders and for arms and drug trafficking. Photo by Cpl. James Clark Regimental Combat Team 6 (DVIDS)


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    U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Isaia Vimoto, division command sergeant major, serving with the 1st Cavalry Division, Combined Joint Task Force – 1, sits behind an old Russian anti-aircraft machine gun within Forward Operating Base Torkham, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Jan. 13, 2012. A group of command sergeants major visited Forward Operating Base Shinwar and Forward Operating Base Torkham to be briefed by their leadership.

    Photo by Spc. Amber Leach, Joint Combat Camera Afghanistan (DVIDS)



  • Military installations around the world are getting the latest technology designed to measure body fat percentage and lean muscle tissue. The Bod Pod scan is now offered to active duty, dependents, reserves and retirees by your local installation’s health and wellness center to help you get on track with that New Year’s resolution to be a healthier you. (Not available on all military installations yet, check with your local clinic to see if it’s available near you.)


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    Farmville, Va., residents watch military aircraft take off following a static display at the Marine Corps Community Day organized by the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Farmville Municipal Airport, Jan. 14.

    The unit arranged the display after a simulated airfield seizure to thank the community for their support and to display the military equipment and capabilities of the unit. The display and seizure were part of the 24th MEU’s Realistic Urban Training exercise scheduled Jan. 5-20, which focuses on conducting off-base missions near the town of Farmville to prepare for the various operations they may conduct while deployed.

    Photo by Staff Sgt. Robert Fisher 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (DVIDS)