Independence Day is a day to say Thank You! However, showing awareness of the nuances and complexities of military service might be more appreciated than all the Thank Yous in the world.

As a military family, you know all-too-well that there are times when you or your spouse will be called away for duty, often without much – or any – warning. As a service member, you might get called into the field. However, when you are the parent left at home, whether you've had plenty of warning or given a day's notice of the deployment, there are a few ways you can help make life easier. Don't stress! Parenting is hard enough on its own. Accept the help of others and look for resources to make your daily life easier. 

It was a different time, and I was a different man then.  It’s not easy to draw a straight line from there, where guns seemed a natural part of my life to now where the sight of the protesting Parkland students fill me with renewed hope for the future of this nation. It is not that I think that any single gun control measure alone would be a panacea, but we need to have the conversation about all the factors that go into gun deaths, including suicide. This is a necessary step in our growth as a country.

Seven years have passed since I returned home from combat in the most violent province of Afghanistan. I returned to East Moriches, a sleepy hamlet on the doorstep of Long Island’s south fork, where my wife and I purchased a two bedroom yellow cottage nestled among oaks and walnuts with peek hole views of Heart Cove. The open air barbecues and the chirping birds were a welcome escape.  At least that’s what I thought, until another meltdown happened.