Whether 1970 or 2010 the Military Brings Together People From All Walks of Life

I had one main driving force behind my decision to self-publish my novel “Mrs. Lieutenant” 38 years after I became a new Mrs. Lieutenant:

I wanted to tell the story of how the military provided active duty personnel and their families a unique opportunity. This unique opportunity was being “thrown together” and having to learn how to accept and cooperate with people you would perhaps have never met otherwise. And all this was during the unpopular Vietnam War.

As a Jewish couple in the U.S. Army in 1970, my husband and I were often the first Jews that other military people had ever met. And, to be totally honest, this was the first time we met Southern Baptists or Puerto Ricans who actually lived in Puerto Rico.

At the same time my manuscript went through the process of being self-published, I entered it in the first Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition – and “Mrs. Lieutenant” was chosen as a semifinalist. This certainly gave me confidence after agents and editors turned down the book because, they said, no one would be interested in a story of four women coming together because of their husbands.

After the book was published it received many, many favorable reviews. Only once did a reviewer miss the point of the novel. That reviewer complained that it was unrealistic to choose as the four protagonists a Northern Jew, a Southern Baptist, a black (the term African-American was not yet used) from the South and a Puerto Rican. The reviewer assumed I was just choosing “characters” and putting them together.

The point of the book is that this group of four such different women is indeed true. In fact, I did volunteer to be the chair of the entertainment committee for the graduation luncheon after the training we went through to learn how to be proper wives of officers. And this was indeed the make-up of our committee plus a fifth member – another Puerto Rican who only spoke Spanish.

Now of course for the purposes of a novel I’ve changed many of the stories of the four women. (FYI – I was NOT a war protester.) And I’ve “borrowed” pieces of the stories of other women I met at that time and “pasted” those pieces onto my four protagonists. But those pieces in most cases are very true.

And I do hope to eventually finish the next book in the planned trilogy – “Mrs. Lieutenant in Europe” – in which I deal with being part of an occupying force only 25 years after the end of World War II.

Teaching U.S. history today through fiction

Many younger people today do not remember a time when there was a draft instead of a volunteer army. These young people often do not learn in school about how divided the nation was during the Vietnam War. Thus I’ve included a news quote at the beginning of each chapter to give historical context for the story of these four women.

I’ve also included a quote at the beginning of each chapter from the $1 booklet “Mrs. Lieutenant” (Third Edition) by Mary Preston Gross that we new officer’s wives bought at the PX in order to learn what was expected of us. Here’s a quote from the booklet that says a great deal about 1970 – right at the beginning of the women’s rights movement:

“It has been said that when a man acquires a commission, the government has gained not one, but two – the officer and his wife.”

I hope my novel “Mrs. Lieutenant” will encourage more young people to learn about the period of the U.S.’s involvement in Vietnam. The www.MrsLieutenant.com website has book club questions comparing then and now on issues such as race. There is also a lesson plan for grade levels 9 – 12 at http://www.mrslieutenant.com/fiction-teaches-us-history/mrs-lieutenant-lesson-plan/

I am particularly interested in helping people learn about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and then seeking help. A free report on recognizing the symptoms of PTSD may be downloaded from my site www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com

In conclusion, I hope that readers of my novel will come to a better understanding of the service and sacrifices of both military personnel and their families in the past and in the present. I also hope that this novel will help demonstrate how people of diverse religions, races, class and geography can learn to accept each other and work together towards a shared goal.

The first four chapters of the novel are available at www.MrsLieutenant.com as well as a link to read the entire novel for free online. There’s also a link to buy the book on Amazon.

I do have one regret about “Mrs. Lieutenant.” Because the book was self-published and thus not returnable through a major book publisher or distributor, the book has not been available in PXs. I do wish there were some way of rectifying this omission because I know that my story of 1970 will resonate with many military-connected women – and men – in 2010.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. Her newest project is www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com.

Phyllis' company MillerMosaicLLC.com does power marketing that combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands.

Founder/Creator of "Troops in Touch" Project Is Touched by One Six-Year-Old Girl

Here's an email I received from Beth Allen, who previously wrote a blog post here regarding her project to support the troops:

I thought you might be interested in publishing the following on your blog about how my "Troops In Touch" postcard project (which you've mentioned before) has made such an impact on my life. I've come to a new understanding about military families, been overwhelmed by the responses I've received from parents, and honored to be associated with them. Here's my story:

I thought I was educated about military families. They volunteered for that life. They chose to fight. I was touched watching movies depicting their struggles and filled with admiration watching them walk through an airport. I thought I knew.

I didn't think about the actual lives of those families. The effects of deployments never entered my mind. I shed tears watching newscasts of soldiers leaving -- scenes of a room full of spouses hugging and children clinging, everyone crying. It tugged at my heart and I ranted about the evil of war. But once out of my sight, it was forgotten.

Then a dear Navy reservist friend of my daughter was deployed, leaving behind his young children. I was touched. I was moved by his wrenching separation from his children, which left them distraught, confused, saddened, crying and angry -- not wanting to let go.

I empathized but couldn't understand how truly heartbreaking it must have been for him to stand strong and leave to do a job he's so prepared to do.

I cried with my daughter. For the first time, the reality of a deployment gripped me. I was involved. I knew they would stay connected and write to each other. But, now that I knew someone who was "left behind," I thought of the ones left behind without the ability to stay as connected: his children.

After searching online and finding nothing for deployed parents to easily communicate with their young children in a way that would engage them, I realized I'd have to do it myself.

So I designed postcards -- easy for him to send to his children. With drawings to color and other activities to complete -- fun for them to do and send back to him.

I envisioned them excitingly receiving the cards, holding them close, knowing they were touched by their father's hands. I imagined them coloring and thinking, with every stroke of crayon, they were writing their own mail, all by themselves.

They stayed connected. He asked for more cards to share with parents in his unit, and this small request made me think of others who need the same kind of connection. But how would I reach them? I didn't have a clue. This was all new and alien to me.

I visited a recruiting office, VA groups, posted notices, but I still didn't know how to reach the children. By this time I was on a mission to do so. At a nearby armory, home to deployed National Guard troops, I met soldiers who distributed the postcards to some families and I learned about Family Assistance and Readiness Groups.

I became familiar with military jargon and spent hours online learning about and linking up with organizations that support military families. All of this an education. A new world.

But I had no idea that a military mom and her six-year-old daughter were about to greatly influence me.

I first "met" Melissa Seligman, co-founder of www.herwarhervoice.com and author of the book "The Day After He Left for Iraq," after reading her op-ed piece in the NY Times. The moment I contacted her, my life was never the same.

She opened up the world of military wife and mother to me as she does to others through her blog and her book. She became the biggest booster of what I named my "Troops In Touch" project and has become a treasured friend.

She urged me on and helped me understand how my work, especially as a non-military person, impacts those it touches, particularly the children.

But it was her child who brought my journey and my education full circle.

Melissa shared with me the pain and struggles of her young daughter who not only loved the postcards but began to use them as a way to express her anger and sadness of having her father removed from her for the fifth time.

Melissa scanned her daughter's drawings and sent them to me so I could see how what I drew was transformed into a means to help her hurting child -- by her drawn tears and "I miss you" in a child's writing. Seeing this child's story come to life past the printed drawings broke my heart and made me more deeply committed.

It took a deployment coming to my door before I took action. At first, I was embarrassed by my lack of interest and knowledge. But now, I feel educated. Now, I feel connected; part of a community where service prevails, even if my service involves no uniform.

I've learned a little bit about a way of life I knew nothing about before. I've learned that patriotism isn't just about a volunteer military -- it's about a volunteer heart. Most importantly, I've developed a deep appreciation for the sacrifices of very young children, who, I believe, are often overlooked.

My family friend is home now, and I hope the need for the work that he and his children inspired will be short-lived, but its impact will be everlasting. What began as a simple project to help him has evolved into me being forever changed. And it's a change I'm proud to show.

For me, it started with a postcard. A small thing. But perhaps that is all anyone needs. Something small. After all, the smallest things often reap big rewards.

That reward came in a note I received from Melissa's daughter: "Thank you for the postcards to send my daddy. I think they are perfect because I don't have to write very much words and daddy sends them to me. I feel happy about you because you send the most good postcards. Love, Amelia."

I feel happy about you, too, Amelia. I keep your note above my computer where I see it all day to remind me that you are the reason I am doing this.

And why I think we should all do something. Even if that something feels so
very small.

Visit Beth Allen's site now to see samples of the "Troops in Touch" postcards.

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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. Her newest project is www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com.

Phyllis' company MillerMosaicLLC.com does power marketing that combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands.

Dogs of War Saving Lives in Afghanistan

This headline tweeted by @MoveOneInc caught my attention on Twitter. I was particularly interested in the story because I have recently viewed a screener of Harris Done's compelling new documentary WAR DOGS OF THE PACIFIC. (You can learn about Done's documentary at my site www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com.)

I contacted the company Move One and received permission to republish the following opening of the post by Zsuzsanna Blau:

With several shipments of military working dogs (MWDs) to various war-torn countries under our belt, at Move One, we understand and therefore are able to manage the unique challenges the process of these projects bring up.

Jobs of military dogs are of a wide variety, but what they all have in common is that they are out there to help save lives while risking their own.

Understandably, these extraordinary animals and their handlers share a special bond, and are treated equally, as brothers in war, partners, as man. So much so, that MWDs are always one rank higher than their handlers, in order to ensure that if a handler ever mistreats his dog, it is considered an assault on a superior, which in the military is a major offense.

Now read the AFP news article by Jason Gutierrez with photos by Christophe Simon.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. Her newest project is www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com.

Phyllis' company MillerMosaicLLC.com does power marketing that combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands.

Learn How You Can Help This Documentary About the Path to Success in Afghanistan

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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. Her newest project is www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com.

Phyllis' company MillerMosaicLLC.com does power marketing that combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands.

Recent Vet Describes the Crime He Committed That He Can't Remember -- Now He Knows He Was Suffering From PTSD

Iraq veteran Nic Gray talks to Westword about the night he can't remember. from Manmade Media on Vimeo.

Thanks to Dan Stepel (@lastbabyboomer on Twitter) for sharing this video with me of his business partner Nic Gray. Dan and Nic have a company to help veterans transition to being entrepreneurs in civilian life.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. Her newest project is www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com.

Phyllis' company MillerMosaicLLC.com does power marketing that combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands.

Kathryn Bigelow Is First Woman to Win DGA Award -- and for THE HURT LOCKER

As a long-time feminist, starting in 1972 right after I returned to the U.S. from being stationed in Munich, Germany,with my army military intelligence officer husband, I am more than thrilled that a woman finally, finally won the DGA award for best director.

And what is the icing on the cake? She won for a movie that I am a huge fan of -- and it is an "action" picture. In other words, she didn't win for directing a "woman's film" -- she won for directing an intense dramatic film.

Congratulations to Kathryn Bigelow and everyone who brought THE HURT LOCKER to the screen!

And now visit THE HURT LOCKER page on www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com to read about the film and for the link to the Daily Variety article of Kathryn Bigelow's win.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. Her newest project is www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com.

Phyllis' company MillerMosaicLLC.com does power marketing that combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands.