Mission: Family: Blue Star survey shows positive, resilient military families - Navy Community, Navy Spouse and Family Resources - Navy Times

Mission: Family: Blue Star survey shows positive, resilient military families

For the nonprofit Blue Star Families, it was the positive views of the military, especially after a decade of war, that stood out most in the group’s recent survey.

The survey of families, conducted in November and released this month, touched on a wide range of topics — effects of deployment on children, operational tempo, spouse employment and post-traumatic stress, to name a few. It was fielded amid nationwide discussions of troop reductions and proposed benefits cuts late last year.

Make no mistake: Spouses voiced clear concerns about their ability to maintain a career through multiple moves, and about military pay and benefits, for example. Changes to retirement benefits were the major concern — the top issue for 31 percent of respondents.

“Yet, even with the challenges, the majority still recommend service to a young person close to them, and the majority said they support their service member’s continued service,” said Vivian Greentree, research and policy director for Blue Star Families.

Among the findings:

• 82 percent of those who responded believe that the all-volunteer force has worked well.

• 73 percent support their service member’s continued service.

• 60 percent would advise a young person to join the military.

“Those are real positives,” said Greentree, a Navy spouse and veteran. “You’d think after 10 years of war, we’d be less likely to recommend service.”

It points to the “resilience, strengths and connectedness” of the military community, she said, and the realization of “the importance of being part of something larger than yourself.”

More than 4,000 people took the survey, of those, 2,891 completed it.

Tap into vetted sitters

With the moving season in full swing, you may be in the market for a sitter — whether it’s a short-term need for child care or elder care, a pet sitter while you prepare to move, or a longer-term need at your next duty station.

The Defense Department pays for memberships to Sittercity.com for families of active-duty, National Guard and reserve members, providing instant access to more than 2 million pre-screened caregivers nationwide.

If you’d specifically like to hire a military spouse as a caregiver, Sittercity can help you find one. Sittercity encourages spouses to become part of its network of child care providers, eldercare providers, daily dog walkers, pet sitters, tutors and housesitters.

Although DoD pays for the memberships, families pay for the cost of the care.

To date, Sittercity has helped more than 60,000 military families find caregivers, Sittercity spokeswoman Mary Schwartz said.