Being a military spouse is difficult enough, but to also be unfamiliar with American culture and processes, that is enough to raise the stress level of any individual trying to navigate the U.S. military lifestyle. In this week’s episode, VMF leader Libby has a conversation with our guest Lydiah, the founder of the Foreign Born Military Spouse Network (FBMSN).
Lydiah explains how she went through some nerve-wracking and often depressing times at the beginning of her military spouse role in not fully understanding things like PCS moves and the transfer of educational credentials. However, she eventually came to realize she was not alone in the “mil-spouse” community of those military family members originally from outside the United States.
Lydiah’s passion for helping others meant she knew she had to start up an organization dedicated to assisting others who may be in the same confusing space she used to be in. Democrats Abroad members can certainly relate to moving to another country, learning a new culture, and possibly having to learn a new language, but the additional layer of having to adopt to a military lifestyle on top of that is a major challenge for anyone, and especially those members of FBMSN. Luckily, our special guest lays it all out for us, but she could use our help in urging lawmakers to not forget the ongoing and valid concerns of foreign born mil-spouses.
Participants in this episode:
· Lydiah Owiti-Otienoh, Military Family Member, and Founder and CEO of the Foreign Born Military Spouse Network
· Libby Jamison, Dems Abroad Morocco, Military Family Member, and WA UOCAVA Voter
· Michael Ramos, Dems Abroad Australia, Veteran and IL UOCAVA Voter
Have a listen to this episode by clicking on the below Podomatic audio link, or by visiting the Democrats Abroad YouTube channel and hear the episode there. Feel free to let us know your thoughts by tagging us on social media or by sending an e-mail to [email protected].
Click to hear this episode on Podomatic or YouTube.
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U.S. citizens living abroad, both civilian and military, are highly encouraged to check your voter registration status and request your ballot for any upcoming elections in your home voting state that you are eligible to vote in.
The VMF Caucus has a membership of over 1,400 members located in dozens of countries and proudly consists of veterans, military family members, Department of Defense civilians, other national security professionals, and strong allies of veterans and military family causes.
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