Family Voices: Amy Bushatz - Military Reporter, Army Spouse & Caregiver

Host Patty Barron, Director for AUSA’s Family Readiness, interviews Amy Bushatz, Executive Editor, Military.com. Amy is an active-duty Army spouse turned Army National Guard spouse, a fitness junky and a longtime fan of AUSA. She shares how being an Army spouse and caregiver contributed to her career as a reporter covering the military community. Her husband’s dangerous deployment to southern Afghanistan, where he experienced multiple IEDs, close mortar strikes and brain injury, changed everything about her outlook on life and the world. Their story is captured as part of a new documentary, “Sky Blossom - Growing up a Caregiver” produced by Richard Lui of MSNBC in collaboration with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and others. It will be released in Spring 2020.

Family Voices, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, aims to connect Army families to speakers and issues that are important to their everyday lives. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.

Resources Mentioned:

Military.com: https://www.military.com/

Twitter: @AmyBushatz @MilitaryDotCom @RichardLui @DoleFoundation

Facebook: @AmyDBushatz @Militarydotcom @rlui @HiddenHeroesEDF

Check out our other AUSA podcast, Membership Matters: http://memberpodcast.ausa.org/

Army Real Talk: Financial Management

Co-hosts Nzinga A. Curry, Director of AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare, and LTC Eugene Irby, AUSA's U.S. Army Fellow, discuss Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) options and establishing good financial management practices with guests COL(R) Steven Galing, Relationship Manager at AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust (AWMT) and COL(R) Mark Troutman, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Strategic Education International. Listen for ways to improve your financial well-being related to retirement, home ownership, emergency fund, college savings and more. Naturally AUSA is proud to celebrate Veterans Day, as we honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. So, a special thank you to COL(R) Galing and COL(R) Troutman for their Army service. Hooah!

Army Real Talk, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, aims to help AUSA and the Army better connect with the younger generation. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.

Resources Mentioned

Thrift Savings Plan: www.tsp.gov

Military Compensation: www.militarypay.defense.gov

AAFMAA: https://www.aafmaa.com/

Find a Certified Financial Planner (CFP): www.letsmakeaplan.org

West Financial Services: www.westfinancial.com

Financial Disclaimer:

1. Any opinions shared by either Colonel Galing or Colonel Troutman are theirs, alone, and do not constitute the official position of the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army or the Association of the U.S. Army.
2. This podcast is not intended to serve as a basis for providing individual personal financial advice.  If you are seeking individual personal financial advice, please utilize the numerous military options such as, but not limited to, military one source, your local office of Army Community Services, and many Chaplain Offices provide financial management advice as well. Of course, another option is to seek out individual financial advice from a personal financial management expert.  

 Check out our other AUSA podcast, Membership Matters: http://memberpodcast.ausa.org/

Soldier Today: Meet Your New SMA

The 16th Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) Michael A. Grinston joins host SMA (Retired) Ken Preston, VP, NCO & Soldier Programs, AUSA, giving us insight into his personality, leadership style and people-first goals for his time as the Army’s top NCO. They cover the Army Combat Fitness Test, building squad pride, measuring Soldier lethality, improving nutrition at DFAC and making sure Soldiers and their families have a great place to live. Plan for hands-on leadership; this family-man even ran the Army Ten-Miler with his wife this October.

Soldier Today, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, focuses on what is important to Soldiers and NCOs. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.

Resources:

16^th SMA Web: https://www.army.mil/leaders/sma/

Army Combat Fitness Test: https://www.army.mil/acft/

Twitter: @16thSMA

Instagram: @16th_sma

Check out our other AUSA podcast, Membership Matters: http://memberpodcast.ausa.org/

Thought Leaders: Four Hours of Fury

Host Joe Craig, Director of AUSA’s Book Program, speaks with author James M. Fenelon about his book Four Hours of Fury: The Untold Story of World War II’s Largest Airborne Invasion and the Final Push into Nazi Germany. It follows the 17th Airborne Division as they prepare for Operation Varsity, a campaign that would rival Normandy in scale and become one of the most successful and important of the war. It is a captivating, action-packed tale of heroism and triumph spotlighting one of World War II’s most under-chronicled and dangerous operations. Fenelon, a paratrooper-turned-historian, served in the military for over a decade, is a regular contributor to World War II magazine and has been published in Britain’s FlyPast magazine. His knowledge of military history also makes him a sought after technical advisor for video games, screenplays, and documentary creation.

Thought Leaders, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, brings in-depth conversations with authors of military books and senior leaders. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.

Resources:

Web: https://www.jamesfenelon.com/

Twitter: @jamesfenelon

Facebook: @jamesmfenelon

Check out our other AUSA podcast, Membership Matters: http://memberpodcast.ausa.org/

Family Voices: Military Childrens Collaborative Group

Guest host Thea Green, Program Manager for AUSA’s Family Readiness, welcomes Debbie Nichols, Founder & CEO of the Military Childrens Collaborative Group (MCCG). Debbie shares how she became involved with the military children’s community via her own daughter’s deployment, and how she established MCCG as a support system for children impacted by deployment. One of MCCG’s recent projects is the launch of the MilTeenChat app, designed to help military teens gain coping skills, socially connect with other military teens, offer peer-to-peer support, and empower them with information they can share with those unfamiliar with a military lifestyle.

Family Voices, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, aims to connect Army families to speakers and issues that are important to their everyday lives. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.

Resources Mentioned for Military Childrens Collaborative Group:

Website: https://militarychildrenscollaborativegroup.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/military-childrens-collaborative-group/

Facebook: @MilitaryChildrensCollaborativeGroup

Check out our other AUSA podcast, Membership Matters: http://memberpodcast.ausa.org/

Army Real Talk: Talent Management Part 2

Host Nzinga A. Curry, Director of the Institute of Land Warfare at AUSA, along with co-host LTC Eugene Irby, AUSA's U.S. Army Fellow, revisit the topic of Talent Management as a follow-up to Army Matters' 23 September interview with MG JP McGee on the topic. A group of Army Talent Management Task Force (ATMTF) experts, LTC Lucas Hightower, LTC Cayton Johnson, MAJ Greg Lockhart and MAJ Maria Hough, provide a deep dive into talent management initiatives, including assessments like the GRE, brevet and merit-based promotions, the Battalion Commanders Assessment Pilot (BCAP), and the new Army Talent Management Process (ATAP).

Talent Management Part 1 with MG JP McGee, Director, ATMTF: https://podcast.ausa.org/e/thought-leaders-talent-management-part-1/

Army Real Talk, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, aims to help AUSA and the Army better connect with the younger generation. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.

Resources Mentioned
Army Talent Management: https://talent.army.mil/

Check out our other AUSA podcast, Membership Matters: http://memberpodcast.ausa.org/

Soldier Today: Counseling and Mentoring

Co-hosts Sergeant Major of the Army (Retired) Ken Preston and Command Sergeant Major (Retired) Troy Welch, both of AUSA’s NCO & Soldier Programs, discuss how aspiring leaders can become effective mentors. They cover defining your mentorship style, sharing information and being open to learning from others who have the hands-on experience needed – no matter their age or rank. Practical advice on developing a mentor/mentee relationship, career planning, and work/home life balance round out the conversation.

Soldier Today, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, focuses on what is important to Soldiers and NCOs. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org. 

SMA(R) Preston Book Recommendation: Hero of Bataan: The Story of General Jonathan M. Wainright by Duane Schultz

Check out our other AUSA podcast, Membership Matters: http://memberpodcast.ausa.org/

Special Edition: Multi-Domain Operations – Joint and Allied Integration

Colonel (Retired) Daniel Roper, host of this special edition of Army Matters, interviews LTG Eric Wesley, Deputy Commanding General, Futures and Concepts Center (FCC), United States Army Futures Command (AFC). They discuss how the Army is undergoing its most fundamental change in 40 years in response to the re-emergence of long-term strategic competition with Russia and China. The Army’s December 2018 operations concept, “The U.S. Army in Multi-Domain Operations 2028,” describes how the U.S. Army, with its Joint and Allied partners, will compete with and if necessary fight and defeat its adversaries. LTG Wesley describes how the US military and its allies will overcome the problem of layered standoff and anti-access area denial (A2AD) capabilities by: competing below the threshold of armed conflict; penetrating and dis-integrating enemy stand-off; exploiting the resultant freedom of maneuver; and returning to competition on favorable terms.  He also discusses the U.S. Army’s expectations of its joint and allied partners with respect to MDO, particularly focusing on how to best leverage unique allied capabilities both in competition and conflict.  

Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.

Resources mentioned:

Army Futures and Concepts Center: https://futuresconcepts.army.mil/

Social Media:

@EricWesleyArmy

@AdaptingtheArmy

Check out our other AUSA podcast, Membership Matters: http://memberpodcast.ausa.org/

Thought Leaders: Talent Management Part 1

Colonel (Retired) Daniel Roper, host of Thought Leaders, interviews MG JP McGee, Director of the Army Talent Management Task Force. Their discussion addresses the security environment characterized by the 2018 U.S. National Defense Strategy and its implications for how the Army must manage its most important asset – its people. MG McGee describes the profound changes the Army is making to its industrial-age personnel system to best leverage the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and preferences of its officers and its noncommissioned officers. This initiative is foundational to the everything that the Army is doing in terms of modernization including Multi-Domain Operations, Army Futures Command, and Talent Management. Ultimately, Talent Management will give the U.S. Army a decisive advantage against near-peer adversaries by maximizing the potential of its people. 

Thought Leaders, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, brings in-depth conversations with authors of military books and senior leaders. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.

Resources mentioned:

Army Talent Management: https://talent.army.mil/

Check out our other AUSA podcast, Membership Matters: http://memberpodcast.ausa.org/

Family Voices: Alcoholics Anonymous: A Military Journey to Sobriety

Host Patty Barron, Director of Family Readiness at AUSA, speaks with George W., a retired U.S. Army officer and A.A. member. He serves on the Alcoholics Anonymous trustees' Committee for Cooperation with the Professional Community, where he works to carry the A.A. message to the armed forces and veterans communities. George shares his personal story, explains the steps to help a loved one dealing with alcohol addiction and specifically focuses on how service members can find help with A.A.

Family Voices, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, aims to connect Army families to speakers and issues that are important to their everyday lives. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.

Resources mentioned:

Alcoholics Anonymous: https://www.aa.org/

Al-Anon – Support For Family and Friends

Web: https://al-anon.org/

Facebook: @AlAnonFamilyGroupsWSO

Twitter: @AlAnon_WSO

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/al-anon-wso/

Check out our other AUSA podcast, Membership Matters: http://memberpodcast.ausa.org/