Something new - and approved by the DOD - a way to share videos for the military and their families. It is sponsored by Military OneSource. If you already use this - let us know how it works.
What is TroopTube?
TroopTube is a new video-sharing site for troops and their families available through the Military OneSource Web site. Troop Tube is the only video-sharing site for military families sponsored by the Department of Defense. TroopTube extends the virtual military community by enabling service members and their families to connect with each other and share videos wherever they may be.
How can I access TroopTube?
Visit www.MilitaryOneSource.com and click on the TroopTube link. Once you’re on the site, you will be required to register in order to view or post videos. During the registration process, you will be asked to identify your e-mail address, name, and service branch or affiliation.
Who can post videos to TroopTube?
Intended for military families, anyone who registers can post videos. Simply create an account, receive account authorization, and you’re ready to go!
What kinds of videos can I post?
Within guidelines, almost anything you want! TroopTube is for military families, allowing you to share videos about your family events, military events, and send and receive messages to deployed troops. Videos must fall within accepted boundaries of community standards and safety. TroopTube will not post videos that compromise military missions, nor will TroopTube post videos featuring graphic violence and obscenity. TroopTube adopts standards proposed in DoD Directive 5230.9: Clearance of DoD Information for Public Release. Videos are limited to 5 minutes or 20MB.
Which file types does TroopTube accept?
TroopTube accepts most video file types, including .mov files. Videos are limited to 5 minutes or 20MB.
What are the system requirements to post and view videos?
Operating Systems
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista (including recent service packs)
Mac OS X 10.3 or higher
Browsers
Internet Explorer 5.0+
Firefox 1.1+
Safari 1.0+
Google Chrome 1.0+
Media Players
Adobe Flash Version 9.115
Internet Connection
Broadband connection with 500+ Kbps
How do I upload videos?
First, you need to sign up for a TroopTube account.
Log into your active account and select the “post new video” link.
Select the video file (from your computer) you’d like to post to the site.
cliick “Upload My Video”.
Are videos edited before being posted?
No. TroopTube does not edit videos. All videos are screened prior to being posted, and videos violating the site’s standards will not be posted.
Can deployed service members post videos?
Yes! TroopTube emphasizes the ability for deployed troops and their families to stay in touch and share information. Deployed individuals in forward areas should check with their commanding officers for current protocol. TroopTube reserves the right to decline a posting if it contains sensitive material.
What if I have trouble using TroopTube?
The best way to resolve any difficulties involving TroopTube and your account is to use the “Contact Us” feature on the TroopTube site. The TroopTube support staff is equipped to handle technical and complex issues. If you’ve contacted the TroopTube support staff and your issue is still unresolved, we’ll be glad to give them your contact information and request expedited contact.
See? There’s the Finalist medal! YEAH!!! Now - let’s move forward. We need your help. YOUR HELP - yes YOU! The one reading this, the one who keeps thinking ” you know, that story reminded me of…” or ” I wonder if this or that or whatever has ever happened to anyone else? ” Well, if you are a blogger, if you want to share your happy times, the sad ones, the things you have learned, the joy, the frustrations, the lessons you learned and the ones you wished you had learned… We Want You. If you want to join our happy band of (so far) sisters (yes, we need a Dad/Uncle/Grandpa) email me at parentszone at g mail dot com. We want to talk to you.
LAW
p.s. Isn’t that little doohickey from Milbloggers.com just cool????
As promised, here is the audio player for the interview we did on SpouseBuzz Radio with Ruthie (airforcewife) . Click the little white arrow to hear the audio.
If you have any problems, you can also listen to the audio by clicking this link:
Webster defines courage as “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty ”
As we near the sixth anniversary of the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom (October 7, 2001), we have all seen different kinds of courage.
We’ve seen the kind of courage found on the battlefield. Over and over, we’ve seen what that kind of courage looks like.
We’ve seen a second kind of courage. The kind of courage it takes to overcome wounds and injuries. I wrote a post at Spousebuzz a couple of days ago about how there were 17 Marines who suffered amputations, went through recovery and rehabilitation and are currently serving in Iraq.
As I thought of those young men, I thought that their families had to have a kind of quiet courage as their servicemember dealt with recovery. Here at Parents Zone, we have such a family member in Some Soldier’s Mom SSM’s blog is found here: http://somesoldiersmom.blogspot.com/ (Wordpress is not loving me today).
And still, there is that third kind of courage: the kind that our Gold Star families show us. I can’t even begin to do her courage justice so please just click the link, read her story and share it with others.
Throughout our history, the men and women of the Armed Forces have put our Nation’s security before their own, doing their duty in the face of grave danger.
On Gold Star Mother’s Day, we pay solemn tribute to the mothers of the patriots lost serving this great Nation.
Gold Star Mothers inspire our Nation with their deep devotion to family and country. These extraordinary women serve their communities, dedicate their time to helping members of our Armed Forces and veterans, and bring comfort and hope to families whose loved ones laid down their lives in the defense of our liberty. Nothing can compensate for their sacrifice and loss, yet Gold Star Mothers demonstrate tremendous courage and resolve while working to preserve the memory and legacy of all our fallen heroes.
On this day, we honor our country’s Gold Star Mothers and remember their sons’ and daughters’ noble service and great sacrifice. We offer them our deepest gratitude and our most profound respect, and we ask for God’s blessings to be upon them and their families.
The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 115 of June 23, 1936 (49 Stat. 1895 as amended), has designated the last Sunday in September as “Gold Star Mother’s Day” and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in its observance.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Sunday, September 28, 2008, as Gold Star Mother’s Day. I call upon all Government officials to display the flag of the United States over Government buildings on this special day. I also encourage the American people to display the flag and hold appropriate ceremonies as a public expression of our Nation’s sympathy and respect for our Gold Star Mothers.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
/s/ GEORGE W. BUSH
God Bless Our Gold Star Mothers… and the families of those who have perished in the service of our country.
My son, Cpl. Dark Prince, USMCR, deployed in March of this year. That day of deployment, as many of you have experienced, is the lowest point in a mil parent’s life. It just sucks like a Dyson, doesn’t it? You are right at the beginning of a deployment. The clock has just started but (thank God) it has FINALLY started!! You walk away after saying goodbye to your son or daughter thinking something like “Well..I don’t have to live that moment again.. at least for now.”
But at the other end of the deployment, there be dragons as well….
For starters, you end up playing homecoming date roulette with your Family Readiness Group/Family Readiness Officer. There’s a “window” of homecoming. That window can be as long as 7 days or as small as two but the bottom line is that nobody really knows when EXACTLY your loved one is coming home at the beginning of the homecoming phase.. It wreaks havoc on those who are coming in from out of state and trying to make hotel/flight reservations. For this deployment, we are in that category. It’s frustrating but trust me…everyone else is frustrated as well. If you are dealing with this right now or soon to be dealing with this, you’re in good company. We all are playing on that roulette wheel.
If you are traveling to a homecoming, make sure that you have the FRG/FRO/Battalion contact phone number. This will be your lifeline once you get to where you’re going and awaiting your loved one doing the same. They will have the latest updates/ changes in times and locations, etc. Tattoo that damned number on your arm if need be but make sure you have it.
Be flexible. In the Marine Corps, we refer to this as Semper Gumby. I know that’s an easy thing to type and I also know that’s not an easy thing to do You.still.have.to.do.it. Things change. Quickly. Be ready for that. As sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, things will change. It’s the one thing you can count on.
Between now and the actual homecoming, there are things that you can do to keep busy. Make a welcome home sign for your son or daughter. I’ve seen some very clever signs so I’m a little intimidated as I contemplate what I want to put on a sign to welcome my son home. I’m not very artistic so if you saw a cute sign at a homecoming, comment here and let me know. I don’t mind being a copycat. I just mind not having a cool sign.
Get with your FRG/FRO and see if they need folks to make the beds in the barracks for the guys coming back. Seriously, if you just got off a 30+ hour flight from Kuwait..the last thing you want to do is make your own bed. This is something that we as milparents/families can do to help welcome our guys home. It doesn’t take long but it does help pass the time as you wait for your loved one to come home.
If your child left all of his civilian clothes at home (mine did as well as giving me some clothes that had been cooking in his room for several days before he left..ugghh!!) , you might want to consider bringing some of them down to him/her. They will just love getting out of their utilities/cammies.
Most importantly, savor the moment of homecoming. You have earned this moment too. Don’t dwell on the stuff you didn’t do or the problems that you had with the deployment. Those are things for another day. On the day of homecoming, pat yourself on the back for surviving and hug your child. Hard. Close. Revel in the moment. There are few moments as joyous as this one.
Gets reported here! we didn’t make the party - which is a good thing, from the pictures I’ve seen!
The actual panel I was on discussed the importance of remembering that the military blog community is NOT just the uniform members, reporting on conditions downrange, or talking about the conditions they are in. The community is held together by the “others”, the parents, the spouses, the volunteers. I won’t be reporting on the other panels, as those are being reported on by the uniform milbloggers - or by other bloggers who could take notes. I find it amusing that most of the uniform bloggers that I have read so far - didn’t report on our panel! But from where I was sitting, on the other panels, there is some debate about our “relevance” (if we have to ask whether we are relevant, I’d say we probably aren’t), some debate about how milblogs should be “used” or whether we need some sort of training.
Secretary Geren was on the phone for a while, on a different panel. I met with his assistant, who told me that one of the authors you have been enjoying here - Some Soldier’s Mom - has been on his Roundtables and informing the Secretary of Army (in her own inimitable and no nonsense fashion) that Parents aren’t being heard, and that single soldiers need more from the Army when they are offduty. The assistant told me that SecArmy is very happy to hear from SSM and she was very kind in allowing me to get put on the list for Roundtables as well. This is where I may be able to bring up what YOU - The Parents and Siblings, Aunts and Uncles, grandparents and friends - want him to hear.
At the Milbloggie awards - SOME SOLDIER’S MOM won the Milbloggie for Parent’s sites. CONGRATULATIONS! As soon as she gets a chance, I’m hoping to get some more posts from her.
We’ll be putting up the survey results soon. I’m still trying to get some rather well known names to answer the survey - if you can think of someone that is in the public eye we should send the survey to, let us know.
We know we didn’t win. But… we don’t know who did - although with the commanding lead I saw the last time I looked, I have a good idea. But I won’t say anything until they are announced at the MilBlog Expo in Las Vegas this coming weekend. But CONGRATULATIONS! (you know who you are!)
Speaking of the MilBlog Expo - I have been incredibly honored (and scared) to have been invited to be a panelist! I’ll be on a panel talking about the following:
MilBlogging as a Community.A fascinating look at how deep and wide the reach of the Milblogging community has become. Through Milblogging, many programs providing comfort, support, aid and tangible benefits to the military community have been conceived, proving that Milblogging is about more than just writing. We’ll explore how milblogging gives a voice to supporters, parents and spouses of service members, and how that voice is effectively used to support an entire military community.
So - please please, even if you have never commented before, let me know what you want me to tell everyone. As you can see, there is a lot going on that day - I want to make sure that the Parents of Service members are heard! (click on the underlined to see all about Milblogging Expo). If you are going to be there - please say hi.
I’m excited, and I’ll be frank (it’s just us here, right?) I’m a bit intimidated by the thought of representing YOU, the Parents. As a Parent of an Iraq Vet, and In-Law of another Iraq Vet, I do know from experience and my own journey through this, how you feel, what you want, what you need to ask - but it sure would be great if I could get your input. I am taking the information from the 10 questions we asked a couple of posts ago, so if you have a few minutes, fill out the survey.
LAW
p.s. I just looked at this and realized - not everyone knows what MilBlogging is! It’s just Military Blogging, from service members, spouses, parents, supporters, veterans - anyone who has a connection of any kind to the OnePercent of the Nation who are members of this military family.
