weregoingtodw
<font color=deeppink>Save the cookies for the TF<b
- Joined
- May 16, 2004
.
No More Military Discounts?
- Thread starter Kerlynne
- Start date
two4ruff
<font color=006633>Mother of All Hockey Moms<br><f
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2002
How sad.
My husband just left TODAY for a one year deployment. I thought looking at the boards would cheer me up. I'm sorry I picked this thread.
Please excuse me, as I'm off to raise my two kids on enlisted pay (yes, I work too), pay my light bill, and search my home high and low for that big screen tv. My dad was a high ranking officer and I'm offended by the portrayal some on this thread are giving the enlisted. There are just as many civilian folks who can't handle money and are looking for handout. How would I know? Maybe thats where my degree in social services is a clue.
If I wanted to get this offended, I would have gone to the debate board.
My husband just left TODAY for a one year deployment. I thought looking at the boards would cheer me up. I'm sorry I picked this thread.
Please excuse me, as I'm off to raise my two kids on enlisted pay (yes, I work too), pay my light bill, and search my home high and low for that big screen tv. My dad was a high ranking officer and I'm offended by the portrayal some on this thread are giving the enlisted. There are just as many civilian folks who can't handle money and are looking for handout. How would I know? Maybe thats where my degree in social services is a clue.
If I wanted to get this offended, I would have gone to the debate board.
weregoingtodw
<font color=deeppink>Save the cookies for the TF<b
- Joined
- May 16, 2004
My hubby is leaving next month for his one year 'hell tour.' It just stinks, doesn't it? We had to do a lot of finagling in order to get his leaving date extended so we could all have our vacation together.
Hang in there - most of us realize that we're all in this TOGETHER! Something someone told me the other day that might help you - remember that every day spent apart takes you one day closer to the day that you're together again.
Hold your head high and remind yourself that you're doing without your husband, and your children are doing without their daddy, so that we can all continue to enjoy our freedom. Spend your time with those two precious children and don't give a second thought to what one uninformed person has to say.
Sending prayers that this year will pass quickly...
Hang in there - most of us realize that we're all in this TOGETHER! Something someone told me the other day that might help you - remember that every day spent apart takes you one day closer to the day that you're together again.
Hold your head high and remind yourself that you're doing without your husband, and your children are doing without their daddy, so that we can all continue to enjoy our freedom. Spend your time with those two precious children and don't give a second thought to what one uninformed person has to say.
Sending prayers that this year will pass quickly...
Sleepy
<font color=royalblue>I'll have to remember that o
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2000
How are the kids handling it? Are you doing ok? I know it takes about 2 to 3 weeks for my son and I to finally let the reality set in. He is older now, so better able to understand, but still difficult in the long run to not be rebellious. Are you going to try that paper chain or candy idea? If there is anything i can do to help, let me know.
LADIES! Of all the people on here, we should not be the ones fighting!!
There is nothing wrong with asking about discounts. Heck, we're on a 2LT salary (plus mine) and we could not have gone to Disney last December without the discounts. I don't think anyone here EXPECTS a discount - they are just expressing the opinion that it would be nice. Which it would be!! Maybe our spouses don't pay for it like an AP - but they do pay for it in many other ways, including long, long deployments.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to the DB.
There is nothing wrong with asking about discounts. Heck, we're on a 2LT salary (plus mine) and we could not have gone to Disney last December without the discounts. I don't think anyone here EXPECTS a discount - they are just expressing the opinion that it would be nice. Which it would be!! Maybe our spouses don't pay for it like an AP - but they do pay for it in many other ways, including long, long deployments.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to the DB.
Otto's Doll
<font color=blue>Cheese and Whiskers, I just can't
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2003
Just got this
ANHEUSER-BUSCH ADVENTURE PARKS EXTEND FREE ADMISSION PROGRAM FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL
""Operation Homecoming" Honors Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen Serving Overseas During Last Summer's "Operation Salute"
St. Louis, Mo., May 21, 2004 - The Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks will extend a tribute program for U.S. and coalition military personnel and their families that last year saw more than 800,000 people visit SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Sesame Place free of charge.
"Operation Homecoming" will honor those members of U.S. and coalition armed forces who were serving overseas and unable to take advantage of free theme park admission offered as part of last year's "Operation Salute" program.
"We recognize that many of the men and women who have sacrificed so much during our military operations in the Middle East and elsewhere were unable to take advantage of last year's program," said Keith M. Kasen, Chairman of the Board and President of Busch Entertainment Corporation (BEC). "As the initial tours for those service members draw to a close and they begin returning home, we hope they and their families will honor us with a visit."
The program will be offered to those service members who served overseas between Memorial Day 2003 and Veterans Day 2003. The offer, which is valid from Memorial Day 2004 through Veterans Day 2004, includes one free admission to any one of the company's three SeaWorld and two Busch Gardens parks or Sesame Place. Qualified military personnel can register on-line, print the form and bring it on the date of their visit to expedite the admission process. Registration forms can be found at www.seaworld.com, www.sesameplace.com and www.buschgardens.com.
Like Operation Salute, the offer allows one free admission to the service member and one free admission each for as many as four direct dependents. Additional tickets may be purchased at a discount. The offer is valid for admission to one park only. Military retirees and their dependents are not included.
To take advantage of the offer, service members and dependents 10 and older need only present a valid Department of Defense I.D. and deployment papers showing that they were serving overseas during Operation Salute. Tickets will be issued at participating parks after service members complete a short registration form. Dependents of deployed service members who took advantage of last year's Operation Salute tribute are not eligible for a second free admission under this program, but may purchase tickets at a discount.
Operation Homecoming is the third tribute to U.S. armed forces launched by the Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks. Following the Gulf War, more than 1 million service members and their families were given free theme park passes during the company's Yellow Ribbon Summer celebration.
Busch Entertainment Corp. today also launched "Military Appreciation Days," a program that offers discounted admission to its parks to all members of the armed forces. Military Appreciation Days and Operation Homecoming begin May 31, 2004 and run through Veterans Day, November 11, 2004. Military Appreciation Days tickets may be purchased only at participating military base ticket offices. Tickets will not be available at park ticket windows, and the discount applies to single day tickets only.
BEC operates nine adventure parks: SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio; Busch Gardens parks in Tampa and Williamsburg, Va.; Discovery Cove in Orlando; Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pa., near Philadelphia; Water Country USA in Williamsburg and Adventure Island in Tampa. BEC parks play host to more than 20 million guests each year. BEC is the family entertainment subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
ANHEUSER-BUSCH ADVENTURE PARKS EXTEND FREE ADMISSION PROGRAM FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL
""Operation Homecoming" Honors Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen Serving Overseas During Last Summer's "Operation Salute"
St. Louis, Mo., May 21, 2004 - The Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks will extend a tribute program for U.S. and coalition military personnel and their families that last year saw more than 800,000 people visit SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Sesame Place free of charge.
"Operation Homecoming" will honor those members of U.S. and coalition armed forces who were serving overseas and unable to take advantage of free theme park admission offered as part of last year's "Operation Salute" program.
"We recognize that many of the men and women who have sacrificed so much during our military operations in the Middle East and elsewhere were unable to take advantage of last year's program," said Keith M. Kasen, Chairman of the Board and President of Busch Entertainment Corporation (BEC). "As the initial tours for those service members draw to a close and they begin returning home, we hope they and their families will honor us with a visit."
The program will be offered to those service members who served overseas between Memorial Day 2003 and Veterans Day 2003. The offer, which is valid from Memorial Day 2004 through Veterans Day 2004, includes one free admission to any one of the company's three SeaWorld and two Busch Gardens parks or Sesame Place. Qualified military personnel can register on-line, print the form and bring it on the date of their visit to expedite the admission process. Registration forms can be found at www.seaworld.com, www.sesameplace.com and www.buschgardens.com.
Like Operation Salute, the offer allows one free admission to the service member and one free admission each for as many as four direct dependents. Additional tickets may be purchased at a discount. The offer is valid for admission to one park only. Military retirees and their dependents are not included.
To take advantage of the offer, service members and dependents 10 and older need only present a valid Department of Defense I.D. and deployment papers showing that they were serving overseas during Operation Salute. Tickets will be issued at participating parks after service members complete a short registration form. Dependents of deployed service members who took advantage of last year's Operation Salute tribute are not eligible for a second free admission under this program, but may purchase tickets at a discount.
Operation Homecoming is the third tribute to U.S. armed forces launched by the Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks. Following the Gulf War, more than 1 million service members and their families were given free theme park passes during the company's Yellow Ribbon Summer celebration.
Busch Entertainment Corp. today also launched "Military Appreciation Days," a program that offers discounted admission to its parks to all members of the armed forces. Military Appreciation Days and Operation Homecoming begin May 31, 2004 and run through Veterans Day, November 11, 2004. Military Appreciation Days tickets may be purchased only at participating military base ticket offices. Tickets will not be available at park ticket windows, and the discount applies to single day tickets only.
BEC operates nine adventure parks: SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio; Busch Gardens parks in Tampa and Williamsburg, Va.; Discovery Cove in Orlando; Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pa., near Philadelphia; Water Country USA in Williamsburg and Adventure Island in Tampa. BEC parks play host to more than 20 million guests each year. BEC is the family entertainment subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
WDWPsychoALice
Not nearly as Psycho as you think!
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2003
Gotta join in here..when I was married to an E3 at Fort Drum a few years ago we lived offbase and still had plenty of money to do stuff. Also if you have a degree in social work why dont you go apply at the Social servises office..they were always hireing when I love there just a year and a half ago.
Also I have 2 kids and was living on an E3 wage and I wasnt working nor did we have to get extra money at ANYTIME...and paying a HORRENDOUS heating bill...Sorry I feel no simpathy for you..
Also I have 2 kids and was living on an E3 wage and I wasnt working nor did we have to get extra money at ANYTIME...and paying a HORRENDOUS heating bill...Sorry I feel no simpathy for you..
weregoingtodw
<font color=deeppink>Save the cookies for the TF<b
- Joined
- May 16, 2004
Please, before you go jumping on people, re-read the thread. The poster with a degree in Social Work was not asking for sympathy in the least. All she said was that her husband just deployed, and that she came to the boards looking for support (not a handout), and was dismayed to find military wives bashing one another. She did not indicate that she was either seeking a discount or angry at those who were seeking discounts.
Fortunately, I've never had to survive on an E-3 salary, so I can't comment on that personally. However, I do know (and so does everyone else who wants to look it up) how much an E-3 makes, and it's not alot. Obviously we have no way of knowing whether your spouse was actually military or not, but I do wonder why you would refer to Fort Drum as a "base" rather than a "post".
As a former military wife. (Air Force husband retired after 21 years of Enlisted life) I would like to give Kudos to my fellow sisters!
When I met my husband, he was E-4. I worked and we saved. We made sacrifices. He went to Saudi after Desert Storm as part of a clean up crew. Not in serious danger, but that was his JOB.
Being in the military is a government contract and some of the hardest work in the world. Did we deserve some perks? Sure!
Why? Because it keeps up the morale of the service people. It is a way for many companies to appreciate some of the hardest worked and underpaid Americans! They also have to serve, regardless of personal opinion of their government, leaders, etc.
They lose a lot of personal freedom, just so everyone can have theirs!
Unfortunately, some companies just get on the bandwagon of "Support'n the Troops" just to appear patriotic. After the public hoopla of excitement dies down, so do their discounts.
Many military members forget to check their local MWR associations on bases for discounted tickets! Shades of Green has discounted tickets in their sales office. Yep, we gotta go out of our way to find it...Im fine with that. I do not expect the extras to be right in my face. I like bargin hunting!!!
Now, as for the low blows about families having babies, abusing the system, etc. For MOST military families, the struggle to make ends meet! I have seen wasteful people in and out of the military who have plenty of money for beer and nothing for baby formula! But, regardless of their circumstances, no one can judge the size of their family, or the desire to get discounts!
Imagine an unlisted spouse married to a military person in the position of being called up and sent at any moment. In a situation of a family, Mom is generally the only adult around that offers any stability. There is no shame if she stays at HOME with her kids! Many military wives who DO work, often to make a real career, because they tend to move around a lot. They are at the mercy of their husband's career.
Anyway, no one is asking for anything free....we are asking for a break!
Remember, not everyone who uses coupons are broke. Some people use wisdom on how to stretch their $ to do more! There is no shame in that either!
Anyway folks! Do not forget to check your local MWR! And it NEVER hurts to ask "Do you offer a military discount"?
Now that "we" are retired(Not really, we entered our second careers) Yes, we still work! We still use our discount privlidges any where we are qualified! Gosh, even some seniors get discounts and that is just for being a certain age. (And they deserve it too!)
When I met my husband, he was E-4. I worked and we saved. We made sacrifices. He went to Saudi after Desert Storm as part of a clean up crew. Not in serious danger, but that was his JOB.
Being in the military is a government contract and some of the hardest work in the world. Did we deserve some perks? Sure!
Why? Because it keeps up the morale of the service people. It is a way for many companies to appreciate some of the hardest worked and underpaid Americans! They also have to serve, regardless of personal opinion of their government, leaders, etc.
They lose a lot of personal freedom, just so everyone can have theirs!
Unfortunately, some companies just get on the bandwagon of "Support'n the Troops" just to appear patriotic. After the public hoopla of excitement dies down, so do their discounts.
Many military members forget to check their local MWR associations on bases for discounted tickets! Shades of Green has discounted tickets in their sales office. Yep, we gotta go out of our way to find it...Im fine with that. I do not expect the extras to be right in my face. I like bargin hunting!!!
Now, as for the low blows about families having babies, abusing the system, etc. For MOST military families, the struggle to make ends meet! I have seen wasteful people in and out of the military who have plenty of money for beer and nothing for baby formula! But, regardless of their circumstances, no one can judge the size of their family, or the desire to get discounts!
Imagine an unlisted spouse married to a military person in the position of being called up and sent at any moment. In a situation of a family, Mom is generally the only adult around that offers any stability. There is no shame if she stays at HOME with her kids! Many military wives who DO work, often to make a real career, because they tend to move around a lot. They are at the mercy of their husband's career.
Anyway, no one is asking for anything free....we are asking for a break!
Remember, not everyone who uses coupons are broke. Some people use wisdom on how to stretch their $ to do more! There is no shame in that either!
Anyway folks! Do not forget to check your local MWR! And it NEVER hurts to ask "Do you offer a military discount"?
Now that "we" are retired(Not really, we entered our second careers) Yes, we still work! We still use our discount privlidges any where we are qualified! Gosh, even some seniors get discounts and that is just for being a certain age. (And they deserve it too!)
weregoingtodw
<font color=deeppink>Save the cookies for the TF<b
- Joined
- May 16, 2004
Just what we needed in this thread, the voice of reason. Well said, CACruiser. Bravo!
WDWPsychoALice
Not nearly as Psycho as you think!
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2003
That is because i grew up an Air Force Brat at Edwards AFB where my Navy Corpsman Boyfriend (A HM2 who recieved the Doc Piercy Award in 2002 thus making him sailor of the year that year) is with a Marine detachment stationed here but currently serving in Iraq being more or less a flying Ambulance in a CH-46.
For more proof look here I have 80+ days in and 100+ days to go. Not nearly as much as a lot of my friends have had to wait but it is still long enough.
Oh and Also if you scroll up you will see that I have been involved in this thread since the begining. I was only an Army wife for 2 years. Would you like more info on that?
Disney didnt have to let MWR build a hotel onsite. That is more than they even needed to do. And when SOG was in refurb (101 in CM terms) they also did not need to give north garden wings at the Contemporary away at about 60 a night. I personally think Disney goes above and beyond the call of duty when giving to the Armed Forces. I was just trying to figure out what more people would like for them to do. Give more stuff away?
remyandhollandsmommy
<font color=purple>Don't be afraid of the dark<br>
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2004
We call it a base not a post too, but then we are some of the only Air Force here. DH is attached to the Army so we (lucky us) get to live on an Army base. I also always call it the BX, not the PX.
Just for future reference (I'm not disagreeing with you, just giving info) - MWR didn't build the hotel, originally. SoG used to be the Golf Resort and was one of the three original hotels at WDW. The recent renovations are done completely by the military, though.
two4ruff
<font color=006633>Mother of All Hockey Moms<br><f
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2002
Alright everyone, let's let this thread die.
It started out as a question regarding discounts and has taken on another life that defeats the entire purpose of this board. Some (myself included) are pointing fingers and some are on the defensive and a few aren't even sure of what they are replying to!
We can continue to try to "one up" each other with our military backgrounds & knowledge, question each other's motives, and generally make each other feel worse about our individual situations OR...
We can all let it go and move on to things that support each other and our military families. I think we are all on the same side here!
It started out as a question regarding discounts and has taken on another life that defeats the entire purpose of this board. Some (myself included) are pointing fingers and some are on the defensive and a few aren't even sure of what they are replying to!
We can continue to try to "one up" each other with our military backgrounds & knowledge, question each other's motives, and generally make each other feel worse about our individual situations OR...
We can all let it go and move on to things that support each other and our military families. I think we are all on the same side here!
buzz&woody'smom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2002
Goodness gracious I just found this community after being a part of the DCL Forum for over 2 years and just typed my first post here that I was glad to have found you all but then I just sat here and read 3 pages of junk.
My husband has been a Marine for 18 years; I have been his wife for almost 10. I am not a Marine and do not like women who wear their husbands rank or check the color of my sticker before speaking to me.
Let's let go of the red vs. blue sticker attitude here. Or my husband or boyfriend has gone...here...here... and here. All around it SUCKS.
I have been on both sides of it, my husband is a Marine Officer now BUT he was a Sgt. when we met and got married and then after making Gunny he switched over now is a Officer. I have seen all sides of it and lived a lot of places. He has been to a lot more.
We are here to support each other. Remember just because you think or would do something another way you are not in that person's shoes and we are not here to judge each other but to support each other.
How many of you have a civilian friend who has complained about her civilian executive husband taking a week business trip.... Don't you just laugh and say, "get it together it is better than a war"?
Thankfully I have a BA and had a career before I met my husband and I worked outside the home until recently. I have always made more money than my DH. Does that bother him, heck no because we are a team and it is for OUR family. But I have worked 60 plus hours with my husband deployed and I was taking care of 2.5 year old with a second on the way. Do I feel sorry for myself no but do I feel as if we military families have a different perspective and experience, yes.
My husband is at 18 years of service and we just found out my DH is going back to Iraq again. As a Marine wife my job is to love my husband, take care of our children and reassure him we will be fine while inside I am throbbing with worry and pain and scared out of my mind.
Those of you who have been through deployments and especially hostile deployments know that the first couple of weeks are like a fog .......you hear a car pull up or someone's keys and just for a second you forget and go to the door.
We are better than this bickering, we are all in this together. We are the loved ones of some of the best people in the United States. We have the honor of knowing them and supporting them.
No matter what we think of the President or the way another military familiy spends money or how another person expresses themselves we have a common thread. We are sitting at home and our loved ones are serving this great country.
I also agree that I have seen and heard of many young Marines that make immature and poor choices when it comes to having babies, marriages, divorces, DUI's you name it. But there are many young Marine families out there that qualify for WIC because they are paid such low wages. They are living in substandard housing and do not even make minimum wage.
That makes their lives harder and they may not be able to get one foot in the door and get a military in home provider or base daycare so the rate is based on the rank. They may not know how to go about taking college classes or how to get a a job that pays enough to be rewarding and allow them to break even.
I can also name many Officers and E9's who have made some really, really stupid decisions too. It is the person not the rank.
When it comes to Disney giving the military community discounts I think they should continue to show their support for our men and women and families. We live a different life than a civilian we are no better but we are different. We are faced with a whole set of problems others would have no clue about. They are worried because their spouse is on a business trip or gone to the golf course and they can't get their hair done and we are trying line up someone to be with us during Labor because our husbands are gone. I have held many friends hand during their labors and they mine because our husbands could not be here.
I too was waiting for DCL or WDW to extend some pricing so we could cruise DCL this year and it did not happen. I assume that because the prices and demand for Disney cruises have gone through the roof and they made the decision for profit over patriotism for Disney Cruise Lines.
Yes, Disney did their share in the 9/11 aftermath but hello there is still a war raging and not all of us are lucky enough to be in a non-deployable status.
We do not deserve anything free but behind every good Marine (Service Member) is a great and supporting family. Call me old fashion but last night for the first time when my DH said he is going back again and I know he can refuse the orders and put his retirement papers but he won't and for once I got it. I saw the look in his eyes. He needs me to say I can take care of a just turned 3 year old and a 6 year old and the house and bills and life. His biggest worry is us. He is worried about my health (I have major health problems and cancer), he is worried his boys will start to resent his being gone so much.
But he needs to do what he thinks is right. I have never respected him more in my life.
The war is not real for many people; it is only a sad thing you see in the paper or on TV.
For example Carnival Cruise Lines continues to offer very low fares for military families. You can also cruise without your spouse so you can take your children and get away and have some fun and get everyone's minds off of the WAR and our loved ones being gone. They get it and are helping us.
When it comes to Shades of Green we all know that the rate you pay is based on your rank and with some of us it is less to use a code or special other than the over flow rates. For others it gives them the opportunity to get away, share in the magic.
I hate to ruin it for some of you but Disney does not do things because they are nice. They do it for publicity. Yes, active duty have always been able to get lower priced tickets even before 9/11 but come on my DH has 18 years in, has a BA and MBA and would be making a heck of a lot more money in the civilian world but he and the others here have that special spark that makes them special. It makes them serve when others run. It makes us proud of them.
Discounts are needed and appreciated by the military and their families of every rank and branch of service. You can go to any major hotel website and for many years we have been able to get a government rate not just at WDW but in SC or Iowa.
Vacations are needed to give our children something to look forward to and give everyone left at home a break and something to make the time pass.
Flame me if you want but I do believe major corporations should continue to show support of our troops and families.
I do think there are many people believe they are "owed" something and that is wrong. I also know the jobs our loved ones do are unlike any and we are not "owed" but we are sure grateful.
If our loved one (God forbid) dies on active duty, we get benefits and we get life insurance. Our loved ones signed up for the job so we do not expect nor will we receive money from a fund set up for victims even though my heart goes out to all lost in 9/11 and since.
It could come down to our military men and women are way underpaid and thus any perks we get help us experience things civilian families do. But I think it comes down to much more than that.
It comes down to supporting our troops, remembering the fallen, supporting each other in our military communities through the good and bad and being proud of our loved ones.
Take care,
B&W Mom
My husband has been a Marine for 18 years; I have been his wife for almost 10. I am not a Marine and do not like women who wear their husbands rank or check the color of my sticker before speaking to me.
Let's let go of the red vs. blue sticker attitude here. Or my husband or boyfriend has gone...here...here... and here. All around it SUCKS.
I have been on both sides of it, my husband is a Marine Officer now BUT he was a Sgt. when we met and got married and then after making Gunny he switched over now is a Officer. I have seen all sides of it and lived a lot of places. He has been to a lot more.
We are here to support each other. Remember just because you think or would do something another way you are not in that person's shoes and we are not here to judge each other but to support each other.
How many of you have a civilian friend who has complained about her civilian executive husband taking a week business trip.... Don't you just laugh and say, "get it together it is better than a war"?
Thankfully I have a BA and had a career before I met my husband and I worked outside the home until recently. I have always made more money than my DH. Does that bother him, heck no because we are a team and it is for OUR family. But I have worked 60 plus hours with my husband deployed and I was taking care of 2.5 year old with a second on the way. Do I feel sorry for myself no but do I feel as if we military families have a different perspective and experience, yes.
My husband is at 18 years of service and we just found out my DH is going back to Iraq again. As a Marine wife my job is to love my husband, take care of our children and reassure him we will be fine while inside I am throbbing with worry and pain and scared out of my mind.
Those of you who have been through deployments and especially hostile deployments know that the first couple of weeks are like a fog .......you hear a car pull up or someone's keys and just for a second you forget and go to the door.
We are better than this bickering, we are all in this together. We are the loved ones of some of the best people in the United States. We have the honor of knowing them and supporting them.
No matter what we think of the President or the way another military familiy spends money or how another person expresses themselves we have a common thread. We are sitting at home and our loved ones are serving this great country.
I also agree that I have seen and heard of many young Marines that make immature and poor choices when it comes to having babies, marriages, divorces, DUI's you name it. But there are many young Marine families out there that qualify for WIC because they are paid such low wages. They are living in substandard housing and do not even make minimum wage.
That makes their lives harder and they may not be able to get one foot in the door and get a military in home provider or base daycare so the rate is based on the rank. They may not know how to go about taking college classes or how to get a a job that pays enough to be rewarding and allow them to break even.
I can also name many Officers and E9's who have made some really, really stupid decisions too. It is the person not the rank.
When it comes to Disney giving the military community discounts I think they should continue to show their support for our men and women and families. We live a different life than a civilian we are no better but we are different. We are faced with a whole set of problems others would have no clue about. They are worried because their spouse is on a business trip or gone to the golf course and they can't get their hair done and we are trying line up someone to be with us during Labor because our husbands are gone. I have held many friends hand during their labors and they mine because our husbands could not be here.
I too was waiting for DCL or WDW to extend some pricing so we could cruise DCL this year and it did not happen. I assume that because the prices and demand for Disney cruises have gone through the roof and they made the decision for profit over patriotism for Disney Cruise Lines.
Yes, Disney did their share in the 9/11 aftermath but hello there is still a war raging and not all of us are lucky enough to be in a non-deployable status.
We do not deserve anything free but behind every good Marine (Service Member) is a great and supporting family. Call me old fashion but last night for the first time when my DH said he is going back again and I know he can refuse the orders and put his retirement papers but he won't and for once I got it. I saw the look in his eyes. He needs me to say I can take care of a just turned 3 year old and a 6 year old and the house and bills and life. His biggest worry is us. He is worried about my health (I have major health problems and cancer), he is worried his boys will start to resent his being gone so much.
But he needs to do what he thinks is right. I have never respected him more in my life.
The war is not real for many people; it is only a sad thing you see in the paper or on TV.
For example Carnival Cruise Lines continues to offer very low fares for military families. You can also cruise without your spouse so you can take your children and get away and have some fun and get everyone's minds off of the WAR and our loved ones being gone. They get it and are helping us.
When it comes to Shades of Green we all know that the rate you pay is based on your rank and with some of us it is less to use a code or special other than the over flow rates. For others it gives them the opportunity to get away, share in the magic.
I hate to ruin it for some of you but Disney does not do things because they are nice. They do it for publicity. Yes, active duty have always been able to get lower priced tickets even before 9/11 but come on my DH has 18 years in, has a BA and MBA and would be making a heck of a lot more money in the civilian world but he and the others here have that special spark that makes them special. It makes them serve when others run. It makes us proud of them.
Discounts are needed and appreciated by the military and their families of every rank and branch of service. You can go to any major hotel website and for many years we have been able to get a government rate not just at WDW but in SC or Iowa.
Vacations are needed to give our children something to look forward to and give everyone left at home a break and something to make the time pass.
Flame me if you want but I do believe major corporations should continue to show support of our troops and families.
I do think there are many people believe they are "owed" something and that is wrong. I also know the jobs our loved ones do are unlike any and we are not "owed" but we are sure grateful.
If our loved one (God forbid) dies on active duty, we get benefits and we get life insurance. Our loved ones signed up for the job so we do not expect nor will we receive money from a fund set up for victims even though my heart goes out to all lost in 9/11 and since.
It could come down to our military men and women are way underpaid and thus any perks we get help us experience things civilian families do. But I think it comes down to much more than that.
It comes down to supporting our troops, remembering the fallen, supporting each other in our military communities through the good and bad and being proud of our loved ones.
Take care,
B&W Mom
hhender102
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2004
See my new thread about 40 % off rack rates for military personnel.
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