JoAnne Bass

Like, I feel like because we all have to create margin depending what's on our plate.

When I was chief master in the Air Force, by and large, I did not have a ton of time for my for my friends, like people who I love.

Because when I wasn't on the road or pouring into my immediate team, I had to pour into the family.

So that is where for the last four years that focus was.

And so now is a payback tour.

But if your friends genuinely understand, then you're going to be fine.

yeah i think the aspect of opening up your communities and really just spending time with veterans is huge so you know as i mentioned we're downtown dc and and i was just at an engagement where we were talking about the kickoff today of uh buddy check week and that really is kind of a a week for us to spend time and as veterans remind each other to check up on our buddy

um and make sure that they're fine because oftentimes when our servicemen and women take off this uniform they're leaving a community to some degree that that's all they've known yeah and it can be tough like their entire military life they've had their teammates you know in their squadrons and their battalions you know in their organizations and their units

and then they separate and they don't necessarily have that same level of folks.

The majority of military service members transition well, but there are folks who don't and they feel more isolated.

So back to your question, what can people do?

We can help bring people in and open up our hearts and our homes and our minds to this notion of community.

Some of the most challenging times that I've had and my family have been trying to break that barrier of coming from an overseas military tour, coming to a stateside community and trying to get plugged into community where these folks have grown up together and they know each other.

Yeah.

And they don't know who that military member is that gets up at 5 o'clock in the morning and leaves.

And so, again, I think that what all of us can do is really try to get to know veterans, get to know their families, embrace them, and just bring them into the community, especially our children.

So first and foremost, I am able to be wife and mom.

That is a blessing.

When I got out, by the way, Mick, I love to write things down.

And so I wrote down before getting out of the military, you know, what's important to me.