Welcome back to Blush & Camo! Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to be here and I’m so happy you are.

For those of you who are new around here, welcome! I’m Julianna, and I inspire women to elevate their lifestyle and grow their dream wardrobe through budget friendly tips! I believe you don’t have to break the bank to look amazing!

Today’s post is going to be a little bit different since it’s Veteran’s Day! I’m partnering with maurices to share a little bit about my time in the military and now as a military spouse! I’m also sharing how you can show your appreciation to Veterans in honor of Veteran’s Day next week.

My time in the military is something I don’t share too often because I feel like it’s such a 180 degree turn since my current job is a life + style blogger!

MY TIME IN THE ARMY

My time in the military community started when I went to West Point in 2009! I was in a culture shock during Cadet Basic Training as I got accustomed to the Army culture learning how to shoot an M4 rifle, land navigation skills, and go on a countless number of ruck marches. It was a challenging summer, but thankfully I got through it to start my freshman year at the Academy!

Fast forward to 2013 and I was graduating West Point and headed off to my first duty station at Fort Lewis, WA! I always tell people that graduating from West Point is one of my biggest achievements to date, and I’m SO proud that West Point is my Alma Mater.

The first three months at my new unit as a fresh Second Lieutenant I learned I would deploy to Afghanistan in the spring of 2014. So many emotions came over me when I found this out. Was I ready? What would I experience? The list of questions was endless.

April of 2014 I was in a C-130 flying out of Kuwait in the middle of a sandstorm straight into Afghanistan. I’ll never forget that plane ride. I had all my “battle rattle” on as the Army calls it (it’s essentially all your combat gear), on sitting on this plane, and everyone was just staring at one another waiting to land.

One of the most common questions I get when people find out I deployed is “how was it?!”. I did experience mortar and rocket attacks on our base, a flight scare during one of our trips, and a few infiltration attempts onto our base. Compared to many other active duty military personnel and Veterans I would overall consider my deployment very mild and felt very fortunate. I also feel very grateful for the opportunity to deploy overseas and get to serve my country in that capacity.

Less than a year later Chuck and I were stationed at Fort Campbell, KY where we were both assigned to the 2^nd Brigade Combat Team! It was here at Fort Campbell were I finished my time in the Army and transitioned out in August 2018.

Now, I am a full time blogger and proud military spouse to Chuck! I love that I get the very unique experience of being both an active duty Officer and also a military spouse. I always appreciated military spouses, but didn’t fully grasp just how much they support the military community!

My respect for military spouses has astronomically increased and again, I am so thankful for these men and women who serve the military in a different capacity.

One aspect of transitioning into the civilian sector that I truly love, and will come as no surprise to you, is that I love being able to wear whatever I’m in the mood for on any given day! While I was honored to wear the uniform during my time in the military, I do love starting the day selecting what I like to wear.

Some days I love to look a bit dressier with a skirt, boots, and sweater. Other days I like to dress more cozy in jeans, oversized sweaters, and faux fur lined boots like I am in today’s post!

All the items I have on are from maurices and I’ve linked all my exact items for you to shop at the bottoms of this post!

HOW TO SUPPORT VETERANS

There are so many different ways you can show veteran appreciation throughout the year! In today’s post I’m sharing three ways to support Veterans, but overall there is no one size fits all when it comes to showing Veteran appreciation so long as it comes from the heart.

VISITING A WOUNDED WARRIOR IN A HOSPITAL. This is a meaningful way to express gratitude for their service on your behalf. This is one small act of kindness that will last beyond the moments spent at the bedside of someone who has served. I went and visited the VA hospital near Fort Jackson while I was going through the Captain’s Career Course and getting to talk to so many Veterans was very rewarding.

DONATE TO A VETERAN ORGANIZATION. There are so many great Veteran organizations to donate to! A few great ones are:

Wounded Warrior Project helps Veterans and service members who incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound while serving in the military on or after September 11, 2001.

Hope for Warriors was founded by military wives for post–9/11 service members bearing psychological and physical wounds)

Fisher House Foundation. This is a national not-for-profit organization established to provide support for the Fisher House program that provides free housing and “a home away from home” for the families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers.

JOIN A TEAM RWB (Red, White, and Blue) CHAPTER. Team RWB’s mission is to enrich the lives of America’s veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity.

Thank you to all the men, women, and families who have served or continue to serve today!

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xx, Julianna

**Thank you maurices for sponsoring today’s post! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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