Sue is the co-author of “A Family’s Guide to the Military” for the wildly popular Dummies series. The book is your personal how-to handbook for living your best life as a military family. ♦ Helping military spouses recognize that achieving their own dreams, goals, and ambitions is entirely compatible with the military lifestyle.

Inside the book you will find tips on how to:

• Grasp the boot camp basics – understand rank and military hierarchy, find your way around a base, and connect with others in the community
• Take charge of your finances – decipher military compensation, handle your taxes, build credit, and invest for your family’s future
• Understand your military benefits – obtain health and dental insurance, utilize the family support centers, explore retirement benefits, and more
• Raise a happy family – from housing and childcare to education and recreation, take advantage of all the military offers
• Handle deployments – prepare for deployment, help children cope, stay connected with your loved one, and manage stress and anxiety
• Transition out of the military – assess the financial benefits, retire from service, and plan for your next career

“A Family’s Guide to the Military for Dummies” is more than just a comprehensive guide to all things military. It’s like a new friend taking you by the hand and showing you the ropes, which is reason enough to give “A Family’s Guide to the Military for Dummies” a 21-gun salute.”  Tanya Biank, Author of “Army Wives”, the basis for the hit Lifetime TV show of the same name

“This book is a must have for military spouses. I am a career counselor for military spouses and I recommended the book to all my clients. It is just packed with resources on dealing with deployment, navigating your career, and understanding all the resources that are out there for military wives and families. The book is a great value and I highly recommend it! ”   Krista Wells, The MilitarySpouse Coach©

“As military wife of many many years, and the very proud mother of a former soldier, this book really hit the important points. For a “newbie”, I’d highly recommend it as a great starting point, as a reference to finding the information you need and places to get more information. Sue doesn’t try to be all things to everyone, she gives a choice of links/hints and educates on some of the finer points that are often forgotten or never told to the newest members of this little world. Believe it or not, there are still “teas” and “balls” and dining ins/dining outs – all of which have their rules, and if you flub that one, your servicemember WILL hear about it later.

Knowing that information in the military is often changeable, and fluid, she give you links to find out those important things, pay, BAH, etc. Sue “translates” the jargon, she reminds you of the “little things” that are sometimes overwhelmed by the day to day life of a deployment, or training. This book doesn’t sugarcoat our lives, doesn’t wave the flag or denigrate the service, which is all too common in books about the military life. There is no judgment, no placing the military on a pedestal or dragging it through the mud – but her pride in this lifestyle shines through. “  K. E. Francis, Military spouse and Military mom