How do you AWN?

Name: Janet McIntosh

Your soldier/family: I have been married to my soldier for 12 years and we have been on our Army Journey for 14 years. I met my soldier while I was active duty myself. I have a stepson, Zachary (12), and together we have two children, Alina (11) and Aiden (4). This year brought change with the addition of my parents who are now our dependents so life has had to adjust to say the least :). We also have a 4 year old Siberian Husky and a 2 year old English Bulldog, and a 1 year old dwarf hamster, JoJo.

Where you’re from: I am originally from Miami, Florida, and my husband is from Bad Axe, Michigan. We met while we were both active duty at Fort Hood, Texas.

Where you’re stationed: The Army has taken us to Fort Hood, Texas, Illesheim, Germany, Fort Eustis, VA, and now we are in the middle of a PCS to Tucker, GA right outside Atlanta, where my husband will now be recruiting.

Get to know me: My hobbies include scrapbooking (when I can find the time), I love to swim, watch my favorite tv shows, and I am a huge Twilight Mom and Disney Fanatic. I am a huge advocate for military spouses and have devoted my Army Wife Life to making things easier for other spouses. I do a TON of volunteer work with the Army. I have been a facilitator for AFAP and I teach AFTB classes regularly. My goal is to get my Master Instructor certificate and start a program within the recruiting offices for new spouses. I also sit on the board of the Fort Eustis Spouses Club, as secretary. I am currently attending college working towards finishing my Bachelor Degree in Elementary Education - I will be graduating May 2012. I also enjoy spending time with my family and we always try to do something once a week together, whether it be bowling, game night, or going for a walk.

Position at AWN: I was the Household 6 for 2010. I now work on the team helping out in whichever way I can. My main job at the moment is working with Star on the live Field Problems which we do in the AWN Toolbar Chatroom on Wednesdays at 9:00 am EST and Fridays at 2:00 pm EST. I also help answer field problem questions that come in from our website. I enjoy this very much because I like being able to help give army wives the answers they need. It feels amazing to be able to help! I also participate as a chat room moderator with Melanie during Army Wife Talk Radio on Monday nights at 8:00 pm EST, and I help moderate the AWN FaceBook Page.

When you started with AWN: I started with AWN in January 2010 as the Household 6 contest winner. I have been working with the team ever since :) and loving it!

Why/How you got involved: I got involved because I already loved Army Wife Network and this was a huge opportunity for me to be able to reach more spouses and really be able to make a difference in the lives of others.

Your favorite AWN moment: One of my favorite AWN moments was getting to go to my first Field Exercise at Fort Stewart, Georgia. This was the first time I was able to meet Tara and Star since winning the household 6 title and it was amazing to get to experience the exercise and see what a fabulous program Tara and Star had put together. It was awesome getting to see the faces of the spouses who attended and what a great time everyone had!!

Why do you think AWN is important to Army wives: I think Army Wife Network provides an enormous amount of resources to spouses. It empowers them to be able to make it through the hardest times and rejoice and share in the great times! It is a place where spouses can find support and information.

What do you do to participate in AWL outside of AWN: I volunteer constantly with ACS. I love being an AFTB instructor and I enjoyed working with the AFAP program. I am also currently working on a program for new spouses that begins in the recruiting office. This will also be a way for spouses of recruiters and even retired spouses to continue to give back by helping other spouses.