Summary: What do we know about the lives of military families? When we think or speak of the military, the conversation is often focused on war or the military budget, and yet the soldiers and their families are facing a myriad of issues such as sexual assault and unhealthy and dangerous housing conditions.<br> <br> L. Joy brings military advocates Joy Craig and Liesel Kershul to the front of the class to discuss their work and the sometimes unspoken rift between military spouses and the women who serve in the military. Military housing advocate Crystal Cornwall also joins to discuss what led to the current military housing scandal and what we can do to demand action.<br> <br> 5:10 - Joy Craig and Liesel Kershul discuss their extraordinary friendship and the work they are doing to address sexual assault within the military.<br> <br> 35:00 - Crystal Cornwall testifies before the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel and Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support<br> <a href="http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4780067/military-housing-advocate-crystal-cornwall-briefs-senators-military-housing-conditions">Watch Crystal’s Testimony on C-Span</a><br> 38:05 - Crystal discusses the challenges military families face in housing, how she became and advocate on the issue and what we can do to support the efforts.<br> Joy Craig is a retired U.S. Marine Chief Warrant Officer, mother, writer, and fierce advocate fighting against sexual assault in the military and for veterans ‘ safe-access to cannabis nationwide. She retired from the United States Marine Corps after 23 years of service as an Aviation Ordnance Officer and Drill Instructor. During her service she was awarded the Navy Commendation and Meritorious Service Medals. Joy currently serves as the Community Outreach Officer for VetsLeaf; a veteran owned and operated cannabis manufacturer in Coachella Valley.<br> <br> Liesel Kershul is a military spouse, an advocate, a writer and a lifelong student of philosophy, politics, and human behavior. She holds a B.A. in philosophy from the University of California, Irvine, and an M.S. in applied psychology from Sacred Heart University and writer for War Horse.<br> <br> Crystal Cornwall is a marine spouse and a military housing advocate and a nominee for 2019 Military Spouse of the Year. She is starting a non-profit that will champion military housing issues that will include research, advocacy and other activities to ensure our military members and their families have a safe place to sleep at night.<br> <br> Reading List<br> <br> * <a href="https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/04/02/bad-decisions-led-privatized-military-housing-woes.html">The Bad Decisions that Led to Privatized Military Housing Woes</a> - Military.com<br> * <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/section/usa-military/">Ambushed at Home:The hazardous, squalid housing of American military families</a> - Reuters<br> * <a href="https://progressive.org/dispatches/under-trump-progressives-in-the-military-find-a-voice/">Under Trump, Progressives in the Military Find a Voice</a> - The Progressive<br> * <a href="https://thewarhorse.org/reflections-archives/reliving-military-sexual-trauma-on-her-last-day-of-active-duty/">Reliving Military Sexual Trauma on Her Last Day of Active Duty</a> - The War Horse<br> * <a href="https://www.revealnews.org/blog/hundreds-of-marines-investigated-for-sharing-photos-of-naked-colleagues/">Hundreds of Marines investigated for sharing photos of naked colleagues </a>- Reveal<br> * <a href="https://thewarhorse.org/newsroom-archive/marines-united-timeline/">The Impact of Our Reporting About Marines United</a> - The War Horse<br>
