Military Marriage Day

Military Marriage Day Set to Celebrate Both Oaths and Vows of Military Couples Amid Higher Divorce Rates of Deployed Military Members

B. Carroll Events presents Military Marriage Day (MMD), an annual event designed to celebrate both oaths and vows of U.S. military couples. The second annual event, sponsored by Armed Forces Insurance, will kick-off virtually on Saturday, August 14, 2021, with an overarching vision to build strong relationships through inspiring moments and greater growth and connection to military couples.

In 2019, Military One Source reported that 30,608 active duty, guard, and reserve marriages ended in divorce. A recent study by the career website Zippia looked at professions with the highest divorce rates among those under 30, based on the U.S. Census Bureau data. Three of the top ten professions involved military jobs. First-line enlisted military supervisors had the highest divorce rate, at 30 percent. According to other studies, deployed military members in the U.S. Navy, Marines, Army, and Air Force have higher than average divorce rates. The Air Force had the highest rate, at 14.6 percent, with the Navy at over 12.5 percent and the other two branches as high as 8 percent. The impact of these statistics sends ripples that fracture service families, hinder the mission, and causes financial strain and stress to an already challenging lifestyle.

MMD was created and founded at the height of the pandemic, by Bree Carroll, 2020-2021 Armed Forces Insurance Air Force Spouse of the Year®, during a time when maintaining healthy relationships seemed harder than usual. As a military marriage coach, Carroll created a safe space that celebrated military couples and provided resources to strengthen pandemic-stressed marriages.

"It is more than just a holiday; the divorce rate isn't lost upon us, and we are determined to equip couples through our Military Marriage Resource Directory," said Carroll, which will serve as a support to all active, retired, and reserve married couples.

"As an event sponsor, at AFI, Our Mission is You®, and we wholeheartedly support this movement to celebrate the member and spouses' commitment to service and one another," said Lori Simmons, Lori Simmons, VP & Chief Marketing Officer at Armed Forces Insurance.

"First Command is proud to continue our sponsorship of Military Marriage Day," said Kellie Richter, First Command's Chief Marketing and Client Experience Officer. "During our 60-plus years of providing financial coaching to our Nation's military families, we have consistently seen that military couples who are strongly committed to each other are best positioned to pursue lifelong financial security."

"We're humbly honored to partner with Bree Carroll's Military Marriage Day," said Taya Kyle, Founder of the Taya and Chris Kyle Foundation (TACK-F). "Marriage impacts generations in a way nothing else does. Our experience and research show how different military marriages are from civilian marriages. At TACK-F, we are dedicated to providing the tools service couples need to save their marriages. Military Marriage Day is an amazing virtual experience where couples will hear from others and know they are not alone, they are understood, and they are loved by people who get it."

To register and learn more about Military Marriage Day, visit militarymarriageday.com.

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About Armed Forces Insurance
Armed Forces Insurance was founded in 1887 by military leaders with a single mission: to protect the property of those who protect our Nation. The company provides premium quality, competitively priced property and casualty insurance to military professionals throughout the United States and overseas. Armed Forces Insurance understands that its members have unique circumstances and insurance needs, enabling the company to offer a level of personalized service that's unequaled in the industry. For more information, visit the website at www.afi.org or call 800-495-8234, and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year^®
The Armed Forces Insurance (AFI) Military Spouse of the Year^® Award was founded in 2008 by Chris Hale, CEO of veteran-owned Neptune Holdings, and after nine years as title sponsor, AFI assumed ownership in 2018. The award is presented at a base, branch, and overall level each year to military spouses, making a difference in their communities and providing a collective voice for spouses around the world. Through a national nomination and voting process, these nominees are judged on five core criteria: overall involvement in the military community, exhibition of leadership skills, community building capability, communication skills, and overall personal story. With more than one million military spouses worldwide, this award program aims to shine a spotlight on the force behind our armed forces. For more information, please visit msoy.afi.org.

About First Command
First Command Financial Services and its subsidiaries, including First Command Financial Planning and First Command Bank, coach our Nation's military families in their pursuit of financial security. Since 1958, First Command Financial Advisors have been shaping positive financial behaviors through face-to-face coaching with hundreds of thousands of client families. For more information, please visit firstcommand.com.

About Taya and Chris Kyle Foundation
The Taya and Chris Kyle Foundation (TACK-F) focuses on the preservation and restoration of the marriage and the family to impact generations. TACK-F leads the charge in strengthening service marriages across America with an evidence-based curriculum to help couples come together to face challenges. For more information, please visit tackf.org.