This week’s Tango Alpha Lima podcast features Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO of Blue Star Families.
Overnight Kathy Roth-Douquet became an unemployed newlywed spouse of a mid-grade Marine Corps officer “on a rock in the middle of the Pacific.”
But that wasn’t all. As the family was preparing to move, her daughter was born with a hole in her heart and they were trying to determine the best course of action.
“We were PCS homeless; we didn’t have a home at that point,” she recalls at the time her two-month-old daughter underwent open-heart surgery. “My husband had orders and had to show up. I had to stay with family members waiting and praying for my daughter to get strong enough.”
Roth-Douquet shares her story, which includes nine deployments in 16 years, and how it led to the creation of Blue Star Families as this week’s special guest on The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast.
Once they were able to rejoin her husband in Okinawa, “it was really hard.” She was unemployed for the first time since high school, raising her first child and living 7,000 miles away from family.
Now, as the founder and CEO of Blue Star Families, Roth-Douquet is a national spokesperson for military families. She wants civilians to know that military families are in their communities. “We’re your friends and neighbors,” she says. “You have to know we’re there, you have to care we’re there and you have to help us.”
Military families can’t solve all the problems they face, she says, and that’s why Blue Star Families is there to help.
“We’re trying to be that new institution that you can come to for help, for fellowship and for (answering the question) how do I fit into this community?’ Blue Star Families wants to be in the center of that, to do that matchmaking. Where we do exist, it works. We’re on a path to grow.”
Across the U.S., Blue Star Families chapters have partnered with American Legion posts on initiatives such as caregiver support, career fairs and others. “The vast network of The American Legion has been an incredible partner in helping us reach and support our military and veteran community,” she says.
Roth-Douquet also talked about Welcome Week, a time when Blue Star Families encourages Legion posts, communities, workplaces, schools and others to participate in.
An American Legion post “is the perfect place to do it,” she said. “Where we have chapters, we would love to integrate with The American Legion. I think that’s a perfect thing for an American Legion post to do.” Visit the Blue Star Families website to learn more.
Also, co-hosts Stacy Pearsall and Joe Worley discuss:
• Military costumes for Halloween.
• Amid setbacks in Ukraine, Russia is stepping up its recruiting efforts.
• The new Tango Alpha Lima Reddit page. Continue the conversation with us here.
Check out this week’s episode, which is among more than 270 Tango Alpha Lima podcasts available in both audio and video formats here. You can also download episodes on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or other major podcast-hosting sites. The video version is available at the Legion’s YouTube channel.
- Tango Alpha Lima