Imagine yourself playing the part of Goldie Hawn's character, Pvt. Judy Benjamin, in the 1980 comedy of the same name. You're widowed on your wedding night and---desperate for meaning in her life--- lured into the Army by a recruiter with promises of cozy, private condo living quarters. In reality, you're assigned to a bunk, and thrown into a world of seemingly secret ritual and protocol with everyone speaking in acronyms.

That, says Yvonne Murphy, spouse of CMC's ROTC commander Lt. Col. Michael Murphy, is what joining the Army can feel like---not just for the Army recruits, but for their spouses, as well. As the world now becomes more aware of the contributions of military families, it's reassuring to know that CMC addressed this particular issue long before the current challenges facing our armed forces and their loved ones.

Back in the "old days,” says Yvonne Murphy, which is all of 13 years ago for her, enlistees, officers and their spouses were thrown into Army life and simply had to, as she puts it, "undergo a baptism by fire. There was no class back then to teach me about the expectations the Army had for me as a military spouse, or about the services that were available to me or the wives of Mike's troops. I just had to figure it out as I went along."

That's the reason for the class she now teaches to CMC's senior cadets and, if engaged, their prospective spouses: a course that gives them the tools they'll need to help enlistees and their families deal with what the Army terms "pink side of the house" concerns. (The Army side, by the way, is "green.")

When ROTC cadets graduate and receive their commissions, they find themselves supervising some 30 enlistees, many barely out of their teens---some married---and most bothered by big questions about their lives and the lives of their spouses and children. That puts the young lieutenants in a tough situation. "They know," she says, "that if their soldiers are having problems in their personal lives, they can't focus effectively on their mission."

The problems are far ranging, she adds. "The first couple of times we were transferred, I'd buy a couple of pots and pans to hold me over until our household goods caught up with us. Later, I discovered I could have gotten 'loaner' pots and pans through Army Community Service."

Another time, she had to figure out how to help the family of one of her husband's soldiers when their unit was sent to Bosnia, and the soldier's wife called to say, "I'm down to my last quart of milk. I'm out of food. I have an infant. And my husband took my ID card with him!"

She also found herself figuring out traditions and protocols "on-the-fly," watching as other cars on base stopped for the 5 p.m. bugle, and the drivers got out to stand while the American flag was retired, and observing other Army wives at social events to decipher appropriate dress for each occasion.

"I needed an 'Army 101' class," Yvonne Murphy recalls. "That's why I'm so glad that we offer a class to CMC's ROTC cadets---and, if they're engaged, to their prospective spouses. It will make their lives easier, and that will make the lives of their soldiers, and their soldiers' families, easier too."

That goal is more important than ever, she says, with Army members more likely today to be sent overseas. "I've only taught the class once since Mike and I arrived at CMC a year ago, but I expect the level of interest among cadets and their prospective spouses to be even higher this semester. They know that what they're learning may very soon be put to use."

In her class, part of the Army Family Team Building Program, ROTC cadets learn such things as how to read an Army pay stub---called a Leave & Earnings Statement, or LES, in Army jargon---and are taught to decipher all of the acronyms listed on the LES. They're educated about cultural expectations, both within the Army community and as residents in foreign lands. And they learn about the support systems---whether on-site or online---that the Army provides to officers, enlistees, and their families, so that when problems arise, the officer and his or her spouse know where to direct their soldiers and loved ones for help.

"Some of the people officers deal with are just out of high school," Yvonne Murphy explains, "and they find themselves living far from home, on a limited income. Often, they haven't learned how to budget, or balance a checkbook. Because Mike's cadets have taken this class, they'll know where the soldiers and their spouses can turn for help.

"It's the lieutenant's job to keep morale up in his or her unit," she declares. "This program gives them the tools to do that job."

Beginning April 4, senior ROTC cadets (and in applicable cases, their spouses or fiances), will have an opportunity to learn more about "the pink side of the house," a term referencing affairs of family and home. Some 60 cadets from around the colleges are enrolled in CMC's ROTC program.