Army wife Benita Koeman wrote “Home, Sweet Homeschool” and “Friends in Need, Friends in Deed” in Stories Around the Table: Laughter, Wisdom, and Strength in Military Life.
Benita believes homeschooling offers many benefits for military families. She has homeschooled her children for six years, giving her family the flexibility to spend more time with her husband when he’s home and to fully experience each location where they live.
During her husband’s second deployment, Benita created Operation We Are Here, a resource website for military families and military supporters, to create a bridge of understanding and share practical tips for civilians to care for the military and veteran community.
She grew up as a pig farmer’s daughter, the youngest of seven kids, in rural Ontario, Canada. She says, “I never imagined marrying an American and living all over the USA as an Army wife (yes, I’m still Canadian). The military life, though challenging, has been such a great adventure for our family! We’ve lived on the east coast, the west coast, in the Pacific, and many other great places.”
Benita used to play the bagpipes and currently lives with her family in Columbia, South Carolina.