Mandy Bloomingdale

Share your military spouse story:
My husband Ryan joined the Army in 2009 as a medical lab tech. The military lifestyle stretches you in ways you never expect. No one prepares you when its time for your spouse to deploy overseas for 9months or longer at a time. Its not normal to have your partner there one minute and gone the next. No sugar coating it, this life is hard especially when you have children who dont understand why daddy has to leave again or why we need to pack up and move again on a whims notice 2000 miles across the country. We are all in this together and as hard as it is, we support our hero. Ryan has deployed 4 times (currently on his 4th deployment now) and we have PCSed 7 times. Its only by the grace of God Ryan is still alive and active duty. Medically speaking he shouldnt be. Ryan battled COVID pneumonia and was on ventilator, he had to have VAT surgery which left him with chesty tubes draining blood and pus from his lungs. The civilian hosptial he was at was willing to just let him die. I contacted ryans command, patient adocate, and lawyers to get him moved. it took weeks of jumping through hoops but in the end it all worked out. Ryan had to relearn how to walk, talk, eat and drink again. he was looking at being med-boarded but God! During this time I couldnt take care of myself let alone my children because i was battling a cancer diagnosis and in treatement, and our special needs children Anna (epileptic, EA2 a rare genetic disorder) and Johnny (ADHD) were now lookin at being orphans. ill say it again BUT GOD! He saved both Ryan and I as we fought back with every once we had. Through our families resiliency to fight we are still here!

Share an example of your leadership experience within the military community:
When I was stationed at fort Campbell between 2015-2020 I was on RAB (Resident Advisory Board) and spearheaded Little Free Pantry and Little Free Library for our military community. It was in the works, and then COVID shut it all down quickly and then we PCSed to Michigan Dec 2020. Fast forward to when we PCSed back here Aug 2023 I was so excited to see we had little free librarys as well as a few little free pantries for our community. When i returned the pantries were very limited items and couldnt keep shelves stocked, i took the initiative to reach out to organizations asking to partner with us. YAI Pak Outreach agreed and has helped maintain and keep shelves fully stocked and im prooud to say we now have 10 pantires on fort campbell.

Describe your involvement in the military community:
I host a little free pantry (actually it has been renamed to Patriot Pantry to honor our heros and families) at our home in Lee Park making sure shelves are stocked daily. I am a CPRS (Certified Peer Recovery Specialist for Substance Abuse and Mental Health) as well as a Trauma Informed Coach who meets individuals right where they are at, being there biggest cheerleader and showing them a healthier way to live.

Describe how you support your community:
I support, I dont judge recognizing we all have things going on in our lives we may not speak about. I offer hope and prayer, teaching others a healthier way of living. and teaching others what is within our control and accepting everything else that isnt. I also am a team captaijn for Operation Homefront, whose mission is to build strong, stable military families. We host several events throughout the year to help our military community. Back to school brigade, which provides backpacks and school supplies to our military families. Holiday Meals for military families, provides food, gift card and gifts to our military families for Christmas. Baby shower, which provides new expecting mothers a car seat, diaper bag filled with baby essentials, and a lot of resources for our military families

What do you advocate for? Why?
If ive learned anything in the last few years is that tomorrow isnt promised. Ive hit rock bottom before with no support. i made a promise to God that if someone is in need and its within my power to help them, i will. i partner with organizations around our community to ensure our military families are taken care of as much as it is possible. I know what it is like to be in need and not know where to turn, so i do my best to inform our community with resources and help whenever is needed,

How have you spread the message of your platform/advocacy?
Facebook and TikTok have been the main platforms where i share and advocate as well as being guests speaker to help be apart of the change

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
To illuminate hope in darkness, empowering others by sharing my experiences and resilience as a military spouse. By volunteering my time and talents, I aim to foster a sense of community and joy in supporting one another. Together, we can drive positive change. I aspire to raise awareness about the unique challenges and strengths of military spouses, advocate for enhanced support systems and resources for military families, and serve as a positive role model by sharing my lived experience and resilience in navigating the complexities of military