When a house fire broke out in Queens in mid-November, the New York Fire Department responded promptly to assist the family. What the firefighters on scene did not realize was that they would soon be hailed as heroes for their efforts.
According to The Mirror, Lt. Adam Vilagos arrived at the fire with the rest of his crew and heard one of the family members asking for the whereabouts of a baby. Vilagos, who has been a firefighter for 18 years, quickly realized that the child was still inside the burning house. He asked the parents where the crib was located and immediately rushed to the attic. The news source wrote that the firefighter was able to locate the baby by listening for his cries through the smoke. The veteran firefighter was able to bring the 3-week-old safely from the fire and hand the baby boy off to paramedics.
The child was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated for smoke inhalation.
"[The firefighters] did a heroic job. They came through. Thank God for them," the baby's grandmother told New York Daily News.
The infant is currently in New York-Presbyterian Hospital and expected to recover.
Fort Walton Beach, a small beach-side city in western Florida, was recently recognized as one of the greatest in the country for veteran businesses. Over the last few years the city hosted an entrepreneurial program focused on veterans that proved to be a big success, according to Stars and Stripes. The result is Fort Walton Beach's ranking as the 10th best city for veteran-developed businesses or first careers in their life after service.
A half-million dollars was set aside for the program by the city council, in addition to seven $25,000 grants offered in conjunction with Venture Hive, an entrepreneurship education company based out of Miami. No restrictions were put on the veterans when it came to developing a business which qualified for a grant.
The city is close to Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field, where more than 17,000 servicemembers are currently stationed. Ted Corcoran, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce, told NWF Daily News that "We have a great availability of military folks who love being stationed here, and want to stay. If they retire here, they often make the transition to a second career by starting a business."
Mike Anderson, the city's mayor, echoed that sentiment. "Our veterans have such talent and such a great work ethic," he told the news site, "and we really pride ourselves on being a military- and veteran-friendly community."
The survey to recognize the best American cities for veteran businesses, commissioned in part by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Hiring Our Heroes program, found that Asheville, North Carolina provided the most support and achieved the most success. Other Florida cities that made the top 10 include Sarasota at No. 2, West Palm Beach at No. 3, and Fort Lauderdale at No. 8.
When 80-year-old Billy Aldridge, a Marine Corps veteran from the Vietnam War, passed away, the caretakers at his senior community could not find any records of his family. According to CNN, the funeral home in charge of organizing the burial ceremony for Aldridge wanted to make sure that the veteran received a proper sendoff. The funeral home partnered with local veterans organizations in Indianapolis, Indiana, to find out more about the veteran.
Fox 59 News reported that Aldridge was awarded the good conduct medal during his service, but no one was able to find any relatives. The veterans organizations reached out to the community via news reports and social media to encourage people to attend the former servicemember's funeral.
"This was just unbelievably wonderful," Tim Elson, a Vietnam Veteran who attended the funeral, told Fox 59 News. "That the community would come together and remember a fellow veteran, not knowing him, not knowing anything about him."
Over 1,000 people attended Aldridge's funeral, including military members from across the country and local first responders. The funeral home even had to change venues for the service due to the overwhelming turnout.
Relationships are hard. They take work and sacrifice, but most importantly, they require communication. This can be difficult for typical couples, but it can be even more challenging for military couples. Things like deployments, reassignments and training can make it difficult to talk out your problems. Check out the advice below for maintaining healthy communication in your military relationship.
Choose your battles wisely
Is it really necessary to pick a fight over the small things? Most psychologists recommend waiting for at least 48 hours before addressing an issue. This allows a person enough time to process his or her emotions and decide if the topic is really worth hashing out. This will prevent anger or sadness from controlling the conversation. If you wait, you may even decide that a problem wasn't really that big of a deal after all and skip an argument altogether.
Have important discussions face to face
Long distances can sometimes mean having to get creative with communication methods. However, if there is an issue in your relationship that you want to work out, try to avoid doing so over video chat, text message or other digital communication methods. Wait until you can be in the same room with the person. This can eliminate the risk of being misunderstood through technology, and the in-person talk will allow you to see how the conversation is affecting the other person.
Be clear and concise
Always remember that your spouse is not a mind reader. He or she will not know there is a problem unless you tell them. When you choose to have this discussion, make your point well and avoid tip-toeing around the issue. Passivity may confuse your spouse and lead to further complications. A clearly laid out problem will likely lead to a more satisfactory resolution.
Actively listen
Any time you and your partner discuss something, be committed to the conversation. Nothing ignites anger and hurt feelings quicker than being ignored. If you setup to have a conversation, make sure you are mentally present and actively engaged in hearing your loved one out.
Communication is a big part of maintaining a healthy relationship. Military couples are put through more challenges than most other couples, but they have equal opportunities to work toward strong communication skills. The advice above is a good place to start when trying to improve your spousal communication.
The beta version of the Department of Veterans Affairs new website, Vets.gov, launched last week on Veterans Day. Still in its rudimentary stages, the site is designed to consolidate the VA's thousands of services and related websites under one roof. A banner on its homepage makes clear that the project is still very much a work in progress.
Vets.gov was developed by a U.S. Digital Service team under contract to the department, according to Fedscoop, a government tech news site and IT community. The website kicks off the VA's "MyVA" initiative, designed to address complaints about the difficulty of navigating and engaging its services, by becoming more customer friendly. VA Secretary Bob McDonald said in a statement that the agency's new focus on costumer service would "drive VA culture and practices to understand and respond to the expectations of our Veteran customers."
Right now, Vets.gov provides basic information on disability and education benefits. The categories are, according to a blog post to veterans from McDonald about the launch, the two "you've told us mean the most to you." Additional features include the Post-9/11 GI Bill Comparison Tool and a function for finding the nearest facility accepting veterans benefits.
New tools will be added on a regular basis. The site's work in progress reveal was deliberate, Fedscoop relayed, because the VA wanted veterans to have a say in how it developed. "The ultimate goal for Vets.gov is to become the single, one-stop shop for information and self-service for Veterans and those that care for them," VA spokesman Mark Farrell told the news site. To reach that goal, the VA hopes veterans provide feedback on how they think tools and content can more fully meet their needs.
Some historic changes are coming to the military retirement system in the next two years. Pensions & Investments reported last week that the Senate approved the military retirement reforms as part of the revised defense spending bill, which passed in a 91-3 vote the day before Veterans Day. The changes come after the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission recommended in January new methods for expanding retirement coverage to the more than 80 percent of servicemembers who didn't qualify for the old veterans benefits package.
"I would argue this is the most significant reform legislation that has been passed in 30 years," Sen. John McCain of Arizona said of the Senate vote, according to Stars and Stripes. Sen. McCain was the principal force behind the $607 billion National Defense Authorization Act, which will update the 70-year-old military pension system and expand military benefits. The reforms were designed with the idea of improving the Department of Defense's financial situation and laying the foundation for future overhauls.
Retirement changes will not go into full effect until 2018. The two-year period leaves times for details to be worked out, as every new program introduced in the bill is not yet set in stone. Programs which educate servicemembers on subjects like investing and bonuses are still in for a working-through process, the Military Officers Association of America told Stars and Stripes.
Beginning with men and women recruited in October 2017, troops will have 3 percent of their pay automatically invested in a Thrift Savings Plan account. Servicemembers will be able to opt out of the program or be given control over the amount of their contributions after undergoing training in financial literacy and responsibility. Twenty-year pensions aren't going away, but their value will be reduced for future troops.
For those serving currently, but who have 12 or fewer years in uniform, a choice between the old pension system and the new hybrid program will be offered.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill provides veterans with some of the most generous education benefits since President Roosevelt signed the original bill into law more than 70 years ago. Available to veterans who served after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the bill has already been used by more than 1.4 million veterans, their spouses and children. According to the Los Angeles Times, about $42 billion has gone towards the cause.
All of this would seem to suggest that veterans are receiving the educational support they are due at little cost to themselves. Unfortunately, that isn't the case.
A Times' analysis of data compiled by the Department of Education showed that veterans attending college were taking on significant student loans despite the funds supplied by the GI Bill. They found that in 2012 – the most recent year with available data – 26 percent of veterans pursuing undergraduate degrees sought private or federal education loans. Expanded over a four-year degree, or even longer, in many cases, a veteran student's debt could easily reach $25,000.
One of the primary creators of that debt are for-profit colleges, which have been targets of withering criticism for their expensive costs and poor job-placement rates. Some for-profit schools have been known to take advantage of GI Bill money and veterans eager for an education by prolonging enrollment time for a degree that may have little worth to civilian employers.
Not every for-profit college has malicious intent. Many offer great flexibility for veterans with busy schedules and can be of great help. But there are enough bad schools out there that veterans have to be cautious before attending. To determine if a school has your best interests at heart, here are some precautions to consider.
Use the GI Bill Comparison Tool to determine each school's benefits. The tool provides a summary of a school's information, such as its public, private or for-profit status, as well as a sampling of complaints from fellow veterans against the school. If the school is under probation from the Department of Defense, like University of Phoenix is, a warning will display on the page.
When it comes to paperwork, be vigilant. Don't just sign your name wherever they tell you to. In fact, it's better that you exercise a healthy distrust of whatever a for-profit recruiter tells you. Any paperwork related to financial aid or use of your GI Bill money should be taken home and examined carefully. And if you're promised anything, anything at all, get it in writing.
Do your research and ask probing questions. Seth Frotman of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau told U.S. News & World Report that "Consumers should make sure they ask tough questions when choosing a school, including cost, the ability to transfer credits and whether it can qualify you for a job in the field you want." Research a school's graduation and employment statistics with sites like the Department of Education's College Scorecard to determine if a school can offer you what you need.
Your last and best resource may be other veterans who have already gone through the process. William Hubbard, Student Veterans of America's vice president of government affairs, recommended that veterans "Connect with current student veterans at the school. That's the best source of information."
When it comes to your education and life after service, remember to slow down. It's too easy to get swept up in readjustment to civilian life. Instead of immediately putting your GI Bill money into action, fully use the many resources at your disposal, plus your own good judgment, to determine which path best fits your goals.
On Nov. 15, the Seattle Seahawks hosted their Salute to Service game in honor of the U.S. military. At the halftime of this game, the veterans who participated in the Puget Sound Honor Flight were invited onto the field for an honor ceremony put on by the United States Automobile Association.
The eight veterans who were flown to Washington D.C. with the Honor Flight program were brought midfield and saluted by over 200 servicemembers from the area as the National Anthem played. Each of the veterans served during World War II and many have been life-long Seahawks fans.
The owners of the Seahawks also invited an additional 100 servicemembers to enjoy the game against the Cardinals for free, according to King 5 News.
Many other teams in the National Football League held similar ceremonies for servicemembers in their area as part of the league's commitment to honor military service. According to the NFL's website, every point scored during a Salute to Service games will result in a $1,000 donation to the Pat Tillman Foundation, USO and Wounded Warrior Project.
To learn more about other Salute to Service games, click here.
In memory of his father, Santa Cruz-native Jeff Canepa began offering free Monterray Bay cruises to former servicemembers on Veterans Day. Canepa's father fought in World War II along 16.1 million other Americans, and when he returned home from service he commissioned a local boat maker to craft the family yacht known as "The Ocean Pearl," as reported by the Santa Cruz Sentinel. Canepa purchased the vessel from the family trust after his father's death in 2012. He told the news source that old friends of his father's would approach him about rides.
"They said, 'You know, Jeff, your dad used to take us out on his boat every Veteran's Day,'" Canepa told the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Canepa got the idea to start a program called Vets on the Bay. He plans to take veterans out on "The Ocean Pearl" every Nov. 11 for a two-hour complimentary bay tour. He hopes his idea will honor his father's service in addition to providing a good deed for other local veterans.
The veterans that participated in the first outing said it was great to see people taking unique approaches to showing their gratitude for servicemembers.
We're approaching the end of November, and that means it's Thanksgiving time again. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, there are currently more than one million active-duty members of the U.S. military, and many of them are deployed overseas. Most will not be home for Thanksgiving, but that doesn't mean your deployed spouse or child can't feel like they're a part of the holiday.
A care package that reminds them of home is the perfect way to connect. But what to send?
Consider this. In a sense, Thanksgiving owes its holiday status to the military. The Times described how in 1863, on the day after the Union was victorious at the battle of Chattanooga, Abraham Lincoln officially proclaimed Thanksgiving a national day of remembrance. From then on, the last Thursday in November would be "a day of Thanksgiving and Praise." In the field, Civil War soldiers celebrated with salted pork, crusty bread and yes, care packages full of small treats from home. Some things never change.
Thankfully, some other things do change, like the quality of food and the speed of delivery. In the 19th century, soldiers might not get a care package for several weeks (or even longer) after it was mailed. Nowadays, your care package can get just about anywhere in the world in one or two weeks. So, with Thanksgiving just 10 days away, here are some neat ideas for what you could surprise your loved ones with next week.
Canned food, or make substitutions. Cans of vegetables, cranberry sauce and turkey spam all keep a lot longer than the fresh food will, so even if they aren't used next Thursday, they could always be eaten later on. But if the idea of canned food isn't appealing, Army Wife 101 says to consider some non-traditional replacements. Instead of turkey, send jerky. Instead of corn, send candy corn.
Snacks are always welcome. Picking up where we left off – snacks are always appreciated overseas, particularly if they're a brand hard to find outside the U.S. Old standbys, like potato chips, pretzels, and Pop-Tarts will never be turned down by servicemembers craving to remember what a trip to the grocery store snack aisle tastes like.
Cookies. It's hard to go wrong with cookies. Or brownies, for that matter. Both treats are consistently the most popular additions to any great care package, especially if they're wrapped up fresh out of the oven, just like mom used to make. A firm airtight container will keep the taste of home intact for a longer period of time as your care package makes its way overseas.
Decorations and other small touches. Cups, plates and napkins decorated with the Thanksgiving theme are great for brightening up any mess hall feast. They bring the feel of the holiday to the table the same way plastic skeletons and fake spider webs tell the neighborhood it's time for Halloween.
Thanksgiving is a tough holiday to plan care packages around because it's a day all about hot, fresh food, but that doesn't mean you can't get creative. Non-perishable canned food or unique replacements for traditional dishes, favorite snacks, homemade baked goods and holiday-themed decorations are a great way of reminding your loved one that you care.
So don't get too anxious about crafting the perfect care package. Retired Gen. Oscar C. Decker told Marysville's This Week News that, when it comes to sending food and treats overseas, "It's not about feeding them or even about getting them what they need. It's about the soldier opening a box and knowing, 'Someone is thinking about me.'"