In an address to students and faculty at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey encouraged young leaders to go out and make a difference in the world. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff emphasized compassionate leadership and promoting American values.
"Our nation, and really our world, needs our leadership," Dempsey said in his speech, as quoted by the Defense Department. "It needs every good idea you have and a thousand more because the challenges we face are legion."
Dempsey also stated that he would like young military leaders to show America that the military's role goes beyond fighting wars. According to Dempsey, the military has a responsibility to protect the nation and serve the American people during peacetime. He added that more citizens need to be aware of the military's work and goals.
Dempsey, who is one of the military's top officials, has been quite vocal this week, reaching out to a variety of audiences to facilitate dialogue. The World Tribune reported that Dempsey talked to Middle Eastern leaders this week to gain some insight on potential terrorist groups. Meanwhile, NPR recently reported that Dempsey has stepped in to debunk claims that President Barack Obama is suspicious of senior military officials.
Female veterans are coming together in California to support others like them. Called the Inland Empire Women Veterans Unity Group, the newly formed organization, which plans to meet once a month, is determined to empower local female veterans, The San Bernardino Sun reported.
"The women veterans unity group meetings provide an environment of safety, support, motivation, awareness and information that promotes the improvement and productivity of female veterans," Ann Duson, the group's founder and president, told the news source.
In addition to weekly meetings, the women's organization plans to hold events throughout the year, such as the "Thank a Sheros" event to coincide with Women in Military History Week in March.
California women aren't the only female veterans joining forces to create a support network. The Philadelphia Inquirer also reported this week that a new facility opened in Philadelphia to provide various services to the city's female veterans. Aronda Smith, the coordinator of the Women Veterans Center, told the news source that the center was formed because most services available to veterans are "predominantly male." She added that the center will focus on more gender-specific issues.
Gov. Terry Branstad addressed the Iowa state legislature this week and outlined new ways in which the state can provide more military benefits to its veterans. According to CBS2 News, Branstad proposed a new plan that will help veterans get the training and education they need to secure gainful employment.
Called the Home Base Iowa Initiative, the measure will allow veterans to use their military service as educational credits. The governor added that he is also working toward eliminating all taxes on military pensions.
"In Iowa, we honor our veterans – not only with words and ceremonies; but with action," Gov. Branstad said, as quoted by the news source. "To show our gratitude, let's make Iowa the leader in respect, support and opportunity for veterans."
Although the veterans initiative currently has bipartisan support, several legislative members told the news outlet that Iowa presently has many directives that aid veterans in the workforce.
Iowa is home to more than 240,000 veterans, according data from the Department of Veteran Affairs. About 9,000 Iowa veterans are currently using education benefits from the G.I. Bill, while nearly 30,000 of the state's veterans receive disability or pension payments.
A new medical fellowship program established by the Department of Defense seeks to improve the survival chances of wounded warriors in combat zones. Created by Army Lt. Col. Robert Mabry, a doctor who served as an Army Special Forces combat medic, the Military Emergency Medical Services and Disaster Medicine Fellowship Program will train physicians in pre-hospital care, which is the time between a traumatic event and when treatment is received at a military medical center.
According to the DOD, the program was created after Mabry and his team of researchers looked at combat causalities. The study found that 87.3 percent of the 4,596 battlefield fatalities analyzed occurred before the wounded soldiers reached a hospital. While more than 75 percent of those deaths were deemed non-survivable, 24.3 percent would have survived if they received critical care in time.
The program's first two fellows are set to graduate this summer. Once they complete the fellowship, they'll be moving on to medical positions where they can use their training, such as division surgeons, brigade surgeons, Special Forces group surgeons or directors of trauma systems.
More than 18, 300 combat medics currently serve in the Army – the second-largest military special occupational specialty, according to Army Times.
A new study found that adolescents who have a history of delinquent behavior are more attracted to the military than their rule-following peers. However, the report claimed that this is not necessarily a negative result.
According to Popular Science, the study's authors stated that the military can help delinquent teens transition into adulthood.
"Even though other markers of the transition to adulthood are available, such as marriage or employment in the civilian labor force, military service may be more attractive to delinquents," the study's authors said, as quoted by the news source. "The military is an environment in which aggression and violence often associated with delinquency can be channeled into legitimate forms."
The researchers also found that the military attracted both male and female delinquents. While males were 40 percent more likely to enlist than men who never engaged in delinquent behavior, female delinquents were 80 percent more likely to join. To measure delinquency, the researchers used an index that took into account stealing property, running away from home, selling drugs and getting arrested.
The military receives more than 180,000 new recruits every year, according to Military.com.
After reports surfaced that several VA hospitals blocked Christmas cards and other Christmas-specific items from being delivered to their residents during the holiday season, leaders in Congress began questioning the acts. Now, the House Committee on Veterans Affairs is reviewing the VA's policy that bans religious items from its medical centers.
According to The Augusta Chronicle, Committee Chairman Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) sent a letter to Secretary of Veteran Affairs Eric Shinseki ordering an overview of the steps the department is taking to rectify the incidents that occurred around the Christmas holiday.
Miller said in a statement that he expects an answer from the VA by next week.
"Christmas was declared a federal holiday by our government in the 1800s, and it is not up to the department to decide whether veterans, their families, volunteers, and veterans service organizations should be free to sing Christmas carols or exchange Christmas gifts within VA facilities," Miller said, as quoted by the news source.
The news outlet stated that a VA medical center in Augusta, Ga., was one of the facilities that denied Christmas cards to its residents. FOX 4 also reported that a VA hospital in Dallas prohibited school children from the Grace Academy from delivering cards to the patients because the cards featured religious-oriented symbols and phrases.
According in the news source, a spokesperson for the VA released a statement explaining that non-secular cards were distributed freely among the medical centers, while secular cards are handed out on a one-to-one basis with a patient's approval.
The Pentagon announced this week that it will end its walk-in administrative services at all TRICARE service centers in the U.S. TRICARE beneficiaries will be able to use the walk-in services to access their military benefits until April 1.
There are currently 189 TRICARE medical service centers around the country. Half of the walk-in visits to the centers are for in- and out-processing and requests to switch primary health care providers. While walk-in services will no longer be available, Pentagon officials said servicemembers and veterans can still complete any administrative task online or by phone.
"The change will not – let me repeat that – will not affect any TRICARE medical benefit or health care service," Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said in a statement. "What it will do is allow the department to save $250 million over the next five years, allowing TRICARE to invest in more important services."
Pentagon officials added that the TRICARE website receives about 38,000 hits each day.
The first TRICARE service center opened in the mid '90s, according to the health care system's website. Most of the service centers are located in military hospitals and clinics. Although the walk-in services are ceasing in the U.S., the TRICARE website states that the services will continue at overseas facilities.
A deserted building in Auburn, Wash., will be the future home of a veterans services center composed of nonprofit veterans assistance groups, KING 5 News reported. The site was acquired from the state six months ago. Now, Auburn city officials are working to get the center running within the next six months.
"We'll make a world of difference in the lives of so many who live on the edge," Michael Hursh, human services manager for the City of Auburn, told the news source.
Hursh added that while Auburn has a number of nonprofits that assist veterans with military benefits, the organizations are currently scattered across the city and King County. The goal of this new project is to bring those groups together so veterans have a one-stop center for all their needs.
The Auburn-Reporter previously noted that the 33,000-square-foot facility is expected to cost between $6 and $7 million. It will house local organizations such as the Auburn Food Bank, and receive assistance from the nearby Valley Medical Center-University of Washington.
According to the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington is home to more than 600,000 veterans and 60,000 active-duty servicemembers.
For the first time since 2009, a national advocacy group has been deemed a veterans service organization.
Stars and Stripes reported that the Military Officers Association of America has stepped in to help veterans prepare their applications for military benefits, primarily disability claims. The new designation allows the group to handle the benefits claims paperwork on behalf of veterans.
"We just felt like we couldn't stay on the sidelines on this anymore," MOAA president Norb Ryan told the news source. "Even with all the great help out there already, there is still a lot of work to get done."
The news outlet noted that the group will assist veterans with collecting their documents, as well as case management. The MOAA will help with just a few thousand cases in 2014.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the disability claims backlog has been reduced by 34 percent since March 2013, when the number of claims peaked at more than 600,000 pending cases. As of November 2013, there were about 401,000 claims still pending. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki said in a statement that the VA is continuing to work toward eliminating the disability claims backlog by 2015.
The VA in Martinsburg, W.Va., is helping homeless veterans escape the bitter cold by providing them with shelter through the Operation Veteran's Respite program. According to The Herald-Mail, eight West Virginia veterans took advantage of the program last week, when temperatures dropped below freezing throughout much of the U.S.
The veterans were given a bed, food and warm showers at the 465-bed Martinsburg VA Medical Center, VA spokesman Michael McAleer told the news source. He added that seven of the eight former servicemembers signed up for the VA's six-month-long counseling and rehabilitation program, which helps place veterans in permanent housing.
According to a recent report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, West Virginia had more than 300 veterans living without permanent shelter in 2013. Overall, about 2,200 people are homeless in the state. The West Virginia VA hosts six shelters for homeless veterans, as well as a transitional housing program. The state's VA has also implemented several other programs to aid the homeless veterans population, including emergency food assistance, a reintegration into life after service program and a comprehensive resources website that lists hotlines and soup kitchens, according to the West Virginia VA website.