Many servicemembers face a long road to transitioning to civilian life upon returning from combat. Although it can often be a struggle to go from the harsh environment of the battlefield to the civilian life, veterans turn to a wide variety of methods to help them cope. For former Marine Dan Hottle, that outlet turned out to be hiking in Yellowstone National Park, and he has since turned that love of nature into a fulfilling post-service job as a spokesman for the park, CNN Travel reports.
Yellowstone and the military
Hottle continues a long tradition of former service members making their way to Yellowstone. In fact, for the first 32 years of the park's existence, it was administered by the U.S. Army and many of its rangers were veterans. As Hottile indicates, that trend continues more than a century later. The job requires Hottle to live at Yellowstone, and for many months of the year, the unforgiving weather can be a challenge. However, the rural landscape is exactly what he likes and what he needed after returning home from Afghanistan more than a decade ago.
"Where I had just come from was so austere," he told CNN. "So the national parks were the perfect place to be by myself. It's the best thing I could do."
More than just Yellowstone
Although Yellowstone has a long history of employing servicemembers – it is the oldest national park, after all – but it is not the only park that is reaching out to military families. In fact, in 2012 the National Park Service gives military families the chance to see every park for free, according to The Associated Press. The pass, which usually costs $80, provides access to 2,000 locations across the U.S., and the move has been applauded by many advocates, including Dr. Jill Biden, who runs the Joining Forces initiative with first lady Michelle Obama.
"Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to our servicemen and women who make great sacrifices to protect our country and preserve our freedom," Biden announced at the launch of the program, according to the AP. "In recognition of their service, we are so pleased to be putting out a welcome mat for our military families at America's most beautiful and storied sites."
Many veterans decide to pursue educational opportunities upon separating from service, and President Barack Obama has made a concerted effort to ensure that colleges and universities across the country are making it as easy as possible for troops to earn their degrees. Among the most significant of these programs has been Obama's so-called "8 Keys To Success," a plan he unveiled recently during a speech at the Disabled American Veterans National Convention last weekend.
What's in the plan?
Many of the facets of the plan are not difficult for colleges to implement. First, and perhaps most importantly, Obama said schools should work to create a culture of trust and connectedness across the campus. The second piece of the plan is ensure student veterans have support from campus leadership. Obama's keys also include offering services such as academic, career and financial assistance before significant problems crop up. Other steps in the plan include centralizing campus wide efforts, using a uniform set of data, collaborating with local communities and preparing staff to meet the unique needs of student vets.
Hundreds of institutions following suit
More than 250 schools have been leading the way when it comes to helping veterans return to the classroom, and Obama says other institutions should follow suit. Doing so can help veterans earn degrees, certifications and other licensure that can make it easier for them to find jobs in the civilian realm. Obama's new plan has been applauded by many in both the education and military communities.
"This is a major step forward in the Administration's work to encourage institutions of higher education to support Veterans with access to the courses and resources they need to ensure that they graduate and get good jobs," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
A growing need
Making sure schools are prepared to cater to veteran students is of the utmost importance, especially as many of them return from Afghanistan. In fact, there has already been a considerable increase in the number of servicemembers using the Post-9/11 GI Bill. In 2012, nearly 500,000 used the popular education benefits, which was up considerably from the previous year, according to data from the Department of Defense.
Funding retirement benefits is one of the biggest costs facing the Department of Defense, and top officials are working on new options that could save the Pentagon a great deal of money going forward. At the heart of the effort is the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission, which was formed in the hopes of finding a cost-cutting way to provide retirees the benefits to which they are entitled, according to Stars and Stripes.
The Pentagon currently spends about $52.4 billion on benefits for retirees and survivors, but that figure could increase considerably if there are no changes made to policy. In fact, experts estimate the costs could double by 2020 as the number of military retirees grows. DOD officials hope the commission can develop some new options that can be presented to Congress by 2014.
"We want to make it so individuals have more choice at the front end," Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told servicemembers recently, as quoted by the news source. "If you are a young fellow you might be able to say I would like that program better than the one I've got."
Part of the increase in retirees may be due to the fact the military is looking to pare down its size. Specifically, the Army is expected to reduce its size by about 80,000, The New York Times reported.
Women have made considerable progress in the military in recent years. The Army has opened up thousands of new jobs and combat positions to female troops, and earlier this week Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson added an accomplishment to the list. Johnson became the first woman to take command of the U.S. Air Force Academy in the institution's nearly 60 year history, Reuters reports.
A deserving candidate
Johnson is certainly well-qualified to take the position. She graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1981 and went on to serve overseas as NATO's deputy chief of staff of operations and intelligence of the Supreme Headquarters of Allied Powers in Europe. While in this role, she was one of the few female leaders in NATO, which will likely have prepared her for one of the top positions in the military. She takes over from former superintendent Gen. Michael Gould, and knows the culture has changed considerably since she was last at the academy.
"I'm going to do things differently than Gen. Gould," she told The Colorado Springs Business Journal. "We're different humans. But first, I'm going to listen and learn. I realize that this is not 1977 [when she entered the Academy] or 1981 [when she graduated]. Even my teaching time here is dated. I have a lot of listening and learning so we can go forward together."
The latest milestone
Although Johnson is making headlines now, she is one of several women to achieve new levels of success in the military during recent months and years. In fact, less than one month ago, Spc. Jennie Dushane, a member of the North Dakota National Guard, became the first female soldiers to earn the Squad Designated Marksman, according to The Associated Press.
The accomplishments of Johnson and Dushane underscore the growing role that women play in the military. Earlier this summer, Pentagon officials spokes to lawmakers about the timeline for opening up more combat roles to women. The Department of Defense says the transition should take place no later than 2016. Still, legislators have raised some concerns about what impact this could have. Specifically, they have questions about whether physical standard will be changed and also about what effect the move could have on morale, especially for Special Operations Forces, The Christian Science Monitor reported.
The lengthy disability claims backlog is one of the biggest issues facing the veteran population. However, in a recent speech at the Disabled American Veterans' conference, President Barack Obama assured those in attendance that his administration is making considerable progress. Specifically, he says the backlog has been reduced by about one-fifth since reaching a high water mark of 600,000 earlier this year, The Associated Press reported.
One of the biggest reasons for the increased size of the backlog is the fact that Obama made it easier for Vietnam vets exposed to agent orange to apply for benefits. He also expanded coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions that weren't covered before. Since then, there have been a number of steps put in place to bring the number down, including requiring VA employees to put in overtime hours, but Obama says more work needs to be done.
"Today I can report that we are not where we need to be, but we are making progress," Obama told Orlando, Fla., crowd. "So after years when the backlog kept growing, finally the backlog is shrinking."
Obama seemed confident that the wide-ranging efforts, including new technology, training and processing rules can help bring the backlog back down to zero by 2015, Stars and Stripes notes.
There are many monuments and tributes to the servicemembers who have lost their lives in combat, but conspicuously absent from public view are ones honoring those who have had their lives forever altered by mental and physical wounds. That will change next fall, however, when the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial opens to the public Oct. 12, Military.com reports.
The memorial will be located in Washington, D.C., near the U.S. Botanic Garden, and comes after years of planning and fundraising. At a cost of 81.5 million, the memorial will features a star-shaped fountain meant to represent each branch of the Armed Forces. When its complete, the fountain should reflect the image of the Capitol Building. The location was not chosen lightly.
"We looked at 22 sites that were given to us by the National Park Service. We selected [the C Street] location because of its proximity to the U.S. Capitol," Rick Fenstermacher, chief executive officer for the project, told the news source. "We wanted Congress to be able to look at the memorial and see that the cost of war is more than [the price] of bullets and bombs."
When the monument opens next year, it will bring to a close four years of planning. In 2010, Nancy Pelosi, along with "Forest Gump" actor Gary Sinese announced the plans for the monument.
There are many different ways to support the troops. Some people choose to donate to their favorite charity, while others complete cross-country journeys to raise money for the cause. Now, South Carolina congressman Joe Wilson' is taking things to new heights – quite literally. The 66-year-old Republican is planning to make a tandem sky dive with members of the All Veterans Parachute Team as part of the Salute Our Troops campaign, USA Today reports.
Wilson is not the first congressmen in recent months to skydive in a show of support for members of the military. In fact, Texas republican Rep. Ralph Hall, who at 90 is the oldest member of Congress, made a similar jump on Memorial Day. Former president George H. W. Bush has also taken the leap. In 2009, West Virginia lawmaker Rep. Nick Rahall did the same.
"I want to do it again," Hall told CBS affiliate KXII when he jumped.
Salute Our Troops has been largely successful at raising money for members of the military in recent years. According to the publication, the organization has raised about $1.5 million this summer, part of approximately $5.67 million it has raised since 2011.
When the Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010, it ushered in a number of big changes for millions of Americans, and many veterans wondered where they fit into the mix. Nearly all the major provisions will come into affect in 2014, and as that date draws closer, the Department of Veterans Affairs recently launched a website to answer any questions that former servicemembers are likely to have.
Among the concerns veterans are likely to have is whether they will fall under the insurance mandate if they have coverage from the VA. The good news is they won't see a change to their benefits. However, there are an estimated 1.3 million veterans and 950,000 military spouses and children who do not have health insurance. VA officials hope the new website will encourage veterans to enroll in the system.
"VA wants all Veterans to receive health care that improves their health and well-being," said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. "If you are enrolled in VA health care, you do not need to take any additional steps to meet the health care law coverage standards. If you are not enrolled in VA health care, you can apply at any time."
The VA offers some impressive benefits for its members. Specifically its health care system has no enrollment fee and no monthly premiums or deductibles.
The 19 firefighters who were killed during an intense wildfire in Arizona earlier this summer were hailed as heroes, but their surviving family members say they're not receiving the benefits they're entitled to because the elite crew was a seasonal squad. Now, a state legislator is pushing hard to provide full-time survivors' benefits to the families, the Prescott Daily Courier reports.
Arizona House Speaker Andy Tobin is drafting legislation that would grant full-time state employee benefits to any worker who dies on state lands, and if passed it would apply retroactively to the firefighters killed battling the blaze. The move is the only logical choice, Tobin says.
"To be putting your life on the line for part-time survivor benefits is not what I consider appropriate when people are defending the citizens of Arizona, particularly on state land," he told the newspaper.
The controversy was raised earlier this week when the widow of one of those killed brought the discrepancy to everyone's attention. Juliann Ashcraft, the wife of deceased firefighter Andrew Ashcraft, maintains her husband was a full-time employee and is entitled to the lifetime benefits, CBS News reports.
It's no secret the Department of Defense has some difficult financial decisions to make. In addition to determining whether to reduce pay raises, slash benefits and drop troop sizes, Pentagon officials are also grappling with whether they should make cutbacks to Basic Allowance for Housing. Known as BAH, the allowance helps military families cover off-base expenses, but any changes could dramatically change how they address financial planning, Military Times reports.
Reducing BAH would help the Pentagon address across-the-board budget cuts from sequestration. It would also be a considerable change to a policy implemented in the middle of the 2000s that provided nearly 100 percent of the costs for things like off-base rentals. The cuts may not have to be that substantial to make a significant difference. Analysts estimate that even if troops covered between 5 and 10 percent of such expenses it could result in as much as $20 billion in savings over the next 10 years.
"There can be reductions in rates," Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter told the publication.. "We can look at the rates of growth and try to find ways of slowing growth. We can look at inequalities in the system depending on where you live."
The potential for BAH cuts is just one of the latest concerns military officials have voiced surrounding sequestration. Late last month, Secretary of Defense said it will have an impact on readiness, The Huffington Post notes.