Given the spike in suicides among servicemembers over the past decade, there has been ample speculation that deployment played a role. However, a new study from the Naval Health Research Center questions the link. Researchers say that, much like in the civilian population, common conditions such as depression, substance abuse and mental illness are the biggest factors contributing to suicides in the military.
Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the findings are based on extensive analysis of more than 145,000 participants from every branch of the military. Study authors found that of the 78 participants who took their own lives during the seven-year study, the rate was double among subjects with depression and about four times higher in those who had bi-polar disorder.
"The findings from this study are not consistent with the assumption that specific deployment-related characteristics, such as length of deployment, number of deployments, or combat experiences, are directly associated with increased suicide risk," the authors wrote.
The Department of Defense has made significant efforts to combat mental health issues among troops in recent years. Specifically, there has been an increasing number of mental health professionals at military clinics, The Associated Press reported.
As the Department of Defense looks to save money, reducing health care costs is near the top of the list. Conditions caused by obesity and tobacco use are responsible for about $3 billion in annual Pentagon health care costs, and the DOD recently teamed up with the NBA in an effort to help improve health and well-being at bases around the country, according to The Associated Press.
The program, NBA Cares Hoops for Troops Healthy Military Base Tour, launched last week at Fort Sill and is a joint venture between the league's new Hoops for Troops campaign and the Pentagon's Healthy Base Initiative. Each event will feature visits from players and clinics with an emphasis on well-being. DOD officials say that not only will the program cut health care costs but also improve the force's capabilities.
"Staying healthy is a readiness issue," Rosemary Williams, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for military community and family policy, told the AP. "Our service members must be physically prepared to deploy in a moment's notice anywhere around the world to often austere and demanding conditions."
The NBA isn't the only professional sports league to team up with the Armed Forces. Earlier this summer, Major League Baseball joined forces with United Service Organizations to give military families access to the T-Mobile All-Star FanFest at Citi Field in New York.
Millions of young football fans have dreamed about playing for their favorite teams, and one Air Force Guardsman recently made those dreams into reality. Benjamin Garland, a member of the 140th Wing, Colorado Air National Guard, has an opportunity to play with his beloved Denver Broncos.
Garland spent last year on the Broncos practice squad, but is being given a chance to make the final roster this year. However, it will certainly be a challenge. Garland, a defensive tackle by nature, has been asked to transition to the other side of the ball to play guard. Despite the difficulty of changing positions, Garland is confident.
"That's my goal: to make the team and contribute to the team the best I can," he said. "I'm going to work as hard as I can every single day to make sure I'm a part of this roster."
Should he make the final cut, Garland would be one of several servicemembers to find themselves on NFL rosters in recent years. A little further east in Indianapolis, Josh McNary, a former 25-year-old Army fire direction officer is hoping to earn a spot with the Colts as a linebacker, according to The Associated Press.
While there has been a heavy emphasis placed on bringing down the unemployment rate among post-9/11 veterans, less attention has been paid to the employment of military spouses, who often have trouble finding jobs due to frequent moves. However, over the last several months, private companies have made substantial progress in hiring military spouses, hitting the goal of 50,000 hires well ahead of the 2015 deadline.
The announcement was made at a recent meeting of the Department of Defense Military Family Readiness Council and marks a success for a program that launched in 2011. Jessica Wright, acting under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, told those in attendance that the 180 employers who are part of a partnership with the Pentagon have hired 28,000 spouses since November to reach the 50,000 mark. In addition to help from the private sector, Wright praised first lady Michelle Obama and second lady Dr. Jill Biden for their efforts with the Joining Forces initiative.
"This is very important," Wright told the audience. "Without their advocacy role, we would not have been as successful."
While the program met its goals two years early, the employment climate for military spouses could improve even further. According to Army Times, there are more than 124,500 jobs listed on the Military Spouse Employment Partnership website.
As the war in Afghanistan winds down, a greater focus will surely be placed on the issues facing wounded veterans over the next several years. The substantial backlog vets face when applying for benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs is one of the most significant of these challenges. In an effort to address these concerns, President Barack Obama is set to speak to the Disabled American Veterans on Saturday, according to an announcement from the organization.
What will he say?
While no transcript has been released, Obama will likely touch on what efforts are being made to address the significant backlog. Specifically, the VA has about 797,000 pending claims to address, but it's not just the number that's raising the largest amount of concerns. About two-thirds of those claims have had to wait longer than 125 days to have their claims processed, while some have to wait a year.
"A central discussion will be what actions the VA and Congress are implementing to eliminate the backlog for delivering benefits to veterans," the DAV said.
What has been done?
The White House has already taken some steps to help bring down the backlog. Most recently, officials proposed a 13.6 percent increase to funding for veterans benefits in the hopes that it would make the process go a bit more quickly. However, the White House, as well as the VA and the Department of Defense, has been focused more intently on developing a paperless claim system to not only help curtail the backlog, but also to improve record keeping. The hope is that it will be in place by 2015, according to The Hill.
Addressing the backlog and helping wounded veterans is going to be especially important in the coming months and years as thousands of troops return from Afghanistan. By 2012, more than 50,000 servicemembers had been wounded over the last decade-plus of war, according to the DOD.
Just one stop?
While Obama will speak at the DAV meeting, it's not the only time he plans to open discussions with servicemembers. On Thursday, he is expected to visit Camp Pendleton in California to visit the active duty troops stationed there, according to his press secretary.
Fighting the wildfires plaguing the western U.S. has been a joint effort between federal and local officials as well as first responders and servicemembers. New Mexico plans to take things to the next level for next summer, as the state's governor Susana Martinez recently asked for increased funding to hire hundreds of veterans as firefighters, according to The Associated Press.
This isn't the first time New Mexico has reached out to former troops to help fight fires. Earlier this year, about 40 veterans signed on to help with approximately 250 seasonal firefighters to battle the wildfires, which typically spike during the hot summer months. The trial program was largely successful, so Martinez felt it was time to make it a staple of the state's response, the AP reports. Vets who have participated have reported a positive experience.
"I kind of joined this program not knowing really what it was all about," Iraq veteran Brian Philips told NBC affiliate KOB. "After the first fire, which was the Piedra fire up in the Sandias, I just fell in love with it right away. It's a really good program. We have great crew bosses that we trust one hundred percent."
Similar programs around the country may help bring down the unemployment rate among post-9/11 veterans. According to recent Labor Department statistics, the rate rose during July to 7.7 percent.
Few people understand the challenges faced by wounded warriors more than their fellow servicemembers, and a group of 15 stationed at Afghanistan's Camp Leatherneck is supporting them in a unique way. The troops are planning to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project by symbolically climbing Mount Everest through pull ups, Stars and Stripes reports.
The plan is to "climb" 2 feet for every pull up completed. That means each member will have to do about 1,000 pull ups to reach the 29,030-foot summit. Marine Chief Warrant Officer Aaron McKee was among those who spearheaded the unique fundraising effort. He and 14 others got the idea after they began meeting for nightly pull up workouts. McKee says the initiative is especially important given how close the issue is to all of those participating.
"We all know Marines who have been killed or wounded during the last 12 years of combat operations," McKee told the news source. "We've survived unharmed for numerous tours, and this was a way for us to help our brothers and sisters in arms. We haven't forgotten them."
The Wounded Warrior Project is certainly a worthwhile cause for the troops to support. The organization has helped injured troops transition to civilian life after leaving the service. In fact, about 85 percent of servicemembers who found jobs thanks to the organization are in the same position two years later.
Children who have a loved one serving in the military face many stressors other youngsters don't. This becomes an even greater issue if their parent is killed, injured or disabled while serving overseas. In an effort to help military children cope with such challenges, Camp Corral, which operates in several states throughout the country, provides them with the chance to spend time with other youngsters facing the same obstacles, the Ocala Star Banner reports.
One of the camps is held in Florida's Ocala National Forest and gives campers the opportunity to focus on fun for several days. This summer, well over 100 campers have come to Ocala from across the Southeast, and resident director Sarah Whitfield hopes the camp can ease the stress, even if it is just for several days.
"Hopefully, they will take with them some happy memories that can help them deal with their not so good memories," Whitfield told the newspaper.
Since it first opened its doors in 2011, Camp Corral has expanded to 18 different location in 14 states. It is certainly a necessary service, especially in light of a recent survey highlighting the challenges faced by military children. The study, released by the nonprofit Child Trends, found that children who have parents on active duty face a greater risk of long-term mental strain than civilians.
Going straight from the battlefield to civilian life can certainly be a jarring experience for active duty troops, and the transition is often difficult. In an effort to make the process go a bit more smoothly, the Air Force Deployment Transition Center at Ramstein Air Base in Germany gives returning servicemembers the opportunity to decompress before heading back to the states, Stars and Stripes reports.
The center is the only one like it offered by the Department of Defense, and has so far helped an estimated 6,000 troops make the transition from combat. Airmen first began taking part in the program more than three years ago it has seen considerable success. Attendees are asked to share their experiences and are also given the opportunity to travel to Trier or Heidelberg to ease the transition back to crowded cities, something that can be difficult for servicemember battling post-traumatic stress disorder.
"We will continue to support returning airmen … as long as we have a need to do so," Lt. Col. Robert Rossi, the center's commander, told the news source.
Although there are no centers quite like the one at Ramstein Air Base, servicemember do have some resources available once they enter the U.S. The Transition Assistance Program, for instance, provides counseling and can help troops find employment opportunities.
Earlier this week Army chief of staff Gen. Ray Odierno addressed what impact further budget cuts could have on the Armed Forces, and on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel weighed in on the subject. Hagel outlined a number of changes ranging from historic low troop levels to the potential for eliminating some fighter jet squadrons. This marked the first time Hagel has provided specific details on how the military may change should sequester-related cuts continue, Military Times reports.
No official changes
Although Hagel laid out some cutbacks the Pentagon will have to make, he assured reporters that no official decisions have been made. Still, some of the cuts may be significant. For instance, military pay and benefits could see substantial changes, including reduced housing allowances and smaller cost-of-living adjustments for troops stationed overseas. Despite the unwelcome budget cuts, Hagel said he may not have any choice.
"Many will object to these ideas – and I want to be clear that we are not announcing any compensation changes today," Hagel told the press. "But a sequester-level scenario would compel us to consider these changes because there would be no realistic alternative that did not pose unacceptable risk to national security."
Preparedness will take hit
One of the most significant problems facing Pentagon should the $500 billion in cuts continue is what they could mean for readiness. Having to cut troops would bring the Armed Forces back to levels it hasn't seen since the 1940s, according to The Associated Press. Additionally, Hagel warned that losing Navy carrier strike groups and grounding some Air Force squadrons could hamstring the military's ability to respond internationally.
Chance for relief
These cuts are not inevitable, and legislators are reportedly working on a plan to help the Pentagon, and other government agencies, avoid them for the time being. On Wednesday, lawmakers signaled they were open to a temporary one-year plan to avoid sequestration, according to The Huffington Post.
"Obviously our preference is to find an agreement to replace the whole thing, but given the current refusal by Republicans to negotiate, it is more likely that we would try and negotiate a shorter term replacement for the sequester," Rep. Chris Van Hollen told the news source.
This wouldn't be the first time Congress has passed a temporary solution. In 2012, they crafted a short-term bill that allowed them several extra months to work on combating the deficit.