Over the last several years, the military and college basketball have become more intertwined. In 2011, for instance, North Carolina and Michigan State played on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson, and last fall Michigan State and the University of Connecticut took to the court at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The tradition will continue this year, as Oregon and Georgetown have been announced as the two participants in this year's Armed Forces Classic on Nov. 8, according to ESPN.
The match up should be a good one. Both Oregon and Georgetown advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season, with the Ducks making it to the Sweet 16 before being knocked out by eventual champion Louisville. However, despite the appeal of a big-time early season game, Georgetown coach John Thompson III says this contest has more meaning than what's reflected in the standings.
"I think it's important as we prepare for league play to compete against top-flight opponents," he said. "At the same time, it's an honor for Georgetown to be involved in the Veteran's Week festivities and to recognize the contributions of the United States military."
This marks the second year college basketball will come to an Army base, with plans to have similar games over the next three seasons.
After more than a decade of war, it's become readily apparent that post-traumatic stress disorder is one of the most pressing issues facing servicemembers upon their return home from the battlefield. An estimated 20 percent of veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan experience PTSD symptoms, and it can have a far-reaching impact on everything from their personal lives to their physical health, but new research suggests it may be preventable. Scientists from Emory University believe they have developed a drug that could alleviate many of the common symptoms associated with the disorder, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Mice hold the key
The findings are based on an extensive analysis of mice that had been subjected to a traumatic experience. Afterward, researchers administered a drug targeted at the receptors in the brain that respond to fear. The team found that mice who had been treated with the drug, which focused on a gene known as OPRL1, experienced less fear once they underwent a similar traumatic experience. Interestingly, researchers found that humans with a specific kind of OPRL1 also exhibited symptoms of PTSD. Experts hope that targeting this gene could provide a breakthrough in treating the condition.
Some experts are critical
Although some are hailing the findings as a success, others are not quite as convinced. Specifically, there are concerns surrounding what impact targeting the fear centers of the brain could have on a soldier's safety. Some point to the fact that feelings of fear keep troops vigilant in some instances.
"Some of these responses are there to protect the body and mind," neuroscientist Rachel Yehuda told the TImes. "I am not sure that I would want a soldier in the field to go to combat without his fear response, because this might actually kill him."
A problem that needs addressing
The findings highlight the pressing need to understand and treat PTSD, and it's one that has received a considerable amount of attention in recent weeks and months. Earlier this year, President Barack Obama asked for an additional $235 million in his proposed budget to study mental health, according to ABC News. He also opened a conference earlier this week to address the issue, and help remove some of the stigma attached to mental illnesses.
As servicemembers prepare for their transition from serving their country to civilian life, financial planning may be on their mind. After all, going from the structure of military life to a routine that is much more casual can be jarring for some individuals and, as a result, slow down their job search.
Fortunately, many employers, such as the American Red Cross, are ready to help servicemembers better transition from the military to the workforce. The Red Cross recently joined forces with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Office of Human Resources and Administration and the Veteran Employment Services Office to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to help more veterans join the humanitarian organization.
Through the VA for Vets initiative, veterans will receive high-tech career readiness services that will connect qualified individuals with employment opportunities within the Red Cross.
"For all the initiatives we have supported in the past five years, we are most passionate about the VA for Vets initiative," said Melissa Hurst, chief human resources officer for the Red Cross. "It gives the Red Cross the opportunity to contribute directly to the mission of veteran employment."
Among the biggest concerns related to cuts from sequestration were fears that veteran benefits could be slashed in the process. These vital services, which include healthcare, are often viewed as some of the most important programs offered by the government. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives took the first step toward preserving these benefits by passing a spending bill for the budget year beginning in October, The Associated Press reports.
Overwhelming support
The measure passed the House with nearly unanimous support, 421-4, but it is not without controversy. The White House has said that President Barack Obama may potentially veto the bill due largely to the fact that Republicans in Congress plan on balancing the spending for veterans by cutting other vital programs used by millions of Americans. Still, that move may be largely unpopular especially given the fact that there will be a growing number of veterans in the coming years as thousands of troops separate from service and the war in Afghanistan winds down.
More than just benefits
Although the main focus of the bill was to maintain benefits for veterans, it also included funding to help reduce the disability claims backlog that is currently plaguing the Department of Veterans Affairs, notes the AP. According to figures from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, more than 865,200 vets still have claims pending with the VA, and well over half of them have been waiting for 125 days. Many advocates have called on Obama to take a more proactive approach at shrinking the backlog.
"The Commander-in-Chief must offer them clarity on how the backlog will end by 2015, what they should do while they wait to hear from the VA, and what concrete steps he will take to end the bureaucratic logjam that has helped cause this problem," IAVA founder Paul Rieckhoff told Yahoo News.
Will it be enough?
Should the bill make it through the Senate and to Obama's desk, it will run counter to what Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has been saying in recent weeks. In May, he hinted that increasing copays or fees to TRICARE – the healthcare plan for veterans – could be one of the best ways to slash the hundreds of billions of dollars necessary under sequestration, notes U.S. News and World Report.
Addressing mental health issues is one of the greatest challenges facing the military community, and President Barack Obama recently announced his latest attempt to meet those concerns. From July through mid-September the Department of Veterans Affairs will host mental health summits in an effort to streamline coordination between the department and local community health providers, reports Marine Corps Times.
The program will bring together experts from several different organizations including mental health specialists and government officials. The plan is to not only develop new methods to treat mental health but also improve veteran outreach. Obama's announcement is just the latest step forward in addressing the issue. The VA recently hired more than 1,600 additional mental health professionals.
"We lose 22 veterans a day to suicide, and we have to do a better job than that of preventing these all-too-often silent tragedies," Obama said during the National Conference on Mental Health at the White House on Monday.
Obama's announcement comes as a greater focus on mental health and conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder has surfaced. A growing amount of research has been centered around potential treatments for PTSD, which range from therapy dogs to meditative breathing, according to Forbes.
Finding affordable housing can sometimes be a struggle for military families. Factors such as unemployment, financial stress and injuries can make it especially difficult, but five families in Georgia recently got the surprise of a lifetime when Operation Homefront and Wells Fargo teamed up to provide them with mortgage free homes as part of an ongoing effort to support the military community, reports The Associated Press.
A joint effort
The five homes were donated from Wells Fargo, which had foreclosed upon them in recent years. Instead of putting the houses up for auction, which is the usual course of action, the bank decided to put them toward a better cause. So far this year, the organization has provided more than 100 families with donated homes, all of which come without a mortgage. However, the new owners do have to pay property taxes and other common expenses. Most of the homes are given to servicemembers who have had to leave active duty due to injuries, and may have struggled transitioning to civilian life.
"They've got to live on an amount they're not used to living on," Amy Palmer, Operation Homefront's chief development officer, told the AP. "Some are employable and some aren't, so it really is an adjustment. It's harder to buy homes now. Most of these families would never have qualified for a home loan."
Highlights issues surrounding housing
Although more than 100 families have received homes from Operation Homefront this year, there are still many who are not quite as lucky. In fact, homelessness among veterans has been under the microscope recently, as the White House and the Department of Veterans Affairs have both been updating the public on their plans to end homelessness by 2015. Recent estimates place the number of vets on the street at about 60,000, according to Stars and Stripes.
The biggest push to address the issue has come from a recent partnership between the VA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Specifically, the two departments have pledged approximately $60 million to public housing agencies across the country in an effort to provide support to veterans. Many of these services including housing and rental vouchers that can help government officials reach their ambitious goals.
Assistance with tuition costs is one of the most important benefits afforded to veterans. Aside from helping them transition to civilian life, heading back to school after separating from service can lend a hand in their finding employment. However, there's a time restraint placed on the benefits. Troops have to pay $1,200 before leaving the military, and if they don't use the GI Bill benefits after 10 years, they lose their chance. .Now, one Connecticut Senator is looking to change all that, according to The Associated Press.
Millions could benefit
The driving force behind the legislation, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, says, is that thousands of troops may not have been able to take full advantage of their GI Bill benefits, even if they paid the requisite $1,200 upon separating from service. Specifically, he says that imposing the arbitrary time limit of 10 years is doing troops who have put their lives on the line a disservice. His proposal could restore benefits to everyone from more recent vets to those who served in the Vietnam War.
"I am very hopeful that there will be strong bipartisan support," Blumenthal told WCBS recently. "The financial cost is minimal, the benefits are huge and we owe it to our veterans."
Measuring the benefits
The GI Bill has been a part of veteran life for decades, but the most recent incarnation – the Post-9/11 GI Bill – was one of the most beneficial in recent memory, and now a former servicemember is looking to analyze exactly what impact it has on the lives of troops. The researcher, Frank Bergmeister, used the bill to obtain two master's degrees, and he wants to uncover how the ability to transfer benefits to children and spouses has impacted the military community, according to the Free Lance-Star. Bermeister said he's interested in answering questions few people have asked.
"No one has ever examined what happens," he told the newspaper. "How does it change lives. What does the family think? Does the spouse get involved?"
Tips for veterans
While the benefits offered to veterans are there for the taking, it's important they educate themselves on all information that's available to them. Perhaps most significantly, they should identify the schools that offer the best options. For instance, the post-9/11 Gi Bill covers full tuition and fees to in-state public universities.
Since the sequester took hold in March, there have been no official changes to benefits received by servicemembers, but on Thursday, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel warned that some may be looming in the future. Speaking to troops at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hagel said that the Pentagon is considering reducing retirement benefits and enacting changes to healthcare and prescription drug coverage, according to U.S. World and News Report.
Any changes to benefits could deter troops from enlisting in the first place. Many soldiers join the military with the expectations that they will be receiving the same hard-earned benefits that their predecessors had. Veterans advocates say that without those incentives, the Department of Defense may find it difficult to entice troops to stay in the Armed Forces for their professional lives. Still, Hagel says there may be no choice.
"We are reviewing every component of our budget, and we have to look at personnel costs because they represent the biggest part," he told the crowd, as quoted by U.S. News. "We are looking at everything across the board, [such as] entitlement programs, in every way."
Hagel certainly does not have an easy task ahead of him. The Pentagon chief has to find a way to cut spending from the DOD budget by nearly $1 trillion over the next 10 years, according to NBC News.
Many preventable deaths occur during the summer months, and that doesn't change when it comes to servicemembers and their families. With June recognized as National Safety Month, the Army is encouraging its soldiers and their loved ones to pay particular attention to risky behaviors and be mindful of the inherent dangers that come with spending more time outside during the warmer months of the year, according to the Army's official website.
A personal responsibility
The month-long observance is organized by the National Safety Council, and this year's theme, "Safety Starts With Me" emphasizes that both civilians and soldiers can be proactive at preventing potentially deadly accidents. Specifically, National Safety Month focuses primarily on topics like preventing falls, emergency preparedness and ergonomics. The Army also urged soldiers and their families to be mindful in the car, on their motorcycle or similar devices, as they are the leading cause of death among off-duty soldiers during the summer.
"Private motor vehicles, either two wheeled or four, remain the number one accidental killer of our Soldiers," Command Sgt. Major Richard D. Stidley told the website. "Indiscipline leads to reckless behavior, and reckless behavior in any form when you're driving or riding can be deadly."
Other initiatives abound
National Safety Month is not the only initiative encouraging servicemembers to take care of themselves this summer. The Department of Defense also launched a similar program in May known as the Army Safe Summer campaign. This initiative provides servicemembers with certain materials highlighting the dangers associated with the season. Among its most significant focuses is making sure soldiers know the regulations, guidelines, laws and standards in place to ensure there's no accidents.
"Our campaign products, by design, are meant to help leaders and safety professionals engage their Soldiers, civilians and family members on risk and risk management," said Brig. Gen. Timothy J. Edens.
Biggest summer safety hazards
Aside from motor vehicle accidents, there are several other dangers that servicemembers should be on the lookout for during the summer. According to WebMD, fireworks accidents are among the leading causes of injury. In fact, in 2009 an estimated 9,000 people were hurt by fireworks, with two deaths coming as a result. Aside from abiding to local rules and regulations, experts stress the importance of having a hose or fire extinguisher nearby as well as keeping children far away.
Several years ago government officials committed to eliminating veteran homelessness by 2015. Since then, thanks to work by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense and Department of Housing and Urban Development, the rate of homelessness has fallen considerably, but there is still considerable work to be done. An estimated 60,000 veterans are currently homeless and as the deadline draws near, officials are feeling the pressure, reports Stars and Stripes.
Recent progress
In 2008, the White House and VA announced their plans to tackle veteran homelessness, and since then they have been largely successful. In fact, the rate has fallen by about one-fifth since the program was launched. That being said, VA secretary Eric Shinseki still feels like there needs to be more ambitious steps taken. There are plans in the works to provide housing vouchers to thousands more veterans as well as a growing effort to improve health screening and other services to identify vets who may be at risk of losing their homes.
"We have made a difference … we know we can do this," Shinseki told the audience at the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans conference recently, according to the publication. "In a couple of years, we'll be able to look back and say we took every homeless veteran off the street."
A local approach
The partnership between the VA and HUD has been the centerpiece of the nationwide effort to cut veteran homelessness, but there are also more local, targeted efforts. One such event recently took place in communities across the country. Known as Walk and Roll, the VA-hosted event welcomes thousands of participants across the country to walk in an effort to raise money to eradicate homelessness. Last year's event brought in an estimated $240,000.
More needs to be done
There has undoubtedly been considerable strides made in accomplishing the eventual goal. According to The Washington Post, some cities have been unable to accept the veteran housing voucheres due to financial restraints caused by significant budget cuts. Furthermore, as thousands of troops separate from service as the war in Afghanistan draws down and the Armed Forces reduces its ranks, there may be an increasing number of servicemembers at risk of losing their homes .