It might seem like an amputation would derail any future military plans, but Sgt. 1st Class Greg Robinson, who recently became the first amputee to complete the grueling Army air assault school, proved that assumption wrong. Although his prosthetic leg broke twice during the challenging course, his achievement is testament to an impressive recovery, Army Times reports.

Robinson lost part of his leg after he was wounded in Afghanistan in 2006, but that did not stop him from completing a course that would be challenging for nearly everyone. The Army air assault school includes such challenges as obstacle courses, rappelling down ropes and 12-mile marches carrying full equipment. Robinson felt the need to complete the school especially after he was telling his fellow soldiers to do so.

"Right now, I am a platoon sergeant," Robinson told the news source. "I have roughly 30 men in my platoon. As a leader, I didn't want to tell my soldiers that they needed to go to air assault school if I am not air assault qualified."

Robinson is not alone. According to the Department of Defense, more than 1,500 service members required an amputation as a result of injuries suffered in Iraq or Afghanistan. 

For years, air shows have not only been a staple of the summer season, but have also been a great way to showcase the skills of the military's best pilots. However, that won't be the case this year. Dozens of air show have been canceled due to the spending cuts enacted by sequestration reports The Associated Press.

The reduced funding has grounded planes in the Navy's Blue Angels, the Air Force's Thunderbirds and also the Army's elite parachuting team – the Golden Knights. An estimated 60 air shows have been canceled so far this year, and experts estimate that some may not come back in 2014 even if some of the spending cuts are put to an end. By grounding the military planes, popular air shows may face significantly reduced crowds.

"Having the Thunderbirds or the Blue Angels is like having the Super Bowl, it's a household name," Bill Walkup, manager of the Martinsburg, W.V., airport, told the AP.

Due to sequestration, the Air Force's flying hours need to be reduced by about 18 percent, The New York Times notes. Although they may be unpopular, policy analysts say the cuts – which will save an estimated $9.75 million from the Thunderbirds' budget alone – was the right choice. 

Since she launched the Joining Forces initiative, first lady Michelle Obama has been one of the leading advocates for helping members of the military community find fulfilling employment opportunities. On Monday, she announced the creation of the IT Training and Certification Partnership – a push to help servicemembers earn certification for information technology (IT) jobs so they can land employment soon after separating from service. 

A year in the making
The new program, which is a public-private collaboration, comes after the Department of Defense (DOD) created the Military Credentialing and Licensing Task Force last year in an effort to identify where servicemembers transitioning to civilian life can find jobs. Not only that, but the task force was focused on making it easier for troops to gain access to licensing and credentialing programs. Officials hope that the partnership will provide job opportunities to around 161,000 servicemembers.

Big names contributing 
The partnership includes some of the biggest names in the IT world. Microsoft has said that it will not only provide 500 exam vouchers to help servicemembers earn certifications, but it will also partially underwrite the expenses associated with its training programs Hewlett-Packard has also thrown its hat in the ring with the HP ExpertOne program. This initiative is meant to provide servicemember s with hands-on experiences that will help them find jobs once they leave the Armed Forces. Other well-known companies playing a role include Oracle, Cisco Systems and NetApp.

Efforts made on a smaller level
While the most recent partnership is on a large scale, states are making efforts on their own to help lower the unemployment rate among post-9/11 veterans. For instance, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley signed the Veterans Full Employment Act of 2013 into law earlier this month, and Obama was by his side for the ceremony. Much like the IT Training and Certification Partnership, the bill was designed to make the certification process easier and less complicated. 

"This is about improving the financial security for thousands of military families," Obama said during the bill signing. "It's about giving veterans and their spouses an opportunity to build their careers and create a better future for their children."

For troops that already have certification, part of the challenge is finding employers in need of new workers. AFBA's Career Center makes that easier by connection troops with companies that are actively hiring. 

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the biggest issues facing the military community, and a group of health experts recently shed some light on the best course of action to address the condition. Speaking in front of dozens of onlookers, a group of North Carolina doctors said that PTSD can be managed effectively, but there is no cure, reports the Fayetteville Observer. 

The discussion surrounding PTSD is particularly relevant in Fayetteville given its large military community thanks to Fort Bragg. While the revelation that there's no cure may seem like bad news, panelists made sure to point to the fact that many of the symptoms of PTSD can be managed with support from the medical community and soldiers' family members.

"Support them," Molly VanDuser, a national certified counselor, told those in attendance. "That way, when (soldiers) get back, you'll have a pulse on them."

Aside from support, there are other ways for troops with PTSD to mitigate their symptoms. For instance, members of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky., have turned to a holistic approach that focuses on physical and mental wellness to combat the condition, according to The Leaf Chronicle. 

Of all the sequester-related spending cuts, few have been met with such fierce criticism as the decision to reduce the annual military pay raise to 1 percent – its lowest in decades. White House officials say that the move is a necessary one, especially since Congress has refused to slash spending on weapons systems. Still, many members of the military community are unhappy with the decision at a time when thousands of troops are still serving in Afghanistan, reports USA Today.

Lower raise a trade-off
Top officials from the White House and the Department of Defense (DOD) say that the lower raises were enacted in an effort to maintain readiness levels, training capabilities and other benefits many military families use. This explanation has not been sitting well with some people, however, especially Joyce Raezer. The executive director of the National Military Family Association said they should not be forced to choose.

"We understand that funding training and readiness are vital to the servicemember and the Department of Defense, but why should something this important be an either-or?" she told the publication.

Considerable savings
Most years, the annual pay raise is linked to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Employment Cost Index, and if that were the case servicemembers would see a 1.8 percent raise in 2014. However, by lowering that to 1 percent, the Pentagon will save an estimated $540 million – certainly no small figure when the DOD is looking to trim billions of dollars in spending over the next several months as a result of sequestration.

TRICARE not immune to changes
Lower raises are not the only proposed changes that may irk many members of the military community. As part of the recently released 2014 budget, the Pentagon has a plan that could increase TRICARE fees for working-age retirees under 65, according to Military Times. Specifically, the enrollment fees for TRICARE Prime would increase over the next four years, eventually rising to $594 by 2018.

These changes could affect a large portion of the military population in the coming years as many soldiers prepare to separate from service. Officials estimate that about 300,000 soldiers will leave the service each year for the next four years.

As sequestration begins to have an effect, the Department of Defense (DOD) is looking for any area where they can cut costs over the next several years. In addition to lower pay raises and potential fee increases for services such as TRICARE, Army officials recently proposed a further round of base realignment and closure (BRAC) starting in fiscal year 2015. Though met with a mixed reaction, advocates say it could help the Armed Forces save billions of dollars, according to Army News Service.

A necessary move
According to the White House, the military is still on pace to be out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014, and with the U.S. being out Iraq for more than two years, the number of troops in the Army will decrease significantly in the near future. Specifically, it should drop to about 490,000 by 2017 – a considerable decrease from the 2010 high of 590,000. Fewer troops means there's no longer a need for as many bases. Plus, with the need to pare down operations and spending, closing some installations seems like a logical choice. 

"With the fiscal challenges we are facing, the Army has closely reviewed the facility investments to determine the level of resources needed to support the force," Katherine Hammack, the Army's assistant secretary for Installations, Energy and Environment, told Congress recently. "Supporting the force requires appropriate facilities, training ranges, maintenance and operations. And that's where we have focused."

Approval may be far off
Despite the advantages of a new BRAC round, lawmakers believe that it may be some time before it is approved. Among those who are hesitant to enact the closures is Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, who says that the surrounding communities will suffer from such decisions. Specifically, the towns often feel a significant economic impact in the immediate aftermath.

Past success
Though a new round of BRAC will be met with criticism, in the past there have been successes. The 2005 round, for instance, will save an estimated $50 billion over the course of 20 years. The four other rounds came largely in the 90s, with one in 1991, 1993 and 1995. The first ever BRAC round took place in 1988. 

Transitioning from military service into civilian life poses a number of challenges, not the least of which is finding a job. The Department of Defense (DOD) has placed a heavy emphasis on making this process a bit easier, and one of its latest efforts is Hero 2 Hired, a website launched in 2011 that provides a place for job seekers to post their resumes for prospective employers, Army News Service reports.

Since its inception by the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, the website has been a popular tool. An estimated 109,000 soldiers have made use of the site, while more than 12,000 employers have visited to look for potential employees. Col. Rob Yost, director of Transition Strategic Outreach, says that the website can help highlight the many skills soldiers develop during their time in the military.

"In the infantry [and in other military occupational specialties], soldiers learn the value of teamwork, know how to lead a group and value mission accomplishment," he told the news source. "These are highly sought-after skills in corporate America."

Hire 2 Heroes is one of many initiatives meant to help bring down the unemployment rate among post-9/11 veterans, and several of them have paid off. However, the rate still sits at 9.6 percent – more than 1.5 percent higher than the civilian population. 

Christy McAnally, a teacher Landstown Middle School in Virginia Beach, knows firsthand how challenging it is to be the child of someone in the military. Her father was a Marine pilot and as a result she spent much of her childhood on the move. Now, she puts her unique experiences to good use, reaching out to military children at her school though the BRATs Club, which she founded nearly three years ago, reports The Virginian-Pilot reports.

BRAT stands for British Regiment Attached Traveler and was used overseas as a way to describe the children and spouses of servicemembers. The club attracts more than two dozen youngsters who have parents in the military. Aside from giving them a chance to share experiences with people who are going through the same thing, the members also do considerable amounts of community service. But perhaps most importantly, McAnally hopes her club can help military children recognize that there is someone to help them through the challenges.

"I was seeing there were students who all had that BRAT experience in common but didn't know that about one another," she told the newspaper. "That conversation had to take place. And I thought it was important to have an adult in their lives who grew up feeling the same things they feel."

The students at Landstown Middle School certainly aren't alone when it comes to knowing the challenges of military life. An estimated 1.8 million children have at least one parent in the military.

One of the biggest challenges associated with being in a military family is having to frequently move, an issue which is especially prevalent as many servicemembers and their loved ones prepare for the arrival of permanent change of station (PCS) season this spring. There are many obstacles that come with moving, ranging from emotional challenges to financial issues, and in an effort to help reduce the stress of the move, Montana Senator Jon Tester is sponsoring legislation to make the process easier.

The bill
Military spouses often face the greatest obstacles associated with a PCS because it can have a significant impact on their ability to find a job. Having to move so frequently often requires them to earn new licenses or certifications depending on the state. In fact, an estimated 35 percent of military spouses have a job that requires them to have some sort of certification. Tester's bill would offer a tax credit to this portion of the military community in the hopes of making the transition to a new location that much easier. 

"Serving our nation is a decision that involves entire families, and we need to make sure we support everyone affected by a career in the military," Tester said. "This bill will support military spouses as they adjust to their new surroundings and make staying in the military an easier choice for American families who already sacrifice so much."

A significant need
Tester's bill addresses a significant concern among military families. In fact, an estimated 1 million servicemembers have to change location each year, something which has taken a substantial toll on the unemployment rate among military spouses. According to the Department of Defense (DOD), the unemployment rate for that particular demographic stands at about 26 percent – significantly higher than the civilian population.

Other challenges as well
Finding work in a new environment is one obstacle, but there are many others associated with a PCS. This is especially true for families who have children. Youngsters in the military community have to grapple with challenges like disruptions in schooling. The average military child will have to attend between six and nine different schools by the time they graduate from high school, according to the University of Pennsylvania. 

Blue Star Families has long offered support to the military community in a variety of ways, and one of the most recent endeavors is a program known as Blue Star Theaters. The initiative, which began in 2012, offers military families free or discounted prices on everything from theater tickets to classes. It recently announced it has expanded its efforts significantly, according to The Associated Press.

When the program launched in September 2012, just 22 theaters were participating, and by the end of the year that number had hit 57. Theater Communications Group, which supports the organization, announced last week that it has since expanded to more than 90 theaters in 33 different states. Some of the participants are especially well known, including Philadelphia's Wilma Theater and Burning Coal Theatre Company.

Of course, Blue Star Theaters is not the only initiative launched by the organization. The charity also runs Blue Star Museums, which provides military families with the opportunity to visit hundreds of museums across the country free of charge. 

Whether they choose to visit the theater, museum or anything in between, there are many citizens who can take advantage of Blue Star's program, especially children. In fact, an estimated 1.8 million children have at least one parent in the military.