Women have been playing a vital role in the United States military for years, yet despite the fact that they were being deployed overseas alongside their male counterparts, they were still banned from serving in combat roles. That all changed on Thursday, however, when the Pentagon announced that, for the first time, it would allow female soldiers to serve in infantry and commando units. 

A long time coming
Though technically not in combat units, female soldiers have played a vital role in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last 10-plus years, often coming under heavy fire. In fact, an estimated 12 percent of soldiers deployed in the two wars were women, and they made up around 2 percent of the casualties, according to Reuters. 

The changes are expected to be fully implemented by 2016 and will open up around 230,000 new positions to female soldiers. In making the announcement, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that providing more opportunities to troops, regardless of their gender, will make the Armed Forces much stronger. 

“Every person in today’s military has made a solemn commitment to fight and, if necessary, to die, for our nation’s defense,” he said. “We owe it to them to allow them to pursue every avenue of military service for which they are fully prepared and qualified.”

Widespread praise
The move by Panetta, who is expected to leave his post as Defense Secretary shortly after more than 18 months on the job, has been applauded by many people both inside and outside the military community. Among its biggest champions is Gen. Richard Myers, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who praised the decision during a recent interview on CBS This Morning.

“Anybody can be on the front line,” he told hosts Charlie Rose and Norah O’Donnel​l. “Women are fighting, they’re dying and they’ve shown they have great skills.”

Just the latest barrier
The decision to lift the ban on women in combat positions continues the tradition of breaking down barriers in the military over the last two years. In 2011, for instance, the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy, which barred gay and lesbian soldiers from serving openly, was officially removed. 

This isn’t the first stride made that will help women advance their military careers. In December, three female Navy officers broke new ground when they earned their “dolphins,” the branch’s oldest warfare pins, according to Navy Times. 

Single-digit temperatures have bore down on the Midwest for the last few days, and first responders in Chicago recently had to brave the frigid weather to battle one of the biggest fires in recent memory. The enormous blaze, which started on Wednesday in a warehouse in the Bridgeport section of the city, required more than 200 firefighters to get under control, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Fire officials in Chicago say the blaze was the worst they had seen in seven years, and it was compounded by the near-zero temperatures. Firefighters had to contend with frozen hydrants and ladders that were encased in ice, obstacles they don’t often have to consider. By the time the fire was under control, the warehouse, as well as several trucks parked alongside the road, was covered in ice. Though the fire resulted in some beautiful photo opportunities, they don’t accurately portray how much of a struggle it was for firefighters to contain.

“Everything is wood inside these buildings, beautiful facades on the outside,” Chicago Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago told the newspaper. “They’ve been up for a long time. When they start burning like this, they start coming down.”

While the cold temperatures surely were an unexpected challenge for Chicago’s bravest, working in the Windy City has likely prepared them for anything. 

From reducing the deficit to addressing gun control, Congress undoubtedly has a long list of issues to tackle, but helping veterans find employment opportunities is close to the top. Lawmakers got to work quickly on the initiative with the Senate introducing a bill that would make it easier for veterans to find civil service jobs, encourage employers to hire servicemembers as first responders and extend the availability of small business loans, reports Military Times. 

The bill’s sponsor is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, but it has many other supporters. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, for instance, said that the bill is an important step in helping reduce the unemployment rate among post-9/11 vets, which currently stands higher than the 7.8 percent facing the civil​ian population.

“At a time when one in 10 post-9/11-era veterans are unemployed, this bill honors the sacrifice of the men and women who served in our Armed Forces by providing them with training to find jobs or helping them get their own small businesses off the ground,” said Sanders, chairman of Senate Armed Forces Committee.

Among the most significant provisions in the bill is one that helps strengthen employment and reemployment rights for veterans. Specifically, it would help identify employers who are violating the important law. 

Between frequent moves, the stress of deployment and financial concerns, the lives of military families are fraught with hardship. This is especially true for children, who sometimes may not be emotionally equipped to deal with the challenges. However, a website offered through the Department of Defense, MilitaryKidsConnect.org, recently added new features aimed at providing parents and educators with the tools necessary to help youngsters navigate the obstacles of being in a military family.

The latest updates
The website already has a long history of success, having helped more than 125,000 visitors and won numerous awards for its services, and the new updates make it even more helpful. Among the changes is a series of videos and lesson plans that can provide educators with training on recognizing the different needs of military kids compared to their civilian peers. Other new features include graphic novels and documentaries made by military children about their experiences as well as new modules meant to help families process grief.

“After watching the interaction with kids on MilitaryKidsConnect this past year, we saw many conversations about trying to understand the issues they live with,” said Dr. Kelly Blasko, a psychologist for the DOD’s National Center for Telehealth and Technology. “We developed the added features to help parents and teachers answer the questions the kids were sharing with each other.”

A necessary resource
Given the higher levels of stress they face, it should come as no surprise that military children encounter many more emotional challenges than other kids their age, and a recent RAND Corporation study revealed just how true that is. The research was focused on 1,500 military children of parents who were both deployed or stationed at home. The team found that both groups of children are more likely to experience behavioral or emotional problems than their peers. Researchers also found that the longer a parent was deployed, the more likely it was for their children to experience problems.

“Much more work is needed to better understand these challenges and to improve ways to support children throughout the deployment cycle,” said Anita Chandra, the study’s lead author.

Experts estimate there are about 2 million children with a parent who is either in active duty or in the reserves, so websites such as MilitaryKidsConnect can reach a large audience. 

In December, former President George W. Bush announced he was putting his famed truck up for auction, with the proceeds going to support military families. Over the weekend, the 2009 Ford F-150 King Ranch 4×4 SuperCrew brought in an impressive $300,000 when it was sold at the Barrett-Jackson auction house, according to Reuters. 

The truck will certainly be a standout in the car collection of whoever purchased it. Though he didn’t take it out on the road, Bush used the truck around his famous ranch in Crawford, Texas, while entertaining friends and family. Not only did it play an important role in history, but Bush also autographed its right airbag panel, the news agency reports.

The funds from the sale will be donated to the Fisher House Foundation. The organization, which was founded in 1990, helps provide housing for veterans and military families during stressful times such as hospitalization, injury or illness. Today, the Fisher House serves around 17,000 members of the military community. 

Bush is no stranger to lending support to veterans. In addition to his Warrior 100K bike ride, he has hosted the Warrior Open, a 36-hole golf tournament that welcomes soldiers who have been injured in Iraq or Afghanistan. 

As the United States prepares to leave Afghanistan, the Army will likely see a decrease in the number of soldiers, and as a result some bases across the country could have to downsize as well. The potential for downsizing was outlined in a recent Army report that said military installations could see a reduction of up to 8,000 troops, according to Stars and Stripes.

The findings are based on a plan to reduce the total force of the Army from about 562,000 to 490,000 by 2020. Army officials hope there could be alternatives to reducing the number of military personnel stationed at bases around the United States, including inactivating combat brigades and realigning other troops. 

“These actions are being undertaken to reshape the Army’s forces to meet more effectively national security requirements while reducing the Army’s end-strength,” the Army said in a release. “Force realignment and some level of force reduction will impact most major Army installations.”

Though there have been some concerns about what impact a smaller force size could have on the Army’s capabilities, some experts say that a greater focus on intelligence gathering and special operations will help ensure the United States Armed Forces remains.

Practices such as meditation and yoga may not seem like they fit in with the rigorous training of the Marine Corps, but some officials are working to include the techniques to make soldiers more mindful of their surroundings. The initiative is making its way through pilot studies and could soon be part of training for all Marines, according to The Associated Press.

The push to include mindfulness training – a concept focused around active attention and staying in the moment – comes from the belief that brain calming techniques could improve the performance of soldiers. Officials also hope the practice could reduce the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental strains on troops who have spent time in combat zones.

“Some people might say these are Eastern-based religious practices but this goes way beyond that,” Jeffery Bearor, the executive deputy of the Marine Corps training and education command, told the news provider. “This is not tied to any religious practice. This is about mental preparation to better handle stress.”

The focus on the mental component of military service comes as the number of suicides has been on the rise. In 2012, the number of military suicides rose to a record 349.

Both active duty troops and veterans undoubtedly have a number of concerns about the future of the Armed Forces. Everything from budget cuts to troop reductions to employment opportunities will likely come into play in the near future, and a group of soldiers recently got the chance to voice their concerns to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, The Associated Press reports.

The soldiers were from 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, one of the most frequently deployed units in the military. They have been sent to war five times over the last 11-plus years, and 84 members have been killed during that span. However, it wasn’t the deployments that were most on their mind, it was the impact that budget cuts and a still-sluggish job market could have.

What does it mean for families?
During the protracted fights in Congress over spending and budget cuts, one of the common refrains among the military community is asking what impact any changes could have on their loved ones. For instance, will civilian spouses of service​members be able to find jobs on bases if there are budget cuts? Additionally, there are concerns over whether there will be changes to everything from medical benefits to schools for their children.

Answers are hard to come by
Although Panetta, who is set to leave his post as Defense Secretary in the near future, sympathizes with the troops’ concerns, there is little he can do to quell their worries. He has been a harsh critic of Congress in recent months as lawmakers continue to hold the threat of sequestration over the head of service​members. As it stands, they need to reach an agreement on spending cuts to avoid automatic $500 billion slashes over the next 10 years.

“You guys go out and you put your lives on the line, you take the worst risk of all – which is that somebody may shoot you and you may die,” Panetta told the crowd, according to the AP. “All we’re asking of our elected leaders is to take a small part of the risk.”

Concern, and with good reason
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that sequestration could hollow out the capabilities of American Forces faster than most people realize. Specifically, he said that such deep budget cuts could limit training and other integral parts of the military.

After he was sworn in for the second time on Monday, President Barack Obama’s speech covered a lot of ground. He touched on everything from civil rights to global warming, but the military community may have been most interested in the plans he laid out for the Armed Forces as the United States brings a decade of war to a close. Although he hinted at a second term that will avoid any prolonged military conflict, he did say that the country should maintain a presence in all corners of​ the globe.

A shifting landscape
As he promised when he was first campaigning for president, Obama has overseen the end of the war in Iraq, and American forces are readying to be fully out of Afghanistan by 2014. Additionally, there has been talk about a more streamlined military as the Pentagon looks to cut its large budget. Despite the changes, Obama made sure to point out that the United States will still maintain its place in the geopolitical world, and support causes for freedom around the globe.

“America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe; and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation,” he told a crowd estimated to be at around 600,000 people. “We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom.”

Military may see new focus
The statements are similar to ones Obama has been making for much of the last year. In early 2012, he unveiled a new plan that would create a military more focused on abilities such as intelligence-gathering and special operations, reports USA Today. In the same press conference, he detailed plans to shift the efforts of the United States from the Middle East to Asia, where China and North Korea are playing a bigger role.

New strategy amid uncertainty
Though Obama has laid out detailed plans for the military, there are still concerns about funding. Most significantly, the threat of sequestration – across the board $500 billion budget cuts over 10 years – looms large over the decision-making of top military brass.

When President Barack Obama heads to the Commander-in-Chief’s Ball, one of the two celebrations after his second inauguration, he’ll get to share his first dance with one of America’s bravest civilians. Obama, along with the first lady, vice president and second lady, are all slated to take the dance floor with service​members who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, The New York Times reports.

The president’s dance partner will be Air Force ​Staff Sergeant Bria D. Nelson, who has served in the military since 2002. She was deployed to Afghanistan where she earned the Air Force Commendation Medal. She is still active in the military, serving on Washington’s ​Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling.

Nelson is not the only soldier who will have the honor of sharing the first dance with the country’s highest elected officials. Army Staff Sgt. Keesha N. Dentino is slated to dance with Vice President Joe Biden, while ​Gunnery Sergeant Timothy D. Easterling and​ Petty Officer Patrick Figueroa are paired with Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, respectively.

The four honorees were chosen from a pool of more than 50 servicemembers. Addie Whisenant, a spokeswoman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee, told Military Times that the soldiers were selected based on their combat experience and volunteer efforts.