The 2016 Summer Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro are already filling athletes the world over with anticipation. In the United States, a small, elite group of soldiers were honored to be some of the first athletes to be chosen as members of Team USA in September. Now, with the new year right around the corner, another team of top-tier, active-duty soldiers are joining their ranks.
According to the Military Times, Spc. Nathan Schrimsher, a pentathlete with the Army's World Class Athlete Program, earned the honor of being the first American to qualify for his country's team after finishing third in July's Pan American Games. World-class shooters from WCAP, as well as from the Army Marksmanship Unit in Fort Benning, Georgia, were also named as members. One of the double-trap shooters, Sgt. First Class Glenn Eller, will travel to the Olympics for the fifth time in 2016.
Earlier this month, Ammoland – a shooting sports news site – reported that the Army's international shooting teams were practicing for the Olympic qualification trials after four soldiers with the International Pistol and Rifle Teams qualified at the 2015 Winter Airgun-Olympic Trials held in Colorado Springs. Staff Sgt. George Norton of Albuquerque; Sgt. First Class James Henderson of Pasadena, California; Staff Sgt. Greg Markowski, originally from Sycow, Poland; and Spc. Daniel Lowe of Federal Way, Washington will all move on to June's final selection match.
There are still plenty of qualifying events still to come. Pistol shooting is set to begin soon, and wrestling will hold its rounds in Iowa in April. A number of WCAP Greco-Roman grapplers will be in attendance, including 2012 Olympians Sgt. Spenser Mango, Sgt. Justin Lester and Spc. Ellis Coleman.
As veterans struggling to find a long-term residence in their life after service know, not every battle is decided with bullets. Sometimes, people caring enough to help is what makes the difference. That was the case in Montgomery County, Maryland, where for the last year officials have worked tirelessly to effectively end veteran homelessness. According to The Washington Post, the campaign cost about a half-million dollars, but saw remarkable success, particularly in the last few months.
"Montgomery County now has a coordinated and efficient system [for veterans] to move quickly from homelessness to permanent housing," said County Council member George Leventhal, according to the Post. "Providing a stable home for our veterans is simply the right thing to do for those who have sacrificed so much for our country."
The Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless was deservedly proud of their achievement. Susie Sinclair-Smith, executive director, told the Post that she hoped that doing away with veteran homelessness would show skeptics that ending all homelessness was not an impossible proposition, but a solvable problem with real solutions.
"We've been housing our veterans in lightning speed," said Sinclair-Smith. "When there's a political will, and the time frame, and we know who the people are who we need to house, it can be done."
Fifty-eight homeless veterans and their families will receive permanent residences by the end of 2015, WTOP reported. Perhaps more importantly, every single homeless veteran identified by Montgomery County over the last year has now found housing.
Ishmael Meredith, an Army veteran and father of two, couldn't believe the generosity shown him and his family. "You may think we're the heroes, but you all are the real heroes sometimes," he said.
In 1897, after numerous newspapers declared him dead, a very much alive Mark Twain famously told the New York Journal that "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." That is a sentiment too many veterans can share. For the last year, accounts of veterans erroneously declared deceased by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs have been a solemn reminder that, once thought dead, these former servicemembers lose their veterans benefits.
Thankfully, the incidence of false declarations should soon cease. According to The Associated Press, the VA is altering its procedures to avoid such costly embarrassments in the future. Representative David Jolly told the AP that the VA stopped extending benefits to 115 veterans between July 2014 and April 2015 based on preemptive deceased status.
In Florida, News 13 reported, more than six living veterans were thought dead in just the past year. One such veteran, Mike Rieker, saw the VA cut off his military benefits after a veteran with the same name died in Arizona. When calling the VA got Rieker nowhere, he sought out Representative Jolly's assistance. In short order, he had Rieker's benefits restored.
"I think they're (the VA) like everybody else with budget cuts, they're under staffed," Rieker told the news station. "I think it's great that they're taking a look at this and making a change. It could be devastating for some people to lose those benefits. There's people who rely on them for their sole source of income."
On Dec. 10, the VA reached out to Jolly, telling him that from now on, agency procedure will require that a letter be sent to the veteran's address requesting that the family provide confirmation of the veteran's death. If no reply is made – whether from the family or the veteran incorrectly declared dead – then payments and benefits will cease.
With Christmas only a few days away, images of servicemembers deployed overseas wearing Santa hats and preparing tremendous holiday feasts are once again growing popular. Families with sons, daughters, husbands and fathers away from home will miss them dearly, but they'll take comfort in being able to talk to them and see their distant celebrations.
But they may be curious – how did the soldiers of history celebrate the year's merriest holiday?
The Civil War
It may be difficult to imagine what Christmas may have looked like in the later-half of the 19th century, but really, it wasn't celebrated so very differently than how it is today. The holiday standbys – like giving gifts, decorating trees and singing Christmas carols – were already popular. "A Christmas Carol," Charles Dickens' famous work, had been published in 1843. According to Civil War Trust, the first truly new tradition to appear in the Civil War was the modern idea of a round, red-jacketed Santa Claus.
Soldiers away from home made sure that their camps didn't forget the festive spirit. Some put trees up in their tents, using pork and biscuits for ornaments rather than fruits and cakes. On Christmas Eve, one soldier of the 17th Maine wrote that "It is rumored that there are sundry boxes and mysterious parcels over at Stoneman's Station directed to us. We retire to sleep with feelings akin to those of children expecting Santa Claus."
Not everything was jolly. Southern families faced severe supply restrictions, and some parents told their children that the Union blockade might keep Santa out altogether. Others wished for the comforts of home while facing the harsh winter cold. Still, the holiday was an escape for many men on both sides. A day of merry rest in war was, and still is, always appreciated.
World War I
There were few conflicts more vicious or terrifying than World War I, but on Christmas Day in 1914, the roar of exploding shells and the clatter of machine guns faded mercifully from the battlefields of the Western Front just in time for the holiday. The truce originated in a suggestion from Pope Benedict XV a few weeks prior. Benedict reached out to the warring nations seeking a Christmas cease-fire. No one nation would commit, so the opposing soldiers took it upon themselves to do so.
On Christmas Eve, under the clean light of the moon and amidst the smoke and the frost, the sound of singing rang through the air. According to Time, British and German troops kicked off the unofficial truce with songs bellowed back and forth from their trenches. Graham Williams of the Fifth London Rifle Brigade remembered the night in detail.
"First the Germans would sing one of their carols and then we would sing one of ours," said Williams, "until when we started up "O Come, All Ye Faithful' the Germans immediately joined in singing the same hymn to the Latin words Adeste Fideles. And I thought, well, this is really a most extraordinary thing – two nations both singing the same carol in the middle of a war."
Extraordinary indeed. It became even more so the next morning, when at first light unarmed German soldiers crossed into no-man's land calling out "Merry Christmas" in English. At first deception was feared, but the British clambered out of their trenches and met their enemy with handshakes. Presents – the soldier standbys of cigarettes and sweets – were exchanged.
The Christmas Truce, as it came to be called, happened only five months after the war broke out in Europe. It was an unbelievable moment of chivalry and shared humanity – one never again to be repeated. Still, for a brief few days, men at war proved that not even bullet and cannon can destroy the spirit of Christmas.
Despite the group's tough name, the Combat Veteran's Motorcycle Association doesn't mind showing its soft side. Families in central Nebraska learned of the non-profit's generosity recently when the CVMA showed up with dozens of presents. According to NTV, the CVMA visits a few local families with armfuls of gifts every year, doing what they can to provide other veterans – regardless of branch – with a memorable holiday season.
Brad Dietz, a former sailor who has struggled somewhat in his life after service, was happy that his children had gifts for Christmas. "Glad that they had something to open up, something to enjoy than what they may get later," said Dietz. He appreciated the above-and-beyond gesture by his fellow service members. "There are very few years that we are able to do what you guys did and to a family that is not even your blood there is no words. I don't know what to say other than thank you."
As thrilled as Brad and Staci Dietz were, their children were even more so. "There wasn't anything that they could ask for more of," Staci said. "You could just see it on their face as they were opening it that they were like wow how'd they know I wanted this."
This certainly isn't the first time the CVMA has surprised veterans with a great holiday. In November, KRISTV in Corpus Christi, Texas reported that the association's local Costal Bend chapter donated big food baskets to five families just in time to prepare a feast for Thanksgiving.
"Our whole mission is all about helping our fellow veterans," said Jack Nyitrai, the CVMA's public information officer. "That's what we do day in and day out, aside from riding motorcycles, is help our fellow veterans."
With stories like the Dietz family's, it's undeniable that they're doing a great job.
Call it a Christmas miracle or just a charming true story – a single mother of four young children was on the verge of losing her home in the middle of the holiday season when a group of local veterans saved the day. The Dale K. Graham Veteran's Corner in Norman, Oklahoma considers it its mission to help around 150 former servicemembers with their veterans benefits on a weekly basis, but Army reservist Rosa Florence was a special case.
For the last five years, Florence has been with the 401st Engineer Company based in Mustang. In a run of bad luck, she lost her day job, her car and her utilities within a short time frame. All this, and she hadn't even had the money or opportunity to purchase her children's Christmas gifts.
"It took a lot from me to actually admit that I needed help, mainly because when you are in the military you are told, you know, man up," Florence told News On 6. "So I had to hit rock bottom before I actually admitted I need help."
Florence's situation grew so bad that she was considering moving into homeless shelter. But she was hopeful that something good was just around the corner. She was right. The Veterans Corner helped Florence catch up on her rent and paid for her utilities. But that wasn't all. A generous local couple donated $500 for Christmas and a veteran couple in Moore gave Florence her very own truck.
"It'll actually be the best Christmas that any of us have ever had," Florence exclaimed.
Stephanie Maxwell, a reservist in Albany, New York, shared those feelings for a similar reason. News 10 reported that the mother of two wanted to make sure that her children had a great Christmas, but was worried that her recent financial hardship would keep that from happening.
Once again, veterans turned out to help. The Veteran's Miracle Center provided Maxwell with a decorated tree and enough presents to ensure that her kids had an unforgettable holiday.
As the holidays hit full swing, firefighters and other first responders across the United States work to keep people safe and make the season a little brighter for some. Whether they are helping Santa distribute gifts, rescuing families from a fire or protecting Christmas purchases from the flames, firefighters are there to make the season merrier.
In Aurora, Illinois, The Chicago Tribune reported that firefighters will maintain their regular duties while helping a local Santa deliver presents to over 125 families in need around the community. The news source wrote that the Aurora Fire Department has been collecting gift donations for the past two decades, making Christmastime better for families in need.
In Wichita, Kansas, firefighters saved a family and all their presents from a fire caused by a space heater in the home, according to KAKE News. The family said that even though they lost their home to the blaze on Dec. 21, the holiday was saved by the firefighters' efforts to protect them and their purchases.
This holiday season, be sure to thank a local firefighter or first responder, as these brave individuals sacrifice time with their own families to keep you and yours safe.
The latest installment in the "Star Wars" franchise seems to be on everyone's minds lately. The seventh film "The Force Awakens" broke many box office records by making a cosmic $247 million opening weekend, as reported by Vanity Fair. Yet, the pop culture phenomenon has reached past the entertainment industry and begun to inspire military leaders.
The Morning Ticker reported that the U.S. military has hired contractors to develop a laser defense system not unlike the ones used in the sci-fi saga. The lasers would be used to defend against attacks by air, land and sea.
Though the technology is in the early stages, and the final product will look nothing like the laser weapons in "Star Wars," the military has some interesting projects in the works. Fox News wrote that some of the contractors hired have been working on things like a drone-slaying laser, all-terrain vehicle-mounted lasers and aircraft-mounted lasers. The news source also reported that there was a project dedicated to laser-equipped boats called Area Defense Anti-Munitions, or ADAMs for short.
All of the technologies are still in the testing phase.
Most people recognize Titus O'Neil as a star from the World Wrestling Entertainment. O'Neil can be seen regularly smacking down on his opponents and promising to be a champion. However, O'Neil recently shined the spotlight on another group he believed deserved it more: the Navy SEALS.
Over Veterans Day weekend, O'Neil was a guest speaker at the Navy UDT-SEAL Museum's 30th Annual Muster and Music Festival, according to The Miami Herald. He told those in attendance of his upbringing and how many members of his family were involved with the Armed Forces. Many told the news source that his speech was phenomenal and that it made a positive impression on their lives.
"His keynote speech was personal and invoked emotion," Elaine Ryan, Marketing and Public Relations of the Navy SEAL Museum, told The Miami Herald. "It was encouraging and amped the crowd. It was sincere, not recited routinely or read from cue cards. Titus spoke from the heart."
O'Neil also participated in the other events of the weekend, such as the 5K race and the helicopter rides. He was joined by his WWE co-star Dave Bautista.
When 8-year-old Sophia Yassini's mother wrote a Facebook post describing her daughter's fear that she would be removed from the country for being Muslim, many servicemembers and veterans stepped up to let the little girl know that she was safe in America.
After hearing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump suggest that all Muslims should be banned from the U.S., Sophia grew fearful.
"She had began collecting all her favorite things in a bag in case the army came to remove us from our homes," Melissa Yassini, Sophia's mother, put on the Facebook post. "She checked the locks on the door 3-4 times."
ABC News reported that post was shared over 20,000 times, making it a viral sensation. Servicemembers, both active duty and veteran, began responding to the post to let Sophia know that they would protect her. Many replied with photos of themselves in their military uniforms, and they began to use the hashtag #iwillprotectyou, as reported by the news source.
Sophia's mother says that once the responses started coming in, she shared them with her daughter, and the little girl seems more at peace. Pix 11 News reported that the movement has even inspired a Facebook page called "I Will Protect You," where servicemembers can share their sentiments with other Muslim Americans.