Even lifelong football fans may never get the chance to meet with some of their favorite players, but a group of servicemembers were recently given the opportunity to visit Washington Redskins training camp. The group of about 50 troops from Fort Lee not only toured The Bon Secours Training Facility, but they also met face-to-face with the likes of star quarterback Robert Griffin III and London Fletcher, the Army's official website reports.
The meet-and-greet not only had an impact on visitors, but several Redskins players know the challenges facing the military community. Both of Griffin's parents were Army sergeants when he was born and he spent much of his young life moving around, spending time in Japan, Washington, Louisiana and finally Texas. Wide receiver Josh Morgan also has close ties to the military – his mother and uncles served in the Navy and Army.
"People who don't have the connection don't know what they [military members] really go through; the effect that it has on them," he told reporters "Just like a lot of people who don't have connections with those who play sports; they don't really know how hard it is to do what we do. It's that respect level; you don't know it unless you go through it."
The NFL and Armed Forces have long had close ties. In fact, a number of players spent time in the military including former Denver Broncos running back Mike Anderson and Pro Bowl linebacker Kevin Greene, who spent 16 years in the reserves.
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.
Being deployed overseas is a challenge for all servicemembers, but this is especially true for troops who are stationed in particularly dangerous locations. As a result, the military offers some of its members with imminent danger pay, which can sometimes be as high as an extra $225 a month. However, top Department of Defense officials are considering ending the payments for troops serving in certain areas that may no longer pose such a threat, Stars and Stripes reports.
Cost-cutting move
The DOD has been tasked with trimming billions of dollars from its budget over the next several years, and limiting danger pay is seen as good start. Currently, there are nearly 50 countries that qualify for the additional compensation, but officials say some of them are not as dangerous as they once were. Although troops stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and Syria, among others, will still see the extra pay, the practice may end for servicemembers in Jordan, Haiti and some former Soviet republics, The Associated Press notes. Although the cuts might save some money, troops say it may not be worth the cost to morale.
"When you take away any combat pay," a captain from Fort Bragg told The Fayetteville Observer. "You take away financial incentive for the veteran who sacrifices his life and limbs. It's understandable that the Pentagon wants to save money, but there are smarter ways to be fiscally responsible. It impacts everyone forward deployed."
One of many changes
Although there is no final decision yet on who will see an end to danger pay, the discussion is indicative of the growing importance of changing the financial structure of the military. One of the most controversial issues has been the amount of the annual pay raise troops receive. In June, President Barack Obama suggested that active duty troops see a 1 percent pay raise, which would be a bit lower than the 1.8 percent recommended from the House Appropriations Committee's Defense spending bill. Even though it was a small decrease, the lower raise was expected to save considerable amount of money. However, Congress did not take Obama's suggestion and passed a bill shortly after that included the 1.8 percent raise, according to GovernmentExecutive.com
Beginning with the repeal of don't ask don't tell in 2011, gay and lesbian servicemembers have marked significant milestones in the last several years, and on Wednesday they celebrated another victory. The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional, and the decision could open up new benefits to same-sex couples serving in the Armed Forces, according to Military Times.
Decision met with applause
The long awaited announcement of the decision was met with support from a wide range of people. DOMA, the 1996 law signed by President Bill Clinton, defined marriage as between a man and a woman, and although several states in the U.S. have made same-sex marriage legal, DOMA still barred them from receiving federal marriage benefits. This was especially problematic for couples in the military, who were unable to take advantage of healthcare, housing and survivor benefits. This loophole had been criticized by many lawmakers, including New York Senator Kristen Gillibrand.
"Same-sex partners of military service members should not be denied essential benefits because of who they are," Gillibrand said during the introduction of the Military Spouses Equal Treatment Act. "We must ensure that all of our military families who have sacrificed so much have access to the services and treatment they need and deserve."
Support from the top
Lawmakers aren't the only ones spurring change in Washington, D.C., top military brass are helping lead the charge as well, including Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Most recently, Hagel and Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to President Obama recognized gay pride month at the Pentagon, USA Today reports. This isn't the first time Hagel has confirmed his support for the gay community. Earlier this year, he pledged to work quickly on making sure same-sex couples had the same benefits as other members of the military community. Advocates are hopeful that he will implement these changes as soon as possible.
"Secretary Hagel has already demonstrated his commitment to LGBT military families, just as he promised he would during his confirmation. Today the court cleared the way for him to take the next step," Allyson Robinson, an army veteran and executive director of OutServe-SLDN, an organization dedicated to helping those affected by don't ask don't tell, told Politico.
There's no denying that servicemembers are among the most physically fit people in the world, but do their skills translate to the football field? One Navy officer is about to find out. Eric Kettani is trying to find his way on to the roster of the Washington Redskins, and the team's coaches feel good about his chances, according to The Associated Press.
An unusual path
Although the service academies have storied gridiron traditions, especially with Navy being a postseason staple in recent years, it's not all that often that you see servicemembers in the NFL. However, Kettani has been close for the last several years. He began his career with the New England Patriots but was on the team's reserve list because he was serving three years of active duty. Last season, he was on the Patriots' practice squad, but after being released he found his way to Washington. Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan is certainly impressed with his work ethic both on and off the field.
"It's quite unusual to do what he's done," he told the AP. "To have that type of drive [to do] what he does for the service [and] what he does on the football field keeps him pretty busy. He's got a chance to compete for a position."
Kettani, who played running back at Navy, is confident he can make the final cut as well. He says he understands the game better now than he did when he was in school, and anticipates being added to the final 53-man roster when the season begins in September.
Select company
While he has yet to make the final roster,Kettani is already breathing rarified air. Not many graduates from the service academies have achieved NFL stardom in recent years. Perhaps the most famous Naval Academy graduate to make it big in professional football, Super Bowl MVP Roger Staubach, retired from the Dallas Cowboys more than 30 years ago. The last Naval Academy graduate to play in the NFL was also a running back. Kyle Eckel, who graduated in 2005, enjoyed a brief but successful career with the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints, where he won a Super Bowl in 2009. He last played in 2010 with the Denver Broncos.
As the Department of Defense looks to cut costs in the wake of sequestration, there has been substantial controversy surrounding what impact it could have on military families. Specifically, the community was concerned about purpose plans to reduce service members' annual raises and increase TRICARE fees. Those criticisms did not go unnoticed, and the House Armed Services subcommittee on personnel is set to introduce legislation officially opposing the move, reports Military Times.
Debate intensifies
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Joe Wilson, brings the conversation over pay reductions and fee increases to a new level. Pentagon officials say that the changes are modest – troops would still see a 1 percent bump in pay – and are necessary as it looks to cut costs. Additionally, the TRICARE fee hikes would only apply to working-age retirees. However, Wilson and other military advocates do not see it that way. This new piece of legislation would keep the pay raise at 1.8 percent, which is keeping pace with private sector wages, while removing any fees associated with the military's healthcare program.
The need for savings
Although it's important for military families to receive the support and benefits they've earned, DOD officials maintain that they need to find ways to reduce military spending, and dropping pay raises is a good start. By reducing the raise to 1 percent, the DOD could save about $536 million in the 2014 budget and $3.5 billion over the course of five years.
"We are at a strategic turning point and the defense budget is a reflection of the changes in defense strategy announced by the president," defense officials said in a recent letter to Congress. "There were hard choices that had to be made in every budget category, including military compensation."
Military community already feels the pinch
While it has only been two months since it was enacted, the sequester has already made its presence known in the military community. This has been especially evident in recent days as the number of Memorial Day celebrations across the country have been cut, according to Military.com. Experts estimate that sequestration could result in $1 trillion in cuts – more than $500 billion coming from the military – over the course of the next 10 years.
Many servicemembers take advantage of the education benefits afforded to them by their time in the military, and a large number states make sure it's easy for troops to head back to school once they've separated from service. This is especially true in Indiana, where legislators recently extended rules allowing out-of-states troops to pay in-state tuition and schools including Indiana State University (ISU) have been particularly welcoming to active duty servicemembers and veterans alike, reports CBS affiliate WTHI reports.
Indiana State implemented a policy in 2010 that offered in-state tuition to active duty troops regardless of where they were stationed, and they recently extended that policy to veterans who are not currently active in the military. The new policy applies to troops who served at least one year, ISU officials say.
"[If they were] honorably discharged or medically discharged we would grant that individual residency for fee payment purposes if they could prove they were living in Indiana, along with their children and spouses," ISU Vice President of Enrollment John Beacon told the news channel.
Of course, Indiana is not the only place where servicemembers and veterans are heading back to the classroom. In fact a growing number of military families are also making use of the post-9/11 GI Bill. According to findings from the Veterans Affairs Department, an estimated 54,000 spouses made use of the benefits in 2012 – a 70 percent increase from 2011.
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.
The Armed Forces has changed a lot in the last several years, and that includes recent strides for women in the service. Earlier this year, the military announced it would allow female soldiers to serve in combat roles – something which was previously prohibited – and one group of women at Fort Bragg is taking things to a whole new level, as The 18th Fires Brigade is preparing to welcome the first female enlisted soldiers in an artillery unit, the Fayetteville Observer reports.
Nearly a year in the making
Former-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced the shift in policy allowing women to serve on the front line earlier this year, but the wheels were set in motion at Fort Bragg well before then. In fact, last summer officials there launched a pilot program to see whether women were capable of joining artillery units previously open only to male troops. Being a member of these units is both physically and mentally demanding. Along with having to be able to lift 100-pound rounds, soldiers also have to be familiar with everything from physics to metrology. For Lt. Shannon Syphus, the opportunity is one she relishes.
"I didn't know prior that it wasn't open," Syphus told the newspaper. "But I just fell in love. I can get on the radio and call for fire and something explodes. I love the technical aspects — the math and the precision. You can't find that with any other job in the Army."
Continuous change
As the brigade prepares to welcome its newest members, the rest of the Armed Forces is undergoing similar changes. For instance, earlier in March, Tech. Sgt. Leslie Cumming, the only female military training instructor in the Air National Guard, broke new ground when she was named Air University Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, according to the official website of the Air Force.
Cumming's accomplishment, along with the contributions of Syphus and others, did not come as much of a surprise to many analysts. Experts point to the fact that many women, who make up about 15 percent of the Armed Forces, were already serving in the front lines because of the unpredictable nature of war, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Many servicemembers were pleased last week when Congress restored the popular transition assistance program, which had been slated to be suspended until at least October. However, despite the victory, military officials are still unsure when they can allow new soldiers to enroll in the program because there is still some uncertainty regarding what budget cuts need to be made, Stars and Stripes reports.
The biggest issue is where in the budget the Department of Defense will cut $43 billion, as required by sequestration. Military officials met with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel recently to go over what reductions can be made and when the transition assistance program can resume. Sources say servicemembers can expect a decision within the next several days.
"What we know definitively is that right now, it's suspended," Air Force spokeswoman Maj. Cristin Marposon told the publication. "It's being worked aggressively, and as soon as we have the way ahead, it will be announced."
When the final announcement comes, it will have a significant impact on throngs of troops. According to Military.com, an estimated 300,000 use the vital program, which provides up to $7,500 for tuition payments each year.