Talking to family and friends about deployment, combat and post-traumatic stress disorder is one of the hardest things a veteran can do. The Tennessee State Council of Vietnam Veterans knows very well just how difficult it can be. That's why on Tuesday, Jan. 12 they held a "Victory Over PTSD" town hall meeting at the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center.
According to WCYB, a local news station, dozens of veterans and their families attended the meeting. Everything from PTSD indicators, coping methods, treatment providers and the high suicide rate among veterans was discussed openly and thoughtfully. There was a tone of encouragement and support among everyone present.
"We want you to live, we want you to succeed – we want you to have victory!" said Barry Rice, a Vietnam veteran and organizer of the town hall.
After his rotation to Vietnam was up, Rice returned to the states and served as a notification officer. Charged with the responsibility of informing spouses and parents that their husbands and sons had been killed took a significant toll on Rice, leading to a deep sense of survivor's guilt. Talking with fellow veterans about it helped Rice make it through.
Discussing the threat of PTSD – and ways of treating it – are arguably more important now than ever before.
"More American servicemembers, both veterans and active-duty, have committed suicide over the past decade – tragically it's 22-plus per day – than who made the supreme sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan combined," Rice said in a statement to The Greeneville Sun.
"Years ago, when called to duty, young men and women from across Tennessee answered. Now, as Vietnam veterans, we are answering the call for our brother and sister veterans, active-duty military and their families, to share our experiences with and recovery from PTSD, our strength and hope in their time of need," Rice continued.
In a contentious decision, a federal appeals court on Monday threw out a case involving a veteran convicted for wearing military medals he hadn't earned, stating that doing so was a form of free speech protected by the Constitution. According to the Associated Press, an 11-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court was specially convened for the occasion.
The Marine at the center of the case is Elven Joe Swisher of Idaho. In 2007, he was convicted for violating the Stolen Valor Act – a law signed by President George W. Bush in 2006 that made it a misdemeanor to falsify military achievements. In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled the act unconstitutional based on free speech violations. Congress passed a new law the following year, however, that made it a crime to make money from false claims of military service.
Court House News reported that, back in 2007, the Department of Veterans Affairs accused Swisher of making false statements, forging documents to obtain veterans benefits, stealing government funds and adorning himself with unauthorized military commendations.
Investigators first began to take a look at Swisher's military record after he testified in 2005 that another man had approached him to kill a federal judge. Swisher wore a Purple Heart in the court room and told stories of how he was severely injured in a fire fight while on a secret mission during the Korean War. Marine Corps officials later testified that such a mission never occurred.
Judge Sandra Ikuta, who wrote for the majority on Monday, noted that there is no evidence Swisher's deceitful behavior ever hurt someone or convinced them to pursue an action they wouldn't have taken otherwise.
"We see no basis for [concluding] that wearing a medal is more probative than speaking a lie," Ikuta said, according to Court House News.
Going to college isn't the same for veterans as it is for graduating high school students, who are often more worried about missing the next great frat party than actual responsibilities like working a full-time job or taking care of young children. That's why colleges tailored to helping veterans achieve academically are so vital to a life after service.
The Military Times put together a list of the best schools in the country for veterans. Their methodology included taking into account factors like whether veterans were charged at or below Post-9/11 limits, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program – under which the school and the VA partner to cover the difference between tuition and the GI Bill payment cap – extracurricular activities and national accreditation.
Here are their top five picks in each category:
Four-year schools
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Ranked as the best four-year institution in the nation for the second-consecutive year, this public university retains 72 percent of all veterans who attend. With top marks in nearly every category, and 94 percent of its students employed within six years of graduation, University of Nebraska at Omaha leads the field for a good reason.
University of South Florida
Close behind in second place, South Florida's public university also received top marks across nearly all categories.
Eastern Kentucky University
This university's commitment to veterans is evident from just a visit to their website, which provides extensive resources and guidance to students making the transition from military life.
D'Youville College
Located in Buffalo, New York, D'Youville is a private school of only a few thousand students – meaning veterans in attendance receive special attention.
Rutgers
In fifth place is Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey, which has long had a commitment to serving its veteran students.
Two-year schools
Central Community College – Nebraska
Evidently Nebraska does a great job of taking care of and educating its veterans. Ranked as the best community college in the country for veterans three years running, the school provides a staff of fellow veterans for academic tutoring and advising, mentoring and counseling, as well as social events around campus.
Georgia Perimeter College
Big as far as two-year institutions go, Perimeter College's 21,000 students have a small, tight-knit veteran community that receives plentiful support from the administration.
Inver Hills Community College
This small public college's veteran resource center provides educational veteran benefits, assistance with VA forms, a comfortable Veterans Lounge and much more.
Clackamas Community College
The only Oregon college to make the top of the list, Clackamas is open to every veteran seeking a certificate program, technical degree or two-year degree.
Northwestern Michigan College
Rounding out the top five two-year schools is another small public college that prides itself on providing a smooth transition into student life for returning veterans.
Online & non-traditional schools
ECPI University
Nationally ranked for five consecutive years now, ECPI has earned its place at the top of the Best for Vets list, as well as Top Military Friendly Colleges and Virginia Values Veterans. With plenty of special accommodations for the GI Bill and military scholarships, it is the perfect school for those with a hectic schedule.
Park University
Open since 1875, this non-profit, private post-secondary institution has enjoyed an educational partnership with the military for nearly a century.
Central Texas College
Specially designed for military students, veterans and their spouses, this college understands and adapts to the unique challenges of juggling a job, an education and a home life.
University of Maryland University College
With a rich history of educating military history, UMUC offers both hybrid and on-site classes, along with countless education benefits, financial aid options and other forms of assistance.
Liberty University
Proud of their service to those who served, Liberty ensures that earning your degree can be done with the utmost convenience and efficiency.
Some big changes are coming to the way the Pentagon recognizes combat service. According to the Military Times, a two-year internal review conducted by the Department of Defense has recommended 37 changes that will bring the military's medals system into the 21st century.
Among the changes are a new "C" device that will indicate a medal earned while in combat. Veterans will recognize its similarity to the "V" device currently signifying valor. Along with the new combat denotation is a definition – applicable to every service – of what "meritorious service in combat" means, a change that will affect the criteria for the Bronze Star.
"We're ensuring that the Bronze Star goes out to those who are incurring the risk of combat or actually have a significant risk of hostile action," a defense official told the Military Times.
But the Bronze Star isn't the only medal cast under a new light.
CNN reported on Wednesday that the military was going back to take a close look at more than 1,000 medals awarded since the terrorist attacks of Sep. 11, 2001, a review initiated by Chuck Hagel, then Secretary of Defense, intended to determine whether or not the actions cited in those awards were worthy of the Medal of Honor.
Seventeen Medals of Honor have been earned since U.S. troops first hit the ground in Afghanistan in 2001. The first seven were given posthumously, but in 2010 the Defense Department issued a clarification on what the "risk of life" qualification meant. Since then, CNN noted, all 10 recipients of the nation's highest honor have been living.
"There is no indication that any service members were not recognized appropriately, but the purpose of this is to ensure that those service members who performed valorously were recognized at the appropriate level," an official with the DOD told the news organization.
Veterans entering their life after service often have a whole lot of questions about using their military benefits. They don't know who to ask, they're too embarrassed to ask, or they did ask and never received a good answer.
It is for all of these scenarios that this blog exists. Veterans can use this collection of some of the most frequently asked questions as a guide to navigating the Department of Veterans Affairs Disability process and utilizing the veterans benefits they deserve.
How long until the process is complete?
This is typically one of the first questions veterans ask, and unfortunately, the answer can be quite a shock. According the VA's official website, the amount of time it takes to reach a decision on a compensation claim varies depending on a host of factors, including the complexity of the disability, the number of disabilities claimed, and the amount of evidence required to verify a claim.
A veteran will typically receive a decision within six to eight months, but it has been known to take longer. This is only a partial answer, however. To be completely satisfied with their VA claim, most veterans will be in for a period of years, not months. In order to receive all the benefits they're due, most veterans are in for a two-to-four-year haul.
Is there any surefire method for approval?
Yes, actually, but some veterans may not like it. The easiest way to get VA approval is to seek treatment. A disturbing number of veterans have been turned down in the past because they either never sought treatment or there were inexplicable gaps in their treatment histories.
Veterans must be able to prove that their condition is chronic and seriously in need of treatment. For example – say you want to file a claim for a shoulder injury, but you were discharged in 1982 and didn't ever visit a doctor about your shoulder until only a few years ago. It's unlikely that the VA will grant service because there's no record of your shoulder being a chronic problem.
Why are some veterans connected for a specific claim, but others denied on it?
This is another one of those questions without a cheery answer, but the simple explanation is that every veteran has a different medical history and unique medical claim. Veterans who are turned down on the same type of claim their friend was connected on are rarely happy about it, however, unless the two experiences were identical it's impossible to truly compare them.
Can you receive VA Disability and still work?
Even if a veteran is totally, 100 percent connected to VA Disability, they are allowed to be employed in both full- and part-time positions. There is only one real exception to this, and that is for veterans receiving Individual Unemployability.
This, according to the VA's website, is a special benefit payable only to those veterans whose service-connected disabilities render them incapable of holding down a job consistently. The only other possible exception is those former servicemembers receiving a pension. Depending on how much they are paid, they may not be able to work.
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.
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.
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.
In the Armed Forces, servicemembers are trained to conform and become part of the unit. This leads to a more efficient and disciplined military. However, there are some qualities that make soldiers stand out in a good way with their superiors. Take a look at these qualities below:
Great energy
It can be easy to get fatigued in the military, but a soldier who is always enthusiastic is refreshing. If you're looking to stand out from the rest of your unit, try to maintain an indefatigable attitude. You can inspire your fellow servicemembers to approach activities with the same gumption as you, creating a more productive unit. This is a quality that will surely impress your superiors and may even get you promoted.
Polite
In the midst of all that comes with military service, politeness can be a shining light amongst the darkness. Not only will you surprise your fellow servicemembers and your leaders by always keeping a polite attitude, you could make service a little better for those around you. In addition to that, politeness encourages respect, and that is a quality that is extremely important for forming a cohesive unit.
Resourceful
In the military, there may be many times when you'll have to come up with a new solution quickly. Being able to think under pressure can be a huge asset to a unit. It may even prevent disaster. Therefore, resourceful soldiers stand out among other servicemembers.
Uplifting
It can be easy for servicemembers to get down. They may be separated from loved ones for long periods of time, be put in stressful situations and be asked to overcome many physical challenges. Maintaining an uplifting spirit is a massive benefit in the Armed Forces. Servicemembers who can keep a smile and see the bright side through every situation may inspire their fellow soldiers to keep on pushing through. Unit leaders love soldiers with an uplifting attitude.
Thought the military works best if everyone works as a singular unit, there are some qualities that make servicemembers stand out. These qualities may come from an individual servicemember, but they can benefit the unit as a whole. If you do not already engage in these behaviors, consider adjusting the way you present yourself to your squad. If you begin incorporating these qualities into your personality, others will take notice and you could help create a unit that is stronger and better prepared for the challenge of service.
Though women make up roughly 50 percent of the workforce, they are paid almost 20 percent less than their male coworkers, as reported by the Institute for Women's Policy Research. The gender wage gap has been a topic of debate for many years now, but one sector has already achieved equal pay. Women in the U.S. military are paid the same as men in the same roles.
This is because the military offers a base salary for specific positions, and that only changes if a soldier is promoted. Previously, some might have argued that women were still at a disadvantage for equal pay, even in the military, because they were not able to advance the same way as male soldiers.
Since the Defense Secretary's announcement on Dec. 3, all combat positions are open to women. This means that those female soldiers have the same opportunities for promotion as every other servicemember. In addition to this historic change, the fact that the military must report the predetermined pay grades publicly means that female soldiers will be less likely to experience pay discrimination, according to Quartz.
The military is far from perfect in gender equality, but they offer a solid platform for more equal pay.