The 2013 Boston Marathon will not be forgotten by the city's residents or the community at large, and as organizers prepare for the 2014 race, some well-meaning participants are being left out.
As expected, a higher level of security will permeate all aspects of this year's race. CNN reported that the Boston Athletic Association has already banned backpacks, handbags, suitcases, large signs and unregistered runners from areas in or around the race course. The event is expected to draw double the amount of spectators and has already capped out entrants at 36,000 – a full 9,000 more runners than the 2013 event.
However, due to the restrictions on large bags and unregistered participants, a military group known as Tough Ruck that walks the 26.2-mile course with fully loaded military backpacks in memory of fallen soldiers will not be allowed to run the 2014 Boston Marathon.
Tough luck
According to Military.com, Tough Ruck founder Stephen Fiola found himself in an unusual situation when the heightened security measures were announced by the BAA. Fiola was at the finish line when the explosions occurred in 2013 and helped runners to medical tents.
"My first reaction was of course disappointment, but I understand that there are safety and security concerns," Fiola told Military.com. "We knew that there were concerns, but we did not know that a policy was going to come out prior to the BAA announcement."
Fiola, a current National Guardsman, said that just like the participants and spectators of the 2014 marathon, prospective Ruckers skyrocketed as well. No more than 30 soldiers and others looking to give back during life after service signed up to walk the course last year, but Fiola had already received 746 applications from servicemembers interested in the race this spring.
Sneaking into the race
Because soldiers in Tough Ruck do not officially register to run the Boston Marathon, they are part of a much longer tradition of "bandit runners," or participants who race without official measurements of their time. Bandit runners have always been part of the popular event that draws an increased number of registrants every year, and their amateur spirit has kept stringent attempts to prohibit them from the course off their backs.
Fiola and his fellow Tough Ruck members do not plan on fighting the BAA's restrictions. Instead, they have already scheduled to hike 26.2 miles of the Minuteman Trail that runs through the Greater Boston Area.
Fiola told Military.com that for the fallen soldiers they honor, where Tough Ruck marches is less important than that they march at all.
Some professional athletes in top physical condition recently had an eye-opening experience when they tried their hands at some routine Army exercises.
The Fayetteville Observer reported on Fox Sports' annual "Spring Training to the Troops" program that will finish its second year Feb. 7. The event brings a collection of current and former Major League Baseball players to military bases to interact with troops and see how difficult their training can be.
Chris Archer, a pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays, is one of the top young prospects in the league. When he tried to pack a parachute in the four minute window allotted to Fort Bragg troops, even he was at a loss.
"It looks tough," Archer said. "But actually doing it – it was way tougher than it looked."
Fox Sports collected photos and tweets throughout the event, as well as some reactions from the participants.
It wasn't just players who experienced life on a military base. Rex Hudler spends 162 days the year as the color commentator for the Kansas City Royals, but that side of him disappeared when he was put behind the grill at the fort's mess hall.
"I loved that so much that I want to go back tomorrow morning and do it again," Hudler told Fox Sports. "They serve us, and it was so nice, for one small moment, to be able to serve them."
Sometimes called the world's first action figure, the perennially popular G.I. Joe line of toys and models celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Introduced back in the early months of 1964 by the now world-famous toy maker Hasbro, G.I. Joe has seen its popularity among children and collectors alike wax and wane as the military-themed action figures grew alongside the U.S.'s various military engagements. With 50 years of history under Joe's well-worn ammunition belt, though, it is safe to say that he will be around for many years to come.
Creating a hero
Don Levine was the head of Hasbro's research and development team throughout the 1960s, and, alongside then-CEO Merrill Hassenfeld, developed the iconic 11.5-inch action figure with 21 movable points, The Associated Press reported. This design allowed for a much wider variety of poses and positions which, considering the active soldier design choice, proved pivotal to its success in the open market.
"Joe stood for everything that was meant to be good: fighting evil, doing what's right for people," Hassenfeld's son, Alan, told the AP.
The military aspect of the figurines – now an indelible part of the G.I. Joe character – may have come about by accident. Created in 1963, Hasbro happened to employ many veterans of World War II and the Korean War, so the decision was made to clothe the models in miniature Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine uniforms with arms and equipment coming later.
Joe was on shelves in time for Christmas 1964. The 11.5 inch figures retailed for only $4.
The times, they are a-changing
The G.I. Joe brand grew well into the '60s, but the advent of U.S. military involvement in Vietnam hurt the public appeal of the toy line. In response, Hasbro executives shrank the figures, to 3.75-inches and diversified Joe's missions; instead of a soldier, he became an adventurer, an explorer and a deep sea diver. This rebranding also gave rise to G.I. Joe's famous "kung fu grip" feature and tagline.
Modern appeal
While Joe aficionados are split over the true value of the vintage 11.5-inch figure and the redesigned 3.75-version, there is no denying that the iconic toy continues to represent something special. G.I. Joe was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in 2004 and the fan community is so robust that an annual convention is held – G.I. Joe Con – where collectors can purchase rare figures, meet creators of the brand and dress up as their favorite Joe soldiers.
If Joe can persevere through multiple wars and a variety of strong and weak economies, it is safe to assume that he'll be celebrating a 100 year anniversary in due time.
The deployment of a spouse can be one of the most difficult life events a military family can endure. Aside from the emotional toll that sending a loved one off to a combat zone can take on a family, other practical concerns can cause just as much stress. The financial situation of a family that has just sent a soldier abroad can become less stable when one half of the management of the household is a world away. There are several resources and skills that military families can draw on to make sure that even when separated, the family can function as smoothly as before.
Communication is key
Even though it may seem impossible to stay in any kind of regular contact while your husband or wife is overseas, communicating about issues is the number one key to successfully making it through a deployment.
InCharge.org interviewed Dr. Earl Beale, director of the Family Support Center at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, about the most common issues that follow families during a deployment and, more importantly, how to deal with them.
"The number one issue deployed service members worry about is how they'll communicate during the deployment about finances, child care, family decisions, etc.," Beale said. "We have military family members who come in just to use the video phone to discuss a major purchase with their deployed spouse."
For families without the capabilities to communicate on their own, Beale encourages checking with your local military base. Some offer phone cards and computers for email that spouses can use to communicate during a deployment.
Setting and keeping budgetary goals
While communication can help with unseen problems that come up, most issues can be avoided if you and your spouse make sure to set and keep a clear financial plan before deployment. Military.com outlines a few key topics to discuss, such as where your family should be financially when your spouse returns, whether or not you should be paying down any debt during that time or how much to save up for a future purchase.
By discussing these things in addition to any monetary issues prior to your spouse's departure, it can make the entire process much smoother.
Ease into the reunion
InCharge.org spoke to Amy Manglesdorf, who managed her family by herself when her husband deployed. She was better prepared than most, with years of experience as an Army Family Team Builder, the stresses of handling her family finances alone were still difficult to handle. When her husband returned, she saw some problems come up that she never expected.
"Don't plan on any big expenditures that first month after he gets home," Manglesdorf said. It can feel like another honeymoon period, she explained, and the reunited couple may feel like they have to make up for the lost time they spent separated during the deployment with a long trip, multiple fancy dinners and a significant purchase.
Try not to abandon the sound financial plans you made with your spouse before and during the time he or she spent away.
For Manglesdorf, "That's when all the bills start pouring in."
Even though it is only the soldier that may see combat, military life is not easy for all involved. As a spouse leaves to serve his country on a foreign battlefield, preparing for your soldier's safe return can be just as difficult. Take advantage of the time you have together to plan for any expected and unexpected problems that may occur, and remember to reach out and take advantage of any available resources that your local military representative can provide.
While the families of soldiers may never see combat, they fight a battle of their own.
Previously available to soldiers, their spouses and civilians involved in military operations, the military's resilience training program is now available to teenage children of servicemembers, the Army reported. After requests for the service to be broadened to include teenagers, the Army has accepted the new participants into courses at bases in Kentucky, Texas and Hawaii, with a fourth base about to begin the new program as well.
"Resilience is something that can be taught and the sooner you learn it, the better you are throughout your life in managing adversity," said Julie Broad, a key civilian member of the new teen program.
The soldier-centric curriculum – the largest and longest running portion of the program – has stratified lessons for every soldier in the service. The training educates soldiers on how to best adapt to the stresses of combat situations as well as the general pressures of life in the military. The program is staggered so soldiers receive relevant training at certain stages of their careers.
"This is a way that the Army is really using the knowledge it has accrued to do good within the community and further strengthen the Army family," Broad said.
Before Andrew Pike turned 20 years old, his ability to enjoy his favorite pastimes of hunting and fishing were taken away after a wartime injury in Iraq. But with the help of a few Idaho volunteers, companies and a high-tech wheelchair, Pike can once again enjoy the outdoors with as much freedom as before.
A belated Christmas gift
KTVB Boise reported that Pike, now a 28-year-old Army veteran, was honored at the Idaho Statehouse Jan. 22. After a speech on his behalf by Governor C.L. Otter, Pike was presented with a specialized all-terrain wheelchair – complete with a gun rack – that will allow the paralyzed serviceman to hunt and fish again.
The motorized wheelchair has special treads that can move through the difficult terrain normally encountered on a day of trekking through the woods. Most importantly, though, is an automatic system that moves Pike from a seated to a standing position, making it much easier for him to spot game and aim steady. For ease of use, it also features hand-held controls and a flashlight.
Line of fire
Pike enlisted in the Army right after high school and was in Iraq as a Specialist with the 82nd Airborne Division on his first ever deployment. He was patrolling the northern city of Baiji when a sniper's bullet paralyzed him for life from the waist down.
It was during his recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center that Pike was introduced to the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), an organization that not only assures that soldiers receive their military benefits in a timely manner, but also supports medical research for spinal cord injuries.
Cooperative support
While Pike's path toward regaining his mobility began with the PVA, it took a few more organizations full of dedicated volunteers to help it along.
The wheelchair was created and donated by Higher Ground, an Idaho-based firm focused on adaptive recreation. Through therapy or mechanical assistance, Higher Ground seeks to "enhance quality of life through inclusive therapeutic recreation and education for people of all abilities," according to the company's website.
The funds for the wheelchair were raised in tandem by the PVA and The Independence Fund, a non-profit organization that supplements the normal aid and support available to wounded servicemembers through veterans benefits programs.
Sitting in his new wheelchair, Pike can't help but be hopeful.
"The only thing you can do is look to what's in the future, look to what you can do, and take those things and build on them, and if somebody says you can't, then find a way to do it," he told KTVB
For military retirees and those soon to leave active duty, the fight continues against budget cuts to the cost of living adjustments in veterans benefits packages.
Representatives from the Pentagon met again with congressmen Jan. 28 to resist cuts to veterans' pension plans. In addition to opposing the cuts outright, acting Deputy Secretary of Defense Christine Fox and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. James Winnefeld proposed a plan to exempt current retirees and soldiers soon to leave the service from the proposed cuts, Military Times reported. They also argued to the Senate Armed Services Committee that any proposed cuts should only come after an exploratory group within the military had a chance to review the numbers and any effects that may result from proposed cuts.
"Because of the complex nature of military retirement benefits, we recommend that the Congress not make any additional changes in this area until the commission provides its report," Fox said.
The current round of proposed cuts has its roots in a 2011 report by the Defense Business Board that argued the current system of veterans benefits for retired soldiers was too expensive and would eventually hamper the Pentagon's ability to fund military operations.
If not amended, the cuts will go into effect Dec. 1, 2015.
With more and more troops coming home from extended deployments, there was a strong focus on how best to integrate soldiers back into life after service at the Army's quarterly meeting between top officials and several representatives of veterans groups.
Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno and Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho were among the highest ranking officials on hand at the Jan. 24 meeting to ensure that soldiers are being supported in their returns to the U.S., the Army reported. Several veterans organizations were represented, from those focused on finding post-military employment for servicemembers to those helping soldiers work through traumatic experiences from combat.
"When leadership comes in to talk to the veterans' service community, it demonstrates to veterans that they are interested in the soldiers after they get out of the service," said Genevieve Chase, an Army reservist and founder of American Women Veterans.
Among the leadership present was Col. Adam Rocke, director of the Soldier for Life initiative. Founded only a year and a half ago, the program functions as an all-inclusive support system for veterans in search of health care, certification for skills gained through military service and general advice on how to ease back into civilian life.
"These [meetings] are paramount because at the end of the day, it's not about any one individual," Rocke said, "it's about the collective group – the service members and their families as a whole."
When Winter Storm Leon rolled across the southeast U.S., dropping ice and two and a half inches of snow in some places, many residents of perennially snowy northern states were confused by meteorologists calling it a major storm. But after grid-locked highways and thousands of stranded commuters, it's hard to call it anything other than a significant event.
The situation was so dire in South Carolina, the Army wrote, that the National Guard was mobilized to help motorists who had skidded off the road and even to get rolled-over tractor trailers back on the ground. The South Carolina guard deployed across the state in Humvees and an all-purpose, 10-ton vehicle called a wrecker that was used to right a capsized 18-wheeler.
Georgia had to call on its contingent of National Guardsmen as well when the storm caused such gridlock around Atlanta that commuters abandoned their cars on the road for the night, some even seeking refuge inside convenience stores on the side of the highway, NBC News reported.
Tim Dougherty is a regular commuter in the Atlanta area, but after a day on the roads, he barely made it out of the city when the storm hit.
"What took me 30 minutes [Tuesday] morning took me 26 hours to get back," he said.
Weather.com reports that at least a dozen deaths have been attributed to the storm's effects.
The newest addition to the Navy's fleet of submarines, complete with all the bells and whistles, is set to begin testing.
The Department of Defense reports that the first of eight new Virginia-class submarines has completed construction and preliminary factory testing and is ready to stretch its legs in open waters. Construction was completed two months ahead of schedule, moving its estimated certification and delivery date up as well.
The new sub, christened the USS North Dakota, is the first of a new sub-section of the Virginia class. It features a host of technological upgrades including digital touch screens in lieu of mechanical controls and "photonics masts" instead of traditional periscopes, the Navy explains. The photonics masts are attached to the outside of the hull and contain high-resolution cameras that modify light sources to transmit a detailed, dynamic view of the sub's surroundings to the control room.
Still, the ship must pass a rigorous three-step testing process before being handed over to the Navy. Everything from its ability to dive and surface without incident to the amount of noise that escapes the dampening in the hull will be under intense scrutiny.
The submarine is being constructed and tested by Connecticut-based General Dynamics.