To alleviate the stress and burden of finding a new job after relocating, consider unconventional, individual work options. There are two primary avenues they can take: starting a business of their own or working remotely for an employer.

Starting a business: Your job moves with you

U.S. Veterans Magazine offered this suggestion, and it's a great way to maintain a consistent job position despite moving so often. Owning a business allows you to manage your time on your terms and alleviates the stress of finding a new employer. If you work purely from home and don't rely on outside resources or vendors, you can easily relocate your physical office.

That said, there are several things to think about before venturing into the world of entrepreneurship. First, you should consider whether you're suited to start your own company. U.S. Veterans Magazine provided a helpful self-assessment, asking readers to examine personal details like:

• Personal and business goals.
• Current funds and investment requirements.
• Existence or lack of family support.

Next, you should critically evaluate your skill set and identify what you can monetize in different locations. If you're moving to Alaska, for example, your talent for raising tropical plants probably won't be in demand. To get started, here are a few careers that are either universally in demand or don't require a local client base:

• Computer programming.
• Accounting.
• Creative services (such as copywriting or graphic design).
• Tutoring.
• Child care.

Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, business law and taxes change between states, so relocating isn't a simple matter of moving your computer. To get a basic understanding of the scope of moving your company to a new state, the U.S. Small Business Administration provided a helpful legal guide.

Working remotely: Freedom and flexibility

Remote work, on the other hand, removes much of the complications of owning a business. Remote positions may have been hard to come by in the past, but research shows that attitudes are changing. According to Gallup, the proportion of employees who work from home grew from 39 percent to 43 percent between 2012 and 2016. This type of setup makes military spousal life much easier, allowing you to pack up and move at a moment's notice without leaving your job.

That said, you may need to convince your current employer that remote work is a good option. Point them to Gallup's State of the American Workplace study, which proves that remote work can boost employee engagement. Also note that working from home reduces employee churn and allows you to remain with the company after a move.

However, it's also a good idea to consider your current position before asking about remote work. Based on your job description, how likely is your employer to agree to let you work from home? You may be better off looking for a new company that offers a more flexible policy.

Additionally, even remote work comes with a few struggles. You'll still need to take time off for moving purposes, and you may feel disconnected from certain conversations or alienated from your coworkers. To solve these issues, ask your employer about working flexible hours – for instance, in the mornings and evenings instead of a strict 9 to 5, saving the middle of the day for the move – and travel back to the main office when you can.

Working as the spouse of a servicemember can be stressful, but these suggestions give you more control over your employment.

Military Family Appreciation Month is this November. Designated as a time to honor the commitments and sacrifices of the families of our nation's servicemembers, the month-long celebration should serve as a reminder of the struggles and sacrifices that the spouses, children, parents and extended relatives of military personnel must go through. Whether their loved ones are stationed miles from home or awaiting orders, military families deal with unfathomable uncertainly every day. This November, take a moment to recognize their struggles and learn how to comfort them in times of grief.

How to show appreciation to a military family

Civilians can take simple yet actionable steps to show their appreciation for the various military families in their lives. 

One way is to volunteer their time to help with regular chores and errands, especially if the servicemember leaves a family behind. Homes with a deployed spouse are comparable to single-parent families, as all of the primary responsibilities fall on the the remaining head of household. Even if the children are old enough to help care for themselves and their siblings, their homebound parent could use a break. Offer to give mom or dad a day off by looking after the kids or running errands; he or she will be grateful for the break.

Alternatively, you can create a care package for the family. This could be very helpful for homes that struggle financially. Put together a box of household items and food – homebaked goods are a nice personal touch – or even send a premade fruit basket. If you want to go above and beyond, organize a group event and get the entire community involved.

Finally, sometimes simply listening to their concerns is enough. Military family members go through a lot of emotional turmoil, facing unique problems that don't apply to standard civilian life. Yet they may feel guilty because they're not the ones in combat. Lend a friendly ear next time you see them.

How to comfort grieving military families

If tragedy happens, it's good to know how to comfort a grieving military family. According to Joanne Steen, certified counselor and co-author of "Military Widow: A Survival Guide," the best thing to say is a simple, "I'm sorry for your loss." State the deceased's name as they were known by the family, not by their military rank. Also, specify the servicemember's relationship to the survivor – wife, husband, etc. – to personalize them.

In addition, if you feel it's appropriate, ask noninvasive questions about the deceased. Talking about their hobbies, favorite movies and similar matters helps grieving families work through their loss. If, however, the surviving family members don't want to talk, don't push them.

Our servicemembers sacrifice a lot for their country, but their families must deal with their own struggles. This November, take time to recognize them during Military Family Appreciation Month.

If you're a servicemember called up to active duty service or long-term deployment, you'll no doubt have a lot of important financial and legal questions: What will happen to my current rental agreement or mortgage? How will I handle any ongoing legal disputes, including court appearances?

Thankfully, you are entitled to financial relief and legal protection under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). It's critical that you understand how this law impacts your rights and responsibilities so you can take full advantage of its benefits.

What is the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act?

In 2003, Congress passed the SCRA to protect soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, coast guardsmen and commissioned officers in the Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from being the subject of a lawsuit while engaged in active duty and for one year following it.

The act's origin can be traced back to the Civil War, when Congress exempted Union soldiers from legal action while serving in the war. Since then, the law has existed in one form or another until it settled into its current form in 2003.

At its core, the SCRA is designed to ensure that active duty soldiers can focus all of their attention on serving their country and devote their entire energy to the defense needs of the nation without having to worry about a car lease or the interest rate on their credit card during this time.

The benefits of SCRA

Much like most laws, the SCRA is a long, complex document full of legalese. While it has an abundance of provisions, these are the key points that you should know:

• Interest rate cap – You can cap any interest rate at 6 percent for any credit card, mortgage or other loan you or your spouse obtained prior to entering active duty status.
• Property lease termination/automobile lease cancellation – You generally have the ability to leave a residential or business property lease or cancel a car lease without penalty.
• Judicial relief – You have the option to postpone any court appearances for a civil case or civil administrative proceeding. This does not apply to any criminal court proceedings.
• Eviction protection – You and your immediate family are protected against eviction from housing due to nonpayment of rent. The monetary limit of the rental protection available changes every year, and was $3,584.99 per month or less in 2017, according to Military.com.
• State tax relief – If your service or deployment relocates you to a different state, your domicile or legal residence for tax purposes does not change. This means you are only responsible for paying state taxes wherever your home is, and not in every state you're relocated to during your service.

Since it deals with legal proceedings and financial obligations, SCRA is a complicated piece of public law. Therefore you should always ensure you speak with an Armed Forces Legal Assistance Attorney before you seek any relief or waive any of your rights under this act.

 

On Wed. Jan. 11, President-elect Donald Trump announced Dr. David Shulkin, undersecretary of health for the Department of Veterans Affairs, as his pick to assume the top leadership role at the agency, The New York Times reported. The physician currently leads the Veterans Health Administration, which serves an estimated 8.76 million former service members each year at 1,700 sites across the country. The Senate must confirm Shulkin before he can take over as VA secretary.

The choice was a pleasant surprise to veterans groups, as many had expected Trump to select an outside candidate to lead a top-down transformation of the department.

“The Trump campaign made a big deal of what a sucking chest wound the VA was,” Phillip Carter, an Iraq War veteran and director of the Military, Veterans and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security, told the newspaper. “Then they realized how hard it would be to turn around, and decided they needed to continue with the reforms that are already taking effect.”

A physician takes the helm
Shulkin, a board-certified internist, held numerous leadership positions in the private health care sector and founded a physician ratings service before joining the VA in June 2015. President Barack Obama was responsible for his appointment, according to NPR. For all his medical expertise, Shulkin is not a veteran and, if confirmed, will be the first secretary of veterans affairs without military experience. So far, key service member organizations have expressed support for the physician despite his strictly civilian resume, The Washington Post reported.

“The VFW is proud to support the nomination of Dr. David Shulkin as the next secretary of veterans affairs, and we are most appreciative of his willingness to continue serving veterans and making the VA better,” Brian Duffy, the national commander for The Veterans for Foreign Wars, said in a statement to the newspaper.

While Shulkin lacks the armed services background of past VA administrators, many believe he comes equipped with a deep knowledge of the department and the demonstrable skills needed to oversee a vast network of services. In fact, in his current position, he leads the largest integrated health care system in the country. Overall, those familiar with the day-to-day operations say Shulkin will be able to transfer into his new role seamlessly with little lag time, allowing the VA to continue with internal improvement efforts started during the Obama administration.

“Someone new coming in could take a year just to understand the issues,” Nancy Schlichting, former chief executive for the Henry Ford Health System, explained in an interview with The Times. “Someone like David Shulkin really provides continuity that can get reforms moving forward.”

Challenges ahead
Even with recent improvements, further changes are needed to improve the inner-workings of the VA and provide better services to the veterans it serves. Shulkin has some experience in this area, as he was directly involved with improving the Veterans Choice Program, an initiative designed to connect former service members with private physicians. The program suffered from internal flaws from the outset, leaving many veterans waiting months for care. Shulkin and his colleagues stepped in to address the problems last year.

In an interview with NPR soon after interceding to correct the floundering initiative, Shulkin laid out what many now believe will serve as his modus operandi as VA secretary.

“This is a different VA. We’ve brought in people from the outside who have private sector experience. And what we’re saying is that we have to do business differently,” Shulkin explained.

If confirmed, the physician must address a number of large-scale issues impacting the VA and ex-military personnel across the country, including personnel shortages, large volumes of backlogged disability claims and growing opiate addiction and suicide rates. For his part, Shulkin plans to take the issues head on and introduce sweeping reforms that could greatly improve both the department and the former service members it serves.

Soon after announcing Shulkin’s appointment during a press conference Jan. 11, President-elect Trump issued a statement praising the VA official.

“I have no doubt Dr. Shulkin will be able to lead the turnaround our Department of Veterans Affairs needs,” Trump said. “His sole mandate will be to serve our veterans and restore the level of care we owe to our brave men and women in the military.”

The Senate is expected to hold a confirmation hearing for Shulkin in the near future, Politico reported.

 

Veterans in southeast New York struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological wounds of war now have a new therapeutic resource, according to the Times-Herald Record. Squirrelwood Equine Sanctuary in Montgomery recently debuted a recovery program that helps these former service members regain control over their lives and connect with other veterans dealing with deployment-related problems through horses.

Social worker Christine Bruckner started the service, which teaches participants how to care for and handle the animals. This introduces a steady routine into their lives, allowing them some semblance of self-possession. Plus, the wide open spaces of the 92-acre property allow veterans to peacefully evaluate their issues and form bonds with fellow attendees.

“It opens up a whole conversation about those changes – and how, often, they really want to get back to that pre-deployment self, but they can’t, and how do they bridge that gap in finding a new normal,” Bruckner explained to the news source. “There are a lot of complex things that they’re coming back with that can be healed much more effectively if they’re talking about these things with other guys who have been through that.”

An equestrian solution
Equestrian therapy emerged during the 1990s with the help of Army veteran and cowboy Greg Kersten. In 1997, the Nebraska native developed a formalized training program based on the technique and founded the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association, an international nonprofit that equips social workers and therapists with the skills they need to successfully host such therapy sessions. Kersten believes veterans, through military training, are conditioned to function in groups or, as he calls them, “herds.” In his estimation, former service members must work to build new herds after re-entering the civilian world. Equestrian therapy helps veterans realize they need help from others and catalyzes the search for a new support system that not only includes family members and friends but also fellow ex-military personnel.

“Even though (veterans have) come back home to a supposedly familiar herd – their family, their friends – they’re being treated differently by the herd … The returning veteran feels less safe even with his family than he did with the other soldiers,” he told the Times-Herald Record.

In the years since Kersten popularized the method, a host of psychological professionals and service organizations have come to support it and its core tenets. In fact, the Department of Veterans Affairs now recommends equine-assisted therapy as a treatment for PTSD. Consequently, such initiatives have popped up at ranches around the country.

The Squirrelwood approach
The program at Squirrelwood established exercises associated with equestrian therapy, including an introductory assignment in which veterans choose horses with personalities that mirror their own. However, it does offer an added wrinkle: All of the horses involved were rescued from untoward owners.

“It’s really a unique and remarkable place,” Ed Kangas, one of the many donors who helped fund the equestrian program at Squirrelwood, told the Times-Herald Record. “It’s really very, very special. It’s a way to help those animals, but it’s also a way to help people who have been damaged and abused by war.”

Kangas and his wife Cathy donated $100,000 to Squirrelwood last month, Patch reported. Former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey, who served as a Navy SEAL and earned the Medal of Honor prior to entering public service, helped the couple fundraise the sum through a charity event.

Currently, four veterans are enrolled in the program, which is comprised of 12 separate sessions spread out over three months. Total fees amount to $3,000.

Ultimately, Bruckner hopes expansion is on the horizon, as veterans and their supporters embrace equestrian therapy and its healing, herd-building potential.

On Thursday Jan. 5, 32 disabled veterans sped through the streets of Miami during the 12th-Annual Soldier Ride, according to the Miami Herald. The Wounded Warrior Project hosts the four-day event, which allows former service members to explore a large swath of Southern Florida via bicycle. Along the way, participants break at scheduled stops, including the Miami zoological park Jungle Island and the Truman Little White House, a vacation home located in Key West that regularly hosted President Harry S. Truman.

"This program forces us to push our limits, to get ourselves out there," Kevin Matos, an Army National Guard veteran participating in the event, told the newspaper. "We suffer from social anxieties and it is really uplifting to be able to undergo this struggle with people who are like us."

Get rolling again
The first Soldier Ride took place in 2004 and included a single rider, Amagansett, New York, bartender Chris Carney. With encouragement from friends and family, Carney set out to raise money for veterans by completing a 4,000-mile, coast-to-coast bike ride. The New York native successfully raised more than $1 million for the Wounded Warrior Project. One year later, two veterans – retired Army Staff Sergeant Heath Calhoun and Army Reserve Staff Sergeant Ryan Kelly, both of whom suffered catastrophic lower-leg injuries during Operation Iraqi Freedom – joined Carney on a 4,200-mile ride from Long Island to San Diego. The event not only inspired a feature-length documentary but also led the Wounded Warrior Project to establish an annual bike outing based on the trek.

Now, cities across the country host these events, many of which draw immense crowds and important attendees. President Barack Obama has attended every Washington, D.C., Soldier Ride since he took office in 2009. In April of last year, he kicked off the journey with prepared remarks and one piercing ring from an air horn, according to the White House.

"You represent what's best about our nation, and I hope all of the American people along the route will come out and show their support for these heroes, not just today but every single day," he told the 65 participants.

Cycling through South Florida
While the Miami event lacked a presidential appearance, many locals came out to cheer on the riders, several of whom rode custom-made bicycles designed for physically disabled veterans. Most of the rigs were constructed days prior to the Thursday kickoff, local news station WSVN reported. Workers from the Wounded Warriors Project and volunteers assembled the bikes, some of which featured hand-powered gears for cyclers with missing limbs. Those participating in the race voiced their appreciation for the bikes, which were ready to go just in time for the start.

"Yeah, I didn't have to do any adjustments, which is actually kind of amazing," Air Force veteran and Soldier Ride participant Kyle Cook told the news station.

The veterans involved with the event wait in anticipation throughout the year, as the four-day sojourn gives them the unique opportunity to stretch their muscles, see the sights, connect with fellow service members and bolster their self-confidence in the face of immense challenges, NBC Miami reported.

"When you go through severe trauma you need to be reminded that you have the ability to do whatever you want, no matter what your injury is, whether it's physical or mental you can overcome anything," Air Force veteran Sebastiana Lopez-Arelano told NBC Miami.

With solid funding and a strong reputation among former service members, Soldier Rides will continue to bring veterans and their supporters together for the foreseeable future in Miami and cities throughout the U.S. 

Michigan legislators have passed new legislation that will fund two new veterans care facilities in Detroit and Grand Rapids, according to MLive. Sen. Dave Hildenbrand, a Republican, sponsored Senate Bill 1100, the centerpiece of the four-part legislative package giving state officials the authority and capital they need to construct the sites.

"Our veterans have served our nation valiantly and deserve the best possible care," Hildenbrand told the publication. "This legislation will modernize the way our veterans homes operate and transform them into facilities that can quickly and easily adapt to the ever-changing nature of long-term care services."

The senator's legislation allows for the creation of an autonomous regulatory body within Michigan's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), one local ABC affiliate reported. This work group will have the authority to allocate funding, purchase property and enforce local, state and federal compliance standards. On Jan. 11, Gov. Rick Snyder signed SB 1100 and its three counterparts into law.

New facilities coming to Michigan
Building new facilities in Detroit and Grand Rapids will be the first task for the freshly formed body. Each site will cover roughly 132,000 square feet and include 120 beds, residential units and expansive common spaces. Construction is scheduled to begin in June 2018 and end in August 2019. Together, the buildings carry a total price tag of $108 million, including almost $66 million in federal funding. State officials must apply for the latter before work can begin in earnest.

An answer to statewide concerns
In recent years, the DMVA has faced criticism for its treatment of Michigan veterans. In February of last year, state auditors discovered that employees at the Grand Rapids Home, a clinic for ailing former service members, failed to follow up on allegations of abuse and neglect and issue prescriptions in a timely fashion. Additionally, the facility suffered from crippling staffing shortages that went unaddressed.

Jeff Barnes, director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, a subdivision of the DMVA responsible for coordinating benefits for former service members, resigned in the wake of the audit, the Detroit Free Press reported. In the months following Barnes' departure, Michigan legislators developed an exhaustive strategy to improve veterans facilities and services statewide. This strategy includes the provisions in SB 1100 and other overarching reforms.

Hildenbrand and his colleagues in the Michigan legislature hope to meet the April deadline for federal funding and start improvements as soon as possible. 

Organizations across the country deploy service animals to aid veterans struggling with the physical and psychological wounds of war. However, one Escondido, California-based group has separated itself from the pack by offering ocean-based therapy sessions featuring a surfing canine, according to Today. The organization, called Waves of Empowerment, pairs former service members with human instructors who not only teach them how to ride the waves but also work to rebuild their self-confidence and offer strategies for coping with problems stemming from post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions. Additionally, most participants interact with a special service animal named Ricochet who lends essential support as they navigate new emotional and physical territory.

Making waves
Retired Staff Sgt. Randall Dexter returned from his second and final tour in Iraq in 2012. Upon arrival, he was assigned to the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, where he was treated for a traumatic brain injury. An improvised explosive device had rocked Dexter's Army unit, leaving him unsteady. While in treatment, doctors diagnosed the veteran with PTSD, further shaking his battle-worn psyche.

"It was all brutal," Dexter told Today. "I was contemplating suicide and was a hot mess."

After a year of prescription-based treatment failed to move things forward, Dexter reached out to a nonprofit that connected veterans with service dogs. Soon after, he met his canine match: Ricochet. The results were almost immediate.

"The minute Ricochet came up to me, my wife – who's also my caregiver – noticed a big change in me," the former Army officer explained. "Ricochet has this amazing softness in her eyes. It was definitely a turning point when I met her."

However, Dexter soon found out she had much more to offer than most service animals.

A buoyant beginning
Judy Fridono enrolled Ricochet in service dog training soon after she was born in January 2008. However, the golden retriever showed little interest in the instruction and instead spent sessions chasing wildlife. Even though Ricochet ultimately earned her service animal certification, Fridono was reluctant to deploy her, as her rambunctious behavior could present problems for most patients. Still, the animal found work with a San Diego-based organization called Paws'itive Teams. Ricochet also started learning how to surf and, at 15 months, competed in the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge, earning third place.

Her performance in the event, along with a viral video that showed her riding along with a quadriplegic surfer named Patrick Ivison, caught the attention of news outlets across the country. By the time Dexter met Ricochet in 2013, she had worked with more than 50 veterans and raised tens of thousands of dollars for health organizations across the country through surfing events. Earlier this month, the dog surpassed the $500,000 mark, The San Diego Tribune reported.

Today, she continues to help disabled Americans across the country through Waves of Empowerment, which grew out of her connection with Dexter.

"She gave me freedom and gave me my life back," the Army veteran told Today. 

The program now staffs trained therapeutic surfers who help former service members and others overcome their problems out on the open ocean, just as Ricochet did when she partnered with the retired sergeant four years ago.  

 

In recent years, large numbers of veterans have returned home and enrolled in college to broaden their civilian skill sets and hopefully begin a fulfilling career during their life after service. As of today, more than a million former service members have taken advantage of their educational benefits, according to statistics from the Department of Veterans Affairs. This number is expected to increase by 20 percent in the years to come. Despite these encouraging enrollment numbers, many veterans have struggled with the transition from the battlefield to the lecture hall, Military Times reported.

“To come on campus in your mid-20s after having served, having nothing in common with your peers, it tends to generate feelings of separation,” retired Army Lt. Col. John Bechtol told the publication. “There’s often just this sense of loneliness, a feeling of being disconnected from their classmates.”

Institutions across the country are well aware of this problem but most find it difficult to pinpoint a solution. Luckily, these schools now have a workable blueprint off of which they can base on-campus veteran service programs.

New England school steps up
Northeastern University in Boston is home to approximately 600 student veterans, according to the college’s Center for the Advancement of Veterans and Service Members (CAVS). Why do so many discharged military personnel flock to the university? Northeastern has cultivated an effective financial and social support system, WBUR reported. The process started back in 2012 when school administrators invested $2 million in the VA’s Yellow Ribbon Program, a federal educational initiative that lowers tuition costs and fees for veterans enrolled in degree-granting institutions. In the years since, Northeastern has participated in the program and contributes an estimated $25,000 in financial aid to its 150 undergraduate veterans.

Marine Corps veteran Max Spahn was able to graduate last year free of debt, which he attributes to the school’s robust financial incentives.

“Zero costs to me out of pocket is the biggest thing,” he explained. “And I’m still going to be able to graduate without a dime coming out of my pocket, because of Northeastern.”

In addition to its aid packages, the college offers a comforting social atmosphere for former service personnel. For starters, CAVS, established in 2015, helps veterans navigate campus and connect with staff and students who have also served in the armed forces. Andy McCarty, director for the organization, takes a hands-on approach, guiding war-weary young men and women as they move on from their military days.

“They think that because the military gave them a job, a very specific job, their military occupation skill, that that’s somehow a vocation, and the job that they have to hold for the rest of their lives,” McCarty, an Air Force veteran, told WBUR.

Other on-campus organizations, such as the Student Veterans Association, provide extra support. Together, these fixtures combine to form a unique educational experience for the former service members who attend Northeastern, 82 percent of whom go on to graduate.

Northeastern moves forward
This month, the university once again added to its veteran services portfolio, opening an on-campus Veterans for Foreign Wars (VFW) post, the second of its kind. Spahn has signed on to command the post, which has no physical location as of yet. Still, the new VFW post will allow former service members at Northeastern to engage with the veteran community at large and provide yet another point of connection for the men and women who have served. The post will cater to younger veterans who want to get out and explore rather than stay indoors and reminisce.

“They do more of the social gatherings, and it’s not necessarily at a VFW post all the time,” Brian Martin, state commander for the Massachusetts VFW, told WBUR. “They’re looking for the camaraderie, but in different settings. They have running teams. They do the Tough Mudder races, things like that. That’s how they join together. They go out together, and they compete in things.”

Overall, Northeastern’s commitment to student veterans stands as shining example for colleges searching for ways to connect with the military population and provide an ideal academic and social environment for former service members hoping to build a life post-discharge.

Former service members suffering from the physical and psychological effects of warfare have long looked to service animals for comfort and support. While most veterans work with trained mammals such as dogs, others bond with less common creatures, according to Today. 

Christopher Driggins, founder of the Vancouver, Washington-based nonprofit Parrots for Patriots, pairs veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions with abandoned birds. These animals help normalize the lives of their owners, lending the structure and support veterans need to truly address serious war wounds within.

"With PTSD or any other type of mental disorder, your life is a little confused," Driggins explained. "Birds demand normalcy, and certain birds are very needy. They help you fall into a pattern – get up at this time, give me a treat at this time, give me TLC. Then you find yourself in a normal routine again. You don't have those restless nights where you're up all night worrying."

Bringing birds to the fore
Driggins, an Army veteran and president of the Northwest Bird Rescue in Vancouver, founded Parrots for Patriots back in 2015, The Oregonian reported. After coming across so many homeless animals and speaking with fellow former service members, Driggins decided to address two problems with one solution. Now, veterans across the country can apply to adopt a bird. Various sponsors, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, absorb a portion of the adoption costs. Applicants are responsible for picking up the remaining amount and paying a $25 processing fee. Those who pass the evaluation process must agree to take bird caretaking classes at the Exotic Bird Rescue of Oregon in Portland. 

The program is open to all veterans, including those who have been dishonorably discharged.

Promoting new methods
Driggins' avian-based therapeutic techniques aren't unheard of, according to the Los Angeles Times. In fact, the VA facility located in West Los Angeles hosts an extensive exotic bird facility that is home to dozens of parrots. The birds housed at the site, called the Serenity Park Parrot Sanctuary, are used for the VA Medical Center's Feathered Friends initiative, a therapy program helps veterans work through their problems by learning about and caring for the animals. Matthew Simmons, a Navy veteran and director of operations for Serenity Park, helps participants cycle through the program. He believes the parrots help struggling former service members reconnect with nature and peacefully sort through their troubles.

"Anger and resentment are not going to solve this problem," Simmons told the Times. "Clinical diagnosis will solve some. But what it is, is it's an inside job, and we've got to give them the tools to heal internally … outside the brick and mortar."

Making the right connection
Further north, Driggins takes the same approach, uniting veterans with animals that may help them rebuild from the inside out. Many applicants have experience with other types of service animals but turn to parrots in an effort to achieve emotional stability. While dogs and other mammals act as loving partners, most tend to live shorter lives, meaning owners must deal with the troubling emotions that come along with the passing of one or more companions.

Air Force veteran Paul Thomas owned other service animals before signing up with Parrots for Patriots. Now, he takes care of a 21-year-old African gray parrot named Sabrina, who, like most aves, has a life span of up to 80 years. 

"The ongoing traumatic experience can carry a weight," he said in an interview with The Oregonian. "The concept of having an animal that's going to be with you literally your entire life is a good, positive thing."

Like dogs and other mammals, birds like Sabrina are adept at unpacking human emotions and know exactly when to offer support.

"They read us like we read books. If you're nervous, they're nervous. If you're afraid, they're afraid. You really have to be in control of your emotional state before interacting with them," Thomas told the newspaper.

As Parrots for Patriots continues to grow, more veterans will gain access to special animals with the power to mitigate the long-lasting psychological symptoms of war.