Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors has increased its efforts to help families of fallen soldiers receive the benefits they are entitled to.
According to Military Times, spouses and children of deceased servicemembers are often unaware of the educational benefits they are eligible to receive, and because of this end up forgoing higher education or drowning in student loan debt. TAPS has created a Web page to guide survivors through the process of applying for scholarships and grants.
TAPS was created in 1992 by current CEO Bonnie Carroll. Her husband, a member of the Army, passed away in a plane crash and she founded the organization in an effort to help others in similar situations. The group offers emotional support groups, community workshops and even summer camps for families who have lost a soldier. According to Military Times, TAPS works closely with the Veterans Affairs Department and 45 U.S. states, as well as private companies and scholarship funds that hope to help military children and spouses.
The educational initiative began in January 2014 and has already assisted 420 surviving family members receive funding for school, noted the source.
A new tribute to servicemembers, the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, will be recognized in a ceremony on Oct. 5.
According to The Washington Post, the tribute has been built to honor veterans who have been physically and mentally wounded from war. The memorial's website noted that its construction has been in the works since 1997, when veterans' advocates realized that Washington, D.C., while filled with memorials, was missing one that recognized soldiers disabled due to combat.
They set out to create a place that recognized the sacrifices of all branches of the armed forces throughout the entire history of the U.S. For over a decade, the team has been going through the 24-step process of establishing a memorial in Washington. On Sunday, their efforts will finally come to fruition.
The Post noted that the memorial will consist of a reflecting pool surrounded by granite and glass panels with 18 quotes meant to summarize and honor the struggles faced by veterans throughout history.
The tribute is located in the heart of the nation's capital, next to the U.S. Botanic Garden. After Sunday's ceremony, it will officially be open to the public.
U.S. soldiers prepare to head to Liberia this month to help in the ongoing fight against Ebola. The Pentagon announced on Sept. 30 that they anticipate landing in the West African nation by late October, according to Stars and Stripes.
The troops will be divided into groups focusing on different tasks. A team of 700 combat engineers will work to construct 17 new Ebola treatment facilities. The rest of the servicemembers will be responsible for preparation and helping African medical personnel, noted Stars and Stripes.
Ebola is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids. American troops will not offer medical treatment or have any contact with individuals infected by the virus, according to Military Times. Soldiers will be trained in how to protect themselves from contracting the disease before they are deployed.
Stars and Stripes noted that U.S. troops are estimated to remain in Liberia for at least six months.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this outbreak of Ebola is the largest in history and is considered an epidemic. The World Health Organization reported that there have been 3,000 deaths from the outbreak so far and nearly 7,000 people have been infected.
Almost 50 years ago, Virginia native Larry F. Freeman helped save the lives of nine people while fighting in Vietnam. He received the prestigious Silver Star award for his actions on Sept. 28.
According to Military Times, the Silver Star is the third-highest award for valor. Freeman was given the medal at the convention center in Tennessee where he often reunites with fellow veterans. Family and friends were present to see him receive the overdue honor.
It has been a long road for Freeman to finally have his actions recognized. Pilot Online noted that he was originally nominated in 1966, but issues with paperwork prevented the request from being submitted. Because of his outstanding actions in Vietnam, however, members of his platoon pursued the honor on his behalf again, starting the process in 2005.
Freeman's platoon, Alpha Company of the 1st Bn, 27th Infantry Regiment, started July 19, 1966, with 33 people and ended the day with only nine. According to Military Times, Freeman played an influential role in saving those nine lives. He also received a Purple Heart award because of the wounds he sustained during this day, noted the source.
The Army has implemented a competitive program for enlisted servicemembers who want to become physician assistants.
According to Army Times, this new training will be extremely long and demanding, even by Army standards. It will consist of two phases over the course of 116 weeks. Successful completion of the course will result in a master's degree in medical care, courtesy of the University of Nebraska.
According to the United States Army Recruiting Command, well-qualified officers, enlisted soldiers and warrant officers are welcome to apply to receive the PA degree. Soldiers with more than 13 years of federal active service and officers with more than seven years of federal active service as of 2016 are not eligible. Regular Army servicemembers who intend to participate must be set to complete the training before their 42nd birthday. Members of the Army Reserves must do so before their 47th birthday.
If accepted, servicemembers will spend 64 weeks at the Army Medical Department Center and School in Houston, Texas, for classes. They will then be placed at an Army medical facility for a year-long clinical, reported Army Times.
Graduates of the PA program will have a 54-month service obligation if they are regular Army servicemembers and eight year obligation if they are from the Army Reserves.
The Air Force's explosive ordinance disposal mission in Afghanistan is officially over. The U.S. branch of service has been a presence in the country for the past 12 years, assisting with Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
According to Military Times, EOD airmen first began their service on Sept. 27, 2002, and went on to complete missions in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The Air Force noted that throughout their time overseas EOD servicemembers responded to nearly 20,000 improvised explosive devices and completed just under 56,000 missions.
Over 100 Purple Hearts have been awarded to EOD soldiers in the past 12 years. The Air Force lost 20 airmen during this time, eight while serving in Iraq and 12 in Afghanistan.
"Knowing we didn't accomplish this alone, I think about our families, their sacrifices, keeping the home front going, growing up with dad or mom (in several cases both) gone on multiple trips to the AOR (area of responsibility) and the stress they went through," said Chief Master Sgt. Martin Cortez, EOD career field manager, in an American Forces Press Service article.
Military Times reported that the last airmen returned to a base in Florida on Sept. 14.
The Department of Veterans Affairs, in partnership with the National Institutes of Health, will begin work on a research initiative to look at non-opioid treatment options for servicemembers. According to The Washington Post, the research will span the next five years and cost $21.7 million. The initiative will involve 13 separate research projects.
The NIH reported that the studies will be done in an effort to help soldiers dealing with both physical pain and mental health issues such as problems sleeping, post-traumatic stress disorder and even substance abuse during life after service.
According to the Post, most soldiers returning from war with these issues are being given opioids, which are linked to troubling side effects and can be highly addictive. The NIH noted that since 44 percent of soldiers report having to manage chronic pain post-deployment, finding safe and healthy treatments is essential. Some of the alternative medical procedures that will be researched include meditation, hypnosis and the use of chiropractors and morning light.
Funding for the projects will come from the NIH's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and National Institute on Drug Abuse and the VA's Health Services Research and Development Division.
Newman's Own Awards gave a total of $200,000 to five programs dedicated to helping servicemembers, veterans and their families.
The award money doubled from last year's prize of $100,000 thanks to an increased donation from The Fisher House Foundation, an organization committed to helping armed forces families.
According to Military Times, the winners were selected from 288 entries. Awards will be given to a program that teaches veterans entrepreneurship, two organizations devoted to helping military children, a veteran dental care program and a group that helps struggling veterans find housing. The housing program, Operation Warm Embrace, received the highest award at $50,000, while the other programs received $37,500 each.
The awards were presented in a ceremony held at the Pentagon. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, presented the donations and gave a speech.
"There is power in what you do. It can be big or small, but there's power in it," he remarked, according to Military Times.
The Fisher House Foundation noted that the entries are judged by seven officials who look for innovation, creativity and how much of a positive impact the organizations have had on their respective communities. The contest began in 1999 and has since honored 158 programs, giving out $1,125,000.
A report just released by the Disabled American Veterans highlights the lack of services available that are geared toward female servicemembers.
According to Military Times, the amount of female veterans in the U.S. has more than doubled in the past 14 years. Numbers are expected to increase by as much as 11 percent by the year 2020. Veterans Affairs has done little to keep up with this gender shift – the source reported that almost a quarter of VA medical facilities do not have a full-time gynecologist. Many institutions helping rural veterans don't even have a designated provider for women's health care.
The Wall Street Journal noted that many women face obstacles that men will never experience, such as the need for adjusted prosthetics during pregnancy. Female soldiers are also more likely to require care for mental health issues post-war, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. The source noted that female veterans have a higher unemployment rate than male veterans, and are therefore more likely to seek medical services through the VA.
Military Times noted that female veterans are also more likely to be single parents, be divorced and be younger in their life after service than male veterans, all factors that need to be taken into account when figuring out how to move forward with adapting veteran care. The DAV report makes numerous suggestions on how the VA can begin this adaptation.
A new program being developed by the Army Research Laboratory and using Microsoft's Kinect video game technology has turned regular sandboxes into 3-D maps. According to Marine Corps Times, it is being called augmented reality sand, and will be used to create topographical maps of battle areas.
Tech website DVIDSHub.net noted that the system made an appearance at the Modern Day Marine expo in Quantico, Virginia. According to the source, augmented reality sand takes existing processes to a new level. While military branches have used sand tables to plan tactics for years, the addition of the video game software will increase precision immeasurably. Kinect technology is shown on sand using a projector, and color codes the areas based on elevation, making it easy to create a detailed and customizable interactive map.
Marine Corps Times reported that officials hope the system will help with obstacles such as language barriers: Showing foreign soldiers small-scale maps of their terrain will eliminate having to explain complicated measurements. According to the source, if the augmented reality sand proves efficient, it could translate into larger scale projects, for example, filling a full-size gym for training exercises, or smaller scale projects like mobile applications. Currently, the program is being researched and developed.