Members of the military and their families face many challenges other than combat. Effective training, transitioning to civilian life and suicide prevention are all serious issues in the community, and Army Secretary John McHugh recently signed a directive to implement some recommendations from the forthcoming findings from the Behavioral Health Task Force, according to Army News Service.
Known as the “Ready and Resilient” campaign, the initiative will be a broad undertaking. Among its chief provisions is one that will call for any programs designed to target resiliency will fall under the control of a single authority in an effort to reduce confusion. Additionally, McHugh says the programs will address everything from domestic abuse to removing the stigma attached to seeking help.
“We’re trying to teach soldiers it’s OK to reach out for help,” McHugh told reporters. “You don’t just do that in a class or two to a young soldier. It really has to be a career-long progression.”
The Behavioral Health Task Force was authorized last year by McHugh in an effort to better understand the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. The findings are particularly important now, given that in 2012, 325 servicemembers took their own lives, which was a record number.
It should not come as much of a surprise that active duty soldiers require more energy on a day to day basis than the civilian population. Experts estimate that typical servicemembers in a garrison take in about 3,250 calories every day. However, less is known about the nutritional needs of special operations forces in the military, and researchers from the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) are interested in finding out what they are, Military.com reports.
The study is being conducted to see if any changes are necessary to the Basic Daily Food Allowance (BDFA). Experts believe that special forces may require more calories each day because their training often includes more workouts and is physically demanding, something that could be reflected in the BDFA.
“The special forces have long argued that their people work harder and sustain much higher rates of energy expenditure than the average soldier when they’re training in garrison and subsisting in dining facilities,” Dr. Andrew Young, chief of the Military Nutrition Division, told the website.
Nutrition is particularly important to active duty soldiers, this is especially true as it relates to protein. Experts recommend that servicemembers consume around 20 grams throughout the day and between 30 and 40 grams after a workout.
The impending budget cuts facing the Armed Forces have left many top officials worried, but the concerns extend to military families. Along with potential slashes to benefits and pay, the cuts may also result in longer than normal deployments for active duty soldiers, The Associated Press reports.
Navy officials say the budget cuts could be particularly harmful to their branch. Reduced spending will not only result in fewer funds for training and maintenance, but it could also cause the extension of deployment due to the dearth of resources. Now, the Navy will likely have fewer ships to put across the globe, which increases the likelihood of lengthy deployments. Families say this added uncertainty only increases the stress and anxiety that comes with having a loved one serve overseas.
“Even before the budget cuts and everything, you never have a set time that they’re going to be home. I mean, they have a date, but that can always change so you always have that little bit of a worry that it’s going to be longer than you think,” military spouse Robin Lunsford told the AP.
The military is certainly not ignoring the concerns of the families. For instance, the Navy recently launched a wellness campaign aimed at preventing many of the common problems among the strained military community such as alcohol abuse. The program is a step in the right direction to be sure, but if the across-the-board budget cuts, known as sequestration, take affect starting March 1, there will be other concerns facing the loved ones of servicemembers.
Sequestration could dramatically impact any number of programs available to military families. For instance, schools that cater specifically to children have already seen some changes. In fact, at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas, the school has already had to eliminate some vital positions including English, math and science teachers, according to Stars and Stripes.
Of course, the concerns about the drastic cuts could all be for naught if Congress acts before March 1 to avoid them. The debate echoes a similar one from much of 2012 over whether spending cuts or tax increases are the way to reduce the deficit. Earlier this week, President Barack Obama called on lawmakers to pass a short-term agreement if they could not reach a long-term solution.
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) recently celebrated its 20th birthday, and in recognition of the milestone the Labor Department announced that it would be extending some of the benefits to the families of servicemembers. The move allows the loved ones of troops to take time off for a variety of issues without having to worry about losing their jobs, reports the Sun Sentinel.
What are the benefits?
The legislation provides a number of benefits for military families. For example, they can take as much as 26 weeks unpaid leave to care for a servicemember with an illness or injury. Furthermore, the announcement also stipulates that military families can take 12 weeks for a number of service-related emergencies such as deployment or struggles upon returning home. To Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, who is a veteran, the decision to extend benefits for military families was a smart one.
“The Family and Medical Leave act stands up for women, it stands up for families, and it stands up for our brave men and women who serve in our Armed Forces,” she said in a prepared statement. “As someone who went through a personal tragedy that required months of care in the hospital, I know how important it is to have a loved one by your side in those moments.”
Has it worked?
The celebration of the 20th anniversary coincides with the release of a recent study that touts the positive role that the FMLA has played over the last two decades. Conducted by the Labor Department, the study found that 90 percent of workplaces that are covered by the FMLA say that the policy has had a positive impact on the work environment. However, there is still work to be done because an estimated 40 percent of all workers are still not covered by the FMLA.
Importance of FMLA
Military families may be one of the groups that need the FMLA, given that their loved ones’ injuries often require a substantial level of care. This is especially true given the events of the last 12 years. Since 2001, more than 17,670 servicemembers have been wounded due to the war in Afghanistan. The figures were even greater for troops who served in Iraq, with more than 32,200 soldiers wounded between 2003 and 2011.
With baseball season quickly approaching, many troops stationed overseas may be starting to miss America’s pastime, but a group of soldiers serving in Germany recently got a little taste of home in a big way. Baseball legends Wade Boggs, David Justice, Rollie Fingers and Bob Brenly stopped by to play Wiffle Ball with servicemembers from 709th MP Battalion and 172nd Separate Infantry Brigade, Stars and Stripes reports.
The event, dubbed Spring Training to the Troops, was put on by the Fox Sports Media Group and featured more than just a simple Wiffle Ball game. Organizers also flew in cheerleaders, umpires and the game even included play-by-play work from Mario Impemba, who calls games for the Detroit Tigers. Fox Sports has hosted similar events for football before, but this is the first one to include baseball players. Choosing to do it in Grafenwöhr, Germany, seemed like the right choice.
“When we talked to the military, finding out there was a training installation, the biggest one in Europe, it made sense,” Chris Hannan, senior vice president for Fox Sports, told the publication.
Sports and the military have a long history together. In the days leading up to the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl, there were a number of events geared toward military families. The military has also long been a sponsor for NASCAR.
Soldiers often face a difficult transition upon returning home from the battlefield. It can be a challenge to reconnect with family members and also to acclimate to a different environment, and a new study found that active duty soldiers also tend to experience significant problems sleeping after leaving combat zones. Researchers from Washington’s Madigan Army Medical Center say the findings should spur a change in how the military addresses sleep problems.
The study
Researchers relied on findings from a trial conducted in 2010 at the medical center that focused on how active duty soldiers slept. They discovered that more than 85 percent of the participants had a clinically relevant sleep disorder. The most commonly diagnosed issue was obstructive sleep disorder, with 51.2 percent of participants exhibiting the condition. Insomnia was also common, with 24.7 percent of soldiers showing symptoms. Additionally, scientists found that the average in-home sleep duration stood at just 5.74 hours each night.
What does it mean?
While more studies are needed to solidify the findings, the results suggest that sleep deprivation, which is often an assumed part of military service, could have a much larger impact than originally thought. Researchers posit that certain injuries and medical conditions that are common to veterans could also be playing a big role, because more than 58 percent of participants had a service-related medical condition such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), depression or anxiety.
“Their findings highlight the need for policy and culture change in our military organizations and continued research to understand and ameliorate the injuries these veterans have sustained,” Nita Lewis Shattuck wrote in an editorial accompanying the study. “Better appreciation of the causal factors associated with veterans’ health will lead to better policies for transition to civilian life and ultimately minimize the cost of veterans’ healthcare to society.”
A good night’s sleep can help
Though there are no definite statistics, some experts estimate that as much as 20 percent of post-9/11 veterans have some form of post-traumatic stress disorder or TBI, and getting enough sleep can help some of them manage the symptoms, according to The News Tribune. Lt. Col. Vincent Mysliwiec, who lead the study, told the newspaper that since TBI and PTSD are often accompanied by troubles sleeping, addressing those issues could play a vital role in treatment.
The Pentagon lifted the ban on women serving in combat roles last month, opening thousands of new positions up to women in the military. Although this progress was good news for many, some are now expressing doubts about whether women have enough physical strength to take on certain positions, USA Today reports.
Military creates “gender neutral” physical test
The question of “are they physically strong enough?” for the roles is being answered by a new, “gender neutral” test that is designed to determine whether all members of the military, women included, are fit to serve in front line positions.
“We’re not going to just throw open the doors and say, ‘OK, go at it,'” Marine Lt. Gen. Robert Milstead, deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs, told the news outlet. “We’re doing this responsibly.”
Milstead added that “if a woman can do it, then we’re all for it,” but said the military just needs to make sure these troops can perform at the same physical level as men.
The new test will gauge how women perform under certain circumstances, like carrying 40-pound tank shells, loading them into main guns, for instance. Other challenges may bring up issues of subjectivity – how far should troops be required to walk with a 100-pound load to pass the test? What height should he or she be able to clear?
Milstead emphasizes the consideration he and his colleagues are taking to ensure fairness in the testing while building the strongest possible military.
“I think we are going to be challenged every step of the way,” Milstead told the publication. “There will be people who question: Why do you have that standard?”
Obama expresses support for women in combat
In an interview with CBS’ Scott Pelley on CBS Evening News Sunday, President Obama pointed out that women already are serving in combat.
“They may not get treated like they’re in combat, but when they’re in theater, in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, they are vulnerable, they are wounded, and they’ve been killed,” Obama said. “They have carried out their jobs with extraordinary patriotism and distinction.”
“I mean, extraordinary women in uniform, who can do everything a man can and more,” he added.
The lift on the ban is as much about the physical strength of the military as it is about gender equality in the workplace. It could open up as many as 230,000 positions to women across all services, allowing them opportunities for career advancement that were once closed.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its latest unemployment findings on Friday, and while the national jobless rate stayed the same, the news wasn’t quite as good for post-9/11 veterans. During January, the unemployment rate for the veterans of the most recent wars rose to 11.7 percent, up considerably from 9.9 percent in December.
The results are somewhat of a step back for the concerted effort being made to help servicemembers find jobs once they leave the Armed Forces. There have been a number of programs launched over the last several months aimed at providing vets with the training to help them land in-demand jobs. For instance, the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program has been lauded as a big step forward, but it is still too young to have any graduates. Additionally, the transition assistance program has been revamped to offer more training for troops.
Despite the best efforts of Congress and the Department of Defense, it’s clear that something else needs to be done to help chip away at the high unemployment figures. Some new bills have been proposed in Congress that might help, including one that would extend in-state GI Bill benefits to soldiers who live out of state.
Veterans looking for assistance with the job hunt can visit AFBA’s Career Center, which helps pair employers and recruiters with qualified servicemembers.
Military families often face a number of financial challenges. Frequent moves can weigh heavily on the loved ones of servicemembers, and sometimes lead to debt and unemployment. That is why the Department of Defense says that it’s important for military couples to deal with finances early in the year so they can take stock of their financial situation, according to American Forces Press Service.
Barbara Thompson, the director of the Pentagon’s office of Family Policy/Children and Youth, said there are many resources available to military families to help them ensure their financial stability. For instance, bases usually offer counselors who can help soldiers and their families manage debt or help plan for their children’s futures. They can also help members of the community change their spending habits.
“When you map your money coming in against your money going out, you are one step closer to paying off debt, building savings and feeling confident about your financial status,” Thompson told the news source.
The financial concerns of the military community have been heightened as of late due to the threat of sequestration looming in the distance. Troops may face changes ranging from lowered retirement and health benefits or even cuts in pay.
The Holiday Mail for Heroes program, which is organized by the Red Cross and Pitney Bowes, helps bring some cheer to servicemembers and their families during the holiday season, and this year the program was especially successful. Americans sent out an estimated 1.2 million cards this year, and everyone from NFL teams to congressmen helped play a role.
The cards made their way to a wide variety of places. Some were sent to military hospitals while others ended up at bases across the globe. Among those who supported Holiday Mail for Heroes were country star Trace Adkins and the first families of several states, including those with large military populations such as Pennsylvania and Georgia.
“We thank all the generous people who collectively sent in more than a million cards this year,” said Sherri Brown, senior vice president, Service to the Armed Forces at the Red Cross. “The cards went to people all over the world, to places far and near, including ships at sea. These expressions of thanks and cheer make the holidays a little brighter for those who have sacrificed so much for our country.”
This is the sixth year of existence for Holiday Mail for Heroes, and it has grown considerably since its early days. It started in 2007 when Walter Reed Army Medical Center simply wanted help distributing cards to wounded soldiers.