On July 4 this year, America turns 238. Independence day marks the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776 to proclaim U.S. independence from England. This document was vital in defining America as its own, separate entity, no longer subjects of the British king. The American Revolution had already been underway for the year leading up July 4, 1776. With the conflict heating up, a five-man committee decided to create a document that outlined the ideals of what would one day be the United States of America.
It was Richard Henry Lee of Virginia who first presented a proclamation of independence on June 7, 1776. He was quoted saying, "Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."
Following in the days after this proposed resolution, with each colony tasked with voting either for or against Lee's influential words, there was no direct solution, as some disagreed with this proclamation. In order to appease opponents, a committee was instructed to draft an official resolution document. The committee consisted of John Adams, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston and Thomas Jefferson. They presented a statement, the Declaration of Independence, describing the case for emancipation, to Congress.
On July 1, 1776, the colonies voted again on Lee's proposed resolution, drafted into the Declaration. With nine votes for the Declaration, two against, one undecided and one abstaining from voting, the resolution was approved. Subsequent drafting occurred until July 4, when the declaration was officially approved. This act was the first united action that America took against Britain, and the first step on the road to becoming its own independent nation. What started out as a country of 2.5 million in 1776 has since grown to a nation of 311.17 million in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Population Clock.
July 4 is now a day on which those fighting to maintain the independence of the U.S. in the military or life after service should be recognized for their service to the country. The forefathers fought for the independence of America from its colonial ruler, forming a union of states under one set of ideals, and July 4 is a day to remember the early military strength of the nation.
A Native American WWII veteran, Paul Coon, passed away at 95 on June 23, 2014. Coon was a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, a culture that claimed extensive territory in the Southeastern U.S. before 1500 AD, according to the official Muscogee website. Coon was the last surviving Native American involved in the Baataan Death March, during which the Japanese military forced tens of thousands of soldiers on a 65-mile voyage in the Philippines in 1942. He also survived a prisoner of war labor camp in Japan, for which he received his war honors. Principal Chief George Tiger of the Muscogee tribe commented in a statement about the recent death of the servicemember.
"He always told me that he felt like he was able to overcome the Death March because of his faith and because he knew people back home were praying for him. He had a lot of things to say about life, about the Creek Nation," Tiger said in a news release. "We were honored as the Muscogee (Creek) Nation to have him as a tribal citizen. I think Indian Country was honored to have him being who he was."
Before his death, Coon was able to visit the POW site that he was held at in Japan. Now, the vacant site is next to a former copper mine. He was able to meet with the mayor of the town, Kosaka, where he was forced to work in during the war. Japanese government officials then had the chance to apologize to Coon and others in life after service for their mistreatment during the war.
Fox News reported that upon returning to his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he was awarded with the Prisoner of War medal, Bronze Star, and a Combat Infantryman Badge in an informal ceremony.
"I've been blessed to come this far in life," Fox reported Coon said at the time. "I thank the Lord for watching over me."
Traumatic Brain Injuries affect millions of people in the U.S. every year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these injuries caused by head trauma – anything from a jolt to the head to a severe head injury – can disrupt functioning of the brain. This disruption can mean anything from a brief change in consciousness or mental state to an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia. In the case of severe TBI, where the patient may be unconscious for a period after the accident, there are long-term symptoms that affect not only the victim but his or her family. Different areas of the brain may be severely affected by the trauma, including areas responsible for cognitive function, motor function, sensation or emotion.
For one military family, a husband returning from Iraq had severe personality changes for years after his accident. Sarah Jenkins, his wife, noticed that he acted irrationally and irritably, though no one quite knew what was wrong.
"Everyone's like, 'Oh, he just got back. It's OK,'" she told the Chronicle. "And then it just kept going and going and going, and you know that something's wrong but you just can't put your finger on it."
For eight years after he returned, Jenkins was not aware that his condition was the result of a mortar blast during his tour abroad. In July 2004, a mortar blast went off 30 feet from Jenkins' husband, an event that changed his behavior afterwards. She remembered telling him about a car she purchased shortly after the accident, and how his response was uncharacteristic of his normal behavior. He left several voicemails for her, the last one of which was "not very nice," she said.
Her husband never told her his diagnosis, though he received it three years after the mortar blast. It wasn't until five years later that Jenkins noticed the record and finally understood that the behavioral changes in her husband were not just the result of post-traumatic stress disorder and a part of his transition to life at home. Once the family knew what had happened and how it affected their father, they made changes to their lifestyle in order to lessen the triggers he was experiencing.
Now, in his life after service, Jenkins and his family are living in the quiet countryside. After finding his medical records, his wife started Project DownRange, which she hopes will improve family member's' access to veterans' medical records. She did not blame her husband for concealing his diagnosis, but having an explanation for his behavior earlier on may have eased the tension and confusion that were prompted by his personality changes. She then wrote a story about her experience with TBI for a Facebook support group. Unknowingly, Chicken Soup for the Soul picked up on her story and decided to publish it in a new edition focusing on recovering from TBIs. Sarah and her family's experience will hopefully bring solace to other families who may be experiencing similar personality changes in their loved ones after a trauma abroad.
The U.S. Army recognized Vietnam veteran Patrick A. Tiessonniere June 11, during a historical presentation put on by the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Twilight Tattoo. The event took place at Fort Myer in Virginia.
Tiessonniere was a Silver Star medal recipient, which is the nation's third-highest military decoration for valor. The Silver Star can be gained by engaging the enemy and fighting in support of a friendly foreign force. During the Twilight Tattoo, he recounted stories of his deployment for the audience, which was mostly made up of local schoolchildren. In one story, he remembered a time when his commander, Col. John A. Hemphill, came face to face with a member of the Viet Cong.
"[Hemphill] told me his life flashed before him. He thought he was dead. But as he was looking at him, the enemy soldier keeled over. He had been shot," Tiessonniere said, according to the Army News Service . "My platoon saved [Hemphill's] life that day."
During his life after service, Tiessonniere is currently working for the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, at Fort Lesley J. McNair. Tiessonniere has kept his memories alive and is writing a book based on his life during the Vietnam War.
This week's Twilight Tattoo was dedicated to veterans of the Vietnam War. Tiessonniere was serving as a representative of the Vietnam veterans. The event is a live-action military pageant that seeks to explore military history and highlight those who have served their country. The Twilight Tattoo is a weekly event that runs about an hour and is free to the public. It is held every Wednesday in the summer and begins at 6:45. Some performers involved include The U.S. Army Blues, vocalists from The U.S. Army Band Downrange and U.S. Army Voices, The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps and The U.S. Army Drill Team, according to the events website.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is partnering with the University of San Francisco and Massachusetts General Hospital to develop a technology that may reduce the severity of neuropsychological illness in service members and veterans, according to a recent DARPA report. The goal is to develop a neurological device, part of Systems-Based Neurotechnology for Emerging Therapies (SUBNETS), that would diminish symptoms of mental illness.
This new device was inspired by Medtronic's existing Deep Brain Stimulation technology. According to the firm, their DBS Therapy implanted device stimulates targeted areas of the brain with electrical pulses. This stimulation helps to control symptoms of psychiatric or movement disorders. Research for a similar device that would benefit veterans in particular was prompted by President Obama's brain initiative. This initiative provided DARPA with $50 million in funding for the new project.
The UCSF team is working on the development of the physical device that will use direct recording, stimulation, and therapeutic approaches to alter and eventually repair the neuron pathways responsible for symptoms of psychiatric or neurological diseases.
The team at Mass General Hospital will assess the symptoms neurological diseases such as increased anxiety, impaired recall or inappropriate responses to stimuli alongside detailed brain scans. This practice, a "trans-diagnostic" approach to assess patients, will hopefully identify the specific brain areas responsible for certain symptoms.
Hopefully, DARPA's research will ease the symptoms of neurological diseases experienced by some service members, as well as veterans in life after service. The program's goal – developing a brain implant that can read and then control patients' emotional responses – could help treat conditions such as depression, addiction and borderline personality disorder.
MIT Technology Review interviewed researchers directly involved with the developing technology.
"Imagine if I have an addiction to alcohol and I have a craving," said Jose Carmena, a professor involved in UCSF's research, to the Technology Review. "We could detect that feeling and then stimulate inside the brain to stop it from happening."
Unfortunately, veterans have a suicide rate three to four times greater than the average American, noted Justin Sanchez, manager of the DARPA program. According to Darin Dougherty, a psychiatrist involved in the Mass General Hospital research, fear from PTSD is generated in a part of the brain involved in emotional memories, but it can be repressed by another region. Ideally, this new device would be able to detect signals from the the source before they trigger a fear response. The device would then prevent a patient's physical or emotional response to external stimuli.
Though this technology is not intended for widespread use, if successful, it would drastically improve the livelihood of veterans who were previously unaffected by typical medications or treatment for psychological conditions.
Corporal Jeff DeYoung was reunited with his black Labrador retriever named Cena on Thursday, June 5th, after being apart for four years. Cena had been DeYoung's bomb-sniffing dog and partner in Afghanistan in 2009.
According to the New York Daily News, Cena is a skilled canine that can sniff out 300 different kinds of explosives and 1000 different scents.
Talented dogs like Cena play an important role in the safety of our soldiers, both physically and mentally. Soldiers often build a special bond with their dogs, relying on them not just to find bombs and for physical protection, but also for comfort and companionship as in everyday life.
"My main goal was to protect him," DeYoung told ABC news. "I remember we would get into firefights and having to cover myself on top of him so he wouldn't get harm[ed]. It was all about him."
When DeYoung left the military in 2010, Cena stayed behind to continue serving the country. DeYoung went on to get married and start a family but throughout his life after service, he always had Cena in the back of his mind. After four long years, he went through Mission K9 Rescue to adopt his friend. The heroic canine had served six years in the military and had a hip problem that prevented continued service.
Canines that serve next to their soldiers find a special place, not only in their soldier's heart, but also with the hearts of the soldier's family.
Salvador and Sandra Diaz lost their son Staff Sgt. Christopher Diaz in September of 2011, but have recently been approved to adopt his Belgian malinois, Dino.
Initially, their request to adopt the dog was denied, because he was a young dog that could still work for the Marines. However, a special law allows grieving families in unique situations to adopt a working military dog. Under this law, Dino was allowed to become part of the Diaz family.
Salvador Diaz was the one who put in the request to adopt Dino and had planned on adding him to the family. While adopting Dino does not fill the void that Diaz's death has left in the lives of his family, it will provide a connection to him.
"We know that he's not going to replace Christopher but what he'll do is give us a little something that Christopher loved, and that was the Marine Corps and that was Dino," he told KGTV-TV.
Team USA took on team Nigeria last week in a pre-World Cup match in Jacksonville, Florida. The U.S. Department of Defense press service reported that during halftime, Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia honored veteran Samuel Muldrew, Purple Heart recipient and former Army Pvt. 1st Class from 1943 to '45. As the crowd cheered, Muldrew, 91, was awarded a large coin with the inscription "Proud member, United States Armed Forces" by Battaglia and Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown. The current and former servicemen then saluted, kicking off the second half of the match.
The award was fittingly presented the day after D-Day, and the reminder of Muldrew's courageous service during the second world war drew a standing ovation from the 50,000 spectators in attendance. The display of American pride was followed by the players securing a win in the second half of the match, finishing 2-1 against Nigeria. This victory secures team USA's place in the FIFA World Cup competition in Brazil later this month.
The World Cup has historically been the most watched sport event across the globe with 715.1 million views of the 2006 final game, held in Germany. The U.S. has not yet won the cup, but so far this year they have a three-game winning streak. Team USA's first official game in the cup will be held June 16, 2014, against team Ghana, according to the official FIFA schedule.
Veterans face numerous options when it comes to life after service, from getting married to landing an exciting job. However, one of the best ways to elicit joy from life is by pursuing a beloved career. In some cases, former servicemembers may need to return to school to acquire the skills they need to land their preferred job. Thankfully, veterans can easily view their options for college.
U.S. News & World Report has compiled a list of the best colleges for veterans. The criteria for determining the best institutions for veterans are based on multiple factors that will hopefully allow servicemembers to choose a suitable college when military tenure ends.
U.S. News' methodology
According to U.S. News, a oft-used method of matching veterans with schools is the GI Bill, which was designed after World War II to help veterans who had fought for their country have an opportunity to receive a stellar education. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, it provided veterans with education and housing, leading millions of soldiers to enter academia. Without the GI Bill, the post-WWII world would have seen a deluge of veterans enter the job market, according to the source.
The source also noted that the bill was heavily contentious at the time, sparking arguments from various political figures. The source noted that this was due to the unprecedented nature of the bill – soldiers had rarely pursued higher education in the U.S. at this time and some thought the bill would not work successfully. However, many would think that these fears have proven to be unfounded, as numerous veterans have gone on to achieve success in higher education.
In this vein, a key component of the U.S. News compendia of excellent colleges for veterans is to ensure that the college a veteran is looking at also accepts benefits from the GI Bill. U.S. News also looks at more recent policy that effects veterans. This is done to ensure that veterans of recent wars the U.S. fought in realize the full range of the benefits veterans are entitled to. There have been many updates to programs assisting veterans over the years.
Many beneficial programs
For example, the post-9/11 yellow ribbon program is taken into account when U.S. News compiled its list. This program is an update to the original GI Bill, providing for the entire tuition at a public school of the veterans' choosing. It also lowers the cost of tuition at private schools, allowing a veteran to capitalize on years of service. The benefits for veterans from this program are innumerable – they allow a veteran to pursue an education that may have been unfeasible before military service.
Veterans interested in learning more about the requirements and benefits of the yellow ribbon program should visit the Veterans Administration website. The site has a page providing explicit information on eligibility requirements and a list of schools that participate in the program, excellent news for a veteran who has been hunting for the perfect school.
U.S. News reports list various schools that fulfill aspects of the rubric, with Pennsylvania State University topping the list. Some other notable schools that made the comprehensive list are the University of Texas- Austin, the University of Iowa and Drexel University.
There are 52 schools that U.S. News believes are ideally suited to veterans, so a soldier contemplating life after military should minutely investigate each school on the list to discover the best fit. College is a time of adventure and new experiences that will be both fulfilling and enlightening if a veteran is able to find a school that fits cultural interests and pursuits.
Veterans who have seen horrific sights on the battlefield often need to find a space that provides solace and tranquility. This can be arduous, but there are potential opportunities for veterans in life after service. A recent pilgrimage to Lourdes was undertaken with the support of U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services and the Knights of Columbus, according to Catholic News Service. Various veterans visited Our Lady of Lourdes, a popular destination for devout Catholics, from May 13-19.
Pilgrimage a global event
The event is called Warriors to Lourdes, including an impressive array of both nations and troops. According to The Catholic Register, 36 nations and over 12,000 troops took part in the journey. Catholic News shared the sentiments of U.S. Army Maj. Derrick Mitchell, who expressed the difficulty at attending church during time spent overseas. Hopefully the pilgrimage will succeed in allowing religious soldiers to worship in familiar ways at a historical site.
"We don't want to forget those who have sacrificed so much and still need our attention and support — our wounded warriors. So this is a way of increasing consciousness of their situation," said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, according to the Catholic Register.
Dedicated to bringing pastoral care and community solidarity to servicemembers
The source noted that the Knights of Columbus have a significant presence in the U.S., a presence that has long focused on providing troops with various forms of support since World War I. The pilgrimage was only pioneered last year, but has attracted a wide swathe of followers. The event features mass, sacraments and various other essentials of Roman Catholicism. This sect of Christianity is widely reputed for the significant emphasis it places on community and ritual – components that may be military benefits for a veteran who has been seeking solidarity and profound human bonds after military service.
Veterans interested in making the trip in the future should visit the Lourdes Volunteer's website to elicit more information about the trip. Those making the pilgrimage will have a significant amount of resources at their disposal, such as military chaplains, daily meals, guided tours and personal care insurance. The stated purpose of the trip is clearly elucidated on the website- a personal journey for soldiers and veterans suffering from spiritual turmoil from war. The trip seeks to create a warm community experience by providing pastoral care that is sometimes hard to find.
"The healing that is so necessary with our men and women who have worn courageously our uniform in battles, especially during the last 12 years of these wars, and now are suffering from their wounds. We pray for healing, patience and understanding," said Auxiliary Bishop F. Richard Spencer, according to The Catholic Register.
Church's dedication to the suffering
The Bishop's comments are emblematic of the church's devotion to helping those most in need, especially when times grow difficult. This mission in Lourdes has corresponded with a dedication to helping soldiers. According to the Archdiocese for the Military Services, U.S.A., the pilgrimage began in 1958 to offer a venue for German troops to atone after WWII.
Since then, the pilgrimage has occurred 56 times, generating a wide international following. The source noted that wounded veterans and soldiers may attend for free, due to the work of the Knights of Columbus.
Citizens looking to become involved in the pilgrimage should visit WarriorstoLourdes.com, which provides a page that allows donations to be made for the purposes of sending a pilgrim to Lourdes. This may be just what a veteran readjusting to civilian life, or current soldier in the military, needs. Benefits for veterans are far more then just health insurance – many would say that the human element must be in place for successful healing, an element Lourdes is imbued with.
Veterans returning to civilian duties as part of life after service have numerous ways to treat psychological scars inflicted on the battlefield. According to Yahoo News, even people in ancient societies faced problems after returning from war. While the parallels are not perfect, the source noted that ancient Greek tragedies like "Ajax" can have consolatory effects on veterans returning home from the battlefield.
The power of myth in diminishing PTSD
This particular Greek tragedy features a Greek war hero who's experiences subsequent to the war reflect isolation, mental illness and violence. According to the source, Ajax kills farm animals, operating under the misconception that they're his mortal foes. The themes the tragedy displays may be familiar to contemporary reports of the mental illnesses' that have effected veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
For example, Nerd Wallet reports that more than 12,000 veterans from these wars were diagnosed with PTSD in 2013. About 5.2 million adults experience a form of PTSD each year, the source noted, so it's not merely an element of military life. However, the traumas inflicted in war increase the chance that a veteran will face some form of PTSD after leaving the battlefield.
"Everyone wants to tell their story," said Michael Meade, who runs a program called Voices for Veterans. "Even the most wounded people, given the chance, want to tell the story of that wound. A wound is like a mouth."
Nonprofit attempts to harness power of narratives
Meade's program "Voices for Veterans, Voices of War" operates under the broader auspices of the Mosaic nonprofit organization. This is a loose collection of artists, social workers and numerous other individuals who seek to transmit rich cultural resources to help people dealing with trauma. The special program dedicated to veterans gathers people from several wars to deal with their experiences by composing poems and narratives, in the hopes that the veterans can use this to deal with their past.
Mosaic's website suggests that this form of creativity can help banish some of the demons found on the battlefield, bringing military benefits in its wake. The ancient Greeks fought in a number of visceral combats, such as the Peloponnesian War, which pitted Athens against the militaristic island of Sparta. This spawned a slew of writings that attempted to comprehend the experiences of the war, most notably, Thucydides' "History of the Peloponnesian War," a study of the conflict.
Hopefully, the study of Greek responses to war help veterans deal with residual problems from the battlefield.