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Army Offering Up to $90K Re-enlist Bonuses

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reenlist

By Debbie Gregory.

The U.S. Army is offering up to $90,000 to soldiers who reenlist as the service branch looks to add tens of thousands to its ranks.

The Army will triple the amount of bonuses it’s paying this year to more than $380 million, which includes incentives to woo soldiers to re-enlist, in an effort to expand its ranks.

By committing to another four or more years, soldiers in the most sought after positions such as Special Forces, cyber security, cryptologist and language skills could get $50,000-$90,000 up front. This with more routine jobs, such as some lower level infantry posts, may get just a couple of thousand dollars, if any bonus at all.

Under the current plan, the active duty Army will grow by 16,000 soldiers, taking it to 476,000 in total by October. The National Guard and the Army Reserve will also be adding troops, but at a lesser number.

To meet the mandate, the Army must find 6,000 new soldiers, convince 9,000 current soldiers to stay on and add 1,000 officers.

The biggest hurdle, according to senior Army leaders, is convincing thousands of enlistees who are only months away from leaving the service to sign up for several more years. Many have been planning their exits and have turned down multiple entreaties to stay.

“I’m not going to kid you. It’s been difficult because a lot of these kids had plans and their families had plans,” said Gen. Robert Abrams, head of U.S. Army Forces Command.

Maj. Gen. Jason Evans, head of the Army’s Human Resources Command, said the Army was expanding “responsibly with a focus on quality,” inferring that there will be not be a  relaxation of standards such as previous waivers given to those with criminal or drug use records.

The new bonuses seem to be working, with the Army seeing a spike in re-enlistments, according to Mst. Sgt. Mark Thompson, who works with Army retention policies.

The Army is about three-quarters of the way to its goal for re-enlistments.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

Pharmacist Who Swindled Millions From TRICARE May Lose Mansion ‘The Rock’ Called Home

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the rock

By Debbie Gregory.

A South Florida pharmacist accused of defrauding a U.S. military health insurance program may lose a Southwest Ranches mansion once owned by movie star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Charges have been brought against Serge Francois, 51, the owner of  Pompano Beach’s Atlantic Pharmacy, who is accused of trying to defraud TRICARE, as well as another federal coverage network for government employees, of $37 million.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Bernstein alleges that Francois amassed his fortune by lying, cheating, and paying millions of dollars in kickbacks to several marketing companies and doctors in exchange for a steady supply of TRICARE patients’ prescriptions.

The trial, which is expected to last for approximately one month, could cost Francois not only his freedom, but also all of his ill-begotten luxuries, including the mansion and his exotic car collection.

Deemed a flight risk, Francois, who pleaded not guilty, has been detained without bond in a tiny jail cell in downtown Miami since November, 2016. Francois’ right-hand man in the alleged scheme, Patrick Tonge, has also pleaded not guilty. Deemed a flight risk as well, Tonge has been held in the same detention center as his former boss.

According to the indictment, between 2010 and 2015 the pharmacy submitted fraudulent claims for compounded medications that were not necessary, not properly prescribed, not ordered or refills that were unwanted. When the medications were returned to the pharmacy, they were re-labeled and re-sold.

“Serge Francois never paid a bribe to anyone,” alleges Francois’ defense attorney, Sean Ellsworth. He told the jurors that the pharmacy owner was completely unaware of the alleged scheme to bilk the federal government.

Most of the 13 other defendants indicted in the case, including four South Florida doctors, have pleaded guilty.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

How the Army is Using Augmented Reality to Bolster Troop Readiness

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STE

By Debbie Gregory.

Synthetic Training Environment (STE) may sound like a futuristic approach to training, but the Army Research Laboratory, University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies, Combined Arms Center-Training and Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation are currently working on making this a reality.

The immersive augmented reality system is designed to replicate the diverse operational environments that soldiers may find themselves in. STE converges the virtual, constructive, and gaming environments into a single-synthetic environment. For a generation of soldiers who grew up playing video games, STE may be easier for them to adapt to.

“Video game players are far superior to non-video game players in the ability to process things like field of vision, being able to hold digital objects in your memory,” said Ray Perez, program manager at the ONR’s Cognitive Science of Learning Program.

The STE provides intuitive, composable applications and services that enable embedded training with mission command workstations and select platforms.

“As the Army evolves with manned and unmanned teams and other revolutionary battlefield capabilities, STE will be flexible enough to train, rehearse missions and experiment with new organization and doctrine,” said Col. Harold Buhl, Army Research Lab Orlando and Information and Communications Technology program manager.

STE and virtual reality training save money, are safer for the trainees, and spare real field equipment through the use of simulators. STE will be cloud-based, making it accessible anywhere.

Although the STE is in the very early stages of conceptual design and definition, it may potentially revolutionize simulation training over the next 15 to 30 years.

The Synthetic Training Environment will bring science fiction into reality.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

Army Helicopter Pilot Kept Flying, In Spite of Being Shot

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Siler

By Debbie Gregory.

The Department of Defense has recently released documents that tell the story of bravery and perseverance of one of our country’s finest.

In 2014, Army helicopter pilot Michael Siler, who was a Chief Warrant Officer 4 at the time, was flying in a classified nighttime mission with the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta. Siler, in spite of being shot in the leg by ground fire, kept flying for five hours.

Siler received the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, as well as the Purple Heart for combat wounds.

At the helm of one of two MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator helicopters, Siler was the lead pilot of a 10-hour-long raid, which he not only planned, but also executed.”

The mission, which deployed Delta Force into Syria with “zero illumination” was an effort to secure Americans that were being held by ISIS. In what can only be considered a very complicated operation, Siler piloted one of the several crafts that were providing air support for two dozen Delta operators who had been dropped at an oil refinery at Raqqa.

A team of soldiers on the ground moved quickly into the safe house where James Foley, Steven Sotloff, and other hostages were believed to be held. But the operators found only ISIS fighters

After the area was secure, the Delta operators gathered up anything that could yield intelligence or forensic value, according to The New Yorker. After about an hour, they departed on Black Hawks back to an unspecified “neighboring country.”

The mission was made public more than a month later on Aug. 20, 2014, probably due to the fact that ISIS posted a video showing the beheading of Foley by a masked terrorist, later identified as Mohammed Emwazi.

Emwazi was killed in a drone strike in late 2015.

Siler, now a Chief Warrant Officer-5, is still with the 160th at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He was also recognized as the Michael J. Novosel Army Aviator of the Year in 2014.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

Will an Anti-Suicide Oath do More Harm than Good?

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suicider

By Debbie Gregory.

Congressman Brian Mast (R-FL) served in Afghanistan, and has been championing an idea to deter veteran suicides.

The “Oath of Exit” passed the U.S. House of Representatives on July 14th as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. Part of the pledge would also commit troops who are being discharged to “continue to be the keeper of my brothers- and sisters-in-arms” in addition to the United States and the Constitution.

“Nearly every week I hear from a veteran who is thinking about taking their own life; maybe walking into their garage, turning on their car and never coming out,” Mast said on the House floor. “The idea for this came from friends of mine who had struggled with suicidal thoughts leaving the military. People who have actually been there on the edge.”

But some suicide prevention experts believe the plan is likely to do the opposite.

Mast, who lost both of his legs in 2010 from a roadside bomb explosion in Kandahar, said servicemembers are known for honoring their commitments. He contends that if they commit to contacting fellow veterans before harming themselves, they’d do it.

Some experts believe it could backfire.

When struggling with suicidal thoughts, veterans who sign the commitment could feel an increased sense of shame and guilt, explained Craig Bryan, a psychologist and executive director of the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah

The former director of suicide prevention programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Caitlin Thompson, agreed with Bryan. Suicide prevention experts have been discouraging these types of contracts for the past 10 years, according to Thompson.

“It isn’t just that it didn’t work. It actually had the opposite effect,” said Thompson, who is now a vice president of Cohen Veterans Network. “A patient who signed a contract may feel guilty about talking about any further thoughts of suicide.  ‘I signed this contract saying that I wouldn’t attempt suicide, but I can’t get these thoughts out of my head.  Still, I promised my doctor and my family that I wouldn’t do it, so I don’t want to tell them about these thoughts.’  This way of thinking, particularly with someone who feels so vulnerable anyway, can easily spiral down a dark path and create further isolation and hopelessness – two of the hallmark risk factors for suicide.”

“A community of clinicians and researchers have continued to try to get the word out that this doesn’t work,” Thompson added.

VA Appeals Reform Will Overhaul Appeals Process

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backlog

By Debbie Gregory.

Bipartisan reforms to speed up the veteran disability appeals process have been signed by the president. The changes will likely take about 18 months from now.

The appeals reform measure was passed by the Senate before summer recess, and was recently finalized by the House.

The number of backlogged claims in the system has steadily increased over the years. The American Legion and other veterans groups have been working with VA officials for years, advocating for change.

The average wait time for an appeal on a veterans disability claim is more than five years.

The current system, which allows veterans to submit new medical information at any time, resets the clock on the appeals process again and again. The changes create multiple options on how veterans can now have their cases appealed. By waiving the opportunity to submit new evidence, they would receive fast resolution. For those who want to retain those rights, they would be held to a timeline.

Hopefully, the new changes will reduce both backlogs and wait times.

“Together with the VA, veterans service organizations, and other lawmakers, we were able to find a bipartisan compromise to ensure that veterans … receive the benefits they so bravely earned in a timely fashion,” said Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev.

 

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

Navy Football Is About To Get Its Own TV Series

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midshipmen

By Debbie Gregory.

Are you ready for some football? More to the point, are you ready for some Navy football?

The U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen won’t just be playing on Saturdays, they’ll also be featured on third installment of A Season With — , the Showtime series that takes viewers behind the scenes with a sports team. The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and the Florida State Seminoles were featured in seasons one and two.

A Season with Navy Football will premiere on Tuesday, September 5th at 10:00pm ET/PT, when the Midshipmen take on the Florida Atlantic Owls.

A Season With transports viewers beyond the field and into the lives of student athletes as they compete throughout the season. Viewers go from the classroom to the locker room to the kick-off each week.

Production is currently ongoing in Annapolis, Maryland.

“This is a tremendous opportunity through the extraordinary exposure of Showtime to share the character and impact of Navy football to the nation,” said Navy athletics director Chet Gladchuk.

The Navy-Army Game, played annually on the last weekend of the college football regular season in early December, pits the Navy Midshipmen against the Black Knights of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York (Army). It is one of the most traditional and enduring rivalries in college football, and is televised every year by CBS. This year’s game will be played on Saturday, December 9th at 3:00pm ET.

This is Navy’s 137th football season. The Naval Academy’s football program is one of the nation’s oldest, with its history dating back to 1879.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

WWII Vet Continues to Defend the Flag

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By Debbie Gregory.

A 92-year-old World War II veteran was injured by a vandal as he protecting the American flag outside his home.

But this story has a happy ending.

Following the incident in which Howard Banks was pushed to the ground, resulting in several bumps, bruises, and a twisted knee, he received a visit from fellow Marine veterans from Honor Flight Austin, who offered him a free trip to Washington, D.C. to see the National World War II Memorial.

The vandal who was either trying to steal or destroy the American flag and the Marine Corps flag on display ran off while neighbors rushed in to help the veteran, who was left legally blind by a flare on Iwo Jima.

Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization that honors America’s veterans for all their sacrifices. They transport these heroes to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect at their memorials.

Top priority is given to the senior veterans, World War II survivors, along with those other veterans who may be terminally ill.

“This guy is living history,” said Honor Flight Austin Director Kory Ryan. “He’s a national treasure. People should be lined up on his porch to talk to him, not ripping his flags down.”

“I think we all had that same feeling, that the flag was our identity. We were Americans,” said Banks. “The fact that I’m getting older, and the less I can do… at least I can still do that.”

Banks’s daughter, friends and neighbors will be keeping an eye on him so that they can help him maintain his monument to the country he served and the Marine Corps, without putting himself in harm’s way.

MilitaryConnection.com is honored to work with Honor Flight Network, as well as numerous other wonderful non-profits that serve military, veterans and their families.

We salute veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

Army National Guard Training Changes

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By Debbie Gregory.

Army National Guard Lt. Gen. Timothy Kadavy is looking at flexibility and specialized training to create more career opportunities and shorter deployments for National Guard soldiers.

Guard members will continue to serve 39 days a year — one weekend each month and a 15-day training exercise.

Guard Soldiers respond when disaster strikes at home and also answer the call when the country needs them, all over the globe. Theirs is a unique dual mission–serving both community and country.

Beginning in 2018, brigade combat teams will have four rotations to the combat training centers at Fort Irwin and Fort Polk annually.

The 2018 budget request seeks to add 7,000 new Guardsmen to the force.  The focus will now shift to more specialized deployments, that is, sending units with mission-specific skills to carry out operations. As a result, he believes soldiers will benefit in the form of more flexibility.

With that said, the new system and increased training commitment could end up costing Guardsmen more time away from their day-to-day lives, as well as their families. But the hope is that increased flexibility will make up for it.

Kadavy is proud of the men and women under his command and what they have accomplished after more than a decade of war. And with this new plan, which Kadavy calls “Army National Guard 4.0,” he believes he will be shaping the National Guard for the 21st century, the one that will meet the future requirements and demands of the nation.

“We had to take some good hard looks at what we would have to do if we received a demand to mobilize units quickly to a contingency anywhere around the world, say in 15, 20, 30, or 60 days and what type of readiness would we use if we had to achieve that,” Kadavy said. “That’s different than what we were doing over the last 15 years of war.”

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

Vet Filmmaker Who Wrote “Sand Castle” Salutes His Generation

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sand castle

By Debbie Gregory.

Screenwriter Chris Roessner, an Army and Iraq war veteran, turned his war experiences into the controversial Netflix film, Sand Castle.

The Canton, Ohio native grew up in rural Texas and joined the Army when he was 18, a few months before 9/11. Less than two years later he was deployed to Iraq, where he spent the next 14 months serving with a civil affairs unit attached to the 4th Infantry Division.

Roessner describes his deployment to Iraq as “the best and worst thing” that ever happened to him.

Roessner received the Tillman Foundation’s “Make Your Mark” award, and used the opportunity to address the criticism and stereotypes about his generation, often referred to as millennials.

Stereotypical millennials are lazy and entitled. But Roessner believes you can’t support the troops if you’re trashing the generation that’s actually doing the fighting.

“I’m of the opinion that one cannot disrespect our generation and respect the military at the same time. Those two thoughts are in opposition.”

He continued, “We are a group that has been asked to shoulder two of the longest wars in our country’s history, to weather a great recession, to surmount crippling student loan debt.”

There are many combat veterans who have criticized his work as narrow at best and “anti-war” at worst. But Roessner maintains that he wrote his story from his experiences, and encouraged those with a different view to write their own story.

“If I approach this film thinking that my job or my goal to write the film that resonates with every Iraq or Afghanistan war veteran, I would’ve never started,” Roessner said. “But I hope you write your film; I hope you write your book; I hope you do whatever you possibly can to have your story told.”

Roessner had been home from Iraq for more than seven years before he began working on the screenplay.

“Initially, I just wanted it to be cathartic,” he said. “I had no dreams whatsoever of it being made. I just wanted it to exist, so I at least knew that I tried to make some sense of this thing.”

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.


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