Tag Archive for: MilitaryConnection

You are here: / MilitaryConnection

Posts

Reserve Reconsiders Heart Attack Case After Denial

/in , , ,

shane morgan

By Debbie Gregory.

The Army Reserve has allegedly reopened an investigation into whether a reservist’s heart attack during a required physical fitness test should be considered “in the line of duty.” The determination would be the deciding factor as to whether or not the medical bills will be paid by the government.

In November, 2015, Army Reserve Capt. Shane Morgan was in the midst of his push-up test. “I got 15 in, and I noticed that it was a lot harder for me to do push-ups than it has ever been,” Shane said.

He was hooked up to an EKG, which revealed that Morgan had one artery that was completely blocked, and he was having a heart attack.

The good news is that he survived. The bad news is that a line-of-duty investigation by the Army determined that Morgan’s heart attack was not triggered by the test, so the Army will not pay the medical bills.

That has left Morgan and his spouse, Jaime, with $10,000 in medical costs after private insurance through Morgan’s civilian employer paid it’s portion.

Pressure built up via a media campaign has led the Army to reopen its investigation. But Army Reserve officials have cited privacy rules that prevent the confirmation of this action..

“The Army Privacy Act Program prohibits us from discussing a soldier’s medical history or medical records,” said Maj. Adam Jackson, an Army Reserve spokesman.

The line of duty investigation findings stated that although Morgan’s heart attack occurred during the PT test, it was not caused by the test.

“The mere fact that the soldier was in an ‘authorized status’ does not support a determination of ‘line of duty’ in and of itself,” states the document, signed by Michelle Palmer, chief of the Reserve’s health branch services. “There is a chance this may have occurred in or out of duty status.”

But Jaime Morgan said “You have a heart attack during a forced, a mandated PT test and then you tell him it’s his fault that he could have had it at home, but he didn’t have it at home he had it, while he was doing push-ups.”

Proving that her husband isn’t the only warrior in the family, Jaime has vowed to keep fighting the ruling until it is reversed and the bills are paid by the military.

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.

NATO Sending More Troops to Eastern Europe

/in ,

General View of the meeting room

By Debbie Gregory.

Last week, NATO Defense Ministers wrapped up two days of talks in Brussels, which marked progress in creating four NATO battalions in the Baltic States and Poland.

“Over the past two days, we assessed the various challenges confronting NATO,” said Secretary General Stoltenberg. “We took stock of our progress since the Warsaw Summit – and we mapped out the road ahead. We are as united as ever in our determination to protect our citizens.”

In the face of perceived Russian provocation, the United Kingdom has deployed hundreds of troops to Eastern Europe as NATO continues to make its presence known.

In 2017, the UK plans to send Royal Air Force Typhoon jets to Romania for up to four months. This is the largest buildup of troops in the region since the Cold War.

The latest troop deployment comes at a time of fear over the security of Baltic states such as Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, which have significant Russian-speaking minorities like Ukraine and concerns that they could suffer a similar fate to Crimea’s.

The United States and the UK are both set to send troops to Poland next year in a show of strength and support of their NATO ally. NATO has also said that Albania, Italy, Poland and Slovenia will contribute to a Canadian-led battalion in Latvia.

Belgium, Croatia, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway will join a German-led battalion in Lithuania, while Denmark and France will contribute to the UK-led battalion in Estonia. Romania and the UK will join the US-led battalion in Poland.

In February, the US Department of Defense announced it was spending $3.4 billion for the European Reassurance Initiative to deter Russian aggression against NATO allies.

The initiative will include putting equipment in place in the Baltic states, Poland and Central Europe.

A limited rotational force of 330 U.S. Marines will be deployed to Norway, beginning in January. They will be stationed at the Vaernes military base, according to a statement from the Norwegian Defense Ministry.

Earlier this year, members of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade trained in Norway alongside troops from other NATO countries in Exercise Cold Response.

Norway shares a 196-kilometer (122-mile) border with Russia.

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.

Music Video Showcases Military Life, From Basic to Active Duty

/in ,

Michele Dèniz

By Debbie Gregory.

The song “Lion Heart” was written about overcoming fears, about standing up in the face of adversity and not backing down. These are actions that U.S. Air Force Veteran Michele Déniz know well.

And now, Déniz has released an emotional video for her song,  dedicated to U.S. military and veterans, focusing on the courage it takes to wear the uniform.

The video chronicles the journey from basic training to active duty, and features thrilling footage from every branch of the service. It’s a powerful and heartfelt tribute not only to our men and women in uniform, but to Michele’s incredible life and journey. The video is a refreshingly positive and uplifting message for the men and women that so often go unnoticed.

For Michele, being a “Lion Heart” embodies the values and characteristics of every soldier. It takes a Lion Heart to put your life on the line if Uncle Sam asks you to – to defend our nation, to leave their families for months or years at a time.

Through her song, Michele’s ultimate goal is to raise awareness for her brothers and sisters in arms, and for the veterans who have sacrificed so much to protect our freedoms.

Michele’s entire adult life has been shaped by the military; in addition to being a veteran, she is a military spouse and military mom. Her music reflects the life of a woman always on the move, always willing to give everything up for family and country. She is truly inspiring and a reminder of what is possible when you set your mind to something and give everything of yourself to make it happen. That’s what it means to be a Lion Heart.

To watch the video, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAxPCkuxKHY or Michele’s official website at www.micheledeniz.com.

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.

Fighter Jet Went Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness

/in ,

pink plane

By Debbie Gregory.

Last month’s breast cancer awareness campaign had a great ally — a retired U.S. Navy fighter jet. To say it was pink would be an understatement!

The Grumman F9F-8 Cougar was painted a shocking shade of pink called “Heliconia.” The plane was on the flight deck of the World War II aircraft carrier USS Lexington, anchored at Corpus Christi, Texas through the end of October.

Thanks to a special paint procedure that included applying liquid dishwashing soap to the latex paint, the color is only temporary.

Decommissioned in 1991, the Lexington was converted to a naval aviation museum.

The Cougars were the Navy’s choice as the first swept-wing plane for the elite Blue Angels flight demonstration team. The Cougar’s were used for various roles, including fighters, ground attack planes, photo reconnaissance, and training aircraft. During the Vietnam War, the two-seater version was used as a forward air control aircraft.

Delta Airlines is also a great supporter of Breast Cancer Awareness; their “Pink Plane,” a specially painted widebody Boeing 767-400ER, flies hundreds of thousands of miles a year, raising awareness for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).

According to the Delta website, 91 cents of every dollar donated to BCRF goes directly to research and awareness programs, and since 1993, BCRF-funded investigators have been deeply involved in every major breakthrough in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. Since 2005, the program has raised $11 million.

For 12 years, Delta has organized annual survivor flights with women who’ve beaten the disease, including their own employees.  The flights are nicknamed “Breast Cancer One.”

This year’s flight honored 140 breast cancer survivors who flew from New York to Los Angeles. Festivities began with an event at the gate in JFK before the pink plane made its way to LAX, where survivors and attendees enjoyed another gatehouse event and an overnight stay, including dinner, hotel accommodations and a meet-and-greet with one of BCRF’s world-renowned researchers, Dr. Sofia Merajver from the University of Michigan.

The Pink Plane looks like it’s been wrapped by a giant, bright pink ribbon. It’s also branded with the BCRF logo.

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.

BrainScope’s Diagnostic Device for TBI/Concussion Cleared by FDA

/in , , , , ,

brainscope

By Debbie Gregory.

BrainScope, a Maryland-based biotech firm is working on an easier way to diagnose concussions. The medical neuro-technology company  has developed a medical device to aid in the assessment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its milder forms (concussion) at the initial point of care.

The handheld, wearable Ahead 300 device uses electrodes to measure electronic activity inside your brain and transmit readings to a reconfigured Android smartphone. The company recently received clearance from the federal Food & Drug Administration to market the device.

The Ahead 300 features BrainScope’s proprietary, patent-protected electroencephalography (EEG) capabilities utilizing sophisticated algorithms and machine learning to analyze head-injured patient data.  Leveraging state-of-the-art handheld smartphone technology and a proprietary disposable electrode headset, the Ahead 300 provides a rapid, objective assessment of the likelihood of the presence of TBI in patients who present with mild symptoms at the point of care. In addition to EEG capabilities, the Ahead 300 includes additional assessments providing clinicians with a digitized, streamlined report, delivering a comprehensive and objective panel of results to facilitate their differential diagnosis.

“FDA clearance of the Ahead 300 is a bellwether moment in our company’s history. The Ahead 300 provides the specific capabilities needed today for the clinician to undertake a comprehensive assessment addressing the full spectrum of traumatic brain injury, from structural injuries visible on a CT scan, through mild TBI, also known as concussion,” stated Michael Singer, Chief Executive Officer of BrainScope.

BrainScope’s devices are focused on TBI in military, sports, and emergency/urgent care environments both in the U.S. and internationally.

The Department of Defense invested $27 million into the project in search of better ways of assessing traumatic brain injury among service members.

The technology was developed by the late Dr. E. Roy John and Leslie Prichep, a husband and wife duo of neuroscientists from New York University.

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.

Marine Corps Opens Twitter Dialogue with Comedienne Sarah Silverman

/in , ,

parris

By Debbie Gregory.

Emmy winning comedienne Sarah Silverman was not joking around when she tweeted concern for her nephew to the Marine Corps, in light of the boot-camp abuse scandal. Silverman, who has nearly 9 million Twitter followers, tweeted to the Marine Corps’ main account twice and once to another account affiliated with its Recruiting Command.

The Marine Corps responded by reassuring Silverman that the service branch  is committed to her nephew’s success as a recruit at Parris Island, S.C

The scandal alleged that numerous drill instructors abused recruits at what is likely the U.S. military’s best-known boot camp.

In the most tragic incident, Marine recruit Raheel Siddiqui, 20, fell three stories to his death in March after running away from a drill instructor who had hit him. The same drill instructor has been accused of putting another recruit in an industrial-size dryer last year and turning it on multiple times.

Up to 20 Marines face either criminal or disciplinary action, and the service has removed numerous senior officials at Parris Island after investigations found that they had not done enough to stop it. More than 100 other cases of abuse and hazing in the past few years at the recruit training center also have been substantiated, according to military documents. The service has not released any information about most of those.

Silverman asked for reassurances that her nephew will be safe during recruit training.

The Corps responded with, “We appreciate and understand your concerns and thank you for sharing them directly with us. Rest assured, the recent circumstances regarding recruit training in the media are not indicative of the manner we transform young men & women into Marines. We are actively engaged in ensuring everyone with a loved one or family member working hard to earn the title Marine is assured and informed. We remain committed to your nephew’s success, and when he’s earned the title Marine he’ll be proud and so will we! See you at his graduation.”

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.

Air Force General Optimistic Regarding the F-35 Program

/in , ,

F35

By Debbie Gregory.

The F-35 program, the most expensive weapons system ever made, has had a rough couple weeks. In September, a ground fire during training and a supply issue led the Air Force to suspend flight operations for 15 F-35As.

But Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein isn’t worried. He said he was “very confident that we’re going to be getting this fixed.”

The faulty cooling lines affected a total of 57 aircraft. On Sept. 16, 15 of the F-35As were found to have faulty coolant line insulation, which had begun to peel. The additional 42 jets were in various stages of production.

The F-35 joint program office rolled out a retrofit plan for those jets, which involves cutting into the wings and removing the insulation from around the coolant lines and inside the fuel tank.

Then, on September 23rd, an F-35A burst into flames before takeoff during an exercise at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. The fire was extinguished and although the jet was damaged, the pilot was unharmed.

The plane’s manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, has delivered 108 F-35As. The Air Force plans to buy 1,763 of the jets.

Of the 15 grounded aircraft already in the field, 10 had been declared combat ready, one was being used in testing, and the final four were for training, with two of those four training aircraft belonging to the Royal Norwegian Air Force.

The F-35A is the Air Force’s version of the jet. The U.S. Marines and the U.S. Navy will also have their own F-35 variants.

Neither of the Marines’ or Navy’s aircraft were affected.

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.

Marine Slogan The Few. The Proud. Headed for Retirement?

/in ,

Marine slogan

By Debbie Gregory.

The Marine Corps is exploring the possibility of using a new tagline, replacing the current “The Few. The Proud. The Marines.”

Set to launch next year, Lt. Col. John Caldwell, a spokesman for Marine Corps Recruiting Command said the current slogan…“ does a great job distinguishing ourselves from the other branches and making us prestigious to recruits, but it doesn’t say anything about what we do or why we exist.”

The objective of the new advertising campaign is to show Americans how the Marine Corps is different from the other services and reinforce “the elite — almost spiritual — standards the nation has for Marines,” Caldwell said.

While Caldwell did not say specifically what the new advertising campaign will show, the basis is on three concepts: fighting self-doubt to become a Marine, fighting the nation’s battles and fighting for what’s right in our communities.

“What we’re looking for is consistent messaging from the beginning to the end of all those ads – so not to introduce a different or an incomplete thought associated with the new material,” Caldwell said.

Previous slogans that date back over one hundred years include “Tell That To The Marines,” “We Don’t Promise a Rose Garden,” “The Marine Corps Builds Men” and “The Change is Forever.”

Over the past 40 years, in addition to the current slogan, the Corps has used “If Everybody Could Get In The Marines, It Wouldn’t Be The Marines” and “We’re Looking for a Few Good Men” were put to use during the same time frame.

The new campaign is expected to be ready for approval by senior Marine Corps leadership either late this year or early next.

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.

Carter Orders Pentagon to Halt CA National Guard Bonus Paybacks

/in , ,

nat guard

By Debbie Gregory.

Calling the situation “unacceptable,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the Pentagon to suspend efforts to recover enlistment bonuses improperly given to thousands of California National Guard members during the height of the Iraq war.

The demand would have affected some 9,700 California Guard members who had received enlistment bonuses, student loans or other payments, mostly between 2006 and 2008.

Soldiers argued that it was unfair to require them to repay the money — often $15,000 or more per soldier — when their only mistake was to take financial incentives that recruiters offered. Many served multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and some were badly wounded.

Carter gave senior officials in his department until the end of 2016 to set up a new and streamlined process that can ensure “the fair and equitable treatment of our service members and the rapid resolution of these cases,” with a deadline of July 1, 2017 for all cases to be decided. He said the suspension would continue until he was “satisfied that our process is working effectively.”

“Ultimately, we will provide for a process that puts as little burden as possible on any soldier who received an improper payment through no fault of his or her own,” Carter said. “At the same time, it will respect our important obligation to the taxpayer.”

Carter said “hundreds of affected Guard members in California had sought and been granted relief” after filing appeals with the Pentagon.

“But that process has simply moved too slowly and in some cases imposed unreasonable burdens on service members,” he said. “That is unacceptable.”

The Pentagon says thousands of soldiers who received re-enlistment money weren’t eligible for the program — and years after paying out the money, it wants it back.

Some veterans have been sending hundreds of dollars a month to repay their bonuses; others have faced wage garnishment, interest accrual and a long appeals process. Soldiers say the appeals process is slow and nerve-wracking for their families.

“I want to be clear: This process has dragged on too long, for too many service members. Too many cases have languished without action,” Carter said. “That’s unfair to service members and to taxpayers.”

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 Claims the Title of Fattest Branch of the Military

/in , ,

fat soldier

By Debbie Gregory.

The U.S. military is growing larger, but not in a good way.

Today’s military is fatter than ever, and according to Pentagon statistics, the Army is the heaviest, with 10 per cent of soldiers considered clinically overweight.

Weighing in at a close second is the Air Force, and the Navy is in third place.

The Marine Corps appears to have the fittest service members. With that said, some 4,800 Marines appear to be heavier than regulations allow.

The Pentagon’s data is based on body mass index, or BMI. Individuals with a BMI greater than 25 are considered clinically obese.

Weight issues have broad implications for the health and readiness of today’s force.

But military officials caution against placing too much emphasis on BMI scores, which simply evaluate an individual’s height and weight to flag those who might have unhealthy levels of body fat. The measurement is often criticized as a blunt tool that wrongly identifies bodybuilders with heavy muscle mass as being fat while missing flabby and unfit people with lanky body types.

The rate of overweight troops is far less than the civilian population, with approximately 70 percent of U.S. adults having a BMI above 25.

The Army emphasizes  that fitness is an important part of its culture.

“The physical readiness of our soldiers is imperative to unit readiness and mission accomplishment,” said spokesman Paul Prince. “The Army has strict physical fitness requirements and has multiple, coordinated initiatives in place designed to improve the readiness and health of the total Army.”

An Air Force spokesman said,  “Our Air Force is healthy and fit to fight, with approximately 96 percent of airmen passing the test in the past two years, which is up significantly from the 2010 pass rate of 87.6 percent.”

And a Navy spokesman highlighted changes made to its annual fitness test last year that make it more difficult for sailors to fail the body composition assessment portion of the Navy’s physical fitness assessment.

But failure will come at a higher cost, as two failures within three years can result in a sailor being kicked out of the Navy, according to the service’s new rules.

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.


© 2006-2020 Military Connection, Owned by BL, LLC. All rights reserved

Military Connection