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Professional Athletes Hope to Fulfill Military Service, and Vice-Versa

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By Debbie Gregory.

On July 5, 2016, Brayan Pena of the St. Louis Cardinals announced that he was planning to join the Army Reserve after the 2016 season. Later that day though, he was informed that he was unable to enlist because such an action would violate the terms of his contract.

But not one to accept defeat, Peña has instead chosen to become an ambassador for the troops, where he will be visiting the troops overseas and conducting baseball clinics.

The Cuban native, who defected in 1999, has been a U.S. citizen for six years.

“It’s time for me to give something back to this great country. It’s not something where I just woke up and did it. I’ve given it some thought and some research. I’m very excited. It’s an honor for me.”

Pena said leaving Cuba for the United States dramatically changed his life, and he began considering the Reserve several years ago when he talked about it with former Cincinnati Reds teammate Jay Bruce.

In other military/sports related news, 24-year-old Christian Hill, who spent five years on active duty in the Air Force, is utilizing an early separation program from the military for an opportunity to go to school and play college football this fall for the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Additionally, U.S. Army reservist and pole vaulter Sam Kendricks is on his way to Rio! The 23-year-old second lieutenant set a new U.S. Track and Field Trials record on the 4th of July with his 19 feet, 4 3/4 inches (5.91 meters) jump.

Kendricks won’t be the only representative for the Armed Forces making his way to Rio to compete in the summer Olympics. U.S. Air Force Academy star Cale Simmons finished in second place, good enough to make the team as well.

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.

Rand Study Reveals Interesting Findings Re: Veteran Unemployment

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By Debbie Gregory.

According to a 15 year RAND study, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are not having as much of a difficult time finding employment as some sources would have the public believe.

There are still many hurdles to overcome, with the study revealing that veterans aged 18 to 24 who have recently separated have struggled to find jobs compared to the same demographic in the civilian population. With that said, part of that statistical information may be due to the fact that this age group is opting to use their education benefits and attend school rather than working full time jobs.

Other post-9/11 veterans do not have a much higher unemployment rate than their civilian counterparts. While the media relies on data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics for its reporting, RAND looked at the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, where the sample size is much larger. Utilizing these numbers, the RAND study shows that post-9/11 veteran unemployment is not so different when compared to demographically similar non-veterans.

Also factoring in to the unemployment statistics is the number of veterans who are receiving unemployment benefits. With that said, the RAND study found that the majority of veterans receiving unemployment benefits were reservists returning from mobilization in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The RAND study found that tax credits for hiring veterans, such as the Vow to Hire Heroes Act and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, have had a positive effect on veteran hiring.

So have programs designed to improve veterans’ transition and employment opportunities, such as the 100,000 Jobs Mission, which has exceeded expectations.

Whether you are an employer looking to reach the veteran community with your job openings, an institution of higher learning, or a member of the military, a veteran or a supporter, we hope you will reach out to MilitaryConnection.com.  We are known as “the Go To Site” and have of the most comprehensive online directories of resources and information for our audience.

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.

Employer Survey Reveals Surprising Attitude Towards Vets

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By Debbie Gregory.

While American employers see veterans as “heroes,” they don’t necessarily see them as “assets”, according to a recent survey.

The survey, done by the Edelman marketing firm, found that the designation of “hero” can create an emotional distance between veterans and civilians.  This in turn can make it difficult for civilians to connect with veterans and view them as potential colleagues.

The online survey found that 84% of employers and 75% of civilians see veterans as heroes. But only 26% of employers and 22% of civilians think veterans are “strategic assets” in their communities.

The survey also found that employers most commonly think about mental health problems when they think about veterans.

While the jobless rate for veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan has decreased in recent years, there are concerns about the quality of employment.

Survey results were released as part of a joint effort by Edelman, Give an Hour, a non-profit organization that provides counseling to troops and veterans, and the George W. Bush Institute.

“The issue is about long-term job fit, advancement, retention. Is the veteran given the same look as others?” said  Barbara Van Dahlen, founder and president of Give an Hour.

The goal was to examine the “well-being” of veterans and what was described as an ongoing schism between civilians and those who serve in the military, according to Van Dahlen.

Van Dahlen said the contrasting view that veterans are heroes, but not assets, is a product of an American culture in need of heroes, but lacking understanding of its military. “These folks come home from war, they’ve seen and done things that would make many of us feel uneasy, uncomfortable, intimidated. And so by seeing them in this way, as heroes, it does keep us distant from them.”

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.

Family Residency Program Provides Military Healthcare

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By Debbie Gregory.

The Military Family Care Residency Program brings together military physicians and allied medical personnel with their civilian counterparts to provide top-notch healthcare to their patients.

Each year, 42 residents go through the program, which lasts three years. Each class has 14 participants—eight military members and six civilians. To be accepted into the program, both military and civilian residents must graduate from medical school.

The program, which had been located at Scott Air Force Base, IL, is now located at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Belleville, IL. It is the only fully-integrated civilian-military family residency in the Air Force that combines a community-based and a military residency.

The concentration changes every month. Students are required to learn every specialty under Family Medicine in a short amount of time, making it an intensive learning program

Lt. Colonel Matthew Snyder, MFCRP military program director, said that the program is designed to offer students a “full scope” training method, meaning students are not specifically trained in family medicine.

“They are trained in everything,” said Snyder. “That way they can become the most valuable family medicine physicians the Air Force can produce.”

The program began in 1972 and was located at Scott Air Force Base. When the hospital on base closed down in 1996, the program moved to St. Elizabeth’s. Late next year, St. Elizabeth’s will be moving locations along with the residency clinic, but the residency program will remain the same.

The new location will allow more efficient patient care and will also be closer to Scott AFB, making it easier for most DOD beneficiaries to receive care, Snyder said.

“I have a great opportunity to not only shape future Air Force physicians but to also teach and have a direct impact on their education,” said Snyder.

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 Joins Forces with French Company on Zika Virus

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By Debbie Gregory.

French drugmaker Sanofi has reached a research and development deal with the U.S. Army to develop a vaccine against the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

A vaccine to combat Zika, which has been linked to birth defects and neurological disorders, is currently not available.

The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito. People usually don’t get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika. For this reason, many people might not realize they have been infected. However, Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause the birth defect microcephaly, or small heads in babies, as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder.

Sanofi is the only major drugmaker working on a vaccine.

The collaboration with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) gives Sanofi access to a promising new vaccine, made from inactivated virus, that has already produced impressive results in mice, and could be ready for testing on humans in October.

WRAIR is a biomedical research facility administered by the U.S. Department of Defense.

The Zika virus, which has caused a major outbreak that began in Brazil last year, has spread to many countries in the Americas.

A single dose of the WRAIR’s experimental vaccine was shown to give 100 percent protection in mice against the Zika virus, according to a study published in Nature last week, boosting hopes that it will also work in humans.

Sanofi is developing another Zika vaccine based on its own know-how in battling established mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever.

However, that vaccine will take longer to develop and Sanofi said earlier this year it did not expect to start clinical trials on its in-house Zika candidate until 2017.

Sanofi’s factory in Lyon is capable of producing 100 million doses per year of its four-strain dengue shot, which could be adapted if needed to make even more doses of a single-strain Zika product.

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.

Military Status Could Give Veterans a Chance Instead of a Cell

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Most veterans are strengthened by their military service, but in many cases, the combat experience has left veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.

One in five veterans has symptoms of a mental health disorder or cognitive impairment.  One in six veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom suffer from a substance abuse issue.

Left untreated, mental health disorders common among veterans can directly lead to involvement in the criminal justice system. Veterans’ treatment courts are hybrid drug and mental health courts that use the drug court model to serve veterans struggling with addiction, serious mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders.

These specialized courts promote sobriety, recovery and stability, and substance abuse or mental health treatment is offered as an alternative to incarceration and punitive punishments. This is accomplished through the cooperation and collaboration of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care networks and the Veterans’ Benefits Administration, and at times, volunteer veteran mentors and veterans’ family support organizations.

Veterans Treatment Courts are tapping into the unique aspects of military and veteran culture and using it to the benefit of the veteran. They act as a “one-stop shop,” linking veterans with the programs, benefits and services they have earned.

Veterans Treatment Courts are being established in jurisdictions across the country, and by utilizing the same rigorous protocol of treatment and personal accountability, they are keeping eligible Veterans out of jail or prison and making sure they get needed treatment and support.

Contact your local court system to determine if your community has a Veterans Treatment Court already. If not, be sure to ask if one is in the process of being started.

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.

Plan to Attend Boys & Girls Club Pacific Military Youth of the Year Event

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By Debbie Gregory.

The annual Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Pacific Military Youth of the Year event will take place on July 29th in San Diego.

The event will celebrate the accomplishments of seven military teens from across the region, and one will be named the Pacific Military Youth of the Year. The winner will receive a $10,000 scholarship, renewable up to four years, and will go on to vie for the National Military Youth of the Year title, and ultimately National Youth of the Year. The Pacific Military Youth of the Year event is sponsored nationally by Disney, Toyota, Taco Bell Foundation and University of Phoenix, along with Diamond sponsor Sony.

For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. The youth advocacy organization is proud to partner with the U.S. Armed Services to also support military kids and families. Affiliated Youth Centers on installations around the country and abroad serve more than 500,000 youth each year.

The Pacific Military Youth of the Year program is part of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s national Youth of the Year program, an inspiring journey that begins at the local Club level. In addition to having the honor of serving as Boys & Girls Clubs’ teen spokesperson, the National Youth of the Year receives an additional $100,000 scholarship, a potential visit with the President of the United States, and the opportunity to serve as a spokesperson for Boys & Girls Clubs of America, representing four million Club kids and teens.

For more information on the Youth of the Year program visit www.youthoftheyear.org.

 

The Boys & Girls Club Code

I believe in God and the right to worship according to my own faith and religion.
I believe in America and the American way of life…in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
I believe in fair play, honesty and sportsmanship.
I believe in my Boys & Girls Club, which stands for these things.

 

VA to Offer More Cancer Treatment Options

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By Debbie Gregory.

In his final State of the Union address, President Obama put Vice President Biden in charge of a new national effort to end cancer as we know it.

The goal of this “Cancer Moonshot” is to double the rate of progress toward a cure – to make a decade of advances in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care in five years.

As a result, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) could turn its entire medical system into a nationwide center for excellence for cancer treatment in just a few months. While other agencies focus on research and clinical trials, VA doctors will be putting those advances to work with the goal of saving more veterans’ lives.

“We’re essentially taking expertise that exists in our high-end centers and making sure that it is available in even our most rural centers,” said Dr. David Shulkin, VA’s undersecretary for health. “It’s going to result in different treatment options and better decisions, and making sure every veteran is getting world-class cancer care.”

VA officials will team with IBM’s supercomputer Watson, whose genomics technology program will help pinpoint the best treatment options for veterans battling cancer.

The goal is to help at least 10,000 veterans with the targeted cancer therapies in the next few years. Individualized treatments could be compiled and processed by the supercomputer within a day of the diagnosis.

“And almost every month, there is new discovery in this area,” Shulkin said. “So this is not only helping the patients we’ll see this year, but setting up VA to be the kind of system we all hope it should be for years to come.”

Shulkin said he is excited by the opportunities, especially given the aging population of veterans in America and the growing number of cancer cases VA doctors see each year.

“This is one of our critical areas of focus,” he said.  “This is taking what we know is the most advanced, very best way to practice, and really making sure we’re getting that to as many veterans as possible as quickly as possible.”

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.

DoD SkillBridge Program Prepares Servicemembers for Veteran Jobs

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skillbridgeBy Debbie Gregory.

Under the framework of the Department of Defense SkillBridge program, eligible transitioning service members can participate in job skills training, preparing them for veteran jobs.

The DoD SkillBridge initiative promotes the civilian job training authority available for transitioning service members. Service members meeting certain qualifications can participate in civilian job and employment training, including apprenticeships and internships.

The training can take place up to six months in advance of a service member’s separation, and must offer a high probability of employment. Training is provided to the service member at little or no cost.

Service members use the SkillBridge application to search for training opportunities that best fit their goals. Search based on your skillset, your desired location and transition date. When service members find relevant training opportunities they can inquire with the training provider to learn more details about the opportunity and the application process.

Service members can set up a profile in the SkillBridge application to receive email or Twitter direct message notifications when a training opportunity matches with your profile.

Through DoD SkillBridge, tremendous potential exists for service members, companies, trade unions, and others for leveraging this new DoD authority.

The program is governed by DoD Directive 1322.29 — Job Training, Employment Skills Training, Apprenticeships, and Internships (JTEST-AI) for Eligible service members.

To be eligible a service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty within 180 days of starting the JTEST-AI. The service member must initiate their own participation and also have approval from within their chain of command. For more information, visit the Department of Defense SkillBridge Program website.

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.

 

VFW UnMet Needs Program Assists Servicemembers and Recent Vets

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By Debbie Gregory.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) traces its roots back to 1899, when veterans of the Spanish-American War and the Philippine Insurrection arrived home wounded or sick. There was no medical care or veterans’ pension for them, and they were left to care for themselves.

Veterans from these wars banded together and formed the VFW. As the nation’s largest organization of combat veterans, the VFW understands the challenges veterans, service members and military families can face and believe that experiencing financial difficulties should not be one of them. That’s the premise behind the VFW’s Unmet Needs program.

Unmet Needs is there to help America’s service members who have been deployed in the last six years and have run into unexpected financial difficulties as a result of deployment or other military-related activity.

The program provides financial aid, up to $5,000, to assist with basic life needs. The funds are disbursed in the form of a grant paid directly to the creditor, so there is no repayment required.

To date, Unmet Needs has distributed over $5.4 million in assistance to qualified military families, with almost half of those funds going directly toward basic housing needs.

The needs of our nation’s veterans, service members and their families should never go unmet. The VFW’s Unmet Needs program offers a hand up, at a time when finances are at a low.

Through the VFW advocacy, the organization’s voice had been instrumental in establishing the Veterans Administration, creating a GI Bill for the 20th century, the development of the national cemetery system and the fight for compensation for Vietnam vets exposed to Agent Orange and for veterans diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome.

Please review the Unmet Needs eligibility criteria to see if you or someone you know qualifies for a grant through the Unmet Needs program.

If you’re eligible, APPLY TODAY.

Contact Unmet Needs at 1-866-789-6333 or by email at unmetneeds@vfw.org with any questions.

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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