MilitaryConnection.com Archives

Military Connection: Changes to Army TA: By Debbie Gregory

September 12, 2014/in Archived Blogs

Active duty Army soldiers, wishing to utilize Tuition Assistance Program (TA), should be advised that some changes have recently taken effect.

The changes are reflected in the rules that set the standards of performance and service for institutions receiving student tuition payments through the online GoArmyEd system.

Soldiers are encouraged to check the Defense Department website at www.dodmou.com, to see if their school has signed the required memorandum of understanding. If their school is not listed, soldiers are instructed to contact their nearest education center to discuss options for enrolling in an institution that does qualify for TA.The deadline has passed for schools to sign the memorandum of understanding.

Soldiers should also know that the Army has implemented a new rule that links their eligibility to their final grades. Soldiers utilizing TA must achieve a grade of “C” or higher in undergraduate college courses, “B” or higher in graduate courses, and a “Pass” for courses that only issue pass/fail grades. The restriction does not apply to courses that are currently in session.

Also, beginning Oct. 1, 2014, Army TA funds only can be used to pay for tuition costs of up to $250 per semester hour, and will not cover the instructional fees associated with some courses.

The Army is also changing the timeline for requesting Tuition Assistance. TA requests must be approved before a soldier’s class start date. Soldiers attending schools that do not upload their course catalogue into GoArmyEd should generate their TA request at least 10 days before the class start date, in order to provide sufficient time for processing.

Tuition Assistance is a retention tool utilized and managed at the discretion of each individual military branch. TA can only be used by active duty personnel to take courses or earn degrees that progress their military careers.

The Army expects to spend about $275 million on TA in fiscal year 2014. As of late summer, more than 115,000 soldiers were drawing funds from the program, with many of them enrolled in multiple classes.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: Changes to Army TA: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Another 1% Pay Increase Cap? By Debbie Gregory

September 10, 2014/in Archived Blogs

For the second year in a row, the White House is telling Congress that the president intends to cap the military basic pay raise at 1%.

Last year, leading into the “Government Shutdown,” a hot ticket item was the capping of service members’ pay at 1%. This year, President Obama notified Congress that he again is recommending a lower than private-sector wage growth for the men and women who serve in the military. The increase was the lowest basic pay raises since the dawn of the all-volunteer-military era in 1973.

Ongoing budget constraints are being blamed for the cap. But Congress could override the 1% cap and mandate a 1.8 % pay raise for 2015. The 1.8% increase would be more in line with the anticipated rise in private-sector wages.

So far, members in the House have favored a 1.8 % increase, while votes in the Senate have been found to favor the 1% increase. Reaching a compromise on the competing budget bills will likely take the rest of the year.

Many Veteran advocacy groups have insisted that a lower pay increase will negatively impact future military recruiting and destroy the military’s retention efforts. Military advocates are still hopeful that they can sway Congress to support the 1.8% increase, even if it means adding $3.8 billion to the federal deficit over the next five years.

To put the issue in terms of dollars and cents for individual service members, the difference in the two pay plans would be about $195 a year for an E-3 with three years of service. For an E-7 with 10 years, it comes out to $356. For an O-5 with 12 years of service, the lower pay plan would drain about $667 in annual salary.

While the individual sums could be considered small, in the grand scheme of things, for those who have served and the families that they support, it makes a world difference… especially as a matter of principle.

Military families already go without so much. The typical service member’s wages are far lower than a civilian with similar training and experience. Military pay is supplemented by benefits in healthcare and on-base shopping. But the lower earning potential affects a military family’s ability to rent, buy or lease homes and property, and is also a blow to morale.

The majority of active duty, Guard and Reservist service members have endured multiple deployments over the past decade. The men and women still in uniform can expect more deployments, especially as our leaders consider their options regarding ISIL, and as they track the tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: Another 1% Pay Increase Cap? By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Sept. 11 is Patriot Day: By Joe Silva

September 10, 2014/in Archived Blogs

The morning of September 11, 2001 will forever be remembered by a generation of Americans as their defining moment. Just as earlier generations remembered where they were when JFK was assassinated, or when Pearl Harbor was attacked, my generation will remember where we were on the day that al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger airliners and crashed, two planes into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon, and one into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing 2,977 people.

I am from the West Coast, and I must admit, the attacks didn’t directly involve or affect me the way that it did my countrymen in Manhattan, or in the nation’s capital. But without experiencing the horror firsthand, I sympathized with those who did. My heart was with them, and my prayers were for them– as it was with all Americans.

Like the Japanese had done decades earlier, al-Qaeda had stirred the hornet’s nest and awoken, not a ‘sleeping giant,’ but the spirit of American patriotism.

My generation will remember the attacks of September 11, 2001 as the event that sparked what will be more than thirteen years of war. Millions of Americans would enlist in the United States Military, serve and deploy in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Participation in these wars changed millions of American families forever.

Many people don’t associate the sacrifices, wounds and losses in war to the events of that day, thirteen years ago. But America is the way that it is today because of the events of September 11, 2001.

I would like to use the USS New York (LPD-21) as an example of the change. The USS New York was named for the city that was targeted by al-Qaeda, and was intentionally built using steel salvaged from the World Trade Center, destroyed in the attacks.

The USS New York represents American resiliency and courage to rebuild. Using the destroyed remnants of the World Trade Center, once a crowning achievement of American greatness, the USS New York now rules the seas, as part of the “World’s Finest Navy” and is currently on her second deployment to the Persian Gulf.

Starting in 2002, each September 11th is to be observed as Patriot Day. While not a federal holiday, Patriot Day, by presidential decree, calls for the American flag to be flown at half-staff. The holiday also calls for a moment of silence to be observed at 8:46 EDT to correspond with the time that the first plane struck the World Trade Center.

Military Connection would like to encourage all Americans to further observe Patriot Day by wearing patriot attire, and by sharing with your friends, family and co-workers the story of where you were on the morning of September 11, 2001 and how it has affected your life today.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: Sept. 11 is Patriot Day: By Joe Silva

Military Connection: “The Power of 1” By Debbie Gregory

September 9, 2014/in Archived Blogs

September is Suicide Prevention Month. Suicide crosses all boundaries, including age, profession, gender, race and religion. In the military and Veteran communities, suicide claims hundreds of lives each year. It is for this reason that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) are launching “The Power of 1” this month.

“The Power of 1” campaign is based on the idea that just one small act can save the life of a service member or Veteran in crisis. Just one kindness, one person reaching out to another in need, could mean the difference between that person finding help instead of losing hope.

“The campaign emphasizes the effect that just one person, one conversation, or one act can have on the life of a Veteran or Service member by offering hope and opening the door to support,” said Dr. Carolyn M. Clancy, Interim Under Secretary for Health. “It also is designed to spread the word about VA and DOD mental health resources and suicide prevention efforts.”

“The Power of 1” focuses on the small, everyday actions that can play a pivotal role in improving, and possibly saving, a Veteran’s life. During the month of September, the campaign is broadcasting across the country via television, radio and social media. The VeteransCrisisLine.net will also offer “The Power of 1” online, offering interactive tools that explain what the Veterans Crisis Line does, and how small acts make a difference.

The VA is also collaborating with community organizations, Veterans Service Organizations, and health care providers throughout Suicide Prevention Month. There will be 151 VA Medical Centers across the country hosting local events, sponsoring health fairs, and working with the DOD to help spread the word and prevent suicides among service members and Veterans.

The goal of Suicide Prevention Month, “The Power of 1” campaign, and this coalition of supporters is to encourage service members, Veterans and the people in their lives to educate themselves about suicide risk, identify warning signs, and learn the steps to take during a time of crisis.

The Veterans Crisis Line offers telephone support, as well as online chat and text-messaging services. This confidential support from specially trained and experienced responders is complimentary. Any concerned party can contact the Veterans Crisis Line at (1-800-273-8255 and Press 1), chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or send a text to 838255.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: “The Power of 1” By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Afraid of Veterans Double-dipping: By Joe Silva

September 9, 2014/in Archived Blogs

The Post-9/11 GI Bill is truly the most comprehensive education benefit that Veterans of the United States military have ever received. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will always provide the best deal that Veterans are going to get on education.

Several states, including Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, Montana, New York, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming all have programs with varying eligibility for full and partial tuitions paid for military Veterans.

Veterans who reside in and wish to attend college in these states have had to choose between their state-offered benefit and the federally-funded Post-9/11 GI Bill. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), which oversees federal Veteran education benefits, has been operating under the policy that Veterans from these states need to spend all of their state benefits before being approved for federal benefits.

Veteran students from these states have also been allowed to sign a waiver that allows them to forego their rights to state benefits, in order to receive the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The advantage is that the Post-9/11 GI Bill not only pays tuition, but also offers a monthly allowance for housing, and a stipend of up to $1,000 per year for books and school supplies.

Apparently, the fear is that Veterans, many of whom served multiple deployments to combat zones and international hot-spots, might double-dip the system.

Several law makers are becoming privy to this unnecessary restriction and what it means for Veterans.

“It was not the intent of Congress to require Veteran students in a state like Illinois, which provides 100 percent tuition and fee coverage for eligible veterans, spouses, and children, to choose between their state benefits and the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits,” wrote Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, in a letter to the VA. “The requested waiver would marry the Post-9/11 GI Bill with Illinois’ state benefit programs.”

In his letter, Durbin asked the VA to grant Illinois and other states waivers, so that all the benefits can be used to help Veterans achieve a higher education.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: Afraid of Veterans Double-dipping: By Joe Silva

Military Connection: Sea Knights Retired: By Debbie Gregory

September 8, 2014/in Archived Blogs

Since 1962, the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter has been a mainstay of the U.S. Military. The dependable helo, favored by the Navy and the Marine Corps, is being retired.

The helicopter, with its twin-turbine engine and tandem counter-rotating rotors was easily recognizable. In the mid-1960’s, some pilots began referring to CH-46 as Frogs or Phrogs. There are different versions of the story as to the origins of the nickname that have circulated through the Navy and the Marine Corps. One version says it’s due to the way the Sea Knight’s rear sits lower that the front while on deck. Others claim it’s because the helicopter looks like a frog about to hop. Many CH-46 pilots have proudly called themselves “Phrog Flyers.”

The Navy used the CH-46 for a variety of operations, including patrolling, providing ship-to-ship transportation, vertical replenishment, observation, and search and rescue. The Navy used Sea Knights as their standard medium-lift utility helicopter for forty years, until switching to the MH-60 Seahawk in the 1990’s

The Marine Corps has continued to utilize the CH-46 through 2014. The vision of an inbound CH-46 was a welcome sight to a Marine in need of supplies, ammunition or reinforcements. Sea Knight squadrons took part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The Marine Corps intends to replace the CH-46 with the tilt-rotor aircraft, V-22 Osprey. The last deployment of the Sea Knight was a mission of Medium Helicopter Squadron 364 to support the “Partnership of the Americas” in Chile.

Many Veterans, from the Vietnam era through Marines serving today will remember the CH-46 Sea Knight, and its contribution to their efforts.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: Sea Knights Retired: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Canadian PTSD Study Findings: By Debbie Gregory

September 8, 2014/in Archived Blogs

A recent study published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry claims that having a history of mental illness puts military service members at higher risk of posttraumatic stress disorder after a combat mission.

The study was based on data collected during more than 16,000 post-deployment interviews with Canadian service members who served in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012. The study found that over 10% of soldiers deployed to Afghanistan had at least one common mental health problem after returning, including depression and PTSD.

The Canadian research also found a notable connection between service members who had previously been treated for mental health issues and post-deployment mental health problems. But the researchers claim that it would be wrong to screen military personnel based on previous mental health treatment, because many other military personnel who had previously sought mental health treatment were in good post-deployment mental health.

The researchers say that additional inquiries should be made in order to better understand why some military personnel with risk factors, including a history of mental health problems, did well after deployment to Afghanistan, while others did not.

These findings differ from earlier studies conducted by research teams from the U.S. The Canadian study found that Reservists were at no greater risk of PTSD and other mental health problems than regular forces. U.S. research found that Reservists were at a greater risk for PTSD and depression.

One interesting finding in the study was that French-speaking Canadians were less likely to suffer from PTSD and other combat stress related mental health issues than English-speaking Canadians.

The Canadian study also concluded that longer or multiple deployments did not appear to be risk factors. But exposure to combat had a strong correlation to later mental health problems.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard &amp, Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: Canadian PTSD Study Findings: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Trainability is a Skill: By Joe Silva

September 7, 2014/in Archived Blogs

Throughout our military careers, we were trained non-stop. The only time that we weren’t being trained is when we were carrying out missions. After a four-year enlistment, most Veterans have service records filled with certificates of completion. I know that my own service record has certificates from courses ranging from radars to radio-telephone communications, to weapons, to leadership, to firefighting, to detainee operations, and even driving a bus.

When Veterans separate from active duty, they feel confident, well-rounded and capable of accomplishing any task, or at least capable of learning how to accomplish any task. I know that I did.

But the harsh reality is that many Veterans find employers aren’t willing to take a chance on individuals with only military work experience. The reason for an employer’s hesitancy to hire Veterans is not entirely clear.

It’s possible that employers view military Veterans as lacking transferable skills and experience needed to work in a corporate environment. To be fair, most Veterans didn’t spend the last few years learning how the copy machine works, or how to fill out an Excel spreadsheet. And Veterans might not have experience following the policy for processing civilian paperwork, or filing and storing data.

But what many employers and hiring managers don’t seem to grasp is that Veterans possess the skill of trainability. These ordinary men and women, who were once your neighbors, friends, and family were trained to perform tasks and functions that only exist in-and-for the purposes of combat. They understand that they might someday need to use these skills at the risk of bodily injury or death.

If a Veteran can be trained to watch a radar screen and report their findings, surely they are trainable enough to work in your office. If a Veteran had the attention to detail to survive uniform and housing inspections, surely they can be given a chance to learn a company’s method of operations.

And any Veteran who ever requested to go on leave (vacation) while on active duty knows how to properly utilize a chain of command and follow proper company procedures for processing paperwork.

What it boils down to is that Veterans, regardless of their service branch or their military occupation, have accumulated a wealth of skills and experiences. But the most important skill that employers should be looking at is that Veterans are trainable. They can do anything… if given the opportunity and a little training.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: Trainability is a Skill: By Joe Silva

Military Connection: New Research on Veteran Jobs: By Debbie Gregory

September 6, 2014/in Archived Blogs

Over the next several years, barring any future U.S. involvement with any additional conflicts or wars, the Department of Defense will be remodeling its structure. Like any other employer forced to downsize when demand decreases, each branch of the military will essentially be laying-off service members. And the process has already begun.

These newly-separated Veterans, many of whom had planned on a lifelong military career, have already begun to enter the already crowded job market. Even with all of their training, skills and experience, Veterans are having difficulty finding jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has maintained that Veteran unemployment rates remain at levels that are consistently higher than non-veteran unemployment rates.

Many federal agencies and private researchers have sought to remedy the issue for Veterans, as well as for the sake of the economy. One study conducted byChristopher Stone, a PhD. student at the University of Texas at San Antonio College of Business, has uncovered findings that strike through the core of Veteran unemployment.

Stone, an eight year Veteran of the U.S. Air Force, worked in aircraft maintenance and as a Military Instructor. When he left the Air Force in 2007, he started his own business near Lackland, Texas. Stone sold the business in 2010, and began to pursue his studies at the university.

An organization and management studies student, Stone focused his research on the issues concerning military Veterans’ limited ability to secure jobs, as well as exploring solutions that both employers and Veterans could use to remedy Veteran unemployment.

Stone’s research expanded the factors currently affecting the hiring of people with disabilities to explain the variables thought to influence employer decisions to hire Veterans. These factors include attributes of the veteran, attributes of the observer, the nature of the job, the degree to which raters perceive the transference of military skills to civilian jobs, and the perceived difference between role requirements in military and civilian organizational cultures.

Stone’s research suggests that employers can use the following policies to improve Veterans’ access to employment:

Use education programs to dispel stereotypes about Veterans, and change the organizational culture to emphasize the value of hiring Veterans.
Recognize and reward decision makers who hire Veterans, expand recruiting to find talented Veterans, and give bonuses to employees who refer Veterans to the company.
Familiarize decision makers with military jobs (MOSs, Rates) and the associated knowledge, skills and abilities that are similar to civilian positions.

Additionally, staffing organizations can publicize the utilization of Veterans in the everyday functions of civilian companies.Veterans themselves can use impression management techniques, such as acknowledging their health conditions or disabilities. They can also learn to relate their military training and experience to their civilian career. It would also help if Veterans would use coaches and mentors to tighten up their résumés and interview skills.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: New Research on Veteran Jobs: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: ‘Miracle at Sea’: By Joe Silva

September 5, 2014/in Archived Blogs

On September 1, 2014, the flight deck of the USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19) was the setting for a small miracle at sea. A CH-53E Super Stallion was attempting to land on the Mesa Verde, when the helicopter crashed into the water.

The Marine CH-53 went down in the Gulf of Aden, near Djibouti , as it attempted to land on the flight deck of the Mesa Verde. The helo was returning Marines to the ship following a training exercise on the Horn of Africa. There were seventeen Marines and eight Navy sailors on board when it went down.

As a Veteran of the “Gator Navy”, this story hits home for me. I was stationed on the USS Ogden (LPD-5) from November, 2004, until just before she was decommissioned in February, 2007. While serving all over the world on the Ogden, I have steamed in the Gulf Aden, and witnessed flight operations countless times on her flight deck. In two and a half years on the Ogden and another year on the USNS Rainer (TAOE-7), there were numerous opportunities for accidents to occur.

Thankfully, all 25 service members were rescued. The Navy said that there were some unspecified minor injuries, but all injuries were treated in the sickbay on board the Mesa Verde, meaning that the injuries were not severe enough to require transfer to a more comprehensive medical facility.

The USS Mesa Verde, along with other “Gator Navy vessels,” is called an amphibious ship, or “Amphib”, because of its ability to carry United States Marines and their equipment and launch beach landings. The Mesa Verde, an Amphibious Transport Dock, has the capacity to carry up to 800 Marines, and all the gear necessary for an invasion.

The cause of the crash is being investigated, although the Navy has confirmed that it was not caused by any hostile activity.

As a sailor, I know that this successful rescue could only be accomplished through a quick response from the entire crew of the Mesa Verde. From the lookouts, to the bridge, to my comrades in CIC, to the engineers, and the retrieval teams in RHIBS and other helos, it was a team effort. Bravo-Zulu to the entire crew of the Mesa Verde. Job well done.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.