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Hanging Out with Another Veteran Can be the Best Therapy

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veteran buddies

By Debbie Gregory.

It’s long been referred to as a band of brothers, and more recently, a band of brothers and sisters. While not related by blood, the same concept remains: watch out for each other. It’s a kinship that’s often forged under the worst of circumstances.

For that reason, veteran organizations are encouraging veterans to build trusting relationships and support each other. That’s why the VA offers employment to veterans as peer specialists.

A Peer Specialist is a person with a mental health and/or co-occurring condition, who has been trained and certified to help others with these conditions, identify and achieve specific life and recovery goals.

A Peer Specialist is a person who is actively engaged in his/her own recovery, and who volunteers or is hired to provide peer support services to others engaged in mental health treatment.

Veterans are a natural resource when it comes to supporting fellow veterans in need. That’s not to say that civilian care for veterans isn’t valuable as well. But there’s something to be said for walking in another’s shoes. Understanding the unique culture shared by military members and their families can be a daunting task for Americans who have not experienced the military lifestyle.

Post-traumatic stress disease (PTSD) is a major concern, as it can lead to a host of other issues, including alcohol abuse, drug abuse, homelessness, unemployment, violence, and even suicide.

Veteran peer support shows promise in addressing mental health issues.

Given the large numbers of veterans returning from multiple deployments, the value of incorporating veteran peers into health care teams makes perfect sense, especially when you consider other factors such as  a shortage of trained behavioral health providers, long wait times for treatment,  and stigma felt by veterans regarding seeking help.

Although civilians can never truly understand what war is like, we can honor all veterans by ensuring that we as a society do what we can to help them achieve the American Dream.

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 Updating Missile Defense System to Protect South Korea

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patriot missile

By Debbie Gregory.

The U.S. and our allies across the Pacific are taking every precaution to protect South Korea from the North Korean nuclear threat.

To that end, the U.S. Army’s 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade has been engaged in an eight-month exercise to modernize its Patriot missile defense system charged with protecting Osan Air base.

The modernization effort was the result of a collaborative effort between the 35th Brigade, contractors from Raytheon, and the Lower Tier Project.

For nearly forty years, the Patriot missile defense system has protected the airspace above U.S. forces. Continuously upgraded since introduction, today it protects against the full spectrum of flying threats, from ballistic missiles to consumer-grade quadcopter drones. In fact, since January of 2015, Patriot has intercepted more than 100 ballistic missiles in combat operations around the world,” according to Raytheon.

According to the Army, work will continue to done in the coming months to fortify Army bases on the Korean peninsula against the growing threat of North Korean aggression.

Though Kim Jong-un has not publicly stated any plans to launch missiles at its enemy to the south, his regime recently made a threat to launch a nuclear missile at Guam in advance of a joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States.

On August 29th, Japan’s Air Force demonstrated a Patriot missile-defense system at Yokota in Western Tokyo, just hours after a North Korean missile flew over Hokkaido.

“Bilateral engagements like this one demonstrate the enduring strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance and the determination of both our nations to address the security challenge posed by North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs,” said Lt. Gen. Jerry Martinez, commander of U.S. Forces Japan.

Raytheon has built more than 220 Patriot fire units and delivered them to customers in 13 nations.

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 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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banks

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.


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