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Air Forces Offers Up to $175K in Retention Bonuses for Drone Pilots

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The "Reaper" has been chosen as the name for the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle. (Courtesy photo)

By Debbie Gregory.

As the Air Force tries to retain drone pilots, the service branch is offering critical skills retention bonuses worth a total of $175,000 if the pilots agree to serve five more years, or $35,000 for an additional year of commitment if they’re already receiving a similar CSRB or aviation retention pay bonus.

To be eligible, drone pilots must be in the 18X RPA pilots, 11U pilots who started on manned aircraft and permanently transitioned to RPAs, 11X pilot, 12U RPA combat systems officers, or 13U RPA air battle manager career fields, and their undergraduate RPA or flying training commitments must be expiring in fiscal 2016 or 2017.

Previously, the Air Force had floated a plan to offer $15,000 retention bonuses for commitments of either five years — for a total of $75,000 — or nine years, for a total of $135,000. At that time, due to the shortage, drone pilots were flying up to 900 hours a year, compared with fighter pilots, who were in the cockpit an average of 250 hours a year, according to Air Force officials.

The Air Force said the program will be retroactive for airmen whose commitment expired in 2016, and that applications for them must be submitted to the Air Force Personnel Center by Jan. 31, 2017.

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.

Top Ten Tips for Vets to Achieve Successful Civilian Careers

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By Debbie Gregory.

Transitioning from the military is an exciting time in your life, but it can also be a little intimidating. In order to help you achieve success, here are some tips to help you navigate your way into your new civilian career:

  1. Deal with issues

You need to demonstrate that you are a team player and are engaged with the company’s needs. Learn the company’s issues and priorities, and how you can contribute to dealing with both.

  1. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover

Unlike the military, there are no uniforms with rank that reveal someone’s position within the organization. Until you’ve been with an organization for a while and have figured out who is who, treat everyone as if they are the boss.

  1. Don’t rely on military terms

While addressing those at work as “sir” and “ma’am” will set you apart in a good way, it’s important to remember that you need to civilian-ize your speech in order to be understood.

  1. Loosen up a bit

Military customs and courtesies don’t often translate well in the civilian world. Gauge your behavior to your company’s social culture. If it is a bit laid back, your behavior should fit in with that. Rely on your coworkers to educate you.

  1. “Praise in public and punish in private” is still important

In the military, you learned that the best leaders heap praise on their teams in public and choose to go behind closed doors to make corrections. Stay with that, even though sometimes you may see the opposite.

  1. Don’t overshare PTSD or TBI

While your civilian counterparts at your new job may be curious and ask questions about your experiences in the military, a measured response will serve you better than too much detail. This is especially true of the invisible wounds, such as PTSD and TBI. Private information should be shared on a need-to-know basis, or in with those with whom you truly feel comfortable with. Which brings us to the next tip:

  1. Be prepared for off-the-wall questions

There is a large disconnect between veterans and civilians. Most civilians would never intentionally ask rude questions, but should a question come off as rude or ignorant, try to roll with it.

  1. Learn the company’s corporate culture

Corporate culture is comprised of the values, beliefs and attitudes that characterize the company and guide its practices. To some extent, a company’s internal culture may be articulated in its mission statement or vision statement. Learn it. Know it.

  1. Find out how to advance

Build a diversity of relationships and rely on those individuals for honest feedback, advice, insight, and information. Include peers inside and outside the company, higher-ups in your chain of command and in other divisions, someone in your company’s human resources department

  1. Join your company’s veteran affinity group

Take advantage of the camaraderie, assistance and support of your co-workers who have traveled a path similar to yours. If there isn’t one, start one. Your employer will only benefit from the support provided to their veteran employees.

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.

Reserve Reconsiders Heart Attack Case After Denial

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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?

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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.


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