BY Kelli Brewer

Serving in America’s military is an honor and a patriotic sacrifice, but it comes at a cost. A great many of our veterans and service members bear the physical marks and mental scars of their service and carry them into private life. It’s a sad state of affairs that the government for which they served sometimes isn’t able to help meet their needs, and many suffer for it. Job loss, divorce, alcoholism, and dislocation are often the result. It’s up to members of a grateful public to give our veterans a helping hand. There are many ways to help without spending a lot of money or time.

By Whitney Delbridge Nichels
U.S. Army Warrior Care and Transition

ARLINGTON, Va., July 25, 2018 Thanks to advances in modern medicine and the availability of sturdier prosthetics, soldiers who are able to redeploy after amputation have a number of possible options for continued military service.

Army Staff Sgt. Brian Beem lost his leg in 2006 to an improvised explosive device in Iraq.

By Navy Seaman Michael Prusiecki - USS Nimitz

NAVAL BASE KITSAP-BREMERTON, Wash., July 25, 2018 A Navy father and daughter here say they enjoy their service together aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz .

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Eric Alexander, a native of Stuttgart, Arkansas, enlisted in the Navy in 1996 as an aviation boatswains mate. He served at various commands and eventually reached the rank of chief petty officer before being commissioned through the limited duty officer program in 2007. Since February, he has been serving as the aircraft handling officer on the Nimitz.

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2018 The Defense Department issued a substantive change today to its policy on the transfer by service members in the uniformed services of Post-9/11 GI Bill educational benefits to eligible family member recipients.

Effective one year from the date of this change, eligibility to transfer those benefits will be limited to service members with less than 16 years of total active-duty or selected reserve service, as applicable.

By David McNally, ARL Public Affairs July 25, 2017

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. -- Army scientists and engineers recently made a groundbreaking discovery -- an aluminum nanomaterial of their design produces high amounts of energy when it comes in contact with water, or with any liquid containing water.

During routine materials experimentation at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, a team of researchers observed a bubbling reaction when adding water to a nano-galvanic aluminum-based powder.

By Lance Cpl. Jake McClung, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. -- Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 373 supported the Veterans Village of San Diego during their 30th Annual Homeless Veteran Stand Down July 21 to 23, at San Diego High School in San Diego.

The stand down offered homeless veterans shelter and provided services such as medical care, dental care, legal assistance, haircuts and food for three days.

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

1. Am I eligible for the Veterans Choice Program?

To be eligible for the program, you must be enrolled in VA health care and must also meet at least one of the following criteria:

By Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Charlotte C. Oliver Defense Media Activity - Navy

CHARLESTOWN, Mass., July 24, 2017 — After a two-year restoration at historic Dry Dock 1 at Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston National Historical Park, America's oldest commissioned warship, the USS Constitution, was refloated July 23.

Since entering dry dock, May 18, 2015, ship restorers from the Naval History and Heritage Command Detachment Boston and teams of sailors have worked tirelessly side by side to bring Old Ironsides back to her glory.

The reality of paying for college is that many families find themselves struggling to cover the entire college bill, despite having already filed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form and receiving federal, state, and school-based financial aid and scholarships. If you find yourself in this position, here are some ideas to consider and places to look to help fill the gap between what your financial aid covers and what you owe your school.

TIP: The financial aid office at your school is an excellent resource. If you didn’t get enough financial aid, contact your school’s financial aid office. They can help you explore your options.

By: Tom Philpott July 13, 2017

Military Update: The Senate Armed Services Committee has voted to make permanent the Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance (SSIA) set to expire next spring, and paid monthly to 63,000 survivors of service members who died on active duty or, more commonly, died of severe service-connected health conditions in retirement.

If the Senate initiative becomes law, the SSIA payments of $310 a month also would be adjusted annually, starting in 2018, by the same percentage cost-of-living adjustment used to keep military retirement from fading to inflation.