Deployment News

This page presents some of the latest news relating to deployments. For further information on each topic, please select the related link. Please note, though, that many of these links are to other Web sites. These links will open in a new browser window.

Headlines

K-9s Receive Top Care in Deployed Environment
(Source: af.mil)

In a 110-degree, sandy environment at a forward-deployed location, how does the mission go on when a military working dog is down? As with any combat zone, there are only so many things Airmen can do without the K-9s in place. Keeping the dogs in good health is a top priority, and that responsibility reaches further then many expect, officials said. Veterinarians, contingency aeromedical staging facility members, flying crews and dentists are some people who help keep these mission-essential animals in top shape.

K-9s Receive Top Care in Deployed Environment
(Source: af.mil)

In a 110-degree, sandy environment at a forward-deployed location, how does the mission go on when a military working dog is down? As with any combat zone, there are only so many things Airmen can do without the K-9s in place. Keeping the dogs in good health is a top priority, and that responsibility reaches further then many expect, officials said. Veterinarians, contingency aeromedical staging facility members, flying crews and dentists are some people who help keep these mission-essential animals in top shape.

Simulation Prepares Soldier-Medics for Combat
(Source: defenselink.mil)

The U.S. Army Medical Department and School is using advanced simulation training to prepare soldiers in their combat-medic training program. Soldiers are placed in limited visibility environments with simulated incoming gunshots, a noisy, fast-paced and stressful environment, treating full-body mannequins that do almost everything a real body can do.

Red Cross Selling Magnets to Link Soldiers, Families
(Source: semissourian.com)

The American Red Cross provides a link for soldiers and their families when they are separated during an illness, a birth or a death. Now the Southeast Missouri Chapter of that organization is asking the community to help make those links by donating money to the cause. 'There's been a huge escalation in the number of messages and emergency correspondence between soldiers and their families since 9-11,' said Southeast Missouri Chapter executive director Mary Burton. Community members can aid troops and their families by purchasing magnetic ribbons with patriotic colors and themes.

Army Reaches Out to 'Kissing Hand'
(Source: usatoday.com)

The Kissing Hand, a gentle children's book, has long been on the radar of core comforters - kindergarten teachers, day-care providers, foster parents, hospital staffers, librarians - who need to reassure children upset by separation anxiety. The Army just bought 14,000 copies to help children and, just as important, their soldier parents, says M.-A. Lucas, director of Army Child and Youth Services at the Army Community and Family Support Center.

Benefits Ease Health Concerns For Returning Service Members
(Source: hilltoptimes.com)

As many military men and women return home from wartime deployments and prepare to end their active duty service, one of their prime concerns will be to ensure that health care coverage for themselves and their families is not interrupted. Many of them will be eligible for TRICARE benefits available through the Transitional Assistance Management Program or TAMP. These transitional benefits will help them maintain their coverage while bridging the gap between military service and civilian life.

Families Struggle Alongside Wounded Troops
(Source: cnn.com)

Nearly 7,000 men and women have been injured since fighting broke out in Iraq in 2003, more than half wounded badly enough that they could not return to duty. Many are sent to Walter Reed in Washington or the National Naval Medical Center in nearby Bethesda, Md. It is a stressful time for the soldiers, who struggle to recover from their injuries, come to grips with the changes to their bodies and often worry about the future. It can be equally hard on their relatives, many of whom put their lives on hold to spend seemingly endless months at the hospital.

Air Force Working to Combat Stressors
(Source: af.mil)

The war on terrorism is placing many stresses on the Air Force, but Airmen are responding well to those stresses, and leaders are working to alleviate them.

Employers Try To Soothe Stressed U.S. Workers in Iraq
(Source: usatoday.com)

U.S. employees who have taken civilian jobs in Iraq face anxiety, isolation from family, gunfire and grueling work. A number of employers are trying to alleviate the strain. Some are bringing in on-site mental-health counselors who travel the country in Black Hawk helicopters. Others are providing online counseling sessions to those on the ground or granting employees a month or more off when they return.

Combat Stress Team Begins Regular Rotation
(Source: kcentv.com)

Recently, additional detachments have been assigned to the 785th Medical Company allowing Combat Stress Control teams to enter more proactive roles, providing classes to Soldiers as well as individual counseling and crisis management.

Armed Forces Line Up Against GI Depression
(Source: denverpost.com)

The Pentagon is implementing a new push to catch soldiers' depression and post-traumatic stress early. Military officials said that they hope diagnosing and treating war veterans for depression using family physicians will encourage many more to come forward who otherwise might not.

VA To Use Technology to Improve Patients Informed Consent
(Source: gcn.com)

The Veterans Affairs Department is adopting a program to help patients make more informed decisions about their health care. VA will introduce the Electronic Support for Patient Decisions initiative at all 158 VA medical centers within a year, the department said. Customized software called iMedConsent will provide patients with information about treatment options and standardize procedures among clinicians

Injured Soldiers Regain Independence at BACH
(Source: theleafchronicle.com)

Taking care of soldiers is a priority for Fort Campbell and BACH staff, so much so that the Deployment Health office was established last year to ensure service members don't fall through the cracks. Buckwalter said the care at BACH starts when the soldiers gets off the plane or helicopter and one of the high-ranking officers meets them at either Campbell Army Airfield or Nashville International Airport.

The Military Health System Provides Professional, Ethical and Humane Care to All
(Source: osd.mil)

Message from the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.

Armies of 14 Nations to Fight Common Enemy
(Source: indiatimes.com)

Military forces world-wide are increasingly undertaking joint operations as part of their tactical strategies, but a new co-operation of a different nature is now aimed at combating a common enemy - HIV/AIDS. While senior military strategies from 14 nations, including the US and India, are meeting here in Pune over a five-day international conference, beginning on Thursday, officials said 'efforts will be taken to learn from each other's experience to address to the global emergency, besides frameworking certain common policies to tackle the dreaded disease.'

Becoming a Couple Again
(Source: usuhs.mil)

How to Create a Shared Sense of Purpose.