The U.S. Army has employed civilians since 1776 in support of men and women in uniform. The department of defense is America’s oldest, largest, busiest, and most successful “company”. Today with over (UNORIG) 700,000…
Many teenagers at high schools are being recruited to the military looking for a good education that is free. Even though High schoolers after graduating go to the military without knowing what they will face once there, military recruiters need to be more specific about the military because high schoolers go to the military looking for all those opportunities they were told and to many young people are joining hoping to look for a good life their but ends up being the opposite.…
The Effects on a Military Family A Soldiers’ life can be unstable sometimes. They have duties and responsibilities that civilians do not, such as: waking up early in the morning for PT, being sent to another state for a month or longer for training, stationing overseas for a job assignment or being deployed for war. These constant changes can make life stressful for the soldier’s wife or husband and kids. The soldier’s family deserts their family, their friends, their school, their home and everything that was familiar to them, to live a brand-new life in a different state or a different country overseas. On top of this, the soldier continues to abducted from this new home for training or war and must adjust to their parent and spouse being…
With new laws being enacted in the military and the ever present possibility of conflict, a relatively dormant topic has emerged, the Selective Service and the military draft. As with any emerging topic, differing opinions towards the issue have risen, Economists tend to argue that the agency “captures people who would prefer to be doing something else and forces them to bear the cost of national defense disproportionately by working for a submarket wage”(Applebaum), military officials lean towards the idea that the effectiveness of our all-volunteer force should not be compromised, while lawmakers themselves question the agency believing that maintaining the Selective Service simply makes no sense. Even the average, working class, American…
The effects of deployment: Since October 2001, approximately 1.6 million United States troops were deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq striving for freedom. The most current statistics on the makeup of deployed military is 90% men, 10% women, 53% married, 68% married couples with children, 32% without children, 47% single, 13% single with children, and 87% single without children(Garcia). Soldiers enduring an extended deployment of six months or greater endure a five-stage emotional cycle including pre-deployment, deployment, sustainment, re-deployment, and post deployment. Each stage is classified by both a time period and emotional challenges that the soldier and their family will undergo. In order to have a successful deployment it is crucial for the…
because within military culture an individual is expected to remain strong and deal with problems without complaint (Milburn & Lightfoot, 2013). For those children of parents who serve in National Guard or Reserve units, the issues of lack of communication may be even more exacerbated because they have very few friends that share similar experiences and related emotional stressors. Secondary Trauma Stress. Surveys conducted among military families suggests that spouses and children of combat-exposed soldiers with PTSD are at risk for developing secondary traumatic stress (Herzog, Everson, & Whitworth, 2011). Secondary trauma stress can result from listening to soldier-parent’s stories regarding their experiences in a war zone, the child begins to empathize with the parent, feeling their pain, helplessness, and loss of hope.…
What are your thoughts regarding your ability to work with military families and children as a social worker? I personally would be “fine” maybe even a bit too comfortable working with military families and children as a social worker because I grew up with an alcoholic father and I am starting to see the similarities, which honestly took twenty-five years all because everyone is afraid to face the truth; therefore, things just get swept under the rug and open communication is forbidden in order to protect the toxicity of the household. One quote from Park (2011) that struck me states, ‘‘a common saying in the military is that when one person joins, the whole family serves’’ (p. 66). This unfortunately reigns true with addiction. Alcoholism is a family disease that tears away at the family unit.…
Growing up, having a parent in the military was kind of tough. Having to pack up everything and move. Especially when that parent was relocated to a new base. I 've settled down for a few years, not up and moving or anything. As soon as the service in the military was over and my parents had divorced I was right back up moving around.…
Challenges Faced by Military Spouses Make Them Heroes For many years, military spouses have been the backbone of the family. They are heroes without fame, heroes without costumes. They are the cornerstone in support of the deployed service member and the family members left behind. Some people say that heroes are those who are fighting for our country.…
Some of the problems and trends that are contributing to Army recruiting challenges today are many young people not meeting the suitability health threshold required; the Army states they will not lower the standards. The overall economy has been improving with several states increasing the minimum wages to levels of basic pay that a new Soldier receive. All recruits now must pass the Occupational Physical Assessment Test (OPAT) that controls which, if any, military professional specialty the future Soldiers will be eligible to enlist. Recruits selecting more physically demanding military occupational specialties will have to meet the OPAT standard. There are four physical demand categories under the OPAT, heavy (black), significant (gray),…
Military families are known for relocating constantly and due to this “military brats” struggle to develop roots that average children form throughout their childhood. Being uprooted may cause you to feel lonely or placeless. McClay and…
Before a Citizen decides to join the U.S. Army they have a preconceived notion of what an Army soldier is, what an Army soldier represents, and how life as a United States Army Soldier will be like. They contemplate how their friends, family, and the public will perceive them when they wear the uniform. Past and present Army leaders have worked diligently to form and maintain an Army image of disciplined, well trained, and true professional soldiers. Over the past 15 years, this outstanding image of Army Soldiers has dwindled to an image of soft, undisciplined, and lazy soldiers who care more about themselves and less about what it means to wear the uniform. The Army has brought forth an idea to combat this growing problem with a campaign…
Military families often times experience different types and multiple stressors and trauma throughout their lifetimes. At times these different situations and stressors can be positive or negative (Lester & Flake, 2013). However, either with either type of stressors families can show both strengthens and weaknesses. These different transitions can be positive and can allow for opportunities for youth to grow and experience adventures that they might not have had the opportunity to experience if they were not a member of a military family. These transitions can also be disruptive towards the family or individuals due to changing schedules and locations.…
Long and extended separation from families, and the stress on family structure as well as, social functioning, was also a contributing factor for marriages to fail. Military marriages are more at risk when couples spend too much time away from each other, and depending on the service members MOS (military occupational specialty), the service member who served multiple deployments, are at a greater risk of divorce than others. In the article "How Deployment Stress Affects Families", Department of Veterans Affairs, claims that not only are families effected by stressors during and after deployment, but they are also effected by the multiple moves to different duty stations. The article also claims that the news of deployment has an emotional effect, as well as, fear and sadness on families, when it is closer for the service member to depart.…
These potential soldiers will need determination as well as strength to finish their service term. “Currently, over 40 percent of…