thedrifter
08-03-04, 08:32 AM
August 02, 2004
Weapons and Warfare
The Gulf War and reproductive health
WHAT’S UP: Since the 1991 Persian Gulf War, American and British veterans of that conflict have reported a host of health concerns and problems. One of those concerns relates to reproductive health and whether it could have been damaged by environmental conditions or other factors encountered in that conflict.
WHAT’S NEXT: British researchers recently unveiled a study that shows fewer 1991 British veterans fathered children than did other servicemen. Among the Gulf War veterans who had children, it took longer for the couple to conceive, compared to veterans who didn’t serve in the gulf, according to the Daily Telegraph newspaper in Sydney, Australia.
The Military
The motivations of volunteerism
WHAT’S UP: Why do you volunteer? The National Military Family Association wants to know. It’s conducting an Internet survey, which can be found on its Web site at www.nmfa.org. One 30-question survey is for those in the military community; another 27 questions target civilians. Questions include details on types of volunteering and preferences for volunteering.
WHAT’S NEXT: The survey deadline is Aug. 27. The association, composed primarily of volunteers with some connection to the military, hopes to use the information to look at volunteering between military and civilian organizations, to determine preferred volunteering opportunities and to examine the benefits of volunteering.
Gift certificates a monster hit
WHAT’S UP: The latest CDs and DVDs, snacks, beverages and prepaid phone cards are at the top of the list for service members using donated Army and Air Force Exchange Service gift certificates, officials said. Since AAFES began the “Gifts from the Homefront” program last year, Americans have donated $406,745 to the effort, designed to lift troops’ morale.
WHAT’S NEXT: The USO, American Red Cross, Air Force Aid Society and Fisher House have helped get the certificates into the hands of service members, distributing 7,000 of them worth a total of $123,100 to deployed troops. Family members and friends also have purchased gift certificates for individual service members worth $283,645. The gift certificates can be purchased online at www.aafes.com or by calling toll-free, (877) 770-4438. Troops can use the certificates at AAFES stores anywhere, including the 56 stores throughout Central and Southwest Asia.
Pay and Benefits
The shrinking 3.5 percent raise
WHAT’S UP: The 3.5 percent military pay raise coming Jan. 1, if Congress completes work on the 2005 defense budget in time, isn’t going to look so big if inflation remains at its current pace. The Labor Department reported July 16 that the price of goods and services rose 0.3 percentage point in June, 2.3 percent greater than in June 2003. If this trend continues, the extra purchasing power from a 3.5 percent pay raise will be lessened.
WHAT’S NEXT: The military raise is set to be 0.5 percent greater than the increase last year in private-sector salaries instead of being tied to the cost of living. What would be bad news for service members in terms of purchasing power would be better news for military retirees and disabled veterans, whose annual increases in retired and disability pay are tied to consumer prices.
Another use for GI Bill
WHAT’S UP: A House bill expanding GI Bill benefits, called the Veterans Earn and Learn Act of 2004, would authorize a pilot program in which eligible veterans and reservists would be trained as adjudicators for veterans’ disability, survivor and pension claims. The apprenticeships would last for three years under a five-year test. About 250 people at a time would be trained.
WHAT’S NEXT: The bill, HR 1716, passed the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee on May 19 and was briefly referred to the House Armed Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over some of the issues. The pilot program would help veterans find jobs and also help the VA get qualified claims adjusters. The ultimate fate of the proposals, though, is unclear because the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee has its own ideas and is working on its own benefits bill.
World Affairs
Trimming fat from the military
WHAT’S UP: Malaysia is devising incentives to offer soldiers in a new campaign against obesity in the ranks. Concerned that 20 percent of active-duty deaths in the last 10 years have been the result of weight-related health problems, the military will offer a yet-undetermined reward for active-duty soldiers who lose 22 pounds in six months, according to a report from Bernama, Malaysia’s national news agency.
WHAT’S NEXT: Gen. Mohamad Zahidi Zainuddin, Malaysia’s armed forces chief, says premature deaths from diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes “can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle” and the rewards will encourage soldiers to eat less and get more exercise. The U.S. military has its own way of rewarding soldiers who lose weight: Being chubby can end a career.
Going to the dogs on gunrunning
WHAT’S UP: Piso the pooch has proven to be a good weapons inspector and only needed a bag of dog food and a bone as a reward. The Associated Press reports Piso sniffed out a cache of 300 M-16 rifles stolen from a military base in Thailand. Military officials had offered a $2,500 reward for recovery of the assault rifles, but Piso found the weapons behind the house of a suspect with little fuss.
WHAT’S NEXT: While Piso is enjoying his reward, military investigators who couldn’t find the missing weapons are in the doghouse. There is no word on whether the Bush administration is trying to get Thailand to send Piso to Iraq to hunt for improvised explosives and Iraqi arms caches.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=1-MARINEPAPER-275155.php
Ellie
Weapons and Warfare
The Gulf War and reproductive health
WHAT’S UP: Since the 1991 Persian Gulf War, American and British veterans of that conflict have reported a host of health concerns and problems. One of those concerns relates to reproductive health and whether it could have been damaged by environmental conditions or other factors encountered in that conflict.
WHAT’S NEXT: British researchers recently unveiled a study that shows fewer 1991 British veterans fathered children than did other servicemen. Among the Gulf War veterans who had children, it took longer for the couple to conceive, compared to veterans who didn’t serve in the gulf, according to the Daily Telegraph newspaper in Sydney, Australia.
The Military
The motivations of volunteerism
WHAT’S UP: Why do you volunteer? The National Military Family Association wants to know. It’s conducting an Internet survey, which can be found on its Web site at www.nmfa.org. One 30-question survey is for those in the military community; another 27 questions target civilians. Questions include details on types of volunteering and preferences for volunteering.
WHAT’S NEXT: The survey deadline is Aug. 27. The association, composed primarily of volunteers with some connection to the military, hopes to use the information to look at volunteering between military and civilian organizations, to determine preferred volunteering opportunities and to examine the benefits of volunteering.
Gift certificates a monster hit
WHAT’S UP: The latest CDs and DVDs, snacks, beverages and prepaid phone cards are at the top of the list for service members using donated Army and Air Force Exchange Service gift certificates, officials said. Since AAFES began the “Gifts from the Homefront” program last year, Americans have donated $406,745 to the effort, designed to lift troops’ morale.
WHAT’S NEXT: The USO, American Red Cross, Air Force Aid Society and Fisher House have helped get the certificates into the hands of service members, distributing 7,000 of them worth a total of $123,100 to deployed troops. Family members and friends also have purchased gift certificates for individual service members worth $283,645. The gift certificates can be purchased online at www.aafes.com or by calling toll-free, (877) 770-4438. Troops can use the certificates at AAFES stores anywhere, including the 56 stores throughout Central and Southwest Asia.
Pay and Benefits
The shrinking 3.5 percent raise
WHAT’S UP: The 3.5 percent military pay raise coming Jan. 1, if Congress completes work on the 2005 defense budget in time, isn’t going to look so big if inflation remains at its current pace. The Labor Department reported July 16 that the price of goods and services rose 0.3 percentage point in June, 2.3 percent greater than in June 2003. If this trend continues, the extra purchasing power from a 3.5 percent pay raise will be lessened.
WHAT’S NEXT: The military raise is set to be 0.5 percent greater than the increase last year in private-sector salaries instead of being tied to the cost of living. What would be bad news for service members in terms of purchasing power would be better news for military retirees and disabled veterans, whose annual increases in retired and disability pay are tied to consumer prices.
Another use for GI Bill
WHAT’S UP: A House bill expanding GI Bill benefits, called the Veterans Earn and Learn Act of 2004, would authorize a pilot program in which eligible veterans and reservists would be trained as adjudicators for veterans’ disability, survivor and pension claims. The apprenticeships would last for three years under a five-year test. About 250 people at a time would be trained.
WHAT’S NEXT: The bill, HR 1716, passed the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee on May 19 and was briefly referred to the House Armed Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over some of the issues. The pilot program would help veterans find jobs and also help the VA get qualified claims adjusters. The ultimate fate of the proposals, though, is unclear because the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee has its own ideas and is working on its own benefits bill.
World Affairs
Trimming fat from the military
WHAT’S UP: Malaysia is devising incentives to offer soldiers in a new campaign against obesity in the ranks. Concerned that 20 percent of active-duty deaths in the last 10 years have been the result of weight-related health problems, the military will offer a yet-undetermined reward for active-duty soldiers who lose 22 pounds in six months, according to a report from Bernama, Malaysia’s national news agency.
WHAT’S NEXT: Gen. Mohamad Zahidi Zainuddin, Malaysia’s armed forces chief, says premature deaths from diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes “can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle” and the rewards will encourage soldiers to eat less and get more exercise. The U.S. military has its own way of rewarding soldiers who lose weight: Being chubby can end a career.
Going to the dogs on gunrunning
WHAT’S UP: Piso the pooch has proven to be a good weapons inspector and only needed a bag of dog food and a bone as a reward. The Associated Press reports Piso sniffed out a cache of 300 M-16 rifles stolen from a military base in Thailand. Military officials had offered a $2,500 reward for recovery of the assault rifles, but Piso found the weapons behind the house of a suspect with little fuss.
WHAT’S NEXT: While Piso is enjoying his reward, military investigators who couldn’t find the missing weapons are in the doghouse. There is no word on whether the Bush administration is trying to get Thailand to send Piso to Iraq to hunt for improvised explosives and Iraqi arms caches.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=1-MARINEPAPER-275155.php
Ellie