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Those men and women who choose to serve their country in the military unfortunately run a higher risk of incurring a traumatic brain injury (TBI) than those civilians who might be exposed to less risk. One reason for this is that military personnel are under a high risk for being involved in car accidents, which are the most common cause of all TBIs. In addition, military personnel are consistently at risk of being injured by powerful munitions, which can also cause a brain injury through concussive force. Though military service does exposed personnel to the risk of a penetrative brain injury, such as caused by a bullet or shrapnel, an even greater risk exists for a TBI caused by a concussive blast wave as a result of an explosive. The high occurrence of explosions due to improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in combat theaters such as Iraq and Afghanistan means American troops in the field are at a high risk of incurring a TBI.

Afghanistan, Iraq Conflicts a Major Risk Factor for Traumatic Brain Injury

We now know those who have served in Afghanistan or Iraq are at a much higher risk of TBI than combat veterans from previous wars. In the Vietnam War, 14 to 18 percent of all veterans had a brain injury. Today, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center says 31 percent of those admitted between January 2003 and May 2005 had some kind of brain injury. A 2005 study in the New England Journal of Medicine attributed these higher numbers in part to advancements in munitions, especially improvised explosive devices, and in part to improvements in body armor, which protects soldiers from what would previously have been a fatal penetrative wound, but not from a nonfatal blast injury.

Misdiagnosed/Undiagnosed Traumatic Brain Injury in Soldiers

Because the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury often do not appear until weeks after the injury is sustained, it is not uncommon for a TBI to go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. This is especially true when the symptoms of a TBI are subtle, such as a personality change or emotional problems, which are easy for strangers to miss. There does exist some evidence that such symptoms may occasionally be misdiagnosed as pure psychological, or even a result of a soldier’s malingering, partly due to the lack of resources and traumatic brain injury expertise that combat doctors might be forced to deal with.

And as Commander James Dunne, lead trauma surgeon at the National Naval Medical Center, observed at a 2006 summit of military physicians, the long-term consequences of an undiagnosed TBI can be devastating. Those servicemen and women with an undiagnosed brain injury can lose all-too-important treatment time, which can prolong recovery time and possibly cause serious personal complications and setbacks. Because side effects of a traumatic brain injury include behavioral and emotional problems, especially depression, TBIs can hold discharged soldiers back from reintegrating into civilian society or even from continued success in the armed services.

A 1996 medical study showed that a behavior-related discharge from the military was 1.8 times more likely for a TBI patient than for a soldier without a TBI. Difficulties with memory, motor skills and the senses, more common side effects of brain damage, can also affect veterans’ ability to get a job, care for a family or perform other life functions. And without a diagnosis, military TBI patients may be liable for tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of medical bills, on top of lost wages.

Proper helmets and body armor, particularly the newest Kevlar armor, remain the best way to prevent a traumatic brain injury among those who serve in the military. It is also important to have rapid diagnosis and quickly implemented treatment of a TBI to prevent secondary injuries due to the chemical and physical changes to the brain that can accompany a TBI, swelling for example. It can also minimize the cost, both personal and financial, of the injury to the soldier and his or her loved ones. If you believe that you or one of your loved ones might have an undiagnosed service-related TBI, an experienced brain injury attorney can help you get the help and compensation you deserve.

Funeral and memorial services can be considered a beautiful and memorable experience by all those who attend. Memorial and funeral services can be a celebration of one’s life and accomplishments. Military funeral honors are one great example of this. Military honors are used to acknowledge and commend one’s service to his or her country. Military honors are available to all servicemen and women, whether in times of war or peace.

Law mandates that the rendering of military funeral honors be held for all eligible veterans when requested either by the deceased before passing, or by the departed’s family. In order to demonstrate eligibility, the family must provide the funeral director with a discharge document showing any type of discharge other than dishonorable service. One example of the necessary forms would be a DD 214 form, a certificate of release or discharge from active duty.

During a typical military funeral service, the Honor Guard will consist of at least one member from the branch of service in which the deceased had served. If a casket is present, the flag will typically be draped over it, which will then be folded and given to the family either during or after the service. The blue field of the flag should always be placed at the head of the casket.

Taps will be played either by a bugler or by recording, and a three-volley salute, sometimes referred to as a twenty one gun salute, will be held by a firing squad. In some cases, the casings from this salute will be retrieved and given to the family, either by hand or by being placed within the folded flag. It is common to see the presence of a horse-drawn carriage at a military funeral. Depending on the branch of service in which the departed had served, additional elements may be used.

With all military funeral and memorial services, a Presidential Memorial Certificate is made available to the family upon request. If you are the family and would like to receive one, your funeral director will be able to assist you with this, and all other aspects of military funeral service.

Everything about military is unique and totally different from the normal aspects of a civilian life. It is all about valor and courage, about risking the life for the security of the nation. Usually if you are from the armed forces, then you may be required to move around from one place to another, living apart from your family. In this period, you may require some amount of finances to fulfill the personal demands. In that case, it is better to opt for Military Loans. These loans are meant to offer finances to those who are attached with the military, so that they can meet their need in a hassle free way.

These loans are readily available and are offered by most of the lenders. For a lender offering these loans has nothing to worry. It is primarily because the lender knows the fact that you are having a good job with a fixed monthly income. Not only this, the terms and conditions levied on the loan amount are also quite flexible. The interest rate is comparatively low and has very flexible repayment duration.

The basic qualification required to avail these loans is to be a part of the military. The amount is offered on the basis of your repayment capability and monthly income. It does not matter to which rank or post you belong. In fact, retired army officials can also apply for the loans. You are also required to submit some documents like bank statement, income proof and ETS etc. It is on the basis of these that the lenders approve the loan amount.

The amount obtained under these loans can be used for a number of purposes. For instance you can cover the expenses on education of your children, renovation of home, marriage expenses, purchasing a car, repaying debts etc and so on.

Before selecting any particular deal, it is recommended to conduct a proper research of the market. Be particular about the details, other wise it may crate debt problems in future.

So it can be said that with military loans, you can now easily disperse of the personal needs without undertaking any further stress.

I am completing Defending College Heights, a novel about an Irish Catholic family and a college administration in the aftermath of the murder of a U.S. Army recruiter. I started work on Defending because I had connections in the higher education community who were quite knowledgeable on the issues, or had worked closely with military recruiters on campus.

In my research, I went back to pro-military as well as anti-war protests against the Vietnam War. Then, and now, there were confrontations between military personnel and civilians. Most of these protests were non-violent, but others were not. Kent State, where four students were killed and nine wounded, was perhaps the tipping point of the protest movement.

Whatever we think of the war in Afghanistan or the war in Iraq, we owe our citizens who choose to serve our respect; they made their choice and they are making the ultimate sacrifice. Unlawful attacks on military recruiters or their place of work are a crime, and will not force them to change their message. If anything, they will catch their opponent’s attention.

One Republican congressman, Todd Akin of Missouri, has introduced a bill, posted as H.R. 6023, also called the Freedom to Serve Act of 2008. Introduced in the House Judiciary Committee on May 12, the act prohibits certain forms of interference against military recruiting. Most are obvious crimes: destruction of property and infliction of injury being prime examples, but others are gray areas; even peaceful protest in front of a recruiting office could be considered interference and intimidation (those exact words are used in the bill).

The act proposes a 1 year prison term for first-time offenders and a term of three years or less for subsequent offense. There are state and local laws to protect persons and private property and the military abides by those laws just as civilians do. In effect, this bill makes certain forms of civilian protest, especially the more violent acts, a federal crime.

Akin has 26 co-sponsors, all Republicans, most from states that attract large numbers of young men and women to the military: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. However, while the bill lists several examples of acts against persons and property, none of these happened in a sponsor’s home state. This, and the gray areas, interference and intimidation, do not bode well for the bill.

I understand the most obvious intentions of H.R. 6023, to protect the rights and property of recruiters and recruits. This bill would be a great accomplishment for a conservative Congressman to bring home to his or her district. But I am uncomfortable with those same representatives mistaking peaceful protest as interference or intimidation. A bill such as H.R. 6023 would open the door for the federal courts to make those judgments.

Whatever your political stripes, you have to agree that those who cause injury or damage property should be punished. But there is a reason why these powers, with respect to private property and personal injury, are vested with the states. The states want to set the punishment that fits the crime. They don’t want the federal government to intimidate or interfere.

(Originally published at Educated Quest blog and reprinted with permission of the author, Stuart Nachbar).

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Military personnel are usually so busy in performing their national duties that, often, they do not find enough time for financial aspects of their life. Hence, they are more likely to find out Military Loans for urgently paying back some bills. These are especially carved out loans for them. A unique aspect of these loans is that the applicants receive the loaned amount within 24 hours in their bank checking accounts. But, at the same time, they must carefully borrow the amount for evading the debts.

Because of their status as military personnel, they are not subjected to any credit checks, even if they may be having a bad credit history of late payments and defaults. All they need to do is to fill the loan and personal details in an online application, and it is instantly approved. They can borrow anywhere from £100 to £1500 for 14 days, until their next payday. This means they should be repaying the amount at the time of getting next paycheque. But, they also can rollover the loan for few weeks after paying the interest charges.

While military loans are meant to serve the urgent monetary needs of the applicants, a draw back of high interest charges also is associated with it. The rate is high on the small borrowed amount and that too for a very brief period of two weeks.

It is, therefore, advisable that you must ensure repaying of the borrowed amount at the time of getting the next paychque, so the interest payments do no accrue against your name. You should avoid delaying the repayment, as it may involve penalties as well.

It is possible to find out military loans at competitive and lower rate of interest once you have browsed the internet for researching as many such offers. But study the terms-conditions involved in such offer. You must avoid falling into a debt-trap by ensuring timely repayment.

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