Category

Well Being

Category

By Dr. Chris Reynolds, CEM, MEMS, Lt.Col, USAF (Ret)
Special Contributor, American Military University

Military families can help all families in the community to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours, which means having safe shelter, basic first aid supplies, non-perishable food, clean water, and sanitation.  Our military families possess the necessary skills to help their neighbors prepare.   

By Dr. Nancy Heath and Dr. Kimberlee Ratliff
Dr. Heath is the Program Director for Human Development and Family Studies at APU.
Dr. Ratliff is the Program Director of the M.Ed. in School Counseling at APU.

Families experience enormous amounts of stress when one parent goes off to war. Rules and boundaries change, chores may be divided up differently, and loyalties are renegotiated. As the reality of a partner’s deployment sinks in, the remaining parent may find it hard to function, since he or she is suffering a significant upheaval and loss of support. Eventually, though, most non-deployed parents find ways to cope. They learn new skills, find new social groups, and establish new routines. Yet most eagerly await the return of their partner, and children, especially, look forward to a return to normalcy.

By George Holmes
In Military Education, Guest Contributor

Currently, the Veterans Administration estimates that each day 22 veterans take their own lives, or over 8,000 annually. I personally know four veterans who have taken their own lives after losing a battle with PTSD. I decided to take action to help my fellow veterans who fought for this beautiful country defeat the demons of PTSD. I founded the Arooh Initiative to raise awareness that we are losing our nation’s heroes and they need our help.

By Michael Pittaro and John Russ
In Military Education, Special Contributors

Research supports a strong correlation between criminal behavior or risk-taking behavior and those who suffer from TBI and/or PTSD. These disorders can adversely influence a veteran’s ability to control behavior and can lead to impulsivity, disinhibition, anger, and aggression.