The percentage of the total DOD military force that is under 25 years of age, according to a recent report from the Congressional Research Service -- Military Families and Financial Readiness.
This past December 7th marked the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. As a young psychologist, just out of internship in the Navy, I visited the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. This was before September 11, 2001 and I was hopeful that we were facing an extended period of peace in our country. Before entering the USS Arizona Memorial, I had thought of it as a historical war memorial from my grandparents’ generation. But that day, standing before the marble wall towering over me, listing the names of those who died, I was transformed.
Most Service members see deployments as short term intervals, usually interruptions, in their lives. Family, however, is usually viewed as a constant. Communicating with our families, friends, and loved ones while we are deployed is a critical concern for nearly every Service member. Many find it difficult to strike a balance between trying to manage personal and family relationships and remaining focused on the mission and the needs of fellow Service members while deployed. Below is an abbreviated look at how deployment communication has changed over my career, ways my family and I have tried to adapt, and a look at future deployment communication challenges.
U.S. Air Force Loadmaster MSgt Terrell Davis* had experienced headaches since he was 15-years-old. He had seen numerous specialists, tried medications, physical therapy, chiropractic adjustments and yoga. He had been diagnosed with migraine and tension type headaches, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and half-a-dozen rule-outs. At 32-years-old, he had suffered head pain for more than half his life and it was getting worse, affecting his work and his personal life.
*Not their actual name
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain condition characterized by diffuse and persistent non-inflammatory musculoskeletal pain. It is estimated that the prevalence of FM in the general population ranges from 2-4%, with it being more frequently diagnosed in women compared to men (Galvez-Sánchez & Reyes del Paso, 2020).