Community: Blogs

Happy 4th of July, Warriors, Vets & Families! As we celebrate our country today, we here at Prevail would like to thank  you for protecting our freedom. It is because of the courage and sacrifice of our Service Members and Veterans that we can enjoy today's parades, picnics and fireworks. Thank you for your service.  

I read some exciting news the other day: a living soldier could recieve the Medal of Honor - for the first time since the Vietnam War. The soldier, whose name has not been disclosed, ran through a wall of enemy fire to repel Taliban fighters in a 2007 battle. US military officials say that his courageous actions saved the lives of about 6 of his comrades. The Medal of Honor - the nation's highest award for valor - has been awarded only six times in the nine years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. None of those were awarded to a...

Hey Warriors & Vets! I stumbled upon this article the other day, and I thought it might apply to some of you. As you might know, the US military has agreed to pay expanded benefits to Vets who were discharged from the service for PTSD, but who have lower disability rates than they're entitled to. As it turns out, the law says that those with PTSD serious enough to result in their discharge are entitled to 50% disability, which would give them and their families lifetime medical care, among other veterans. But , not all Vets who were discharged for...

Hey Vets Prevail Members,Thanks so much for being part of our community. You already know how urgent the need is for improved Veteran mental health support, but now we need your help getting the word out to the public. We've just launched a new advocacy video that could have a huge impact on public awareness. Check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VmUulPab4M, and then forward the link on to as many people as you can.   If you haven't already, please join our Facebook campaign at www.Facebook.com/VetsPrevail. The more popular support we rally, the more we can push the politicians and...

This Memorial Day, we'd like to take a moment to honor all of the Service Members and Vets past and present who have sacrificed so much for our country. Thank you for your service. Benjamin Harrison may have said it best... "I have never been able to think of the day as one of mourning; I have never quite been able to feel that half-masted flags were appropriate on Memorial Day.  I have rather felt that the flag should be at the peak, because those whose dying we commemorate rejoiced in seeing it where their valor placed it.  We honor...

I saw an article a few weeks ago that reminded me of something so true about ending mental health stigma: It's Troops and Vets like us that must drive this fight. Why?   Well, take a moment to think about what stigma is. It's thinking that your buddies will think you're weak. It's thinking that seeking help might negatively impact your career. It's thinking that if you're having trouble readjusting, people will think you're "crazy." It's thinking you're alone.   But you're not alone. Nearly a third of the millions of Vets who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan are...

  I saw an article the other day that made me do a double-take at my desk: Georgia Passes Bill to Put PTSD on Driver's License.   My first thought- what about all of the hard work and progress that's been made in the past couple of years to fight stigma surrounding military mental health? And what about letting Vets know that it's completely okay to seek support? This seems like a monumental step  - in the wrong direction. Putting something on a vet's driver's license - literally, labeling them - cannot possibly be the right choice in the fight...

In honor of April, the Month of the Military Child, we've posted a few blogs focused on helping your child prepare for deployment - but what about after the parent has deployed? You know that you're often stressed, overwhelmed and lonely after your spouse deploys - but it's easy to forget that transitioning to deployment can be just as stressful for your children as it is for you.   Knowing how children of different ages react to a parent's development can be extremely helpful. The Fleet and Family Support Centers put together a great guide to how children deal with separation,...

We've posted a few blogs about helping your young children manage a parent's deployment. But what if your kids are teenagers? Resources and information for teens with deployed parents is harder to find - but it is out there. In fact, Virginia Tech professors Angela Huebner and Jay A. Mancini conducted a study focused entirely on how deployment impacts teens. It’s the first study specifically about adolescents - and the only one to include direct responses from teens themselves. Check out some of the highlights: How parents prepare their children for deployment has a significant effect on how well teens...

Hey MilParents!  Last week, I wrote a blog post about how to talk to your children about deployment. As we all know, deployment is a serious, complex subject. Many parents themselves don't know quite how they feel about their or their partner's deployment - so how are you supposed to explain it to a young child? Needless to say, it's tough to know what to say and how to say it. And that's where Sesame Street comes in! It may surprise you - it sure surprised us - that Sesame Street has a whole slew of tools for parents to...