Friday, August 31st, 2012

Summer’s almost over and the kids are going back to school. If you’re like Lin and me, you can’t quite believe that your youngest is off to college! It’s a time of transitions for everyone in the family. For those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, it’s too often a time filled with challenges. Clearly, we must find ways to provide the support they need, particularly for those suffering the silent injuries of TBI and PTSD. On a personal note, we have learned a great deal from dealing with our own son, who has suffered both TBI and PTSD. He underwent treatment with Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment (“HBOT”), and the results have been nothing short of a miracle.

Our son’s therapy was based on a recent study by physician Dr. Paul Harch on veterans suffering from the chronic effects of mild blast-induced TBI and PTSD. The study produced extraordinary results and led us to try the therapy with our son. In the veterans study, headaches, post-concussion symptoms, abnormal neurological exam findings, cognition, quality of life, and brain blood flow were significantly improved after a one month course of HBOT. At a six month phone follow-up, the great majority of veterans sustained their symptomatic improvements.

HBOT has always been safe, and is a remarkably effective treatment for burn and wound victims. Now, the Harch study results show it to be a highly effective treatment for veterans with TBI and PTSD. The study argues strongly for the immediate application of HBOT to the hundreds of thousands of veterans with persistent post-concussion syndrome with or without post-traumatic stress disorder. We agree. To read the study click here.

Tags: Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment, Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
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Friday, August 24th, 2012

Do you think the criteria for the Purple Heart should expand to include invisible psychological wounds suffered during war? That’s the question we recently posed to members, and I must admit the current results are surprising.

It seems most are split on the subject, and we’re curious to know why? The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) released a special report earlier this summer, Party for Patriots: The Mental Health Needs of Military Personnel, Veterans and their Families, calling for an expansion of the criteria for the Purple Heart to include injuries like post-traumatic stress. It could have wide-ranging ramifications, not just for who could subsequently be eligible to receive the Purple Heart, but it could also raise awareness about this increasingly critical issue in today’s military.

No doubt this is a sensitive subject that has, one way or another, touched all of us in the military community. If you have not yet voted in our latest poll, we encourage you to do so now by clicking here.

And after you voted, be sure to click here and sound off with your comments on our Facebook page. Thanks!

Tags: National Institute of Mental Health, Post traumatic stress, Purple Heart
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Wednesday, August 15th, 2012

It was an exciting two weeks in London for the 2012 Summer Games, and we are all proud to see Team USA come out on top as the leading medal winner. But an interesting sidebar story is even more powerful: Those linked by military service –  Active Duty, Veterans, and family members — continued to bring home medals. And it is the military influence that is such a driving force in the achievement of those medals. It is just another example of how the concept of military service continues to make a big impact on our nation.

We featured many of these top Americans across six different sporting events in our current Cover Story, which you can find by clicking here. We hope you enjoy it.

Tags: London 2012 Olympics
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Friday, August 3rd, 2012

See how AppleCare saved us nearly $1,000! (Click image to enlarge)

Many members already know about the Veterans Advantage / Apple discount on its increasingly popular line of computers, including its latest MacBook Pro with Retina display. But we also want to remind you of the special discounts you can get on its AppleCare support coverage — the long-term savings on that is priceless.

Lin Higgins, our Chief Operating Officer, recently had some glitches with her notebook, and after bringing her machine to our local Apple Store, we were very pleased to hear that the nearly $1,000 in hardware replacements were totally covered by AppleCare!

Because Apple makes the hardware, the operating system, and many applications, Apple products are truly integrated systems. And only AppleCare products give you one-stop service and support from Apple experts, online and by phone. And thankfully that is all good for Veterans Advantage members!

Tags: apple benefits
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Thursday, August 2nd, 2012

Veterans Advantage Founder Scott Higgins at a recent meeting with Gettysburg College President Professor Janet Morgan Riggs

It was great seeing an old friend recently, and today’s military can now call her a new friend. Professor Janet Morgan Riggs, is the President of Gettysburg College, my alma mater. Gettysburg, as many of you know, is also the site of a major battle and turning point of the Civil War, and it is where President Lincoln gave his historic address. I started my military career at Gettysburg — as a young ROTC Cadet, commissioned a 2nd LT upon graduation, receiving my orders for Vietnam that very same day. I later served as a Trustee of the College for 11 years and am now a Trustee Emeritus.

A few years after I graduated and served in Vietnam, the Army withdrew ROTC instruction from Gettysburg College as part of a consolidation of military programs. While Gettysburg students could take ROTC courses at a nearby institution, they did not earn academic credit for them.

Two weeks ago, in a guest blog essay for CNN, President Riggs recounted how credit for ROTC courses was reinstated at the College, the result of a spirited debate led by the student body. As she eloquently sums up:

I cannot help but think that the students who led this discussion, whether they enter the military or pursue other careers, will have a positive impact on our nation. They have learned what a liberal arts community teaches best: civility, creative problem-solving and leadership. Click here for the entire piece.

Tags: Gettysburg College, ROTC
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