FROM ARMY TIMES...

Brannan Pedersen was 16, attending a young activists meeting in Alabama when she first spotted Caleb Vines, then 19, an enthusiastic organizer who wanted to change the world.

She fell hard: Three years after their first date, they married. Later, when they watched the World Trade Center fall, Caleb pledged to join the fight: He enlisted in the Army infantry.

He deployed twice to Iraq - a 15-month stint extended by the Battle of Fallujah, then a year filled with bomb blasts and small-arms fire. At one point, a rocket-propelled grenade blasted him through the door of a Humvee.

HELP FOR COUPLES

The military's Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress is developing information and tools to help military health care providers and couples deal with intimacy issues. Find out more atwww.cstsonline.org/tag/intimacy/

But he came home seemingly unscathed. During their first reunion, Brannan recalled, Caleb was distant but affectionate. The couple conceived a child.

After his second deployment, however, Caleb changed from easygoing and enthusiastic to withdrawn, angry and forgetful.

Diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder and, later, traumatic brain injury followed. It provided an explanation for his symptoms, but that didn't ease the emotional - and physical - gulf between the couple, Brannan said.

"Guys with PTSD have a much harder time being physically close, let alone emotionally close. And from a woman's perspective, you almost require that closeness to be invested in a sexual relationship," Brannan said.

SEE THE REST HERE

(Army Times) -- The Army Physical Fitness School, which played a key role in designing the new test, is building the scoring scales that will separate the average from the exceptional. The school has completed 3,000 of 10,000 initial tests. The final scoring scale is still a long way off, but patterns emerging in the initial tests provide a good look at what you will need to pass the challenging new test.

The school provided Army Times an exclusive look at the average scores for men and women in each of the new test's five categories, as well as the high and low numbers for each.

The averages, rounded to the closest whole number, are:

Push-ups in one minute: Men, 36; women, 19.

Shuttle run: Men, 16 seconds; women, 18 seconds.

Rower in one minute: Men, 33; women, 31.

Long jump: Men, 79 inches; women, 61 inches.

1.5-mile run: Men, 11:02; women, 13:12.

These scores are not the goal, unless your goal is to be average. But if you hit these numbers, you should pass.

While the fitness school continues to compile the data needed to build the full scoring model, we will use a statistical analysis of the averages and compare them with average scores obtained on the current fitness test to help you see where you are, and where you need to be.

This effort is challenging because the Army does not keep good statistical or historic data on individual fitness tests and trends - a fact bemoaned by fitness school officials. For our purposes, we will compare these new averages with the average scores of trainees at Fort Jackson, S.C., and the average scores of noncommissioned officers whose scores equate to points toward promotion.

To read the story, click here.

The Soldiers were hesitant about getting into the waters of American Lake during a cold June morning for physical training. The air was brisk and the wind made it even colder.

"Don't worry," the instructor said. "You will warm up."

Minutes later, Soldiers of the 295th Quartermaster Company were knee-deep in the water and climbing onto long, thick surf boards, trying to maintain their balance. A few claimed the water was surprisingly warm.

The Soldiers were learning how to Stand Up Paddle, also known as SUP boarding.

Corporal William Smoot, the company operations NCOIC for the 295th Qm. Co., 80th Ordnance Battalion, 593rd Sustainment Brigade, had decided weeks earlier that he wanted members of his company to try this.

"This would be different and something new - especially for PT," Smoot said.

Smoot began diving deeper after an article about SUP boarding caught his attention.

As its name implies, SUP boarding requires a person to stand on a surf board and use many of the body's muscles to paddle forward while maintaining balance. It is said to have originated in Hawaii with people learning the basics of surfing. Since the sport doesn't require waves, it is spreading across the country's lakes and rivers.

Smoot found that SUP boarding meets almost all of the five dimensions of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program, which anchors all facets of a Soldier's health, builds resiliency and improves performance.

The first dimension, physical strength, involves aerobic fitness, endurance, strength and flexibility. Secondly, emotional strength requires a Soldier's ability to demonstrate self-control and stamina.

Family and social strength would be evidenced by how much the Soldiers had fun with this new experience together.

Smoot said he knew this would be "a great way to get some really good physical training especially for the core muscles and is low impact," so he took the next step.

After tackling the research, Smoot presented his idea to his company first sergeant and commander. They liked Smoot's plan and allowed him to move forward with coordinating this unique training. He contacted Christ Fry of West Bay Paddleboards in Olympia.

Fry personally led the group of Soldiers out onto American Lake and gave them a few minutes to get used to handling the paddles and balancing on the boards - first on their knees, then standing up.

Then he gave the order: "Paddle to the other side of the lake."

For some, paddling came naturally; others had to work a little harder.

Afterward, the rest of the workout included sprints as well as some stationary exercises - the supine bicycle, planks, crunches - all while keeping balance to avoid capsizing.

In spite of sore muscles and wet clothes, Smoot says he got a lot of positive feedback on the workout. The company is planning to do it again, he said, "just as soon as it gets a little warmer out there."

(USA Today) -- The Army will outfit a brigade of soldiers in Afghanistan in the next few weeks with gauges worn on their bodies that can alert medics to an explosion's severity - proof of possible brain injury.

It is the beginning of an effort over the next several months to wire up soldiers and vehicles with sensors, black boxes and digital cameras.

The data may shed light on how blast exposures damage the brain, even when a soldier appears only dazed, researchers say. An estimated 300,000 troops have suffered mild brain injuries, mostly from blast, in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"(This) is the beginning of a process...that's going to lead us to collecting the data researchers need to untie this Gordian knot," says Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army vice chief of staff.

Sensors will measure blast effects from buried bombs known as improvised explosive devices that have killed nearly 3,000 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and wounded about 30,000. The newest sensor, developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)for nearly $1 million, is about the size of the time piece on a wristwatch and weighs less than an ounce.  

For the complete story, click here.     

Bodybuilding.com has officially kicked off the second annual 2011 Military Challenge. The competition is open for entries to all active and reserve United States military members and their spouses from July 15 to Aug. 15.

Bodybuilding.com and MusclePharm are looking for the best of the best in the U.S. Military. Whether someone is already in great physical shape or wants to utilize this 12 week challenge to transform their body, the most important factor is showing that an individual physical fitness goal can be met while being a top motivator for others. Winners will be chosen by an internal judging panel that will look at the contestants' ability to reach their Military Challenge goals and their ability to inspire others in the military with the aid of the world's largest online social fitness community, BodySpace.

The grand prize male and female winners will receive the title of "Bodybuilding.com Military Spokesperson of the Year" and become a sponsored athlete of TEAM Bodybuilding.com. They will also receive $1,800 worth of supplements, a professional photo shoot, a Stayfit Package (including a MusclePharm Stack, gym gift bag, fat caliper, fat loss monitor with scale, shaker and gym towel), and be featured on Bodybuilding.com. The grand prize winners will be chosen from the first place male and female winners of each military branch (Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy and Coast Guard). Individual first place branch winners will receive $350 worth of supplements and a Bodybuilding.com gift bag (approximate value of $100). 

2010 Bodybuilding.com Military Spokesmodels Soldier Sean Hardge and Airman Pamela Wilson not only graced multiple pages on Bodybuilding.com and made appearances at company events throughout the year, but they also received exposure in top industry magazines such as Muscle Mag, Iron Man, Muscular Development and Fitness X. Most importantly, they inspired thousands as the official representatives for the strongest force in the world - the United States Military.  

"At Bodybuilding.com, we believe exercise, nutrition, and supplements are critical weapons in the fight for a healthy body. We also believe a battle-ready dose of motivation is essential to achieving the best physique possible. As a result, we proudly support and salute our soldiers with the Bodybuilding.com 2011 Military Challenge," Bodybuilding.com CEO Ryan DeLuca said in a release.

For more on the 2011 Bodybuilding.com Military Spokesmodel Competition powered by MusclePharm, visit www.Bodybuilding.com/Military.

WASHINGTON, April 11, 2011 - Efforts to take the stigma out of seeking help when it's needed and build resiliency within the force appear to be paying off, the commander of a brigade that's seen heavy action in Afghanistan told American Forces Press Service.

Army Chaplain (Maj.) Randall H. Robison, Task Force Currahee brigade chaplain, 101st Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team, , speaks with Currahee soldiers during a three-day, semi-monthly Toccoa Tough resiliency course at Forward Operating Base Sharana in Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christina Sinders   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Army Col. Sean M. Jenkins, commander of the 101st Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team, reported promising signs that soldiers are heeding the message being sent from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on down that seeking mental, physical or spiritual care is a sign of strength, not weakness.

"We are making progress in moving to a point where there is not a stigma, and there shouldn't be," Jenkins said. "Every unit is different, and every squad and team is different. But I think we've come to a point where the stigma is diminishing and where soldiers recognize that it's sometimes okay to raise their hand and say, ‘Hey, I can't go on this [mission].'"

Jenkins' brigade, the last to deploy to Afghanistan as part of the 30,000-troop surge there, has taken heavy casualties since arriving last summer in the remote Paktika province that borders Pakistan. Fifteen "Currahee Brigade" soldiers have been killed, with scores more wounded and more than 40 soldiers flown out of the theater for advanced medical care.

In addition, two soldiers attempted suicide, and Jenkins said he's been surprised at how many have met with the brigade chaplain, psychologist or physical therapist for emotional, spiritual, mental health or physical help.

"I am glad the help is there, and I certainly want every Currahee to say it is accessible, and to say, ‘I don't think I will be looked at differently if I seek it,'" Jenkins said. "That is the hurdle, but I think we have gotten better at that."

The brigade began building resiliency skills long before arriving in Afghanistan, he said. The unit's pre-deployment training included a "Toccoa Tough" program -- named for the Georgia town where the storied unit that came to be known during World War II as the "Band of Brothers" was founded in 1942. The program emphasizes mental as well as physical resilience for soldiers and their families.

That training continues in the combat theater, where the brigade holds a three-day, semi-monthly course that reinforces the principles of mental, physical and spiritual health, and sessions covering everything from physical health and nutrition to proper sleep methods and how to deal with stress. Attendees are encouraged to take what they learn and apply it, not only to themselves, but also to their peers and subordinates.

"It's a constant process," Jensen said of resiliency-building efforts that will continue throughout the deployment and after redeployment to Fort Campbell, Ky.

Resiliency focuses heavily on junior leaders taking care of their soldiers and soldiers looking out for each other, he said. "It's a team effort," he said. "But it is really interaction with leaders -- junior leaders, team leaders, squad leaders. There is so much on their shoulders."

Jenkins called junior leaders and noncommissioned officers his front line of defense in recognizing soldiers in need of help.

That, he said, requires knowing each soldier -- his or her family situation, likes, dislikes and challenges. "That is what you have to know, because then you can pick up when they are not acting right or something is bothering them. The challenge is to know your people," he said. "And that is all part of leadership: How do you help them through that situation?"

Jenkins and his commanders have seen the negative effects of news coverage -- a suicide bomber who kills innocent civilians, a Quran burning in Florida, inflammatory photographs of soldiers doing the wrong thing -- on their troops.

"Those [news stories] impact every soldier," he said.

The death of a unit member, or even enemy contact when everyone survives intact, also can trigger issues. So after every "event," Jenkins requires his soldiers to pause and evaluate what happened and how they feel about it.

"This is about sitting down and talking with them," he said. "It's talking with them as a unit, then as a smaller unit, then as individuals."

When a unit loses a soldier, Jenkins sends in his mental- and spiritual-health team to provide immediate support and, as part of the memorial process, temporarily pulls that unit from combat operations.

"We pull the unit off the line and let them know, ‘You don't have to go out until you are ready to go out,'" he said. "Everybody deals with it differently, but we are empowering those junior leaders to help their soldiers deal with these stresses."

Soldiers rarely raise their hand and ask not to go out on a mission. So Jenkins encourages his junior leaders to take the first step, approaching an individual soldier when they think it appropriate and suggesting, "Why don't you sit this one out?"

"It's not derogatory," he said. "It is empowering your leaders and identifying, "How can we do this better?" And I think the Army has done a phenomenal job in making this happen."

Jenkins sees the flow of Red Cross messages that arrive in the theater, and knows the span of issues that impact his 4,200 soldiers. As a result, he also empowers his commanders to identify when a soldier needs to go home to deal with a problem there.

"A lot of things happen back home that will distract people forward. And you don't want your people distracted," he said. "You want them focused. So if a commander comes forward and says, ‘Sir, I need to send so-and-so home,' I say, ‘Roger that.'"

The approach appears to be working as the brigade approaches the final months of what Jenkins called an "incredibly successful deployment."

"This is a unit that had just five months notice to deploy, that was not on any patch chart, and where roughly 60 percent deployed to Afghanistan the last time just 17 months prior," Jenkins said.

"But they are doing a phenomenal job, and it all falls back on the leaders," he said. "They make some incredible decisions in trying to do and accomplish the right thing. They just do it, day-in and day-out, and they do it well. It's just remarkable."

This from the Los Angeles Times: Reporting from Landstuhl, Germany, and Helmand- Grim combat statistics that one military doctor called "unbelievable" show U.S. troops in Afghanistan suffered an unprecedented number of catastrophic injuries last year, including a tripling of amputations of more than one limb.

A study by doctors at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where most wounded troops are sent before returning to the U.S., confirmed their fears: The battlefield has become increasingly brutal.

In 2009, 75 service members brought to Landstuhl had limbs amputated. Of those, 21 had lost more than one limb.

But in 2010, 171, 11% of all the casualties brought to Landstuhl, had undergone amputations, a much higher proportion than in past wars. Of the 171, 65 had lost more than one limb.

Injuries to the genital area were also on the increase. In 2009, 52 casualties were brought to Landstuhl with battlefield injuries to their genitals or urinary tract. In 2010, that number was 142.

Dr. John Holcomb, a retired Army colonel with extensive combat-medicine experience, said he and other doctors involved in the study were shocked by the findings, which he labeled as "unbelievable."  

To read the complete story, click here.

WASHINGTON - Military families, and especially children in those families who have grown up against the backdrop of 10 years of war, are the focus of the military's effort to make workplace flexibility an increased priority, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen spoke during a news conference announcing a new partnership on workplace flexibility between the Society for Human Resource Management and the Families and Work Institute.

"People are our absolutely most important resource, and we've said that [during] the totality of my career," Mullen said. "All of us who have led, whether in peace or in war, we know that. But what's happened over the course of the last 10 years is that we have moved to a much broader and deeper understanding of what that means."

The focus on flexibility began in March, when President Barack Obama spoke at a White House forum about modernizing the federal workplace to meet the needs of today's employees and their families.

For military leaders, Mullen said, a decade of war has put a new focus on families.

"I'm in the best military that has ever existed and in great part because of our families, but we have got to continue to change," he said, noting that the services have put a great deal of effort into spouses' needs and those of the 70 to 80 percent of military households in which both parents work.

Such dual career-path households are "a requirement as seen by families these days," the chairman said.

"But what is emerging is a requirement, from my perspective, [is the need] to understand much more the needs of children" in those families, he added.

Because of the time service members have spent away from home, the chairman said, many children have spent years without their fathers or mothers.

"We've got 15-year-old kids who, from the beginning of the time they started to understand what their parents did," have lived in the shadow of war, Mullen said. "We've got 18- and 19-year olds who were 10 when the war started, and they went off to college this year or last year and don't know their parents that well because Mom or Dad -- mostly Dad -- has been away for at least 50 percent ... of their teenage years."

The services must hold on to such families, Mullen said. To do so, he added, "We're going to have to reach into different places than we've reached in the past."

The services must listen to those who have been at home and consider how to create the kind of flexibility and excellence that have made today's military superb, the chairman said.

"This is an imperative for us," he added. "This is a strategic imperative for our country."

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - The Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation will sponsor the 3^rd annual Operation Care Fair for the Soldiers, Airmen and Families of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord community on Saturday, February 5, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the McChord Field Club.

This event offers Service members and Family members free, fun, and educational ways to develop and live a healthier, happier lifestyle by providing them with morale-boosting activities to help escape the ‘blahs' of the long winter season, and to aid families who are in the midst of a deployment.

The fair will offer a variety of services beginning at 10 a.m. in the McChord Field Club and includes chair massages, mini-makeovers, skin and hair care, tips on healthy cooking, talks from health care and fitness professionals, and other demonstrations.

Other events scheduled for the fair include live music, exhibits, door prizes and vendors in support of healthy living, mental wellness, and stress relief.

WASHINGTON - A new concussion care program being fielded by the Marine Corps in Afghanistan is giving psychiatrists, physicians and even chaplains and sergeants a better way to treat those with the No. 1 battle injury, military combat medicine experts said today.

Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Charles Benson, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force psychiatrist and 1st Marine Division's deputy surgeon, and Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Keith Stuessi, director of the Concussion Restoration Care Center at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan, spoke with Pentagon reporters in a video teleconference.

The Navy-Marine Corps effort, launched in August and called the Operational Stress Control and Readiness Program, or OSCAR, has two parts, Benson said.

"The first part [includes] psychiatrists and psychologists who we field with the combat team," Benson explained. "These are organic embedded assets in the division's regiments and battalions. They live with the troops, train with the troops and get out in the field with them."

Such an arrangement, he added, "allows the Marines to come forward to the psychologists and psychiatrists [and] kind of breaks down the barriers and allows the [providers] to become very effective at ... delivering mental health care."

The second part of the program offers special training to medical officers, corpsmen, chaplains, religious personnel and key leaders at the sergeant and first sergeant level so they can deliver basic mental health care to troops in harm's way.

"Those folks constantly monitor their Marines," Benson said, "helping them with simple issues and understanding at what point [a Marine with an injury] needs to be referred back for more comprehensive care."

Together, the programs "have generated quite a bit of success out here in Afghanistan," the psychiatrist said, treating concussions and musculoskeletal injuries -- the No. 1 nonbattle injuries of the war.

For more on the story, click here.