News 6 Report: Nov. 4 Mashup
Here is the News 6 Report for the week of Nov. 4, courtesy of our correspondent, Jolene McNutt.
PT Injuries Cost Army More Than 8 Million Duty Days Per Year
A recent report from Military.com shared that musculoskeletal injuries are “on track to cost the Army more than eight million duty days this year.” To put that in perspective, that is almost five times higher than pregnancy and maternity leave.
Dr. Bruce Jones, senior scientist at the Army Public Health Center’s Clinical Public Health and Epidemiology Directorate said, “Injuries are the number one medical threat to readiness. Musculoskeletal injuries—due mostly to training and vigorous operational activities—are the biggest portion of the problem.” He also said that running is the leading cause of the injuries. Todd Hoover, division chief of the Army Wellness Center Operations, was also part of the research team. He recommends a “functional approach to fitness, such as high-intensity tactical training programs. It’s not that the Army should be doing less when it comes to physical training, but leaders must take an objective look at what works and what doesn’t.” Read the full story here.
Study Finds Civilian Employers Think Veterans Lack Social-Emotional Skills
Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business recently released a report on study findings that suggested “veteran job candidates can be typecast unemotional, and are likely to be overlooked for jobs that leverage emotional intelligence and interpersonal and leadership skills.” The study found that civilian members who were asked to review resumes showed a bias toward shifting veteran job candidates into positions, “where they would be working with things rather than people.” Aaron Kay, Ph.D., a Fuqua management professor and senior author of the study said, “When choosing between two equally-qualified job candidates, the average person and even prospective employers show a tendency to prefer the applicant without military experience for jobs requiring social-emotional abilities.”
Read the Military Times story here.
New Internet Cafe for USAG Ansbach Elementary School
Army.mil reported on a community service project led by the BOSS, Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers, Program. “BOSS recently built an internet cafe for students at the U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach Elementary School. They assembled desks, set up computers, and spent time interacting with students.”
The BOSS program, run by the Army Directorate of Family Morale, Welfare, and Recreation, has three core components: leisure and recreation, community service, and quality of life.
“We strive to play an integral role in helping our community by giving back as much as we can,” said Private 1st Class Darren Morgan, BOSS President. “We also strive to build bonds with our citizens to include our Host Nation neighbors of USAG Ansbach.” There are 74 BOSS communities throughout the Army. To learn more about BOSS click here.
Get a Jump Start: Veterans Day Celebrations
Veterans Day is Nov. 11, a day set aside to honor our nation’s vets. Here at Army Wife Network, we encourage you to get involved. There are many ways to celebrate, including attending a community event parade or by supporting a local veterans organization. Army Wife Talk Radio will be celebrating with a very special guest, William Shuttleworth, who walked across the nation to bring awareness to veteran causes.
Military.com has an extensive list of discounts offered by businesses as a way to thank veterans for their service, and it has a list of businesses who are going above and beyond by donating a portion of their sales back to veteran causes.
If you’d like to do more, there are countless ways to show your gratitude for veterans. CNN has a great list of ideas including: donating your frequent flier miles or hotel points to The Fisher House Foundation, sponsoring a companion dog for veterans with PTSD, writing letters, and reaching out to your local VA hospital for many volunteer opportunities.
