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MILITARY OFFICER
JUNE 2010 $4.75 THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF MOAA | ONE POWERFUL VOICE®
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HEALTH CARE ONLINE Find reliable health care information on the Internet with these 18 tips 54
ALL IN A DAY’S WORK For centuries, military leaders have found ways to harness animals’ capabilities 58
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I was one of those wives left alone with five chil- dren for months on end, the longest being 18
Military Family Support I am appalled at the tone and text of the letter written by CWO2 Gordon S. Hall [“Children in Wartime,” Your Views, June 2010]. … A soldier’s fam- ily is often integral to his being, and while he may accept the separation required of a soldier’s duty, he surely hopes that the Army will not ignore his family while he is deployed. If the Army did ignore the family,
how long does Hall think the soldier would remain a soldier? … Growing up as a military dependent made me well aware of the difficulties faced by families when a soldier has an unaccompanied tour. All children and spouses sacrifice. They need all the support they deserve. —Lt. Col. Paul H. Harpin, USA-Ret. via e-mail
Editor’s note: We received a num- ber of dissenting responses to Chief Warrant Officer Hall’s letter; a sam- pling is included here.
1 4 MI L I T A R Y O F F I C E R AU G U S T 2 0 1 0
months. Regardless of the loneli- ness I suffered, I never felt like I deserved anything special. … I ac- cepted it as just part of my vocation. No help was ever offered. … I am grateful we are recognizing
that the world is different today, and families do need special help. Many of these young wives are working to earn the extra money that is needed to raise families today and having to be both mother and father. I hope and pray that they get whatever help is avail- able. It is not an easy life, then or now. —Georgia D. Davis San Antonio
As a military chaplain who served on active duty in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s, I experienced firsthand the dif- ficult changes occurring within mili- tary families as increasing numbers of active duty, Reserve, and National Guard moms and dads were being deployed and possibly facing multiple tours of separation from their families
TRICARE’s Rear Adm. Christine Hunter, USN, is working hard to improve access to health care and control costs 48
TRICARE PROTECTION APPROVED Inadvertent omission under health care reform is fixed 29
“Military children have a
unique life- style, why begrudge them the support given by
many?” —Maggie Konopa
and their children. … That our coun- try and organizations like MOAA are doing more to strengthen and affirm such recognition and appreciation should be lauded and praised. —Cmdr. G.I. Miller, USN-Ret. via e-mail
As an active duty Army spouse (hus- band has 24 years in and is currently serving a one-year deployment), I am thankful for the resources and sup- port available to the families. … The programs available have made [our daughter] an even more strong and well-adjusted 7-year-old who has lived in five different states in her short life. Military children have a unique lifestyle, why begrudge them the support given by many organiza- tions and individuals?
—Maggie Konopa Fort Bragg, N.C.
Those left at home during our du- ties deserve the highest respect and support that anyone can give them, period, end of sentence! I agree that this attitude … has not always been what it should have in the past, [it] could have been much better. How- ever, that is no reason to say that it shouldn’t be the norm in the present. —Lt. Col. Jerry L. Abel, USAF-Ret. Las Vegas
First SEAL? In the May 2010 edition of Military Officer, [“Treasure & Tradition”] in- forms us that “the most notable piece in the ANC [Army and Navy Club] is the sword and scabbard of the first Navy SEAL, Lt. Cmdr. Roy Boehm.” … It is true that Mr. Boehm penned his name to a book in which he anointed himself that title. … The fact is that Mr. Boehm was only one among 100 terrific men, who became the first
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