Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day to all my fellow Veterans.  May God bless you all!

Tom "The Adjutant" Mengesha

R&R Leave and R&R Pass

Service members are not authorized to take R&R Leave within the first 60 days of "boots on ground", unless an exception is granted.  However, an individual can use R&R Pass at any time.  

The R&R Pass is a program that allows for service members to take a 4-day pass to Qatar to decompress from the stress of war.  Another important difference o note is that R&R pass leaves are not chargeable against accrued annual leave.  In other words, the time you are aware on pass will not count against you for leave days.  Something to consider if oi want to use your R&R leave days as terminal leave.

A service members is allowed to take a 4-day pass for every 6 months of "boots on ground".  However unlike R&R Leave, the service member does not have to wait 60 days to take their 4 day pass.  They can in fact take their pass after spending 1 day in country, though I cannot imagine why you would need to use the pass so early on.  It is important to know, however, that this is an option.

For more information on terminal leave, R&R Pass and R&R Leave please refer to my book, The Service Member's Guide to Deployment; What every Soldier, Sailor, Airmen and Marine should know prior to being deployed.

U.S. Soldier kills five in Iraq

BAGHDAD — A U.S. soldier opened fire at a counseling center on a U.S. base Monday, killing five fellow soldiers before being taken into custody.

The shooting occurred at Camp Liberty, a sprawling U.S. base on the western edge of Baghdad near the city's international airport and adjacent to another facility where PresidentObama visited last month.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Monday that the shooting was a "terrible tragedy" and Obama plans to meet with Defense Secretary Gates later Monday to discuss the matter. Gibbs said the president's heart goes out to the victims' families.

At the Pentagon, Gates called the incident shocking and said that "we're still in the process of gathering information on exactly what happened."

The shooting happened at a stress clinic where troops can go for help with the stress of combat or personal issues.

It was unclear whether those killed were workers at the clinic or were there for counseling. No details were released about the gunman or what might have provoked the shooting.

"Anytime we lose one of our own, it affects us all," U.S. military spokesman Col. John Robinson said in Baghdad. "Our hearts go out to the families and friends of all the servicemembers involved in this terrible tragedy."

The death toll from the Monday shooting was the highest for U.S. personnel in a single attack since April 10, when a suicide truck driver killed five American soldiers with a blast near police headquarters in Mosul.

Attacks on officers and sergeants, known as fraggings, were not uncommon during the Vietnam War as morale in the ranks sank. But such attacks are believed to be rare in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lengthening and repeated deployments were a cause for growing concern when the Army last gauged mental health stress levels in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2007.

That year, teams of Army psychological specialists fanned out across battle zones to produce the fifth consecutive mental health assessment of troops in Iraq since the war began and the second consecutive study of troops in Afghanistan.

A key finding of the study released last year was that "reports of work-related problems due to stress, mental health problems and marital separations generally increased with each subsequent month of the deployment."

The researchers also found that soldiers on their third or fourth deployments were at "significantly higher risk" for mental health problems than soldiers in their first or second deployments.

The researchers surveyed nearly 3,000 soldiers in Iraq and 699 in Afghanistan. They also conducted focus groups.

Soldiers in those groups said it was difficult to gauge morale because it varied day to day, week to week and month to month. They said low points were when casualties were suffered or when they had just returned from a two-week leave.

When asked about families, soldiers invariably characterized their stress levels as suffering. They used comments such as "they are stressed, upset,"; "frustrated"; or "excited for me to come home." Many soldiers complained about the relatively short time they have spent with their families during years of war.

Lack of sleep was a continuing issue for soldiers; most got an average of 5.6 hours per night, the study found.

"Reports of sleep deprivation are a significant risk factor for reporting mental health problems and work-related problems," the study found.

The Army is planning a sixth mental health review of troops in the field this year.

From USAToday

Best Banks for Deployed Service Members

One of the most important decision a service member can make prior to deployment is the selection of a financial institution. Selecting a good financial institution is very important as there are many things to consider relating to financial transaction during your deployment. Some things to consider include, ease of use, the ability to make wire transfer and accessing your bank account online just to name a few things.

It is important that you shop around for a financial institution that knows how the military functions and if possible provides benefits for servicemembers at reduced cost. There are quite a few such financial institutions out there. In my book I give examples of what to look for in selecting a financial institution to handle not only your financial matters and transactions but other money matters as well. These may include personal and property insurance as well as investing and setting up a brokerage account.

You will be certain to find ways to save money after reading the section of my book titled Selecting a Financial Institution. I will also give you my top pick!