Military veterans Books

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Book SynopsisThe story of Hanns Scharff, the German master interrogator of the Luftwaffe who questioned captured American fighter pilots of the USAAF Eighth and Ninth Air Forces in World War II. German IntelligenceOfficerHanns Scharffgained the reputation as the man who could magically get all the answers he needed from the prisoners of war in World War 2. In most cases, the POWs being interrogated never realized that their words, small talk or otherwise, were important pieces of the mosaic Hanns Scharff was constructing for the benefit of Germany's war effort. In the words of one former POW, What did Scharff get from me? Nothing, yet there is no doubt he got something. If you talked about the weather or anything else, he no doubt got some information or confirmation from it. His technique was psychic, not physical.Another POW commented, Hanns Scharff could probably get a confession of infidelity from a Nun! To this day, ex-POWs fret

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Book SynopsisThis book tells the story of the Frontline Walk, a sponsored walk across the former battlefields of the Western Front supporting the work of ABF The Soldier's Charity. The service charity was estalised in 1944, working with army veterans of every conflict and to support future generations and their dependants. This book uncovers the stories behind those who participated in the walks since 2014, why they took part and what it meant to them and how they discovered more about their forebears who very often served in the First World War on the terrain being discovered during these events. It also tells the stories behind some of those who have been affected by conflict and the work that the charity has done to help rebuild their lives. Illustrated throughout and with accompanying maps, this book can be used to uncover the routes taken and explore the stories behind those and the actions of the time with proceeds going towards the ongoing work of the charity.

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Book SynopsisThe explosive true story of a gun for hire.'Hard eyes stare out of massive beards, their faces marked by the scars of battle. With these guys their webbing looks like it belongs to them, rather than it's been hung on a pair of reluctant shoulders. There's not a word been said to us, but the ante has clearly been upped. There's a dark and sinister feeling in the air. It doesn't take a genius to figure it's about to kick off.' Former SAS soldier Big Phil Campion tells it like is in this brutally honest account of his insanely dangerous life as a private military operator. From playing chicken with a suicide bomber in backstreet Kabul, to taking on pirates with his bare hands, this is true-life action-packed drama at its best.

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Book SynopsisIn this highly anticipated follow-up to The Rifle, Andrew Biggio brings to light more untold stories from the quickly vanishing ranks of the veterans of World War II.Ordinary Men with Extraordinary PurposeThey are called the Greatest Generation, but they were also ordinary men, sharing in all of humanity’s weaknesses and flaws while responding to the call of duty. These are their unforgettable stories—first-person accounts from the last of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who fought the most dreadful war in history, all collected by a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The idea was simple: travel across the country with a 1945 M1 Garand, the basic U.S. fighting rifle of World War II, ask combat veterans of that war to sign it, and listen carefully as the sight, touch, and feel of that rifle evoke a flood of memories and emotions. In this highly anticipated follow-up to The Rifle, Andrew Biggio once again reveals the astonishing effect his M1 Garand had on the old warriors who held it. The passage of time is swiftly snatching from us the last of those men, but the memories of those who remain are vivid and strong. It’s astonishing to see how grasping that rifle brings out those memories—good, bad, terrifying, and heroic. In Biggio’s riveting account, you will learn:• What it was like to fight for freedom in the various theaters of World War II • The obstacles these world-conquerors faced on returning home and how they overcame them • The special meaning these recollections hold for later combat vets, confirming the brotherhood of warriors • The importance to veterans of memory and respectWar and the weapons with which it is waged shape men forever. Biggio’s inspirational second collection is a must-read for anyone interested in the service and sacrifices of our veterans.

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Book SynopsisThe first book to explore the idea and effect of moral injury on veterans, their families, and their communities Although veterans make up only 7 percent of the U.S. population, they account for an alarming 20 percent of all suicides. And though treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder has undoubtedly alleviated suffering and allowed many service members returning from combat to transition to civilian life, the suicide rate for veterans under thirty has been increasing. Research by Veterans Administration health professionals and veterans’ own experiences now suggest an ancient but unaddressed wound of war may be a factor: moral injury. This deep-seated sense of transgression includes feelings of shame, grief, meaninglessness, and remorse from having violated core moral beliefs. Rita Nakashima Brock and Gabriella Lettini, who both grew up in families deeply affected by war, have been working closely with vets on what moral injury looks like, how vets cope with it, and what can be done to heal the damage inflicted on soldiers’ consciences. In Soul Repair, the authors tell the stories of four veterans of wars from Vietnam to our current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan—Camillo “Mac” Bica, Herman Keizer Jr., Pamela Lightsey, and Camilo Mejía—who reveal their experiences of moral injury from war and how they have learned to live with it. Brock and Lettini also explore its effect on families and communities, and the community processes that have gradually helped soldiers with their moral injuries. Soul Repair will help veterans, their families, members of their communities, and clergy understand the impact of war on the consciences of healthy people, support the recovery of moral conscience in society, and restore veterans to civilian life. When a society sends people off to war, it must accept responsibility for returning them home to peace. 

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Book SynopsisReissued for the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War.A Sunday Times Bestseller'Electric... Outstanding.' GuardianIn March 1982 the guided-missile destroyer HMS Coventry was one of a small squadron of ships on exercise off Gibraltar. By the end of April that year she was sailing south in the vanguard of the Task Force towards the front line of the Falklands War.On 25 May, Coventry was attacked by two Argentine Skyhawks, and hit by three bombs. The explosions tore out most of her port side and killed nineteen of the crew, leaving many others injured. Within twenty minutes she had capsized. In her final moments, after all the survivors had been evacuated, her Captain, David Hart Dyke, himself badly burned, climbed down her starboard side and into a life-raft. This is his compelling and moving story.Trade ReviewSuperbly frank and unsentimental... The literature of the Falklands War would be much the poorer without this pithy, well constructed and brutally honest account of the fighting at sea. -- Saul David * Daily Telegraph *Electric... Outstanding. -- John Shirley * Guardian *[An] honest, poignant and moving book. -- Hugh McManners * The Times *Lively, direct, human and engaging, this is one of the best personal memoirs of the bizarre and intense Falklands campaign. -- Robert Fox * BBC History Magazine *A down-to-earth, dramatic account of preparing for war and being plunged into the heart of it. * Glasgow Herald *A justifiably proud account of HMS Coventry's war... A vital but measured story. It will appeal not only to those who were there but to a new generation of readers who will be riveted by this insight into the life on board a Royal Navy ship at war, as well as the sheer drama of Coventry's story... Four Weeks in May is a page-turner, elegantly and tightly written... The tension between his determination to uphold morale, the upbeat letters home, private moments of honest reflection, the self-deprecating humour and what every reader knows will be the disastrous outcome of those four weeks, is compelling... Devastating... Dramatic images of bravery and presence of mind are brilliantly pieced together. -- Alan West * Naval Review *

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Book SynopsisJOIN SAS LEGEND PHIL CAMPION AS HE SHARES HIS DEEPLY PERSONAL LIFE STORY, WARTS AND ALLIn WHO DARES WINS Big Phil Campion reveals his chequered past, from terrible abuse suffered in a string of kids' homes to psychological abuse suffered at a top public school.Phil guides you through his soldiering career, from the so called "green army" to the brutal trial of SAS selection and all that followed. This includes years spent providing private military services across war-torn and risk-laden Africa; in between he was body-guarded the likes of Led Zep, Oasis, Kasabian, Dizzy Rascal and Pro Green.Phil takes you on his gripping, behind-the-scenes adventure acting as a roving reporter for Sky TV in Syria and Northern Iraq, more often than not under fire.Brave, riveting and truly revelatory, WHO DARES WINS is packed full of jaw-dropping stories to quicken the blood, while also telling of the psychological toll a life in conflict took on the author.'One of the best first-hand accounts of life in combat ever written'Andy McNab on Born Fearless

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Book SynopsisThe book was inspired by the author's discovery that her great-uncle, a traumatised ex-soldier, committed a shocking murder in 1922. Suzie has examined the wider social history behind her great uncle's story and those of many others like him.

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Book SynopsisEmbark on an enchanting journey into our country''s past hundred years through the remarkable life of Captain Sir Tom MooreTHE NO. 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER''A wonderful life story with lessons for us all . . . beautifully written'' DAILY TELEGRAPH''Gloriously enthralling'' DAILY MAIL__________Captain Sir Tom Moore''s story is all our stories . . .Born at the tail end of the Spanish flu epidemic, Tom Moore was raised in the Yorkshire Dales by a loving family that had not escaped tragedy. Yet when the clouds of war threatened, Tom raised his hand and joined up to fight.The Second World War took him to the Far East, where his can-do spirit was forged. Whether fighting for his life in Burma or helming a firm back home, racing motorbikes or raising a family, he always sought to do his very best. To make a difference to those around him.Captain Tom''s story is that of our parenTrade ReviewGloriously enthralling * Daily Mail *A riveting account. Tom is as sharp as a bayonet . . . This old soldier should never, ever fade away in our memory. Neither should his life advice * Daily Express *Engaging . . . His upbeat nature shines through and reminds us how much worse this year would have been without him * Evening Standard *A wonderful life story with lessons for us all . . . beautifully written * Daily Telegraph *Captain Tom Moore has stolen the nation's hearts * Evening Standard *A wonderful read. Captain Tom is a beacon of light, and hope, and positivity * Piers Morgan, Life Stories, ITV *A great book * Good Morning Britain *A beautiful book. We have so much to learn from Captain Sir Tom * Chris Evans, Virgin Radio *Fascinating. It's the life story of an ordinary man who is extraordinary * Michael Ball, BBC Radio 2 *Captain Tom Moore's charming autobiography is an inspiration . . . A great personal history of the past century, and we can all learn something from Captain Tom * Woman's Weekly *His story is of a man whose insatiable curiosity and appetite for life have led him around so many unexpected corners - and serves to unite and inspire every generation * This England *Lively and entertaining . . . beautifully captures Captain Tom's mixture of amazement and pride at what happened in 2020 * Reader's Digest *An incredible insight into a hundred years of British social history - and the story of a remarkable man * Candis *Captain Tom has a message of hope for us all * The Big Issue *His autobiography will continue to inspire. A hundred-year history of Britain and a life well lived * My Weekly *His optimism and courage shine through in this uplifting account of his life and times * Sunday Express *A national hero . . . He tells the story of his life with unfailing optimism and charm * Daily Mirror *In this delightful memoir, we see the build-up to that 'I said I'll do it and I will' attitude * Daily Mail *Uplifting and inspiring * Best *There is so much more to the humble centenarian exserviceman's life than his garden laps for the NHS. A life-affirming memoir * Sun *A very open and honest account of a centenarian's life . . . You cannot help but be amazed * Who Do You Think You Are? *Embark on an enchanting journey into our country's past hundred years through the remarkable life of Captain Sir Tom Moore * Eastern Daily Press *

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Book SynopsisPresents a philosophical meditation on what warfare does to us. This book examines the reasons soldiers act as they do. It explains the attractions of battle - the adrenaline rush, the esprit de corps - and analyzes the many rationalizations made by combat troops to justify their actions.Trade Review"A superb study of modern combat man, and his relationship to death, and his thoughts about it."—Chicago Sunday Tribune"[A] classic."—Philip Caputo, Washington Post

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Book SynopsisThis book is an authoritative and comprehensive analysis of the legal principles underlying entitlement to compensation for those injured or killed in the service of their country. It is also a practical and accessible guide for all those concerned in bringing and dealing with war pensions and armed forces compensation claims and appeals.Trade Review 'This is an excellent publication and it should be close at hand for any practitioner advising personnel in personal injury, employment and occupational claims.' From review of second edition in Law Society Gazette.Table of ContentsPreface to the Second Edition Preface to the First Edition Table of Court and Nominated Judges’ Decisions Table of Commissioners’ and Upper Tribunal Decisions Table of Statutes Table of Statutory Instruments Table of Practice Statements Table of Conventions Citation of Cases PART I WAR PENSIONS 1 War Pensions – A Historical Introduction 2 Claiming a War Pension 3 Entitlement to War Pension – General Principles 4 Claims for Disablement or Death within 7 Years of Termination of Service – Article 40 of the SPO 2006 5 Claims for Disablement or Death more than 7 Years after Termination of Service – Article 41 of the SPO 2006 6 Review of War Pensions Decisions and Awards 7 Commencing Dates of Awards 8 The Basic Award and the Assessment of Disablement 9 Other Awards in Respect of Disablement 10 Awards in Respect of Death 11 Reduction and Cancellation of Awards PART II ARMED FORCES COMPENSATION 12 The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme 13 Claiming Armed Forces Compensation 14 Entitlement to Armed Forces Compensation – General Principles 15 Exclusions from Entitlement 16 Adjudication 17 Review of Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Decisions 18 Injury Benefits – The Tariff 19 Injury Benefits 20 Death Benefits 21 Adjustment and Cessation of Benefit 22 Modifications for Reserve Forces PART III ADMINISTRATION AND ADJUDICATION 23 Administration of Benefits 24 Appeal Tribunals 25 Rights of Appeal 26 Bringing an Appeal 27 Case Management 28 The Hearing 29 Powers of the Tribunal on an Appeal 30 The Decision 31 Correcting, Setting Aside and Reviewing Decisions 32 Appeals to the Upper Tribunal 33 Appeals to the Northern Ireland Pensions Appeal Commissioners APPENDICES 1 Schedule 1 to the Naval, Military and Air Forces Etc. (Disablement and Death) Service Pensions Order 2006 (SI 2006/606) (as amended) 2 Schedule 2 to the Naval, Military and Air Forces Etc. (Disablement and Death) Service Pensions Order 2006 (SI 2006/606) (as amended) 3 Schedule 3 to the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) Order 2011 (SI 2011/517) (as amended) Index

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Book SynopsisHow did the Civil War, emancipation, and Reconstruction shape the masculinity of white Confederate veterans? Drawing on personal letters and diaries, James Broomall argues that the crisis of defeat ultimately necessitated new forms of expression between veterans and among men and women.

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Book SynopsisWith a focus on mental illness, Shell-shocked British Army veterans in Ireland provides the first in-depth investigation of disabled Great War veterans in Ireland. The book is a result of five years of researching previously untouched archival sources including psychiatric records of former patients otherwise closed to the public. The remit of the work contributes to various historiographical fields including disability history, the social history of medicine, the cultural history of modern war, the history of psychiatry and Irish studies. It also seeks to extend the scope of the First World War with an emphasis on how war-induced disability and trauma continued to affect large numbers of ex-servicemen beyond the official cessation of the conflict.Trade Review'Michael Robinson’s study is a welcome addition to the study of war-related mental disabilities. [...] this is a balanced study that will be a welcome addition to scholars interested in the detailed history of mentally disturbed Great War veterans. The depth and breadth of research is a model for how to approach such a subject.'H-Disability'Michael Robinson has done an outstanding service both to twentieth-century Irish history and to medical military history more widely in his study of shell-shocked British army veterans in Ireland between 1918 and 1939. [...] As such it is a fine addition not only to the field of disability history but also to the wider social history of the time.'Irish Historical Studies -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction1: ‘A Definitive Neurasthenic Temperament’?: The Irish Tommy and Veteran2. Neurasthenic Pensioners in Revolutionary Ireland, 1918-19213. Neurasthenic Pensioners in the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland, 1922-19394. The War Hospital in Ireland5. The Service Patient Scheme in Ireland BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisJOIN SAS LEGEND PHIL CAMPION AS HE SHARES HIS DEEPLY PERSONAL LIFE STORY, WARTS AND ALLIn WHO DARES WINS Big Phil Campion reveals his chequered past, from terrible abuse suffered in a string of kids' homes to psychological abuse suffered at a top public school.Phil guides you through his soldiering career, from the so called "green army" to the brutal trial of SAS selection and all that followed. This includes years spent providing private military services across war-torn and risk-laden Africa; in between he was body-guarded the likes of Led Zep, Oasis, Kasabian, Dizzy Rascal and Pro Green.Phil takes you on his gripping, behind-the-scenes adventure acting as a roving reporter for Sky TV in Syria and Northern Iraq, more often than not under fire.Brave, riveting and truly revelatory, WHO DARES WINS is packed full of jaw-dropping stories to quicken the blood, while also telling of the psychological toll a life in conflict took on the author.'One of the best first-hand accounts of life in combat ever written'Andy McNab on Born Fearless

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Book SynopsisIt was front-page news throughout the country - the largest gathering of Union and Confederate veterans ever held. “[It] will be talked about and written about as long as the American people boast of the dauntless courage of Gettysburg,” declared a woman who accompanied her father to the reunion. But as the years passed, the memorable event was all but forgotten. John Hopkins’s The World Will Never See the Like: The Gettysburg Reunion of 1913 goes a long way toward making sure the world will remember.The 1913 Gettysburg reunion is a story of 53,000 old comrades and former foes reunited, and of the tension, even half a century later, between competing narratives of reconciliation and remembrance. For seven days the old soldiers lived under canvas in the stifling heat on a 280-acre encampment run by the U.S. Army. They swapped stories, debated still-simmering controversies about the battle, and fed tall tales to gullible reporters. On July 3, the aging survivors of Pickett’s Division and the Philadelphia Brigade shook hands across the wall on Cemetery Ridge, in the reunion’s climactic photo op.Some of the battle’s leading personalities were in attendance including Union III Corps commander Dan Sickles, who at 92 was still eager to explain to anyone who would listen the indispensable role he had played in the Union victory. Also present was Helen Dortch Longstreet, the widow of Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, who devoted her life and considerable energies to defending the reputation of her general. Both wrote articles from the reunion that were syndicated in newspapers across the country. There was even a cameo appearance by a young and as yet unknown cavalry officer named George S. Patton Jr.Hopkins fills his marvelous account with detail from the letters, diaries, and published accounts of Union and Confederate veterans, the extensive archival records of the reunion’s organizers, and the daily stories filed by the scores of reporters who covered it.The World Will Never See the Like offers the first full story of this extraordinary event’s genesis and planning, the obstacles overcome on the way to making it a reality, its place in the larger narrative of sectional reunion and reconciliation, and the individual stories of the veterans who attended. Every reader interested in Gettysburg will find this a welcome addition to their library.

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Book SynopsisOver the last decade, we have sent thousands of people to fight on our behalf. But what happens when these soldiers come back home, having lost their friends and killed their enemies, having seen and done things that have no place in civilian life? In Aftershock, Matthew Green tells the story of our veterans' journey from the frontline of combat to the reality of return. Through wide-ranging interviews with former combatants -- including a Royal Marine sniper and a former operator in the SAS - as well as serving personnel and their families, physicians, therapists, and psychiatrists, Aftershock looks beyond the headline-grabbing statistics and the labels of post-traumatic stress disorder to get to the heart of today's post-conflict experience. Green asks what lessons have been learned from past wars, and explores the range of help currently available, from traditional talking cures to cutting-edge scientific therapies. As today's battle-scarred troops begin to lay their weapons down, Aftershock is a hard-hitting account of the hidden cost of conflict. And its message is one that has profound implications, not just for the military, but for anyone with an interest in how we experience trauma and survive.Trade ReviewGreen has documented the hidden cost of modern war in a way no other author has ever even attempted. Intelligent, sensitive, courageous and tenacious, he has spent two years listening to the harrowing stories of former soldiers struggling to cope with PTSD - and hearing how the military and medical establishment have, for the most part, failed them. The MoD should hang their heads in shame if this book does not become required reading at every staff college. Aftershock hasn't come a moment too soon -- James Fergusson, author * A Million Bullets *Compelling, humbling and hugely inspiring accounts from the real heroes of our era. We have a duty to understand what these men have given on our behalf -- Bear GryllsIntelligently written and agreeably unsensational... One of the many strengths of this nuanced book is the sympathy and compassion [Green] brings to the experiences of soldiers... [A] revealing and thought-provoking study -- Trevor Royle * Sunday Herald *Unsentimental but horribly affecting... mixing journalistic rigour with historical investigation [and written] in prose thrilling enough for a bestselling novel -- Alexander Larman * Observer *Compelling and instructive... [This is] a work of integrity and substance, and as so much of it touches on interdepartmental matters it ought to be read by every minister -- Allan Mallinson * Spectator *An urgent manifesto... [Green's] book sharply exposes the faults in the current system... The stories Green has collected are so powerful because they are some of the only means we have of measuring the true scale of PTSD in Britain -- Joe Shute * Daily Telegraph *A thoughtful, unsensational account of a significant problem -- Max Hastings * Sunday Times *This is a most compelling book which tells the story of those who have suffered so much in the conduct of operation to protect our security. Mental health pressures need to move centre stage in our priorities - now! -- Sir Richard Dannatt, former General Chief of StaffGreen tells the uncomfortable story of our veterans' journey from the frontline of combat to the reality of return brilliantly via first-person accounts and interviews with former combatants and their families, military experts, physicians and psychologists * Bookseller *If we expect our lives and freedoms to be protected we have a duty to those who do this. As a society, as people, surely we must take responsibility for the bodies, minds, and indeed souls of those who fight for us? Aftershock makes this point again and again, powerfully and compellingly -- Justine Hardy, trauma therapist, author * The Wonder House *A thought-provoking enquiry into PTSD. It contains important insights into a problem that is rarely covered in any but the most superficial way. I highly recommend it -- Adrian Weale * Literary Review *I've never come across something that really tells the truth about war in this way... an amazing book -- Sharmaine Lovegrove * Monocle Radio *[An] outstanding study of the psychological wounds affecting British military personnel adapting to life at home after serving in the country's most recent wars * New Statesman *A moving and illuminating book [that] reports on the lives, struggles and triumphs of returned combat veterans and their families -- Bryan Doerries, author * The Theatre of War *A sometimes harrowing but ultimate hopeful book about PTSD and its effect on the lives of soldiers and medical staff on their return from war zones. Some of the stories in the book stayed with me long after I had finished reading -- Bob McDevitt, Best Books of 2016 * Herald *

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Book SynopsisThe United States has both the largest, most expensive, and most powerful military and the largest, most expensive, and most punitive carceral system in the history of the world. Since the American War in Vietnam, the number of veterans who have been incarcerated after their military service has steadily increased, with over 100,000 veterans in prison today. Identifying the previously unrecognized connections between American wars and mass incarceration, Prisoners after War reaches across lines of race, class, and gender to record the untold history of incarcerated veterans over the past six decades. Having conducted dozens of oral history interviews, Jason A. Higgins traces the lifelong effects of war, inequality, disability, and mental illness, and explores why hundreds of thousands of veterans, from Vietnam to Afghanistan, were caught up in the carceral system. This original study tells an intergenerational history of state-sanctioned violence, punishment, and inequality, but its pages also resonate with stories of survival and redemption, revealing future possibilities for reform and reparative justice.Trade ReviewPrisoners after War is on the cutting edge. It will appeal to a wide array of readers, including scholars of carceral and military history, social scientists interested in the intersections of veterans’ service and reentry, and crucially, general audiences curious about the lived experiences of criminalization and incarceration." - Melanie D. Newport, author of This is My Jail: Local Politics and the Rise and Mass Incarceration

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This book creates a space in which trauma of all kinds can be explored and confronted." * Film Matters *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Documenting the “Residue of Battle” 1. “Imaging the Mind”: Military Psychiatry Meets Documentary Film 2. Solemn Venues: War Trauma and the Expanding Nontheatrical Realm 3. Selling “Psycho Films”: Trauma Cinema and the Military-Industrial Complex 4. Psychodocudramatics: Role-Playing War Trauma from the Hospital to Hollywood 5. “Casualties of the Spirit”: Let There Be Light and Its Contexts Conclusion: Traumatic Returns Notes Select Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE WA PREMIER''S BOOK AWARDS - BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024SHORTLISTED FOR THE MARGARET MEDCALF AWARD 2024''I remember seeing a flash, I turned around and heard a roar like a train approaching in a tunnel. Then a tremendous crack like a whiplash passed directly overhead. I saw a mushroom cloud ... There was black and white smoke, orange and red flames ascending through the centre of the mushroom.'' RAN Able Seaman Vince Douglas, participant in Operation HurricaneAt 8.00 a.m. on Friday 3 October 1952, Britain''s first atomic bomb was detonated in the hold of a surplus frigate, HMS Plym, moored in the Montebello Islands, 50 miles off the North West Coast of Western Australia. The blast vaporised the Plym, produced a mushroom cloud 2 miles high, and covered the islands and parts of the Australian mainland with fallout. The test, codenamed Operation Hurricane, was the culmination of years of top-secret planning in

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Book SynopsisContributors come from all three services and many nations and span all ranks.

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Book SynopsisGeneral Sir David Richards is one of the best known British generals of modern times. In 2013 he retired after over forty years of service in the British Army and a career that had seen him rise from junior officer with 20 Commando to Chief of the Defence Staff, the professional head of the British Armed Forces.He served in the Far East, Germany, Northern Ireland and East Timor. He was the last Governor of Berlin''s Spandau Prison, when Rudolf Hess, Hitler''s deputy, was its sole prisoner. In 2005 he was appointed Commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in Afghanistan and as commander of NATO forces became the first British General to command US Forces in combat since the Second World War.In 2000, Richards won acclaim when he brought together a collation of forces in Sierra Leone to stop the ultra-violent Revolutionary United Front from attacking the capital, Freetown. In so doing he ended one of the bloodiest civil wars to bedevil the region. He did so without Trade ReviewThis is a most engaging account, both characteristically direct and controversial, of a life of soldiering from the post-imperial era, through the Cold War, Iraq and Afghanistan right up to the age of Jihadists and cyber-warfare. - Antony BeevorNot for many years has there been a CDS with comparable operational experience, nor one who has thought as much about defence. - Allan Mallinson, Times Defence CommentatorA brilliant memoir by the UK's most significant soldier-scholar-statesman of the new century; a compelling, thoughtful, and thought-provoking read by one who played a key role in virtually every military endeavor of the past decade - General David H. Petraeus (U.S. Army, retired)He has seen just about every combat zone since Sandhurst. One is in the hands of a consummate soldier. - Frederick ForsythNot the usual dry treatise on the use of force, his memoir is a highly readable account from someone involved in all the key theatres of our recent history - The Sunday TimesA fascinating book on the British Army from the 1970s to today - The Spectator

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewHorwitz draws together an impressive array of work to produce a balanced and concise analysis of PTSD that will serve as an insightful guide to the nature and evolution of the disorder.—Edgar Jones, King's College London, Bulletin of the History of MedicinePTSD is an excellent survey: sharp, well-informed, probing and suitably skeptical of the epistemological status of a disorder that has become emblematic of our times. Horwitz is sympathetic to the suffering of trauma victims, but he is fully aware of the political, constructed nature of the underlying diagnosis, and the double-edged sword that it represents.—Andrew Scull, PhD, University of California, San Diego, Journal of the History of Medicine & Allied SciencesIn this eminently accessible history of PTSD, Horwitz skillfully guides readers through a history of traumatic responses, seamlessly incorporating a variety of technical sources, including medical research and legal thought on compensation . . . PTSD is an important contribution to the field, offering a powerful interpretative and analytic framework to revisit a well-documented history of trauma.—Mical Raz, University of Rochester, Journal of American HistoryTracing its evolution from the mid-nineteenth century to today, Horwitz uses PTSD's distinct character as an effective wedge to open and explore deep questions regarding the relationship between culture and psychiatric diagnoses and the ways in which social, political, and economic concerns have shaped how we understand trauma. The end result is a well-written, succinct history that spins out many promising threads for future scholars to pursue. Indeed, I can think of no better introduction to PTSD. Any aspiring scholar would do well to begin her explorations into the topic here. For this reason, PTSD: A Short History takes its place among the must-reads on PTSD.—Owen Whooley, University of New Mexico, Contemporary SociologyTable of ContentsForeword, by Charles E. Rosenberg Preface Chapter 1. A Disorder through Time 1Chapter 2. PTSD Emerges Chapter 3. The Psychic Wounds of Combat Chapter 4. Diagnosing PTSD Chapter 5. The Return of the RepressedChapter 6. PTSD Becomes Ubiquitous Chapter 7. Implications Notes Index

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Book SynopsisWartime military service is held up as a marker of civic duty and patriotism, yet the rewards of veteran status have never been equally distributed. Certain groups of military veterans—women, people of color, LGBTQ people, and former service members with stigmatizing conditions, "bad paper" discharges, or criminal records—have been left out of official histories, excised from national consciousness, and denied state recognition and military benefits.Chronicling the untold stories of marginalized veterans in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Service Denied uncovers the generational divides, cultural stigmas, and discriminatory policies that affected veterans during and after their military service. Together, the chapters in this collection recast veterans beyond the archetype, inspiring an innovative model for veterans studies that encourages an intersectional and interdisciplinary analysis of veterans history. In addition to contributions from the volume editors, this collection features scholarship by Barbara Gannon, Robert Jefferson, Evan P. Sullivan, Steven Rosales, Heather Marie Stur, Juan Coronado, Kara Dixon Vuic, John Worsencroft, and David Kieran.

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Book Synopsis The New York Times bestseller Kill Bin Laden is an explosive first-hand account of a Delta Force commando''s hunt for the world''s most wanted man. The mission was to kill the most wanted man in the worldan operation of such magnitude that it couldn''t be handled by just any military or intelligence force. The best America had to offer was needed. As such, the task was handed to roughly forty members of America''s supersecret counterterrorist unit formally known as 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta; more popularly, the elite and mysterious unit Delta Force. Told by senior ranking military officer Dalton Fury, this is the real story of the operation, the first eyewitness account of the Battle of Tora Bora, and the first book to detail just how close Delta Force came to capturing bin Laden, how close U.S. bombers and fighter aircraft came to killing him, and exactly why he slipped through our fingers. Lastly, this is an extremely r

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Book SynopsisUnderstanding PTSD among today's veterans and how it is handled by the military and VA system.Trade ReviewErin P. Finley creates a compelling account of how to understand PTSD and how to help treat those who suffer from it.... She mixes historical accounts of PTSD as a medical illness with the current understandings of its causes, signs, and evidence-based treatment.... Finley gives us hope and several well thought-out recommendations for preventing and minimizing combat PTSD. -- Kevin M. Bond * Military Review *Finley offers a well-researched and reasoned contribution that explores how the social environments veterans come from and return to when not deployed shape their PTSD experience. The book weaves together empirical research findings with lengthy case studies that show the experience of PTSD across time. This book's most important aspect is the understanding it conveys that PTSD is not only a psychiatric condition, but a socially mediated one as well, shaped by the ways in which the Veterans Affairs health system interacts with and compensates' veterans. Finley's richly textured ethnography demonstrates the many factors that influence the readjustment struggles of returning veterans. She closes the book with a helpful and practical set of suggestions that give it an edge on other works on the topic, many of which fail to treat the issues with Finley's depth and insight.... Summing Up: Highly recommended. * Choice *Finley studies the process by which veterans of current conflicts define and seek treatment for combat-induced PTSD. Because she also seeks to illuminate military culture, she looks at how families cope with returning relatives who now seem like strangers; delves into the history of the Veterans Administration medical system, whose employees are struggling to treat a flood of new patients with limited resources; and chronicles how mental health professionals have defined the problems of veterans, from soldier's heart through combat fatigue to today’s struggles to define PTSD (and, hence, to decide who gets treatment).... A comprehensive look at the subject from many viewpoints. * Library Journal *This is the first major ethnography of PTSD among veterans of America's most recent wars. In Fields of Combat, Erin P. Finley deftly weaves the experiences of these young men and women who have participated in the invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan into a larger fabric of the U.S. military enterprise, including the clinical responses to a health crisis in treatment and prevention of debilitating traumas of war. How Americans, civilian and military alike, respond to these veterans says as much about the mental health of U.S. society as about them. -- Matthew Gutmann, Brown Universitycoauthor, * Breaking Ranks: Iraq Veterans Speak Out Against the War *Fields of Combat is highly recommended for leaders, persons providing direct care and ancillary services, and administrators involved in the care of active duty or retired service members, as well as for clinicians who work with veterans in community settings. It will be a valuable resource for family members to assist them in understanding and working with loved ones experiencing combat-related PTSD. * JAMA *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Fourth of July: A Tradition of Service in San Antonio 2. War Stories: Case Studies of Combat Deployment 3. Home Again: Early Experiences of Post-Deployment Stress 4. Of Men and Messages: How Everyday Cultural Influences Affect Living with PTSD 5. Clinical Histories: From Soldier's Heart to PTSD 6. Under Pressure: Military Socialization and Stigma 7. Embattled: The Politics of PTSD in VA Mental Health Care 8. Navigation: Identity and Social Relations in Treatment Seeking and Recovery ConclusionNotes References Index

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Book SynopsisA Nation of Veterans examines how the United States created the world’s most generous system of veterans’ benefits. Though we often see former service members as an especially deserving group, the book shows that veterans had to wage a fierce political battle to obtain and then defend their advantages against criticism from liberals and conservatives alike. They succeeded in securing their privileged status in public policy only by rallying behind powerful interest groups, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans, and the American Legion. In the process, veterans formed one of the most powerful movements of the early and mid-twentieth century, though one that we still know comparatively little about. In examining how the veterans’ movement inscribed martial citizenship onto American law, politics, and culture, A Nation of Veterans offers a new history of the U.S. welfare state that highlights its longstanding connection with warfare. It shows how a predominantly white and male group such as military veterans was at the center of social policy debates in the interwar and postwar period and how women and veterans of color were often discriminated against or denied access to their benefits. It moves beyond the traditional focus on the 1944 G.I. Bill to examine other important benefits like pensions, civil service preference, and hospitals. The book also examines multiple generations of veterans, by shedding light on how former service members from both world wars as well as Korea and the Cold War interacted with each other. This more complete picture of veterans’ politics helps us understand the deep roots of the military welfare state in the United States today.Trade Review"A Nation of Veterans offers unique close look at institutions and actors at the heart of important transformations in midcentury America, it gives attention to a major social movement which has been eclipsed only by its own success, and it offers a perspective on too-forgotten history of the politics of defense spending (broadly defined) and civil-military relations clearly relevant for their contrast to debates today that they largely shaped. In all, this work goes a long way in replacing myth with history about veterans in American society and the construction of the welfare state." * IdeAs *"A Nation of Veterans is an important contribution not just to policy history or the history of social movements but also to the understanding of the importance and conflicted nature of America’s relationship with its veterans...Burtin has shown that easy understandings of military service, patriotism, and American politics are not sufficient to truly explain the importance of the veteran to American politics and culture. " * H-Diplo *"Burtin has crafted an exciting and informative work in A Nation of Veterans. Delivering well-researched facts in velvety prose, Burtin obliterates any notion that veteran disability compensation and entitlements were easy to obtain...This book should become a staple of any military or veteran-related program. It is a page-turner for those interested in this topic and a challenge to put down." * Choice *"A Nation of Veterans completely recasts the history of veterans’ politics and benefits in the United States. While historians have long explained the remarkable success of the GI Bill and the Veterans Administration’s vast post-WWII programs as easy political consensus, Olivier Burtin shows us they are the result of hard-fought political struggle and by no means foreordained. From the interwar years through the 1960s, a highly mobilized, multi-layered veterans’ movement fought off critics and doubters to build a vast, exclusionary support system for mostly white male veterans. And while the veterans’ movement itself declined in the 1970s, martial citizenship and military welfare lived on, stronger than ever. A Nation of Veterans is a book historians of war and welfare must read." * Jennifer Mittelstadt, author of The Rise of Military Welfare State *"In this original, surprising, and compelling new book, Olivier Burtin reveals how America’s veterans built one of the nation’s most powerful social movements to create one of its most generous welfare systems. Based on exhaustive research and written with elegant prose, A Nation of Veterans offers a provocative and thoughtful perspective on the vast extent of America’s warfare state." * Andrew Preston, author of Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith: Religion in American War and Diplomacy *"Why does the United States have a separate—and more generous—welfare system for military veterans? Why are veterans’ benefits widely understood as the nation’s payment of a ‘sacred and inviolable debt’? In this carefully researched and clearly argued work, Olivier Burtin offers an historical answer, one grounded (as good histories so often are) in contingency and in conflict. A Nation of Veterans is essential reading for anyone interested in American social policy or civil-military relations in the United States." * Beth Bailey, author of America’s Army: Making the All-Volunteer Force *

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Book SynopsisWhen US Navy SEAL Michael Monsoor sacrificed his life by stepping in front of a live grenade to save his comrades during Operation Iraqi Freedom, he inspired thousands around the world and reminded us that freedom is never free.Trade Review'Defend Us in Battle is a powerful narrative about modern warfare and a tribute to Michael and his teammates. It is also an American family's story. The Medal of Honor is awarded for an act of such courage that no one could rightly be expected to underate it. Nothing in our SEAL training would have led Michael to do what he did. Yet for those of us who knew him, especially his teammates in Task Unit Bruiser, we were not surprised by what he did. His mother, Sally, and father, George, were his examples of love, selflessness, and service above self. It is the nurturing of our families that gives SEAL warriors courage. It is this dedication to ideals greater than self that gives us strength.' * Vice Admiral Joseph Maguire, USN (Ret.) *'As an unknown person once said, 'Someday when the pages of my life end, I know that my son will be one of the most beautiful chapters.' Defend Us in Battle does just that. The values instilled in Michael at an early age epitomize those held by his fellow Medal of Honor Recipients--courage, commitment, integrity, sacrifice, citizenship, and patriotism. The simple act of saving the lives of his brothers by sacrificing his own, while a moment in time, is the culmination of his life experiences--learning to overcome obstacles and injuries. He never gave up on his dream of becoming one of America's elite special operations units. Truly inspirational.' * John Falkenbury, Executive Vice President of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society *'Michael 'Mikey' Monsoor's life and service will be an inspiration for generations. In Defend Us in Battle, George Monsoor and Rose Rea (with help from other friends and family) tell his story with vigor, verve, and heartfelt emotion. Their insight and devotion to the man and the country he selflessly served are evident on every page, providing a rare, intimate portrait of a hero.' * Jim DeFelice, Coauthor of American Sniper *

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Book SynopsisThe moving story of how a small group of people—including two Vietnam veterans—forced the U.S. government to take responsibility for the ongoing horrors—agent orange and unexploded munitions—inflicted on the Vietnamese.Fifty years after the last U.S. service member left Vietnam, the scars of that war remain...This [is the] remarkable story of a group of individuals determined to heal those enduring wounds.”—Elliot Ackerman, author of The Fifth Act and 2034The American war in Vietnam has left many long-lasting scars that have not yet been sufficiently examined. The worst of them were inflicted in a tiny area bounded by the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail in neighboring Laos. That small region saw the most intense aerial bombing campaign in history, the massive use of toxic chemicals, and the heaviest casualties on both sides.In T

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Book SynopsisDrawing on archival materials, the authors highlight the diversity and severity of psychological distress among white and African-American veterans of the Union army. Their findings concerning the recognition of veterans' post-traumatic stress disorders, treatment programs, and suicide rates will inform current studies on how to effectively cope with this enduring disability in former soldiers.Trade Review'The hidden injuries of war are by no means an invention of the last hundred years. Veterans of the American Civil War carried the often silent and unacknowledged traces of combat with them, in body and soul, for the rest of their lives. Logue and Blanck merit our gratitude for having brought the American soldiers of 1861–65, Northerners and Southerners, black and white, into the growing body of literature on the war-related mortality and morbidity of soldiers who return from war.' Jay Winter, author of War beyond Words: Languages of Remembrance from the Great War to the Present and editor of The Cambridge History of the First World War'Suicide amongst veterans is an enigma. It is shocking, deeply disturbing, and tragic in nature, with the potential of damning the impact of war. But, it is subject to extremes: it can either defy analysis due to underreporting and the elusive nature of assigning causation, or it can slip into a melodramatic tirade against war. Logue and Blanck recognize the subtleties of the subject, and deliver a nuanced consideration of the plight of Civil War veterans, centering on the topic of suicide. A must-read for those concerned about the impact of this or any war.' Eric T. Dean, Jr, author of Shook over Hell: Post-Traumatic Stress, Vietnam, and the Civil War'Logue and Blanck offer groundbreaking analyses and insights of how veterans across the spectrum of humanity perceived and coped with warfare's consequences. Logue and Blanck brilliantly open up new historical vistas, reminding me of the promise by which I closed The Center Cannot Hold: 'the humanity we all share is more important than the mental illness we may not'.' Elyn Saks, author of The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey through Madness, from the foreword'An important read for students of veterans affairs.' The NYMAS Review'… [the authors'] expansive source base, illuminating demographic comparisons, and nuanced portrait of the distinctive burden that Civil War soldiers had to bear are impressive.' Kathryn Shively Meier, The Journal of Interdisciplinary History'This genuinely interdisciplinary work offers the exciting potential opportunity for further research into veteran communities which integrates History, Law, Disability Studies, Medicine, and Policy.' Michael Robinson, War in HistoryTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. What is a Union veteran?; 2. Changed men; 3. When war came; 4. Perilous years; 5. Aftershocks; 6. Trials of black veterans; 7. Heavy laden; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisThe Constitution provides Congress with broad powers over the Armed Forces, including the power "to raise and support Armies," "to provide and maintain a Navy," and "to make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces. "It also provides the Senate with the authority to provide Advice and Consent on presidential nominations of all other Officers of the United States, which includes military officers. On the basis of its constitutional authority, Congress has passed a number of laws which govern important aspects of military officer personnel management, including appointments, assignments, grade structure, promotions, and separations. This book provides an overview of active duty general and flag officers (GFOs) in the United States Armed Forces -- including authorizations, duties, and compensation -- historical trends in the proportion of GFOs relative to the total force, criticisms and justifications of GFO to total force proportions, and statutory controls.

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Book SynopsisThe reports that make up this book examine various veteran issues, including what constitutes basic eligibility for veterans benefits, military benefits for former spouses and answers to frequently asked questions such as What Benefits can former spouses of members or retirees of the uniformed services receive under law? This book also discusses three types of VA (Veterans Affairs) housing assistance the loan guaranty program, direct loan programs and Specially Adapted Housing program their origins, how they operation, and how they are funded. The report also has a section that discusses the default and foreclosure of VA-guaranteed loans. Finally, the last chapter answers frequently asked questions on health care for veterans, including questions on eligibility and enrollments, medical benefits and costs to veterans and insurance collections.

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Book SynopsisIn 2016, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) centralized distribution of the disability compensation claims workload through the National Work Queue, which prioritizes and distributes claims to regional offices based on their capacity; however, there are gaps in VBA''s guidance for processing claims with errors. Chapter 1 examines (1) how VBA manages workload and performance for the disability compensation claims process, (2) how well VBA''s timeliness and accuracy measures capture its regional offices'' performance in processing these claims, and (3) how well selected regional offices communicate with VSOs and congressional caseworkers about these claims. The Department of Veterans Affairs'' (VA) plan for implementing a new disability appeals process while attending to appeals in the current process addresses most, but not all, elements required by the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 (Act). Chapter 2 examines the extent to which VA''s plan (1) addresses the required elements in the Act, and (2) reflects sound planning practices identified in prior GAO work. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 focus on the extent to which VA''s plan: addresses the required elements in the Act, and reflects sound planning practices previously identified. Chapter 6 examines (1) what is known about the quality and timeliness of VBA contracted exams; (2) the extent to which VBA monitors contractors'' performance; and (3) how VBA ensures that its contractors provide qualified and well-trained examiners. Chapter 7 addresses: (1) what is known about the quality and timeliness of VBA contracted exams; (2) the extent to which VBA monitors contractors'' performance to ensure that they provide high quality and timely exams; and (3) how VBA ensures that its contractors provide qualified and well-trained examiners.

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Book SynopsisThe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 included a provision "to assess the panoply of benefits and programs available government-wide to separating servicemembers intended to provide the skills and education necessary for such members to achieve meaningful and fulfilling employment in their civilian lives." Chapter 1 describes the comprehensive inventory of federal programs providing assistance to servicemembers, veterans, and their families -- including information from the administering agencies on who is eligible to receive services, the programs'' objectives, and the available services. Chapter 2 provides a general discussion of legislative provisions and proposals relating to the military benefits for former spouses. Chapter 3 contains information on locating military unit histories and individual service records of discharged, retired, and deceased military personnel. Military medical care is a congressionally authorised entitlement that has expanded in size and scope since the late 19th century. Chapter 4 answers selected frequently asked questions about military health care. Chapter 5 discusses the standards and procedures governing the disposition of medical malpractice claims that servicemembers and non-servicemembers assert against the United States, as well as pertinent considerations for Congress. DOD has taken steps to modernise its Military Health System to ensure that it operates efficiently. Chapter 6 assessed the extent to which the services use validated dental clinic staffing models that also incorporate cross-service staffing standards, and have recruited and retained military dentists and measured the effectiveness of their recruitment and retention programs. The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), enacted in 1972, provides cash benefits to a surviving spouse or other eligible recipient(s) of a retiree or deceased member of the uniformed services. Chapter 7 describes the categories of beneficiaries eligible for survivor benefits under the military Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), the formulas used in computing the income level (including the integration of SBP benefits with other federal benefits), and the costs of SBP participation incurred by the retiree and/or the beneficiary. Chapters 8 and 9 provide information on the military retirement system.

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Book SynopsisNearly 40,000 providers hold privileges in VHA''s 170 VA Medical Centers (VAMCs). VAMCs must identify and review any concerns that arise about the clinical care their providers deliver. Chapter 1 examines, among other things, selected VAMCs'' reviews of providers'' clinical care after concerns are raised and VHA''s oversight of these reviews, and VAMCs'' reporting of providers to the NPDB and SLBs and VHA''s oversight of reporting. Chapter 2 summarizes the implementation and oversight of VHA processes for reviewing and reporting providers after quality and safety concerns have been raised at selected VA medical centers. Veterans suffer a disproportionately higher rate of suicide than the civilian population. Chapter 3 focuses on the extent to which VHA conducts activities for its suicide prevention media outreach campaign, and evaluates the effectiveness of its campaign. The Faster Care for Veterans Act of 2016 called for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct a pilot program under which veterans can use an Internet website or mobile application to schedule and confirm appointments at the department''s medical facilities. Chapter 4 examines the extent to which VHA (conducts activities for its suicide prevention media outreach campaign, and evaluates the effectiveness of its campaign. VAMCs use reusable medical equipment (RME) which must be reprocessed-that is, cleaned, disinfected, or sterilized-between uses. Improper reprocessing of RME can negatively affect patient care. To help ensure the safety of veterans, VHA policy establishes requirements VAMCs must follow when reprocessing RME and requires a number of related oversight efforts. Chapters 5 and 6 discuss VHA''s oversight of VAMCs'' adherence to RME policies and challenges VAMCs face in operating their Sterile Processing Services programs, and any efforts by VHA to address these challenges. VHA has designated patient advocates at each VAMC to receive and document feedback from veterans or their representatives, including requests for information, compliments, and complaints. Chapter 7 examines the extent to which VHA has provided guidance on the governance of the program; provided guidance on staffing the program; assessed the training needs of patient advocates and monitored training completion; and monitored patient advocacy program data-entry practices and reviewed program data. Community-based outpatient clinics (CBOC) are an important part of the Department of Veterans Affairs'' (VA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) health care delivery system. These clinics are geographically separate from VA medical centers (VAMC) and provide outpatient services, including primary care and mental health care. Chapter 8 reviews VHA''s use of contracts to carry out core functions. Selected Department of Veterans Affairs'' (VA) medical centers (VAMC) use generally similar approaches for managing their pharmacy inventories. Chapter 9 describes approaches selected VAMCs use to manage their pharmacy inventories and assesses the extent to which VA oversees VAMCs'' efforts to manage their pharmacy inventories. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has made progress improving opioid safety through its Opioid Safety Initiative (OSI). Chapter 10 examines the extent to which VHA has met OSI goals established in 2014 and (2) the extent to which VHA providers adhere to key opioid risk mitigation strategies.

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Book SynopsisChapter 1 assesses (1) the status of the Army''s near- and long-term modernisation efforts; and (2) the extent to which the Army has applied. Chapter 2 addresses the Army''s progress in: (1) establishing Army Futures Command, and (2) developing its near-term and long-term modernisation strategies. Chapter 3 reports on Army readiness, skills shortages, equipment maintenance and modernisation, acquisition, training, force structure. Chapter 4 assesses the extent to which the Air Force (1) had aircraft maintainer staffing gaps, (2) experienced attrition of maintainers and took steps to help retain maintainers, and (3) met its annual technical school completion rate goals for maintainers. Chapter 5 describes (1) how DOD currently facilitates public access to proceedings; (2) challenges the public faces in gaining access to or obtaining information on proceedings; and (3) what is known about potential options to address public access challenges, including any related trade-offs.

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