February 2011 Real Warriors Campaign

	Wednesday, February 9, 2011		www.realwarriors.net
Share Your Story with the Real Warriors Campaign The Real Warriors Campaign is looking for new profilees for one of our most important features: video profiles. Our video profiles spotlight stories of real service members who have reached out for support or sought treatment and are continuing to maintain successful military or civilian careers. Sharing these stories of overcoming challenges related to psychological health and invisible wounds encourages others to seek support and lets warriors know that they are not alone. If you would like to share your story with the Real Warriors Campaign, please contact us. Do you have a success story or tips for overcoming challenges related to combat stress, post traumatic stress, or other invisible wounds? Learning what others are doing to address these concerns creates new opportunities for healing. Post your story to our message boards and connect with others who may be dealing with the same challenges. New Articles Teens and Deployment: What to Expect and How to Help Teens may have mixed feelings about a parent's upcoming deployment. Because teens are already undergoing so many physical, emotional and social changes, taking steps to prepare him or her before you leave can be a helpful way to maintain stability in your family. This article helps you foster healthy coping skills and behaviors for your teen, and offers proactive steps to prepare your teen for your departure. Developing Healthy Sleep Habits While Deployed Sleep can be just as important to your mission as having enough food, water and ammunition. Although it may not always be possible to get a full night's sleep while you're deployed, developing healthy sleep patterns and habits can help build your resilience, improve your ability to deal with necessary periods of sleeplessness and prepare you to perform your best during a mission. This article shares common myths about sleep and tips to improve your sleep habits while deployed. Building Resilience to Cope with Difficult Situations Coming home from a deployment is an exciting time for you and your family. But as you are settling back into your routine, you may find that certain situations are more challenging to cope with than others. You can manage these situations by understanding the ways post-deployment stress affects your ability to respond to everyday life. By learning about the symptoms of post-deployment stress and taking steps to alleviate them, you can put yourself in a better position to experience the joys and manage the stresses of life back home. Warrior Resilience "Resilience is real. Leadership is critical. This is an important conversation between the medical community and the line community." — Captain Paul S. Hammer, Director, DCoE The Real Warriors Campaign exhibited at the Warriors Resilience Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City, VA on February 7-8, 2011. Over 500 military and civilian professionals gathered to discuss and promote Total Force Fitness, a state in which the individual, family and organization can achieve and sustain optimal well-being and performance under all conditions. The conference featured keynote speakers such as Dr. Clifford Stanley, FHP&R, ADM Mike Mullen, USN, LTG Frank Kearney, USA, as well as dynamic presentations on resilience from service members who were injured in combat and have since returned to duty. For more information on this conference, visit the DCOE conferences page. Or, check out our Facebook Events tab for upcoming Real Warriors events. Game Day Events Throughout the months of December 2010—February 2011, the Real Warriors Campaign partnered with the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) to host six pilot "Game Day" events at military installations around the country. At each event, former NFL players joined service members and their families to watch NFL games, socialize, and discuss common reintegration challenges facing service members and the resources available to address them. As a result of these events, the Real Warriors Campaign distributed more than 7,000 pieces of material to more than 400 attendees. "This is great. We always know the American people support soldiers, but it is also good for soldiers to hear that other people who we consider to be superstars sometimes have troubles too." — Sgt. 1st Class Johnny Rowell, 2nd Batallion, 87th Infantry Regiment Partner Spotlight The Military Child Education Coalition works to ensure that quality educational opportunities are available for all military-connected children affected by mobility, family separation and transition. A model of positive leadership and advocacy, the Military Child Education Coalition performs research, develops resources, conducts professional institutes and conferences and publishes resources for all constituencies. Real Warriors Profile Real warriors are strong, courageous, and ready to take on any mission. So, if they are experiencing combat stress or other psychological wounds of war, they have the strength to reach out for the support they need. This video tells the stories of warriors who have done just that and continue to thrive in military and civilian careers. Your Profile Here If you are a Real Warrior and would like to share your story with the Real Warriors Campaign, please contact us. Upcoming Events The Real Warriors Campaign may be in your area soon! Visit our Events tab on Facebook to keep up with campaign events. You don't need a Facebook account to visit the Events tab, but we'd love for you to like us online. Connect With Us Message Boards Facebook Twitter YouTube TroopTube Delicious Digg StumbleUpon Subscribe to realwarriors.net RSS feed.
FAQs | Site Map | Privacy Policy | Web Site Policies | FOIA | USA.gov