Directorate of Prevention, Resilience and Readiness Media Update for May 24-30, 2024

To register for the 2 p.m. webinar, visit:
https://strategyconsultingteam.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_kdS5
RBdrQDyycbAWK9Doag#/registration.

EFMP Training Opportunities
Soldiers and their Families can benefit from DPRR’s interactive E-EFMP training, during which they will learn how to make a smooth permanent change of station with children who are receiving special education and other related services. Offered from March through December, the sessions will be led by Marcine Best, a special education expert from the EFMP Central Office. Please note that the training is voluntary; all links are active only at the time and day of the sessions. Find the full calendar here.

ARTICLE: America’s Child Care Shortage Is Pushing Military Families to a Breaking Point
SYNOPSIS: A shortage of child care providers has left around 9,000 children waiting months for spots at one of the military’s child care centers. Families across the country have been increasingly struggling with the soaring cost of child care and monthslong waitlists after more than 100,000 workers left the industry and more than 16,000 child care centers permanently closed during the pandemic.
REPORTER: Shannon Pettypiece, NBC News
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/americas-child-care-
shortage-pushing-military-families-breaking-point-rcna149072

VIDEO: Military Families Feel Impact of Child Care Shortage
SYNOPSIS: Millions of Americans, especially military Families, have felt the pain of the child care shortage that intensified during the pandemic. Along with rising costs and long waitlists, military Families work nontraditional hours and may move frequently, which can exacerbate the hardship.
REPORTER: Katy Tur, MSNBC
https://app.criticalmention.com/app/#/clip/public/24704046-ad5c-47e9
-89f5-41410e280bad

VIDEO: Child Care Staffing Shortages Leave 9,000 Military Children on Waitlists
SYNOPSIS: Maj. Erin A. Williams joins 'Fox & Friends' to explain her struggle to secure affordable child care at duty stations as military-run centers feel the impact of the nationwide staffing crisis.
REPORTER: Fox & Friends, Fox News
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6353874714112

ARTICLE: Online Survey Provides Clearer Picture of What Programs Camp Zama Youths Want
SYNOPSIS: Based on the results of an online survey conducted in April, leaders of the Youth Center at Camp Zama, Japan, will update activities to appeal to the current interests of adolescents. The poll responses indicate that tastes have changed over the past several years, with art programs declining in popularity and online-based diversions, such as electronic sports, dominating.
REPORTER: Noriko Kudo, U.S. Army Garrison Japan Public Affairs
https://www.army.mil/article/276704/online_survey_provides_clearer_
picture_of_what_programs_camp_zama_youths_want

ARTICLE: Columnist: We Broke Our Promise to Take Care of Gold Star Families
SYNOPSIS: Current law on military spouse survivor benefits does not adequately provide for survivors who remarry or represent the societal norms of today. According to longtime policy, if a Gold Star or surviving spouse remarries before age 55, they will lose their survivor’s benefits—including the Survivor Benefit Plan, Dependency and Indemnity Compensation payments, Tricare health coverage and access to VA home loans. The policy was designed in an era when women did not have careers and relied solely on their husbands for financial sustenance. The Love Lives On Act, introduced in 2022, would rectify this huge economic loss for surviving military spouses by allowing them to keep some benefits upon remarriage, regardless of their age.
REPORTER: Jennifer Barnhill, Military.com
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/05/24/we-broke-our-promise
-take-care-of-gold-star-families.html

ARTICLE: The 2024 Hiring Our Heroes Military Spouse Employment Summit Unveils Employment Solutions for Military Spouses
SYNOPSIS: The Hiring Our Heroes 2024 Military Spouse Employment Summit was a powerful reminder that while military spouses are an asset to any organization—bringing adaptability, resilience and diverse experiences that can drive innovation and success—they continue to face significant challenges and barriers to meaningful employment. Bringing together a diverse group of advocates from across the country to discuss the widespread problem of military-spouse unemployment, the summit served as a reminder that businesses of all sizes can benefit from tapping the talents of this underused workforce.
REPORTER: Stephanie Walton, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
https://www.uschamber.com/workforce/tapping-into-high-value-talent-
the-2024-hiring-our-heroes-military-spouse-employment-summit-unveils
-employment-solutions-for-military-spouses

ARTICLE: From Spouse to Soldier: Family Members Who Serve
SYNOPSIS: In Vicenza, serving our nation has become a Family calling, with many spouses following their partners into the military after being inspired by their service or by their own volunteer work on the base. According to Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Good, who leads recruiting efforts, in the past year more than 30 Family members have joined the Army from the garrison, which is headquartered at Caserma Ederle.
REPORTER: Suly Egante, USAG Italy Public Affairs
https://www.army.mil/article/276718/from_spouse_to_soldier_family_
members_who_serve

ARTICLE: Youth Services Programs Ace Army Inspection
SYNOPSIS: The Child and Youth Services facilities and programs at Redstone Arsenal, in Huntsville, Alabama, passed an unannounced Army higher headquarters inspection earlier this month, receiving the highest score yet in an annual inspection. Among other services, CYS programs at Redstone include the Child Development Centers at Goss and Mills roads, school-age services for students from kindergarten through fifth grade and youth services for middle and high school students.
REPORTER: Marian Accardi, Redstone Rocket
https://www.theredstonerocket.com/news/article_0f4fc394-1d7c-11ef-9c77-e7e0e73a6abb.html

ARTICLE: ‘Gambling Addiction on Steroids’: Fears of Betting Crisis at Heart of US Military
SYNOPSIS: While problems such as substance abuse and sexual harassment have been widely acknowledged and addressed in the U.S. military, the issue of problematic gambling has taken more of a back seat. Indeed, it’s only since 2019 that the Defense Department has mandated annual screenings for gambling disorder as part of service members’ general health assessment, along with doing random spot surveys of active-duty Soldiers. Yet this widespread problem within the military services can be traced back decades.
REPORTER: Andrew Lawrence, The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/25/sports-
betting-gambling-military

ARTICLE: The Group Aiming to Stop ‘Endemic’ Suicide Among Native American Vets
SYNOPSIS: The devastating prevalence of suicide among American Indian and Alaska Native veterans has not decelerated. In fact, the latest data from the Department of Veterans Affairs shows a historic rise. Now, Televeda, a group with a recently launched program to address that startling reality, is hoping its work can offer an upstream approach to tackle the multilayered challenge.
REPORTER: Jonathan Lehrfeld, Army Times
https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-military/2024/05/28/the-group
-aiming-to-stop-endemic-suicide-among-native-american-vets

ARTICLE: $55,000 Reward Set for Information on 101st Airborne Soldier’s Murder at Fort Campbell
SYNOPSIS: A reward has been set for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individual behind the murder of Pfc. Katia Duenas-Aguilar. She was found dead May 18 in her off-base residence just outside of the installation in Clarksville, Tennessee. The Soldier’s mother, Carmen Aguilar, and the League of United Latin American Citizens are offering the $55,000 reward.
REPORTER: Steve Beynon, Military.com
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/05/28/mother-of-murdered-fort
-campbell-soldier-and-civil-rights-group-offer-55000-information-killer.html

ARTICLE: Special Ops Soldier Under Investigation in Fatal Shooting of Chechen Man in North Carolina
SYNOPSIS: An Army special operations Soldier who fatally shot a man outside his North Carolina home earlier this month has not been charged with a crime amid an ongoing investigation. The Soldier shot 35-year-old Ramzan Daraev at about 8:15 p.m. on May 3, after reporting a trespasser on the property in Carthage.
REPORTER: Corey Dickstein, Stars and Stripes
https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2024-05-28/army-soldier-special-
operations-russian-killed-fort-liberty-north-carolina-14006003.html

ARTICLE: Soldier Who Was Inspector General Noncommissioned Officer of the Year Faces Sexual Assault, Harassment Charges
SYNOPSIS: The Army inspector general’s noncommissioned officer of the year for 2019 is facing a general court-martial on charges related to sex crimes, according to court documents. Master Sgt. Christopher Dehn is set to be arraigned June 5 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state on four counts of sexual assault, two counts of sexual harassment, and other charges related to obstructing justice and failure to obey orders and regulations.
REPORTER: Kelsey Baker, Military.com
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/05/24/soldier-who-was-
inspector-general-noncommissioned-officer-of-year-faces-sexual-assault-
harassment.html