The Pat Tillman Foundation offers Tillman Military Scholars competitive scholarships  that help veterans complete their undergraduate degrees or funds costs related to their advanced degrees, including help with living expenses.  To become a Tillman Military Scholar, applicants must be a veteran or active duty military or the spouse of a `veteran or active duty military service member from any branch of service.

Unlike many scholarships or service related programs, there are no restrictions on when service began or where you served.  The program is open to Vietnam-era as well as Gulf War and Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans.

The applicant must be a full time student pursuing an undergraduate, graduate or post-graduate program at a 4-year U.S. based, accredited institution.

Proof of military service is required in the application packet as well as two short essays about military experience and educational goals.  Applying spouses are asked about the effect of their partner’s service on their lives and their career and educational goals.

Details about requirements, qualifications, the application process and potential rewards are available here.  Unlike other scholarships, the Pat Tillman Foundation is there for the long haul, supporting the scholar until (s)he completes his/her educational goals, as long as yearly requirements are maintained.

Scholars may begin to apply on Monday, February 13, 2012.  The application closes on Friday, March 16, 2012.  Essay questions, expectations, eligibility information and requirements are available already, however, so no one will grade you down if you begin to get your packet together now.

(CNN) – Two American tourists have been kidnapped in the southern part of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, a security official said Friday.

Obama Announcing New Programs for Vet Hiring

President Barack Obama plans to announce a new job-hiring plan that could see thousands of post-9/11 veterans filling first responder positions across the U.S., as well as a conservation program intended to put 20,000 vets to work restoring and protecting the nation’s national parks.

In winding down war, a fundamentally different challenge in Afghanistan than in Iraq

The narrative that the Obama administration has laid out for winding down the war in Afghanistan has a familiar feel: It is intended to evoke the gradual withdrawal from Iraq.

Marine Fights Conviction for Suicide Attempt

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — A discharged Marine private who slit his wrists in a suicide attempt is fighting his military conviction for deliberately injuring himself, arguing the punishment is inconsistent with the armed forces’ efforts to battle a rise in suicides during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Combat troop ailments drive medical retirement backlog

Tens of thousands of combat troops who undergo routine health checks before returning home need treatment for ailments ranging from bad backs to mental illness, helping to drive a backlog of troops waiting for medical retirements, new Pentagon data show.

Danger Pay Now Calculated By the Day

WASHINGTON — Starting this month, the Defense Department will calculate imminent-danger pay by the day rather than the month, a cost-cutting move the department estimated last year could save $30 million annually.

U.S. government, military to get secure Android phones

(CNN) – Some U.S. officials this year are expected to get smartphones capable of handling classified government documents over cellular networks, according to people involved in the project.

I look back at that moment of despair; the adjustment of single parenting was not as tough as the adjustment of post deployment parenting. What is post deployment parenting? Post deployment parenting is the adjustment of learning to let go of the control in parenting once your servicemember has returned. I found it rather difficult to do this, mainly for the sake of my son. When my husband left he was two and when my husband returned my son was three going on four. What kind of adjustment would this mean for my son who was so used of me calling all the shots? I was worried that he would take one look at his father and totally disregard any authority he had. But with open communication with my husband, we both knew that we were in this together, and we had to both work extremely hard.

The roles change when your servicemember deploys, but don’t forget that your child also changes with time. The younger the child the harder it is to explain why their parent was away and it also takes them some time to adjust to having that parent back in the picture. By the time my husband left for a 6 month training mission a year later – my son was 5 and we both knew how to handle the role of post deployment parenting on his arrival.

-Good Cop, Bad Cop: I could sense the guilt my husband had when he returned from deployment and didn’t want to play the “Bad Cop”. But this was something that he had to jump back into; don’t let your child make you feel bad because you now have to discipline them. It isn’t easy – but we both stood tough in our decisions, if I punished my son, my husband backed me up and vice versa.

-Quality Time: Make sure that once your servicemember is back home that they spend some alone time with the child. Use that time to bond and communicate any feelings that either the child or parent may have. Of course be sure to share those thoughts with your spouse as well.

-Expectations: Don’t expect things to run smooth, and wait for that moment where your child may show some type of anger toward you. Don’t worry about this emotion, it will pass and it is just an expression of how they feel at the moment. Children are resilient, but take time to adapt to new surroundings and situations.

For more on Angela Caban, visit her website at www.angelacaban.com.

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Lake Onterio ReelSilver Charters offers ten percent all fishing packages. Located on Port Ontario, on the Salmon River, 6 hours charters are $425; 8 hour carters are $550; 10 hour charters are $675.

Tony G. – Salmon River NY Drift Boat Guide hunts for everything from Northern pike to walleye to bass to King Salmon, Coho salmon, brown trout and steelhead.  They also offer ice fishing and turkey hunting from the drift boats.  The tour company offers 15 percent military discounts for active duty military with ID for the guided drift boat tours or wading trips.

Military Travel Zone offers up to $100 rebates based on the number of nights stayed.  Book through the site to receive $20 rebate for a 3-night stay; $30 rebate for a 5-night stay; $50 for an 8-night stay; $75 for a 10-night stay; and $100 for a 12-night stay.

Purchase rims from Military Discount Rims and get your rims and tire packages shipped to your door balanced and mounted.  The shipping is free with free locks and lugs.

Cannonball Runner Charters from Bernhard’s Bay, New York offers active duty military a full day charter at half price, with ID.  Six-hour charters (half day) are $500; full day (8-hour) are $600. For further information, call 315-675-3143 or 315-952-6200.

Catch 22 Fishing Charters in North Syracuse, NY, found a 10 percent discount for active duty military with ID.  4 hour fishing (1-4 people) is $375.00/day; 6 hour fishing (1-4 people) is $480.00/day; 8 hour fishing (1-4 people) is $620.00/day.

Midway Charters in Sandy Creek, New York, offers 20 percent discount off published fishing trip rates with military ID. Six-hour morning fishing (1-4) is $600; eight-hour morning trips (1-4) is $750; ten-hour morning trips (1-4) are $900; four-hour evening trips are $500.

Other Woman Fishing Charters in Lake Onterio, Oswego, New York, offers a 20 percent discount.  A six-hour trip (1-2 people) is $480; a six-hour trip (up to 6 people) is $520; an eight-hour trip (up to 6 people) is $650; a ten-hour trip (up to 6 people) is $800.

Trophy Dreamcatcher Guide Service & Charters out of Pulaski, New York offers active duty military with ID 15 percent discount off all charter trips including river drift boat charters, and Oneida Lake walleye and smallmouth bass. The boat is piloted by a U.S. Coast Guard Master Captain.  River and lake fishing are available as well as hunting trips for pheasant, deer and turkey on 2,000 acres of private land.

TSI Charters out of Oswego, New York offers military with ID a 10 percent discount.   SSI fishing charters go after salmon and trout during half or full day excursions from

April through September.  All supplies, including bait and tackle, fish cleaning and personalized attention are included.

*Some offers may no longer be available. Offers may change with out Veteran Journal’s knowledge.

One of the guests in the congressional gallery at last week’s State of the Union address was Roxana Delgado, an advocate for soldiers returning home with traumatic brain injuries. Her husband, an army sergeant who NPR profiled in June, 2010, had been dramatically affected by the concussion he received from a roadside blast in Iraq.

Panetta: US, allies will shift Afghan mission to training next year

BRUSSELS — The U.S. and its allies will formally change their military mission in Afghanistan to training and advising Afghan troops next year, a shift meant to extricate the alliance from a combat role after more than a decade of war, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Wednesday.

DOD adds Vicodin, Xanax to drug testing, offers 90-day amnesty

TOKYO — The Defense Department announced an expansion of its drug testing program Wednesday to include widely abused prescription medications containing hydrocodone and benzodiazepine, but it’s offering an unprecedented 90-day amnesty period for servicemembers to come clean or get treatment.

NATO Report: Taliban Expect to Retake Afghanistan

Once the U.S. ends its combat mission in Afghanistan — which Defense Secretary Leon Panetta anticipates will happen next year — the Taliban expect to resume power, a secret NATO report says..

‘Hemp Solo’ Says Pot Laws are Veterans’ Issue

William Solomko knows he’s making a lot of people angry by using the famous POW/MIA image as the logo for his pro-marijuana website, Veterans for Weed United. He doesn’t care.

Probe: Air Force punished Dover whistleblowers

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal investigators have concluded that Air Force officials at the military mortuary in Dover, Del., illegally punished four civilian workers for blowing the whistle on the mishandling of war remains.

Pakistan Concedes Advantages to US Drone Strikes

Pakistan on Tuesday acknowledged “tactical advantages” to U.S. drone strikes on the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, but appeared to shrug off the unexpected confirmation by Washington of attacks on its soil.

Civilian deaths due to drones are not many, Obama says

President Barack Obama candidly addressed the United States’ covert drone program in an online discussion group, officially acknowledging the controversial use of the unmanned aerial vehicles in Pakistan and elsewhere, and defending their missions, according to The New York Times.