Below is a round-up of last month’s news highlights and resources in case you missed them. Read below to explore the new, interactive website for military kids from the National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2); download the new Co-occurring Conditions Toolkit mobile application to your smartphone; and learn how former NFL players are reaching out and connecting with service members about common reintegration concerns.

When parents deploy, kids deploy too!
MilitaryKidsConnect.org (and their Facebook and Twitter pages), created by T2, debuted on Jan. 18. The website helps military children, tweens and teens stay connected to their deployed caregivers and learn how to communicate with each other.

DCoE Center Releases New Mobile App for Providers: Co-occurring Conditions Toolkit
A new mobile app, Co-occurring Conditions Toolkit, offers providers immediate access to critical and up-to-date information to evaluate and treat service members experiencing a mild traumatic brain injury and common co-occurring conditions (post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, chronic pain and substance use disorder).

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	Marines listen to a presentation by former NFL players as part of the Real Warriors Campaign Game Day event, at Marine Corps Base Quantico. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Antwaun Jefferson)

While the careers of NFL football players and service members might seem different, the Real Warriors Campaign highlights that in fact, they may be similar. Throughout January, former NFL players visited military installations across the country, speaking with service members and their families about common reintegration challenges, as well as the resources available to address them. During the events players, service members and families shared heart-to-heart conversations, ate football fare together and cheered on their favorite teams.

These “Game Day” events were developed in 2010 through a partnership with the campaign and the NFL Players Association to encourage service members to reach out when times are tough. Many of the former players told their own stories of having difficulty transitioning out of the NFL, such as former Houston Oilers wide receiver Chris Sanders during his visit to Fort Carson, Colo.

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	“Telling: Baltimore” features seven members of the military community trained to tell their personal stories. The Telling Project teaches service members, veterans and their families how to express their experiences on stage, and hosts shows nationwide. (The Telling Project video)

One of the most moving moments of last week’s performance of the play “Telling: Baltimore” at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis, Md., occurred when Tracy Miller was on stage, taking a deep breath before telling her story. Not a fable or lighthearted tale—it was about the time she found out her son, 22-year-old Marine Cpl. Nicholas Ziolkowski, lost his life in 2004. She opened the front door to find two solemn Marines in dress blue uniform—what she had dreaded since he left for Iraq.

She remained composed while she spoke to the audience; she was taught to. Miller was one of seven performers in the play, which featured veterans and families trained to tell their military experiences: preparation, deployments, combat, reintegration and for those who knew and loved “Nicky,” grief. The mission of the play is to connect civilians with these stories, since often the view from traditional media doesn’t embody real military life.

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	Soldiers attend a forum on resilience at Camp Liberty, Iraq. The emotional and mental health training is designed to help soldiers, families and civilian employees cope with the rigors of Army life. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Molleigh Crotty)

Dr. James Bender is a former Army psychologist who deployed to Iraq as the brigade psychologist for the 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Hood, Texas. During his deployment, he traveled through Southern Iraq, from Basra to Baghdad. He writes a monthly post for the DCoE Blog on psychological health concerns related to deployment and being in the military.

Hello. Last month, President Barack Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, a blueprint for how the government will manage this year’s defense budget. The bill contained several new provisions focusing on service members and their mental health.

One provision provides that service members will receive a one-on-one evaluation/interview within 120 days of being deployed and a re-evaluation within 180 days of redeployment. Service members exposed to operational risk factors (direct combat, traumatic experiences, etc.) should receive at least two more evaluations within 30 months by a licensed mental health professional, such as a psychologist, psychiatrist or licensed social worker. These evaluations are meant to identify post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicidal tendencies and other behavioral health conditions to determine which service members need additional care and treatment.

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	New Defense Department website, MilitaryKidsConnect.org, provides military children a safe, fun, interactive place where they can build resilience and learn coping skills to help deal with the challenges of having a deployed family member. (National Center for Telehealth & Technology video)

Meet the military families of MilitaryKidsConnect.org, a new Defense Department website developed by the National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2), a Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury center. Like all military families, they cope with the common challenges of a military lifestyle: deployments, transitions, worrying about mom or dad and communicating with their family. Watch how two families created unique ways to connect with each other and deployed loved ones and used their experiences to reach out to the military community.

Sweet treats help pass the time

When Xander, 7, and Avery, 6, missed their Navy dad while he was on tour in Iraq, their mom developed a tasty way to colorfully count down the days until he would be home: a jelly bean jar! For every day their dad was gone, they would get together, say a prayer, and eat their favorite jelly bean flavor (Xander’s was purple; Avery likes blue). Counting beans allowed their family to gather and talk about any concerns. Watch here.

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