Cap Phantom

The military recruitment process is extremely disciplined. All the information one need about military service can be found at the click of a button on the army website. You can either serve part time or for full time and the website details the differences between the two. A person who chooses to apply through this site for taking up military service is led to the army career explorer which gives you a plethora of information on beginning the recruitment process. The site also provides every bit of information you need starting from the recruitment process to the life in the US Army.

Military recruitment is an ongoing process for both the American and the British armies because of their current overseas involvement. Once the people waiting to be recruited go through the information in the site and the career’s explorer, they are required to submit documentation. After this, a military recruitment officer will pay a visit to the applicant to verify the information provided by you. Also, the officer will be able to make sure your skills and qualification and ensure that you are fit to serve the US army and can survive its rigorous lifestyle. It is not necessary that the officer must come home to do all this. You may complete the entire process over the telephone if you wish to do so.

This military officer is your friend, philosopher and guide throughout your life in the army. This officer can tell you anything regarding life in the army or the application process or even on how long you can be expected to stay in the army. If you are interested in pursuing education even after joining the army, your officer is the one you must contact. He can provide you al the necessary information. There are many recruiters whom you can reach for more information. They can be found either online or even in your neighborhood. On completion of this, you will have to take up an aptitude test. You will be subjected to a set of multi choice questions which allows the military to asses your skill set and zero down on a role you are fit for.

On successful completion of all these processes, you will be given a posting station where you can collect your kit. You will also be assigned to a post here and be inducted into the army.

China has stated that it will increase its spending on the military sector to 480.6 yuan (that’s £50 bn) which works out as a 14% rise from last year. Official Li Zhaoxing has assured that the increase in spending is aimed at improving defence for the country and “not threaten any country.” This increase comes very soon after China expended a great deal of cash hosting the Olympic games in Beijing 2008. This news is the latest in a string of mixed messages that China has been sending out regarding its financial state recently. The global recession is suspected to have hit China hard as Western consumerism slows and thus reduces production demand from their factories. Wages of workers in such factories have been reported to have been cut by as much as 75%.

BBC’s James Reynolds (based in Beijing) points out that whilst this year’s military budget is an increase; it is still small in comparison to the US budget, which is around 8 times greater, “China is simply redistributing funding rather than trying to match that of greater military powers”. In contrast to this growth in the Chinese military sector, the US military market has seen very recent falls in share prices as many fear that contracts have been reduced or cut all together. Business analysts first suggested that the market would fall after President Barak Obama highlighted his intention to pull troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama’s peaceful policies caused speculation that money would begin to be diverted away from armed forces and towards other areas of US economy and this was a likely cause of the drop in shares seen this week.

America has been keeping in an eye on China for a while now as they continue their emergence as a global power and it is likely that America will be putting them under further scrutiny with this new announcement on their military spending and the switches in spending policy. It is worth bearing in mind however that China has long been a very secretive nation and any information that they provide should be given only a certain amount of weight. Most experts in the area say that China has made claims about its spending in the past which have turned out not to be accurate so there is every chance this announcement is just blowing hot air.

Each year the military holds a gala event in which the men wear tuxedoes and the women dress in formal ball gowns. There is no category of dress called military ball dresses as this simply refers to evening formal wear. Prom dresses and bridesmaids dresses are ball gowns so this is the section of the store in which you should shop. Even though there are short dresses in formal wear, a military ball is one occasion for which you should wear a floor length gown. You should also choose a dress that does not have too many frills and flounces or sequins.

You want to look classy and elegant at the military ball. The dresses worn at this occasion are usually conservative styles.  If you want to wear a strapless dress, that is perfectly acceptable. You do want to make sure the bodice of the dress is a perfect fit because in the dancing that takes place after dinner, you may find yourself constantly pulling up the top of the dress. If you choose a dress with straps, then you will probably have a better time at the dance because you won’t feel as uncomfortable.

The color of the dress you choose should suit the clothing of your date. Your date or partner for this event should wear a tie or cumberbund in the same color as your dress so that you complement each other. if your date is in the military, then he will be wearing his uniform so you have to make sure that the color of your gown doesn’t clash with this color.

You will find many different designs in military ball gowns when you shop online. You will have to take your body measurements to find the matching size in the size chart available on the site on which you find the perfect dress. When ordering online, you should never base the size on what you usually wear because designer dresses are usually smaller than the regular sizes. Look at the size chart shown with each dress on the site to get an idea of the difference between the sizes. The short length of time it takes you to take your measurements will save you a lot of time in getting the dress you want to have.

Measure the fullest part of your bust with the measuring tape feeling comfortable around you and not too tight. If you will have to wear a certain type of bra with this dress, take your bust measurement while wearing this bra. Your bust measurement is not the same as your bra size so don’t assume that the two are the same. When measuring your waist, have the tape measure one or two inches about your belly button and measure the fullest part of your hips about six or seven inches below the belly button.

When you order online, you have to do so in plenty of time to receive the dress so that you have time to make any alterations before the date of the military ball. If you are short, it is quite possible that you may need to have the dress hemmed. This is another factor you have to consider when ordering the dress. The hemline may be one that is difficult to shorten without spoiling the overall look of the dress.

In addition to the principle of distinction, customary international law bars military attacks that are anticipated to harm civilians excessively in relation to the expected military advantage. This is known as the “principle of proportionality.” The very notion of not inflicting “excessive” harm recognizes that some civilian casualties may be unavoidable when pursuing legitimate military objectives.

By definition, then, evaluation of proportionality (or excessive harm to civilians compared to military advantage) requires balancing two very different sets of values and objectives. States have duties to protect the lives of their civilians and soldiers, but they must balance this against their duty to minimize incidental loss of civilian lives and civilian property during military operations. That is precisely the reason that international law assesses proportionality from the standpoint of a “reasonable military commander,” and the balancing may not be second-guessed in hindsight, based on new information that has come to light.

As with the principle of distinction, a showing of intent is required for there to have been any arguable “war crime” based on excessive civilian harm in comparison with military objectives. In other words, the existence of a war crime turns not on the reasonableness of the commander’s weighing of military advantage against civilian harm, but on whether he or she knew that the attack would cause clearly disproportionate harm, but proceeded intentionally, notwithstanding this knowledge.

The IDF took extensive steps to weigh the risk of civilian harm against the existence of important military objectives, based on the information available at the time of targeting decisions. On numerous occasions, The IDF’s situation analysis frequently led to a decision not to attack legitimate military targets, to avoid the possibility of civilian harm, even though such an attack might not be excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage.

Those men and women who choose to serve their country in the military unfortunately run a higher risk of incurring a traumatic brain injury (TBI) than those civilians who might be exposed to less risk. One reason for this is that military personnel are under a high risk for being involved in car accidents, which are the most common cause of all TBIs. In addition, military personnel are consistently at risk of being injured by powerful munitions, which can also cause a brain injury through concussive force. Though military service does exposed personnel to the risk of a penetrative brain injury, such as caused by a bullet or shrapnel, an even greater risk exists for a TBI caused by a concussive blast wave as a result of an explosive. The high occurrence of explosions due to improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in combat theaters such as Iraq and Afghanistan means American troops in the field are at a high risk of incurring a TBI.

Afghanistan, Iraq Conflicts a Major Risk Factor for Traumatic Brain Injury

We now know those who have served in Afghanistan or Iraq are at a much higher risk of TBI than combat veterans from previous wars. In the Vietnam War, 14 to 18 percent of all veterans had a brain injury. Today, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center says 31 percent of those admitted between January 2003 and May 2005 had some kind of brain injury. A 2005 study in the New England Journal of Medicine attributed these higher numbers in part to advancements in munitions, especially improvised explosive devices, and in part to improvements in body armor, which protects soldiers from what would previously have been a fatal penetrative wound, but not from a nonfatal blast injury.

Misdiagnosed/Undiagnosed Traumatic Brain Injury in Soldiers

Because the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury often do not appear until weeks after the injury is sustained, it is not uncommon for a TBI to go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. This is especially true when the symptoms of a TBI are subtle, such as a personality change or emotional problems, which are easy for strangers to miss. There does exist some evidence that such symptoms may occasionally be misdiagnosed as pure psychological, or even a result of a soldier’s malingering, partly due to the lack of resources and traumatic brain injury expertise that combat doctors might be forced to deal with.

And as Commander James Dunne, lead trauma surgeon at the National Naval Medical Center, observed at a 2006 summit of military physicians, the long-term consequences of an undiagnosed TBI can be devastating. Those servicemen and women with an undiagnosed brain injury can lose all-too-important treatment time, which can prolong recovery time and possibly cause serious personal complications and setbacks. Because side effects of a traumatic brain injury include behavioral and emotional problems, especially depression, TBIs can hold discharged soldiers back from reintegrating into civilian society or even from continued success in the armed services.

A 1996 medical study showed that a behavior-related discharge from the military was 1.8 times more likely for a TBI patient than for a soldier without a TBI. Difficulties with memory, motor skills and the senses, more common side effects of brain damage, can also affect veterans’ ability to get a job, care for a family or perform other life functions. And without a diagnosis, military TBI patients may be liable for tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of medical bills, on top of lost wages.

Proper helmets and body armor, particularly the newest Kevlar armor, remain the best way to prevent a traumatic brain injury among those who serve in the military. It is also important to have rapid diagnosis and quickly implemented treatment of a TBI to prevent secondary injuries due to the chemical and physical changes to the brain that can accompany a TBI, swelling for example. It can also minimize the cost, both personal and financial, of the injury to the soldier and his or her loved ones. If you believe that you or one of your loved ones might have an undiagnosed service-related TBI, an experienced brain injury attorney can help you get the help and compensation you deserve.