When serving in the armed forces, the military men and women serving alongside you are more than your friends.  Each person is responsible for keeping each other safe and for fighting towards the same goal.  For this reason, men and women in the armed forces tend to get closer and feel more like a family rather than just friends.  When returning to civilian life, many people lose track of those they once spoke to every day in the service.  Thankfully, it's never been easier to reconnect with lost comrades.

There are many different ways to look for a lost military service member, but the internet is a huge asset.  There are many sites to help you look for fellow veterans such as military.com's buddy finder, the National Archive's Veteran Service records, and sites specifically designed for certain wars.  The trick to finding someone is to gather as much information about them as possible before looking.  It will help narrow your search  and help keep you focused. 

What other advice do you have?

Being in the military is a dangerous job and it takes the bravest men and women to protect their country.  Mark Burleson worked detonating bombs in Afghanistan when the worst case scenario happened - the bomb he was disarming detonated in his face.  Mark recieved extensive burns on his face, lost his right arm, and severley injured his left arm.  In fact, the force of the bomb was so extreme, the nerves to Mark's left arm were actually pulled from his spine. 

Thankfully, a new medical procedure enabled the veteran to have full use of his left arm and he is now pain free.  According to CNN, "Using a microscope and a tiny electrode, Belzberg made 140 burns in the damaged nerves dangling from Burleson's spinal cord; nerves intermixed with healthy connections to his lower limbs."

What do you think of this story?

Being a veteran is an honorable and noteworthy status which is why some people, regretfully, try to fabricate their own veteran status so they can get the admiration of others.  While Hollywood celebrities also gain praise for their accomplishments, one man wanted double the respect as a veteran and as a preformer.  On the talent show America's Got Talent, one contestant showed he has a talent for lying as well as singing.

Country singer Timothy Poe walked on stage and introduced himself.  He had a noticible stutter when he spoke which he attributed to a grenade attack in Afghanistan that left him with brain injury.  Tim says he only learned he could sing when his speech pathologist told him to improve his speech patterns by singing in the shower.  After winning the judges over with his talent and sob story, Tim was sent on to the next round.  It was after his appearance on television that magazines started looking into his history. 

"His military records indicate that he served with the Minnesota National Guard in Kosovo from Oct. 10, 2007 until July 15, 2008, and was deployed to Afghanistan from July 28, 2009 to Aug. 30, 2009.  Sgt. Poe's official military records do not indicate that he was injured by a grenade in combat while serving in Afghanistan in 2009, as he reports. The Minnesota National Guard can also confirm that he was not awarded the Purple Heart Medal for wounds sustained in combat," a statement by the Minnesota National Guard read.

How do you feel about this?

Many people around the world want to help disabled veterans in any way possible which explains why so many donate money to organizations on their behalf.  One of these organizations, the Disabled Veterans National Foundation, is being investigated as a fraudulent charity and not donating the money it raises to the veterans in need. 

According to CNN, the charity raised $55.9 million since the organization's formation in 2007.  Since then, all of the profits have gone to the DVNF's parent company Quadringa.  This information, gathered from publicly available IRS 990 forms, also show it is costing them $2 for every $1 raised.  Their website, however, shows donations are being made.  "They sent us 2,600 bags of cough drops and 2,200 little bottles of sanitizer," J.D. Simpson, the exectutive director at a small veteran's charity in Alabama, said. "And the great thing was, they sent us 11,520 bags of coconut M&M's. And we didn't have a lot of use for 11,520 bags of coconut M&M's."

The group "CharityWatch" which ranks charities by the amount they raise each year and the amount that goes towards the intended charity, gave the DVNF organization an "F" rating. 

What do you think of this?

When it comes to writing a resume, it can be challenging for anyone.  But when your resume contains mostly military service and therefore doesn't have much in the "prior work experience" column, typical resume outlines may not work.  There are lots of ways to showcase your military work in a way that will impress future employers.  Here are some resume tips for veterans.

• Focus on your resume on personal skills that will drive you to succeed.  Saying your hard working and dedicated isn't enough.  Instead, use your military service to demonstrate exactly how you can prove you are those things.  For example, saying you did two tours of duty shows your dedication to your country and your fellow soldiers rather than simply saying that you are dedicated.

• Write as who you want to be not who you used to be.  Focus on the specific job you're aiming for and how you can get to that point.  Cater your goals in that company to what you aspire to be.  This will inevitably be used as a good conversation topic when you get that interview.

• The military is a job, and a challenging job at that.  When it asks for "previously held job titles" it may be in your best interest to make your former job titles civilian friendly.  Not every civilian will understand military speak, so by just re-wording it so they can understand, you may have a better shot at getting the job.  Don't change the tasks you performed or the projects you led, but by simply altering your language you may open up new doors.

Do you have any other advice?

When you sign up from the military,  you don't always end up on the front line.  For some veterans, they didn't end up anywhere near the fighting, rather they ended up being human guinea pigs.  From 1955 to 1975, many men were sent to Edgewood, a military base where they were given a variety of drugs and were subjected to various biological weapons.

While the men were subjected to everything from tear gas to LSD, they weren't allowed to know what it was they were given.  They were just expected to sit back, see what happens, and let others take notes.  For many, these have led to debilitating conditions now that they are older.  Because they were never allowed to know what medical tests preformed on them there and they were instructed never to speak of the testing to anyone (including their physicians) it has made their medical diagnosis challenging. 

For this reason, the veterans have decided to sue to have the government pay for their healthcare.  They aren't sure if their present health problems are caused by their past treatment, but because they were never allowed to know, they are taking action.

Do you think they have a right to do this?

Unfortunately, those who go to prison don't fall into a certain demographic.  All kinds of people go in and out of jail each year, but one prison in Florida is aiming to rehabilitate prisoners in a different way.  Here, veterans are seperated from other prisoners.  Their block is identified with a giant American flag mural.  Besides that, their daily routine includes daily flag raising and retiring ceremonies, staff with military backgrounds and the requirement of military standards for clothing, bunks and dorm areas.  The use of profanity is prohibited in these areas and the inmates are encouraged to attend evening group meetings. They are also required to maintain good behavior and be disciplinary report-free.

To be eligible to stay in the veterans portion of the prison, inmates must be verified veterans, within three years of their prison release dates, and must volunteer to live in the special quarter.

“The military emphasizes pride, character and integrity,” said an employee of the Office of Corrections. “By housing veteran inmates in the same dorm before their release from prison, they can work together to recapture some of those qualities, while also learning about programs and benefits available specifically for veterans.”

What do you think of this plan?

The announcement has been made that all military in Iraq will be home by the end of December. People will be waving flags at the airport, tying yellow ribbons to trees, and throwing welcome home parties.  Once the fanfare dies down, these new veterans will have to return to ordinary civilian life and everything that goes with it. 

We already have discussed the difficulty for veterans finding a job.  The national unemployment rate is at 9% and it's higher for veterans: 12.4%.  When these new veterans come home, they will also be looking for jobs which may raise the unemployment rate further.  In addition, psychologists say there is a real chance that these new vets will come home with PTSD.  The worry is not only for the strain this will put on the veterans, but on their families as well.

Even with the negatives, the big positive will be that these new veterans are back on American soil with family and friends.  It may take the help of veterans who have already been home a while and readjusted to civilian life to help the new vets cope.  Creating support groups or even just giving them your number may save someone's life.

Do you think we as a country are ready for the new vets?  If not, what do we need to do?