NewsBytes October 4, 2019
In this issue:
FRA Elects First Woman as National President
Proposed Changes to Burial Eligibility at Arlington
Military Suicide Increasing
The FRA Elects First Woman as National President
During the 92nd annual FRA National Convention held in Memphis, Tennessee, the delegates unanimously elected the Association’s first woman National President, Shipmate Donna Jansky from Northshore Branch 31. Additionally, Michael F. “Mick” Fulton from Imperial Branch 289 was elected National Vice President and Christopher J. Slawinski from Navy Branch 181) was elected National Executive Director. The new Regional Presidents include:
Abe Zino, Branch 23, Northeast/New England;
Emmett H. Smith, Jr., Branch 98, South Central;
John F. Quesnel, Jr., Branch 289, Southwest;
S.D. Martin, Branch 166, East Coast;
William S. Matthews, Branch 197, West Coast;
Laurie A. Bailey, Branch 269, Southeast;
William H. Hall, Branch 382, Northwest; and
Donald A. Watkins, Jr., Branch 276, North Central.
PNP George P. Hyland (Branch 20) was appointed National Parliamentarian and Shipmate Paul Gunther (Branch 182) was appointed National Chaplain. Following the election, the delegates installed the new officers and board. The above-mentioned Shipmates will serve until the next National Convention, which will be held in Portland, Oregon from September 27 to Oct. 4, 2020.
Proposed Changes to Eligibility Criteria for Burial at Arlington National Cemetery
Acting Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy has recently announced proposed changes to eligibility criteria for burial at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) that will include military retirees for above-ground inurnment. The FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act directed the Secretary of the Army to establish revised eligibility criteria to keep the cemetery functioning as an active burial ground “well into the future” – defined as 150 years. The Army will now begin the federal government’s public rulemaking process, which includes soliciting public feedback to the proposed changes.
At the outset, the Army established critical imperatives of sacrifice, service and impact to guide this effort. “Arlington National Cemetery is a national shrine for all Americans, but especially those who have served our great nation,” said McCarthy. “We must ensure it can honor those we have lost for many years to come.”
In addition to directing ANC to preserve 1,000 gravesites for current and future Medal of Honor recipients, the Acting Secretary proposed revised eligibility criteria for those who honorably served our nation, as broadly outlined below:
For below-ground interment:
• Killed in Action, to include repatriated remains of service members;
• Recipients of the Silver Star and above who also served in combat;
• Recipients of the Purple Heart;
• Combat-related service deaths while conducting uniquely military activities;
• Former Prisoners of War;
• Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United States; and
• Veterans with combat service who also served out of uniform as a government official and made significant contributions to the nation’s security at the highest levels of public service.
For above-ground inurnment:
• World War II-era veterans, to include legislated active duty designees;
• Retirees from the armed forces who are eligible to receive retired pay but are not otherwise eligible for interment;
• Veterans who have served a minimum of two years on active duty and who have served in combat; and
• Veterans without combat service who also served out of uniform as a government official and made significant contributions to the nation’s security at the highest levels of public service.
Eventual implementation of revised eligibility at ANC will not affect scheduled services. Additionally, the proposed revisions at ANC will not affect veterans’ burial benefits or veteran eligibility at the Department of Veterans Affairs national cemeteries and state veterans’ cemeteries.
The next step to implement the proposed rule is notice and public comment rulemaking in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act. The ANC expects the clearance process to take a minimum of nine months to make public in the Federal Register for citizens to comment.
Military Suicide Increasing
The Department of Defense (DoD) recently released its Annual Suicide Report that indicates that the number of active-duty military who have died by suicide has climbed an average of six percent each year over the past five years. The report, mandated by Congress, indicated that there were 676 active duty/reserves/National Guard suicides in 2018. There were 325 active duty suicides and 406 Reserve Component suicides (11 Navy Reserve and 19 Marine Corps Reserves) and 90 percent of the suicide deaths were enlisted, 90 percent of victims used their own personal gun, and most were males under age 30. The report also found that deployment does not increase the rate of suicide. The report indicates that the Army National Guard had the highest rate (35.3 per 100,000 or 118 in 2018) and the Marine Corps had the second highest rate 31.4 per 100,000 with 58 suicides in 2018. The Navy in 2018 had 68 suicides (20.7 per 100,000). The Air Force had the lowest rate of suicide.
While the Pentagon has implemented a number of suicide prevention and awareness programs, suicide remains a troubling challenge for the military services. But it's not just the active-duty military community; veterans and the general public also are affected.
Data released by the Department of Veterans Affairs found that the suicide rate for veterans was 1.5 times greater than for the general population in the U.S., amounting to about 20 veterans a day. The rate for veterans aged 18 to 34 increased by more than 10 percent from 2015 to 2016, the most recent VA data available.
According to the Pentagon report, 186 spouses and dependents of military service members died by suicide in 2017. This is the first time the Pentagon reported the statistics of military spouses and dependents. Data on U.S. Coast Guard was not included in the report since it is not part of the Defense Department.
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