SoldierStrong

Congratulations to U.S. Navy veteran Kathleen Higgins of Old Dominion University for being chosen as a 2024 SoldierScholar recipient ?? Kathleen joined the military right after high school. As a first-generation student, she was encouraged to take the military pathway by her mother and father – both Army veterans. In the Navy, she worked as an aviation structural safety equipment mechanic on different F-18 models. She left the Navy in 2020 after eight years of service and took a position at Boeing before returning to school. It was an easy transition to the program at ODU where she is currently a mechanical engineering major with a focus on aerospace engineering. After she finishes her degree, she hopes to obtain a position as an aerospace engineer. Since 2012, SoldierStrong has been honored to help service members and veterans take an academic step forward by providing more than $500,000 in academic scholarships. https://lnkd.in/gdSgmKtG

Congratulations to U.S. Navy veteran Michelle Humphreys of Old Dominion University for being chosen as a 2024 SoldierScholar recipient ?? Michelle, a civil engineering major, grew up in a close-knit family in Passaic, New Jersey. Humphreys, the first in her family to pursue a STEM degree, joined the Navy right out of high school. She had already been thinking of joining the military when she met with a recruiter. Humphreys served as a nuclear electrician’s mate aboard the USS George Washington. She transitioned into civilian life in 2020 after six years of service. After graduation, Humphreys hopes to find a meaningful engineering position. SoldierStrong is honored to help service members and veterans take an academic step forward. Learn more about the 2024 recipients here: https://lnkd.in/gdSgmKtG

Celebrating 15 Years of Empowering Veterans, One Step at a Time: Check out SoldierStrong's latest edition of "StrongTimes: A Quarterly Newsletter with Life-Changing Impact" for a year-end review of our efforts and a glimpse into the difference we're making for veterans! https://lnkd.in/gRKpq6q7

Experts advocate for the normalization of talking about how the brain responds to severe stress in the military community. In the past 20 years, our knowledge of severe stress and its effects on the brain has advanced substantially. We now better understand how severe stress can change how we think, feel and act. It's very clear that these changes are a normal part of how the brain responds to severe stress. Unfortunately, these changes can cause ongoing issues known as adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae (APNS), such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, and pain and somatic symptoms. https://lnkd.in/gygGkKcm

Congratulations to Army National Guardsman Connor McNeil of Syracuse University for being chosen as a 2024 SoldierScholar recipient ?? Connor is currently a graduate student at Syracuse University - Maxwell School, where he is pursuing a master’s degree in international relations with a specialization in data analysis. Before entering Syracuse he received the national Army ROTC scholarship and enrolled at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. In 2021, he received a B.A. in history and government and was commissioned from the Clarkson ROTC program into the Vermont Army National Guard. He has served as a scout platoon leader in Bravo Troop, 1-172 Cavalry and is currently Troop Executive Officer, in addition to attending the air assault school, the armor basic officer leadership course, basic military mountaineering course, and the rough terrain evacuation course. As an officer in a mountain warfare unit, Connor enjoys entangling his passion for hiking and skiing with military mountain operations. Through the graduate program at Maxwell, and with the assistance of programs like SoldierStrong, Connor hopes to continue a public service-oriented career in emergency management and response. On being selected as a SoldierScholar recipient, Connor said, “It is an incredible honor and represents the overwhelming support I have had from amazing individuals and organizations throughout my military and academic career. To me, support like this will compound the achievement of a master’s degree and remind me of how special my experience at Syracuse was, thanks to the support of programs like SoldierScholar.” SoldierStrong is honored to help service members and veterans take an academic step forward. Learn more about the 2024 recipients here: https://lnkd.in/gdSgmKtG

Delivering on our commitment to assist military veterans in taking a significant academic step forward in life after service, SoldierStrong is proud to announce the 2024 recipients of our annual scholarship initiative, SoldierScholar ?? In 2012, as troops returned from service abroad, we realized the opportunity that access to higher education gave veterans in order to best transition to and thrive in civilian life and provide for themselves and their families. SoldierStrong is proud to award SoldierScholar recipients in an effort to prepare tomorrow’s American leaders today by providing more than $500,000 in academic scholarships to date. Get to know the 2024 SoldierScholar recipients in the press release below ?? https://lnkd.in/ddejucdh

SoliderStrong is grateful to announce a donation of more than $900,000 in technology received from a generous donor. The donation will support U.S. military veterans and active military service members with the use of immersive technology to aid their physical rehabilitation. In total, SoldierStrong will be able to deliver the donated technology designed for physical rehabilitation to 75 Veterans Affairs medical facilities. “Virtual reality has dramatically transformed healthcare - and will only continue to do so. Besides providing an additional tool in the VA’s toolbelt, VR has proven to engage and motivate patients, especially post-9/11 veterans who grew up during the rise in popularity of virtual gaming, in ways that traditional treatment methods do not. SoldierStrong is inspired by our donor’s support of our nation’s veterans and commitment to ensuring that they have access to the medical technology they need and deserve.” - Dr. Chris Meek. SoldierStrong Co-Founder and Chairman Check out the press release below to learn more ?? https://lnkd.in/gUwq_X7F

The SoldierStrong Apparel Store has all of your fall clothing essentials! ?? ?? As the leaves change and the air turns crisp, we invite you to embrace the season of giving by purchasing all of your fall clothing essentials from the SoldierStrong apparel store. Explore our cozy hoodies, sweatshirts and seasonal accessories from brands like Nike, Vineyard Vines and more. Each purchase goes directly back to our mission to assist our veterans in taking their next steps forward through the donation of revolutionary medical technologies. https://lnkd.in/gJ5d7UEa

For the seventh consecutive year the 13-dealership Bobby Rahal Automotive Group in central and western Pennsylvania will donate a share of the revenue from every vehicle sold at its central Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh region dealerships during November. The Bobby Rahal Automotive Group has established a long-standing tradition of excellence when it comes to community service and uplifting worthwhile causes that help individuals, and in this case veterans, take their next steps forward. SoldierStrong is incredibly grateful for their continued support! https://lnkd.in/g3yKiYC6 Bobby Rahal Automotive Group - Pittsburgh Region Bobby Rahal Automotive Group - Pittsburgh Bobby Rahal Automotive Group - Mechanicsburg Region

On Veterans Day, Americans across the country honor those who have stepped up to answer the call of service. As Allen West said, “We must never forget why we have and why we need our military. Our Armed Forces exist solely to ensure our nation is safe, so that each and every one of us can sleep soundly at night, knowing we have ‘Guardians at the Gate.’” As guardians, U.S. service members make tremendous sacrifices to ensure the security of our nation. We owe them a debt of gratitude that can never fully be repaid. It is embedded in SoldierStrong’s mission as an organization to live by our gratitude and express it in our work to help veterans take their next steps forward in life after service through the donation of revolutionary medical technologies. It is our hope that these donations exemplify our gratitude for the service men and women, both past and present, who ensure the great promise of our nation continues to be fully realized. Without their willingness to guard the safety and ideals of the United States of America, we would not enjoy the peace and protection that we all too often take for granted. Today, SoldierStrong encourages each and every American to recommit themselves to remembering that without the sacrifice of our military, our freedom would simply be fleeting. Thank you to all of those who have served. Join us in thanking our nation’s heroes for their service so that we may all maintain our sacred rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.