Mix Martial Arts in the United States Military

In the past few years MMA, otherwise known as Mix Martial Arts, has seen a huge increase in popularity thanks to the re-creation of the UFC. MMA gyms are opening up everywhere across America, gaining attention from different age groups who are beginning to see this type of martial art as a great way to get in shape and even combat stress.

However Mix Martial Arts is nothing new to the United States Military, as martial arts of numerous forms have been used to train members in all branches of the service. From simple take down and control techniques I learned while in the Security Forces to Mix martial Arts such as Boxing , Mauy Tai, & Jujitsu used by MCMAP (Marine Core Martial Arts Program) as seen on the History channel show HUMAN WEAPON. Martial arts training can also be found being used among the Army and Navy special forces, learning everything from Boxing, Brazilian Jujitsu, Muay Tai to the use of small weapons when dealing with close combat.

But not only do the American Forces use martial arts in their training, so do Russian and Israeli military forces. Russia uses a type of martial art in their training regiment known as Sambo. Sambo is used by the number one ranked MMA heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko. The Israeli forces use a different type of martial arts technique known as Krav Maga, used by the Israeli Commandoes. Krav Maga combines numerous martial art techniques which is used to control or even kill their enemies on the battle field.

Mix Martial Arts has gotten so popular among the military community that the U.S. Army has created their own MMA tournament aired on the Military channel called T.o.p Army Fighter. Though rules and regulations are different from those of UFC, Strikeforce and other organizations, these guys still sustain cuts, bruises and knockouts. Hers is a You Tube clip of T.O.P Army Fighter, I found it funny when watching this series on tv and hearing the announcers say that a few of the fighters were deploying the very next day.

Mix Martial Arts cannot only be used by military forces on the battle field to take out their enemy in close combat, but with the popularity of MMA in gyms all over, MMA can be used to help battle stress and depression. Being in shape is well known for helping the body to fight off mental or physical illnesses . An article by Web MD, can help further explain just how staying in shape can help battle symptoms such as stress and depression, and what better way to help stay in shape than getting into Mix Martial Arts, when preparing or returning from the battle field.

I've been doing MMA for the past 4 months and started my martial arts training 1 year ago when I began learning Brazilian Jujitsu. Brazilian Jujitsu is a ground combat where the object is to gain position on your opponent or enemy to be able to submit or kill the person with different choke techniques. You can also use Brazilian Jujitsu to punish your opponent or enemy even more by breaking bones using different armbar or leg lock techniques while on the ground. I now train in MMA and use it to stay in shape, learn self defense and cause I absolutely love learning it. It has given me a sense of mental training as well as I try to figure out how to defeat my opponent by trying to figure how to gain position, control and then submit him.

In my Mix Martial Arts program, where I'm being trained by amateur fighter James Funaro at a local gym, I'm learning Wrestling, Boxing, Brazilian Jujitsu and Muay Tai. Today I find myself going to fight events such as Ring of Combat where I have already met UFC fighters, Dante Rivera, Matt Serra, Kurt Pellegrino, Gabriel Gonzaga and this past ROC event, met Rashad Evans (UFC Light Heavyweight Champion).

Today I find myself always looking up MMA news at The Garv.com which not only gives fight fans news about fights on the East Coast, but gives us updated news on all major organizations such as UFC, Strikforce and even overseas leagues. The site is ran by a great friend Dino Kostakio and Kevin Garvey (founder and known as THE GARV) who even give us interviews from the fighters I mentioned before. The Garv.com is gaining even more popularity on the East Coast as a premier resource for MMA news ever since these interview videos have been posted on You Tube. Here is a video of The GARV interviewing the Champ, Rashad Evans at the last Ring of Combat event.

Military Veterans can now be seen on tv fighting in MMA in numerous fight leagues around the world. Some well known Veterans of the U.S. Military are Steve Bruno (ex Air Support), Dale Hartt (ex Navy), Luigi Fioravanti (ex Marine OIF), Brandon Wolff (ex Navy Seal) and Tim Credeur (ex Navy) who all fought for the UFC event FIGHT FOR THE TROOPs.

Also checkout FORGED Clothing, made by Navy Seals looking to get into the MMA world and Felonious Fight Gear which soon will have a great selection of MMA gear.

My Visit to the Local VA Hospital

Six years after I separated from the Air Force I have finally stepped foot in my local VA hospital. I had a great experience at my VA hospital as soon as I arrived. When people talk about the VA hospitals you get a sense of a gloomy, dark, cold place where you do not want to go to unless you have ran out of choices.

My local VA hospital is located in Northport, N.Y. and when arriving there I quickly learned that people who work there are ready and more than willing to help anyone. My first time arriving there I realized just how large the hospital grounds were as it hosts a large golf course (which I will be hitting up), and a number of buildings for various support.

When I arrived it was a great feeling, as I looked around to figure where I should start my journey I saw Veterans of all type. From the modern Marine in his new fatigues to the retired Vietnam Veteran sporting his Vietnam War hat, it was a great feeling to once again be among members of the military. It's been quite sometime since I have been back on a military installation and though this not a military base, but a military hospital, I once again began to have those feelings of what it was like being back in.

When I got to the Welcome Center after being helped by a VA worker who I learned had been working for the VA for 37 yrs and was ready to retire, I was greeted by people at the door, ready to answer questions and guide me further into my travels to acquiring my VA benefits card.

As I got to the line where I had to fill out some information and get my picture done for my VA card I saw once again Veterans of many wars standing in line. It was pretty amazing to think that I was standing in line with Veterans from Vietnam, Korea, 1st Gulf war and Veterans of the present war.

When I completed what I had to do to acquire my VA medical card I was directed to go speak to a person in the Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Program Dept. I had told the guy, that yes I was in during this campaign, but I was not deployed to a combat zone. My unit, the 3rd Security Forces squadron didn't deploy till I separated from the service. He still instructed me to go speak to them, which of course I did.

I had no clue that this existed in the VA Hospital, and when I arrived to this part of the hospital these people greeted me as if I was a hero. The people in this section of the hospital helped me out in an enormous way. They helped set me up with a free physical exam which I will be going to in the next month, gave me packets pertaining to the benefits I do qualify for, and even had me speak to a social worker who took my information and questioned me about any problems physically or mentally.

They had counselors there set to help me with any issues, in the waiting office they had numerous pamphlets, videos and books pertaining to veteran benefits such as information on PTSD, employment, education, transitioning from military to civilian and of course medical benefits.

So far the process for registering in the VA hospitals system has been flawless, I'am very pleased at how well so far I have been treated. It's t know that the VA hospitals aren't what many believe they are to be, a place where you do not want to go unless you desperately need to. Something many Vietnam Veterans believe such as my father, because during their time the VA hospitals weren't nearly as funded as what they are today.

I feel times have changed considerably for us who served, and to not go to your local VA hospital to at least register in their system such as I'm doing, will be a mistake.

For all these people who have lost their jobs due to the economy, I wonder how many are Veterans that now find themselves not able to afford their medical or even losing their medical insurance. Registering with your VA hospital doesn't have to be your primary source for medical treatment, though it can be used as your secondary backup source of treatment and can become very helpful if someday you were to lose your job and medical insurance.

So come May I will have my first appointment to go to, and I will then write a new blog talking about my experience.

The military has so much out there for us who served, take advantage of it because you never know when it will come in handy in life, especially during hard economic times.

Here is the VA's own BLOG to keep updated

Here is a list of VA Hospitals

Veterans Helping to Make a Difference

April 14th, 2009

Veterans more than ever are working together to help raise awareness on military issues. From the single veteran writing a blog about battling PTSD-A Soldiers Prospective to a group of veterans such as the members of Rolling Thunder who ride for POW-MIA, veterans are finding new ways to raise awareness.

Thanks to the Internet these veterans are able to connect to thousands of other veterans by making a website, joining social networks such as Facebook and Together We Served, and even by posting videos on You Tube.

An Army veteran by the name of Kyle Hausmann-Stokes who I found through Facebook, is another veteran helping to make a difference. Kyle is raising awareness about numerous issues pertaining to the military by using what he has learned in film school. Kyle has created films from the frontline while being deployed, to now his latest film helping to raise awareness about PTSD. His latest film Now, After reflects a combat veteran turned school student who struggles daily with PTSD and though the film begins with graphic images (which is to give viewers a real sense of what soldiers diagnosed with PTSD are facing), the film has a great meaning. A veteran battling with PTSD is never alone and in the end of the film you will see what I mean.

Kyle along with the other veterans I have mentioned are using the internet to their advantage to help raise awareness of so many issues pertaining to us who served in the military.

Though the Veterans Affairs was created to help us veterans who served or are serving, I have found that many times the best source of information comes from another veteran.

Homeless Veterans

April 12th, 2009

We don’t leave a soldier behind on the battle field, but why do we leave a soldier behind here in the U.S.?

The numbers of homeless veterans is staggering. In every state there is a problem with returning veterans who find themselves on the streets, with no benefits and no one to turn too. However with all the support that is out there provided by organizations such as The Soldier Project, Stand Down and other nonprofit organizations, we still see veterans stumbling to get back on their feet.

Some say these veterans themselves were the reason for their failure as many fell into substance abuse problems and some say it’s because of failures in the government system. Whatever the case may be, we still need to realize that for a veteran who served our country and who many fought in ugly wars, we owe it to these people to keep them off the streets and give them enough support to get them back on their feet.

Here is a link of the number of homeless veterans in each state for the year 2006.

http://www.nchv.org/page.cfm?id=81

Today with veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan we are seeing the numbers increase. Here is an article by the New York Times about the increase in homeless veterans.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/08/us/08vets.html

Stand Down organization

http://www1.va.gov/homeless/page.cfm?pg=6

The Soldier Project

http://www.thesoldiersproject.org/

Below is a link to my Transitioning Veteran WIKI Homeless Veterans section which has numbers and information pertaining to helping homeless veterans.

http://transitioningveteran.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Homeless_Veterans

Lets not leave these guys behind who have sacrificed so much for us.

Increased Funding for Dept. of Veterans Affairs in the Coming Years

President Obama has come out today to announce a major increase in funding that will help Veterans of the Armed Forces. Funding for programs such as electronic medical records will help veterans when separating from the military and transitioning to veteran status.

President Obama also stressed that thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are returning home with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at an increased rate. A $25 billion five year funding plan for the Veterans Affairs will take effect starting 2010 in the hopes that this money will create new or expand on programs to help veterans who suffer from brain injuries.

http://www.military.com/news/article/April-2009/obama-announces-vets-erecords-system.html

The E-Records system will help to alleviate medical records from being lost and from delays when applying for VA Benefits.

When I separated from the service I had a great supervisor who told me to immediately request a copy of my medical records before I separated. Till this day I still have that copy of my medical records along with almost every form I have received from the service. I feel this has helped me incredibly when applying for my VA benefits, because I didn't have to rely on someone to dig them up again.

By having a copy of my records in hand to show proof of past medical issues while serving, there was no way for the VA to tell me they did not have it on file and I wasn't qaulified for benefits.

Military Bloggers

April 6th, 2009

Well I don’t know when blogging really became well known throughout the internet, but I know I started to blog once i created my website www.transitioningveteran.com .

A friend of mine told me about adding a blog to my website gaining the attention of many bloggers. It was a great idea as now i have the opportunity to first hand speak to many veterans through my blog without having to leave my home.

Once I started my blog and began reading up on what it takes to blog i soon realized that a lot of military members blog.

For instance heres a great article from USA TODAY about military bloggers and how many of them are blogging from war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2005-05-11-milblogs-main_x.htm

Here is another site that has an incredible amount of blogs from military members.

http://www.milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry090323-195743

Never would i have thought i would take to blogging, though here I’am today.

On the other hand the Military has sought to take action towards blogs as many blogs are posting lots of images that the military says could be a threat to military tactics. Here is an article from 2005, yes it’s and old article though i’m sure the military is still keeping their eyes peeled about what service members are posting on their blogs.

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,76350,00.html

However in the end i have learned that blogging has created a new world for many. A world where many can go to get away from the images of the battle field, find other people in the service dealing with the same issues, a place to express their thoughts and feelings, and a place where people can keep in touch and make new friends.

Military members of all sort from, military moms, wives, retired veterans, new veterans, soldiers in the field and other military members in different rolls are jumping onto the blog band wagon and helping the veteran community on a whole new level.

I’m still curious as to peoples answer to a question I have.

Being a member of the U.S. Military, What has Blogging done for you?

Combat to College program

Combat to College program is beginning to branch out all across the U.S.

This program Is setup to help veteran’s transition from the war zone to the classroom. Here is an article by Jessica Lawson who writes for Military Times, The Edge.

http://www.militarytimesedge.com/education/veteran-campus-life/ed_combat_tocollege_032309/

Colleges have many programs setup for us Veterans along with many programs setup for those Veterans who return back from the war zone with a disability.

Whether your the veteran or a family member helping the veteran, be sure to inquire with the college you choose about every program for veterans. Be sure to ask about federal and state programs that offer grants, loans, financial aid, and even scholarships for veterans.

Here’s a link to state education awards along with other state benefits.

http://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-benefits/state-veterans-benefits-directory

Military.com Career Expo

Though these days we find people struggling as the economy takes a downturn, companies layoff workers and millions of Americans are now competeting amongst each other to find work, us who are Veterans do see many opportunities still.

The government is spending millions to create more government jobs to help stimulate the economy and those of us who are Veterans of the Armed Forces will be first in line for many of these positions.

Military.com and NCOA has teamed up to create a career expo event throughout the U.S.

Here is the link to see the schedule of the location of the career expo, first you must register for the event.

http://www.military.com/career-expo/career-fair-calendar/

Also on my website Transitioning Veteran I have placed many tools and information when looking for a job working with the government. Here is the link for MY WIKI where I have links pertaining to jobs.

http://transitioningveteran.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Job/Internships_Links

www.transitioningveteran.com

My website for all Veterans of the Armed Forces looking for information pertaining to education, employment, medical benefits, disability benefits, buyback military time and clubs and interests for retired military.

Also checkout my Blog http://transitioningveteran.com/wordpress/ for latest news

and MY WIKI http://transitioningveteran.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Main_Page for links