Our Blog
Continued Housing Horrors for Military Members and Families Despite Decades of Broken Promises
At the end of January and early February, there has been a flurry of reporting on issues related to the living conditions faced by active military participants. Promises are being made to the press and to Congress, but it is clear that these are long-standing issues...
Extremism Report Update
At the end of November, we reported on the continuing concerns about extremism in the military. Shortly afterwards, a new report was released that updated numbers on recent actions by veterans or active participants. In fiscal year 2023 there were nearly 200...
Extremism in the Ranks
While many of us were still digesting our Thanksgiving meals, the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota was being criticized for telling airmen not to attend the political rally of an extremist group called Turning Point Action. While it isn’t clear how official the...
Suicides Among Military Participants (Past and Present) Continued to Rise in 2022
At the end of October, the Department of Defense issued its Annual Report on Suicide in the Military for the 2022 calendar year. Since 2011 there has been a continued increase in the number of active duty deaths with the vast majority of those deaths (93.1%) seen...
Military Branches Report Big Recruiting Shortfalls
The US military ended Fiscal Year 2023 on September 30 with nearly every branch reporting large lapses in their recruiting efforts. Missing Soldiers and Sailors Navy: 7,450 missing enlisted sailors Army: 11,000 missing enlisted soldiers Air Force: 2,777 missing...
By Popular Demand — A Quaker Chuckle
Margie had her share of Quaker prudence and economy. She had worn her old bonnet so long that neighbors offered to get a new one for her. They asked if she would prefer straw or silk as a material. “Well,” Margie replied, “since you insist on giving me a bonnet, I...
GI Rights Boot Camp
Lenore Yarger, GI Rights Counselor In the fall of 2000, Steve and I offered to volunteer with Quaker House as counselors on the GI Rights Hotline. We traveled to Fayetteville for a half-day “counselor boot camp” led by Alex Doty of CCCO. He gave us a brief overview of...
Can You Find a Way to Extend Quaker House to Your Community?
Every time I talk about the work and mission of Quaker House, I focus on the meaning of “say yes to the troops, no to the war” in 2023. It means we have a responsibility to every person suffering because of our nation’s military-industrial complex. It means providing...
An Age-Old Problem with a Digital Accomplice
Sexual assault in the military is a deeply troubling issue that has garnered lots of attention over the past 15 years or so, with a focus on prevention. Specific programs like SHARP (Sexual Harassment/ Assault Response and Prevention) were developed to address rising...