In October 1775, amongst a great deal of political strife and naysayers who argued, “it was the maddest idea in the world to think of building an American fleet,” but with a gentle nudge from President George Washington, on Oct. 13, 1775, the Continental Congress authorized the procurement of two vessels manned by 80 men to secure the coastline from the British army, creating what we now know as the United States Navy. Today, the Navy is a fleet of 321,053 sailors, 107,832 reserves, 203,609 civilians, 287 battle ships and 3,700 aircraft.

Although the Navy’s roots can be traced back to 1775, it was 1798 when the Department of the Navy was established. The Navy birthday was officially recognized Oct. 13, 1972, by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Elmo Zumwalt on the advice of Vice Adm. Edwin Hooper.

From its inception, the Navy has had a burgeoning role in defending our nation’s freedom and democracy around the world with honor, courage and commitment. I am grateful for the privilege and honor to serve alongside some of the greatest naval officers, chiefs, petty officers, aviators, Seabees, surface warriors and submariners of my generation.

It’s always the other guy. Poor sap — he’s got a drinking problem. She’s got to start standing up for herself. Those folks are in serious need of Parenting 101.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to spot other people’s problems but not our own? Some problems are easier to see than others. You may realize you drive too fast when you get a speeding ticket. You figure out you’ve gained weight when your jeans don’t fit. Speeding and weight gain are easy to recognize because they have clear-cut signs or signals. But it gets tricky when you consider such problems as depression, anxiety or combat stress. The signals for these problems can easily be misinterpreted or ignored as unimportant. So what if you’re unable to sleep through the night or lose your appetite? It’s just something going around. Sure you’re irritable and angry all the time but you have a good reason. What’s the big deal if you don’t want to hang out with your friends anymore?

George Lamb is a Marine veteran and began his social work career with the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Northport, NY, where he assisted with care coordination of returning combat veterans. At DCoE, he supervises and manages the division’s dissemination activities and coordinates outreach.

During our outreach efforts for the inTransition program, a coaching initiative for service members transitioning between behavioral health care providers, we are often asked how the program can be incorporated into treatment plans for wounded warriors. This question took on additional resonance when asked by service leads at the Joint Task Force National Capital Region Medical Command (JTF CapMed) Wounded Warrior Meeting recently held at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC). JTF CapMed has regional authority over effective and efficient delivery of military health care.

Lynn Chwatsky has been overseeing the Sesame Workshop’s initiatives with military families since 2006.

When we think about the challenges of military life, we sometimes forget the transitions the youngest members of our military families go through. Our service members’ young children are faced with a number of uniquely difficult circumstances: repeated relocation, the deployment of a parent, homecomings, injuries, even the death of a parent – to name a few. For years, Sesame Workshop has been providing resources that help both military parents and their children stay resilient during those trying transitions. Now, those bilingual (English and Spanish) resources are available on our new, free military families mobile application.

The decision to seek help for psychological health concerns remains a struggle for many service members. In its 2012 lifestyle survey, Blue Star Families, organized by military spouses, reported that of military family respondents who believed they recognized signs of posttraumatic stress disorder in their service member, 62 percent of those service members had not sought treatment.

In an effort to encourage service members to seek help, Lt. Cmdr. Dana Lee, resilience and prevention subject matter expert with Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE), shares reasons why you shouldn’t ignore your mental health and resources that you can access now in this video. If you or someone you know has concerns, Lee recommends that you: