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.

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:

If the idea of chaplains getting together to discuss their interests makes you think of genteel spiritual conversations, consider the topic discussed at the August bimonthly teleconference of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) Chaplain Working Group — combat and killing in relation to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and spiritual distress.

The Chaplain Working Group routinely delves into spiritual and behavioral conflicts arising from deployment. It’s the nature of their calling that chaplains grapple with difficult issues, and the nature of war that military chaplains must address constructs that deeply challenge common beliefs. One such example is that spiritual health, behavioral health and the use of deadly force are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

Normally, I am not a betting man. However, I think it’s safe to wager that many of us are thankful today is Friday. TGIF is a sentiment most of us can relate to and you have probably thought it to yourself or said it aloud more than once on any one of the 54 Fridays during the past 372 days since the last third Friday in September. But for many, today is only one day out of a thousand stretched into years when our nation’s prisoners of war and missing in action (POW/MIA) are remembered.

In honor of National POW/MIA Recognition Day, we unite as a country to pay tribute to America’s POW/MIA and to those who’ve never lost faith, echoing the intent of the day — “You Are Not Forgotten.” The day serves as a stark reminder of the sacrifices made on behalf of our nation, and also a day marked with hope.

What’s the impact of multiple deployments and repeated traumatic stressors on service members? Why are a significant number of military personnel experiencing psychological injuries following their deployments? What treatment options are available? What’s being done to help advance the field of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and psychological health?

If these questions are on your mind, consider reading the special edition of “Military Medicine.” Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) subject matter experts and others share updated research to better understand current psychological health and TBI conditions affecting the health, occupational and personal functioning of service members and veterans. Published by The Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS), the journal identifies effective screening tools, diagnostic technologies and treatments for major areas of concern like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, substance use disorder and TBI.