Roy Phillips

Roy Phillips served in the U.S. Army and the Army Reserve for 15 years, first as an Infantryman and later as a Civil Affairs NCO. His deployments include Operations Desert Storm, Able Sentry, Joint Forge and Enduring Freedom. He holds a BA and an MA in political science from Oklahoma State University.

Articles by Roy Phillips

• VA’s Adaptive Sports Grant Program awards millions

  Tuesday, October 22, 2019

  The Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced that it has awarded $14.8 million in grants for adaptive sports in 2019. The funds were distributed to organizations that support adaptive sports programs for disabled veterans and current service members who are disabled. 126 organizations and 11,000 veterans are expected to benefit from the grants. The grants were made, primarily to veterans service organizations, municipalities, and community-based groups.

• Free cybersecurity training resources for veterans

  Monday, September 30, 2019

  In 2006, the VA experienced a data breach that included the personally identifiable information (PII) of more than 26 million vets. In 2015, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) experienced a data breach that exposed the PII of 21.5 million federal employees. My personal information was compromised by both data breaches. These incidents made me wonder what I could do to protect my PII, and they led me to the discovery that there are several organizations that offer free cybersecurity training to veterans.

• The patriotic law that almost everyone ignores

  Friday, September 06, 2019

  Federal law is found in the United States Code (USC). Title 4, Chapter 1 of the USC pertains to the United States flag. While the law specifies the manner in which the flag is to be treated, there is no official penalty. Furthermore, the Supreme Court has ruled that defacing the flag is a form of free speech protected by the First Amendment in two cases. These two cases did not strike down Title 4, Chapter 1, but they did rule against the constitutionality of local and state flag protection laws. Why is protecting the flag important? It comes down to protecting the sovereignty of the United States.

• VA disability compensation claims: Avoiding the pitfalls

  Tuesday, August 13, 2019

  If you're considering filing a claim with the VA, you should know that there are good three reasons why you should do it. The first is that, if you were injured while in the military, you should have your medical problems determined to be "Service Connected." The second reason to file a claim is that guaranteed income greatly increases your credit worthiness. It could make the difference between getting a home loan or not. The third reason is that increased numbers of claims lead to an increased budget for the VA, which translates to better care for vets. Before you file, please consider the following.

• LinkedIn: Considerations for military personnel transitioning to a civilian job

  Tuesday, July 16, 2019

  If you will soon be transitioning from the military, it may be a good idea to create a professional-looking LinkedIn profile. Understandably, many service members are wary of social media websites. This is especially true for anyone who has gone through the Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) course. However, if you are all through with your military service, LinkedIn may help you land the right job. There are some very important considerations to make before you create your profile.

• Fun alternatives to a 4-year college degree with the GI Bill

  Tuesday, July 02, 2019

  I would never discourage someone from pursuing a college degree. However, not every veteran is interested in obtaining a four-year degree. Also, many vets have completed academic degrees while they were on active duty. Many veterans, especially those who served in the Reserve component of their service branch, may be entitled to only a portion of the total benefit provided by the GI Bill. With vets who fall into these categories in mind; here are some fun ways to use up your GI Bill without committing to four years of full-time schooling.

• A game plan for meeting US military weight standards

  Tuesday, June 04, 2019

  I was assigned to Berlin Brigade during the infamous drawdown of 1994. The Department of Defense had been directed to undertake a reduction in force (RIF), and accomplished this directive by offering early outs and by increasing the stringency of weight standards. Our best NCO, "Staff Sergeant J" was coming up on the end of his fourth four-year enlistment. He had 16 years in, and needed only four more to retire. Unfortunately, he was considered overweight, according to Army Regulation 600-9. And, in accordance with Army regulations, he was barred from reenlistment.

• Mefloquine: A personal perspective

  Tuesday, May 21, 2019

  If you’ve deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, especially in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, you were probably prescribed mefloquine. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the drug, it is an anti-malarial with some odd and obvious side effects. The drug, a white pill, was to be ingested every Monday morning for the duration of the deployment, followed by a two-week-long daily dose of primaquine. Earlier this year, the VA established a committee to study the long-term effects of mefloquine toxicity.

• VA, Microsoft team up to serve disabled vets

  Wednesday, May 08, 2019

  On April 30, the Veterans Administration announced that Microsoft will be providing select VA clinics and hospitals with the Xbox Adaptive Controller as well as consoles and games. The goal of the program is to afford vets with mobility problems the opportunity to both socialize and engage in physical activities. So far, VA medical centers in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington state have confirmed participation. Six additional sites will be announced in the future.