January 2022 — MHCE Newsletter

News from MHCE 

JANUARY 2022 EDITION 

Pushback on Calling 

this a 'Pandemic of 

the Unvaccinated' 

See page 8 

Monthly Newsletter 

52 Easy Transition 

Tasks You Can Do in 10 

Minutes or Less 

Is this your year to leave the military? 

You are in great company. More than 

180,000 sailors, soldiers, Coasties, 

Marines, Guardians and airmen are 

expected to leave the military this 

year alone, which is a wonderful 

thing for the civilian economy. 

To help you get the job you really 

want (instead of any ol' job that is 

thrust upon you), I've made a list 

of 52 tasks that will take you 10 

minutes or less to complete. Check 

one of these off every week so that 

when someone asks you about how 

your transition is going, you can feel 

like you are making great progress. 

Start with Your Third-Largest 

Organ 

1. Embrace the process. Your brain 

can be your biggest ally during 

transition or your worst enemy. If 

you tell yourself that there should be 

an easy answer for what your next 

job will be, you will keep looking 

and not finding. Instead, think of the 

transition as a process you are going 

to go through in stages. You can't go 

to the next stage until you finish this 

one. 

2. Make it part of your job. It is hard 

to find time for your transition tasks 

because of how much work you do 

on the job. So remind yourself that 

it is part of your job to do the work 

of transition and stick the landing. It 

is not your job to wait until the last 

minute to do the work of transition 

so that everyone has to bend over 

backward to help you. 

3. You can have a red flag; you 

don't have to fly it. If your brain is 

waking you up at night because you 

were fired, failed, tested positive for 

drugs or opted out of the COVID-19 

vaccine, spend 10 minutes working 

through how you will frame it for 

your next employer. The right words 

can make all the difference. Email 

me if you need some help. 

4. Prepare for the roller coaster. 

Practice good mental health dealing 

with all the ups and downs of the job 

hunting journey. Count on hearing 10 

"no thanks"" for every "yes, please." 

Begin to Zero in on Your Next 

Career Goal 

5. Commit to your first answer. 

When someone asks what kind of job 

you are looking for, you need to say 

something. You don't need to have an 

exact answer yet, but you do need to 

compose an answer and practice it. 

Start with, "I'm planning to stay in 

the area, and I am thinking of getting 

a job in the ____________ industry." 

6. Find out if your military job is hot 

or not. Everyone in the military gets 

job training. That is, ahem, they get 

trained for the job they are doing in 

the military. The lucky few have the 

kind of military jobs that also have 

direct applications to civilian life. 

The best people to ask about your 

career hotness are the veterans who 

got out before you. If you don't have 

friends or bosses with that rating or 

MOS who already got out, try the 

free mentors at Veterati. 

7. Check our Military.com Skills 

Translator to find some of the jobs 

for which you already are qualified 

and pay close attention to the top 

military employers. 

8. Consider federal employment. 

Working for the government may 

seem like the last thing you want 

to do right now, but know that the 

federal government is one of the 

largest employers of veterans. Watch 

a few minutes of our FREE How 

to get a job in federal government 

master class. You might surprise 

yourself. 

Choose Your Location, Location, 

Location 

9. Start with location instead of 

occupation. For many veterans, 

location is often a great place to start 

to find your next high-impact job. If 

WWW.MHCE.US 

you are ready to move, look into Best 

Places for Military Veterans. 

10. Plan a car trip with your 

stakeholders. Your career is all your 

own. Your life belongs to you and all 

the people who love you. So during 

transition, take a car trip with your 

stakeholders -- your husband, wife, 

kids, partner. Somewhere along the 

way, talk to them about the options. 

Getting on the same page now can 

help you avoid a lot of naysayers in 

your future. 

11. Request house-hunting orders. 

Find out what you really can afford 

at your dream location. 

Bring in the Professionals 

12. Hire a transition coach. If you 

have ever used a coach to improve 

your workout or lose weight, you 

know how coaches offer both insight 

and accountability. This is especially 

helpful if you don't know what kind 

of job you want yet or you want to 

break free of your current career. 

Most coaches like me offer a free 

one-hour introductory call to see if 

you click. 

13. Sign up for free coaching. Some 

veteran service organizations also 

provide free coaching. The Commit 

Foundation, Hire Heroes USA 

and USO Pathfinders are all good 

choices. 

14. Decide to hire a resume writer. 

If you tried to write a resume at 

the Transition Assistance Program 

(TAP), got a free resume from a 

veteran service organization, took 

our free resume classes and you are 

still struggling with that resume, it is 

probably a sign you could just hire 

someone. Avoiding your resume 

every weekend for the rest of the 

Continued on page 22

2 | MHCE - News www.mhce.us JANUARY 2022 EDITION

WWW.MHCE.US Monthly Newsletter | 3


WWW.MHCE.US Monthly Newsletter | 5 

Focus on Oversight a Key for Success at 

CoreCivic 

In the corrections industry, maintaining high standards of 

operation is imperative to meeting the needs of the individuals 

in our care. That's why CoreCivic adheres to a stringent set of 

guidelines set forth by our own standards, as well as those of our 

government partners and the American Correctional Association 

(ACA). 

Founded in 1870, the ACA is considered the national benchmark 

for the effective operation of correctional systems throughout 

the United States. To become accredited, a facility must achieve 

compliance with ACA mandatory standards and a minimum of 

90 percent non-mandatory standards. CoreCivic facilities adhere 

to ACA standards, and in 2020, CoreCivic earned an average 

ACA audit score of 99.6 percent across all facilities. 

Key ACA audit areas include facility personnel, resident reentry 

programs, resident safety, health care, and more. 

holds our facilities and staff to a high standard. To be able to 

represent our facility and receive reaccreditation in person is an 

honor." 

Adhering to ACA standards is only one part of CoreCivic's 

commitment to robust oversight. When government partners 

utilize CoreCivic's services, we are held not only to our own 

high standards and those of the ACA, but we are often held to 

the same or higher accountability of our public counterparts 

through stringent government contracts, unfettered access to 

our facilities for our partners, and hundreds of on-site quality 

assurance monitors. 

We provide access to our government partners, with most of 

our facilities having government agency employees known as 

contract monitors who are physically on-site to ensure we are 

operating in line with partner guidelines. 

Recently, the ACA held in Nashville, Tennessee, its 151st 

Congress of Corrections, an annual convention that brings 

together corrections professionals from across the country. In 

addition to various workshops and events at the convention, the 

ACA Commission on Accreditation also held panel hearings to 

award accreditation to correctional facilities that meet the ACA's 

rigorous requirements. Listed below are the seven CoreCivic 

facilities that earned reaccreditation this year, with mandatory/ 

non-mandatory scores: 

• Bent County Correctional Facility - 100/99.0 

• Citrus County Detention Facility - 100/100 

• Eloy Detention Center - 100/100 

• Lake Erie Correctional Institution - 100/99.3 

• Saguaro Correctional Center - 100/99.8 

• Stewart Detention Center - 100/100 

• Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility - 100/100 

"The accreditation process is very important," said Warden 

Fred Figueroa from Eloy Detention Center, one of the seven 

CoreCivic facilities that was awarded reaccreditation. "ACA 

To maintain our own high standards, annual on-site audits covering 

all operational areas are administered to ensure compliance with 

contractual and regulatory obligations and corporate-mandated 

requirements. Each CoreCivic Safety facility is audited by our 

internal quality assurance division, which is independent from 

our operations division. Facilities are expected to be audit-ready 

year-round, maintaining continuous compliance with numerous 

applicable standards. 

CoreCivic employs 75 staff members dedicated to quality 

assurance, including several subject matter experts with extensive 

experience from all major disciplines within our institutional 

operations. 

"A lot of hard work goes into preparing for these audits," 

Figueroa said. "Once they're complete, the staff can see their 

accomplishments and feel proud." 

Having multiple levels of oversight helps CoreCivic maintain 

a safe environment for those in our care. By holding ourselves 

accountable to our own high standards, along with our 

government partners' and ACA's standards, CoreCivic continues 

to be a trusted partner working to better the public good.



8 | MHCE - News www.mhce.us JANUARY 2022 EDITION 

Even this week, anti-vaxxers and vaccine-mandate opponents 

resurfaced an old clip of Walensky saying in August that what 

the vaccines "can't do anymore is prevent transmission." The 

WSJ op-ed states that there is no "evidence that the vaccines 

are effective in stopping the spread of the pathogen they target," 

and thus the mandates are ill-founded and wrong. (The op-ed 

was written in part by a Nobel laureate with a colorful past of 

questioning vaccine mandates, as well as a Yale Law School 

professor suspended for alleged sexual harassment.) 

Pushback Over Calling 

this a 'Pandemic of the 

Unvaccinated' 

The emergence of the highly infectious - even for vaccinated 

and boosted people - omicron variant has set off a new debate 

over how to talk about and confront the coronavirus pandemic. 

To some, this undercuts both the Biden administration's chief 

talking point on vaccines and its push to require vaccines or 

testing. 

Two relevant examples 

– At both a White House briefing and in an interview with the 

head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recent 

days, Fox News challenged President Joe Biden's talking point 

that this is a "pandemic of the unvaccinated." Fox's Peter Doocy 

on Monday noted that two people - both he and White House 

press secretary Jen Psaki - became infected after three doses. 

"Why is the president still referring to this as a 'pandemic of the 

unvaccinated?' " he asked Psaki. Likewise, Fox's Bret Baier on 

Sunday asked CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, "How is it that 

'pandemic of the unvaccinated' is a terminology that should be 

used?" 

Separately - and more substantially - critics are challenging 

Biden's vaccine-or-testing mandate by citing the increased 

breakthrough infections amid the omicron variant. The purpose 

of such vaccine mandates, after all, is generally to prevent the 

spread. "Omicron Makes Biden's Vaccine Mandates Obsolete," 

reads an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. 

These arguments have been around for a while. They first 

cropped up when the vaccines proved less effective against the 

delta variant than their previous 90-plus-percent efficacy rates. 

But they now feature renewed vigor as the omicron variant 

has rendered the vaccines even less effective against omicron 

infection - while still very effective against hospitalization and 

death. 

That claim is certainly a suspect one. While it's become clear the 

vaccines are less effective at stopping the spread amid omicron, 

that doesn't mean there is no evidence that they help. Early 

studies have shown that they continue to help greatly when it 

comes to preventing hospitalization and death, but they also 

reduce infections - particularly when they include boosters. 

A study from the United Kingdom Health Security Agency last 

month found that the two-shot Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna 

vaccines by themselves were only about 10% effective at 

preventing symptomatic infection 20 weeks after the second 

dose. But the effectiveness rate increased to 75% two to four 

weeks after a booster. 

In Israel, a study of health-care workers - written up by the Wall 

Street Journal itself - found that boosters increased antibody 

levels by about 100 times when compared with two doses alone. 

Another study from Imperial College London found that the twodose 

Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines (the latter is not available 

in the United States) were between 0 and 20% effective against 

symptomatic infection, but those numbers rose to between 55 

and 80% after a booster. 

And a major study in South Africa, where the omicron variant 

was detected early on, found that two doses of the Pfizer vaccine 

- again, without a booster - provided 33% protection against 

infection, while providing 70% protection against hospitalization. 

These studies suggest that there is significantly reduced benefit 

against infection from just two doses, but some studies show 

even those two doses might provide a measurable benefit, and 

adding boosters significantly increases that benefit. 

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But as with before, the arguments very often skip over the nuance, 

pretending there's little to no distinction between preventing all 

infections and preventing some or even lots of infections. They 

also ignore lots of early studies on the efficacy of boosters.


Veterans can now Identify as Transgender, 

Nonbinary on their VA Medical Records 

WASHINGTON — Veterans who identify as transgender or 

nonbinary are now able to indicate their preference in their 

official medical records with the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

The department announced Wednesday that it added the options 

of transgender male, transgender female, nonbinary and other, 

when veterans select their gender. The gender identifier, along 

with a veteran’s preferred name, will be displayed on a patient’s 

health record. 

The change allows health-care providers to better understand 

and meet the medical needs of their patients, the VA said. The 

information also could help providers identify any stigma or 

discrimination that a veteran has faced that might be affecting 

their health. 

“All veterans, all people, have a basic right to be identified as 

they define themselves,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said 

in a statement. “This is essential for their general well-being and 

overall health. Knowing the gender identity of transgender and 

gender-diverse veterans helps us better serve them.” 

One of the recommendations from the task force was to collect 

information from patients and employees about their race, 

ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation. Task force 

members also suggested the VA do more outreach to underserved 

communities of veterans, such as those living in rural or remote 

areas or veterans who speak little English. 

The VA created a smaller task force that will be charged 

with developing policies and adopting changes based on the 

recommendations. 

VISIT OUR 

WEBSITE AT MHCE.US 

Shortly after taking the helm of the VA in February, McDonough 

vowed to focus on inclusivity, diversity and equity during his 

tenure as secretary. One of McDonough’s first actions was to 

initiate an agency-wide review of the department’s policies to 

determine how to make it a more welcoming place for LGBTQ 

patients and employees. 

An 18-member task force was created to handle the review, 

and the VA announced Tuesday that the group had issued 

88 recommendations. The process of considering those 

recommendations would take four years, the agency said. 

“We recognize this work requires a culture shift and will not 

happen overnight, but the [President Joe] Biden-[Vice President 

Kamala] Harris administration and I will see this through to 

completion,” McDonough said in a statement. 

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National Guard 

Soldiers Deploy to 

Arkansas Hospitals to 

Help with COVID-19 

Testing 

The Arkansas National Guard announced Jan. 6 in a press release that 

40 National Guardsmen from the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team 

will deploy to nine hospitals across that state to assist local health care 

facilities as case numbers rise. 

The Guardsmen were set to report for in processing Jan. 10 at Camp 

Joseph T. Robinson in North Little Rock and will report to their 

assigned hospitals on Jan. 11. 

Their initial orders are for 30 days, which may be extended or curtailed 

as conditions dictate, according to the release. 

The announcement came amid a record-breaking week for Arkansas. 

An all-time high of 6,562 cases new cases reported by the Arkansas 

Department of Health on Tuesday, Jan. 4, was quickly overcome as 

numbers surpassed 7,000 and then 8,000 in the following days. 

On Friday, Jan. 7, a record-breaking 8,434 cases were reported. The 

ADH reported 61,121 active cases across the state on Monday. 

Four National Guardsmen will head to Mercy Hospital Fort Smith. 

There will also be Guardsmen sent to the Medical Associates of 

Northwest Arkansas in Fayetteville, six to St. Bernards Medical 

Center in Jonesboro, four to Northeast Arkansas Baptist Memorial 

Hospital in Jonesboro, six to Baptist Health Medical Center in Little 

Rock, two to Baxter Regional Health System in Mountain Home, two 

to Jefferson Regional Hospital in Pine Bluff, six to Mercy Hospital 

Northwest Arkansas in Rogers, and six to Washington Regional 

Medical Center in Springdale.


For the first time in U.S. history, a woman took charge of the U.S. and its 

military on Friday, but it lasted only briefly. 

President Joe Biden transferred his executive powers to Vice President 

Kamala Harris while he went under anesthesia for a routine colonoscopy 

at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, according to 

the White House. 

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US Military Elevates Coronavirus Restrictions in 

South Korea in Wake of Latest Surge 

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — The latest surge of 

COVID-19 cases in South Korea has prompted the U.S. military 

to elevate its health-risk level and enact additional restrictions, 

including a ban on nonessential travel to Seoul. 

U.S. Forces Korea, which is responsible for about 28,500 troops 

on the peninsula, moved to condition Bravo-plus on Saturday, 

signaling an “elevated” risk of the coronavirus respiratory 

disease spreading in the community. 

The move means a host of off-base activities are no longer 

authorized. These include dining in at restaurants, along with 

visits to shopping malls, bars, clubs, gyms, movie theaters, 

amusement parks and festivals. Off-installation overnight stays 

are also prohibited. 

Gyeonggi Province reported higher infection numbers than 

any other area of the country Sunday with 1,014 new cases, 

according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. 

The province is home to Camp Humphreys, the largest U.S. 

military base overseas, and Osan Air Base, home of the 7th Air 

Force. 

Eighth Army’s commander, Lt. Gen. Willard Burleson, met 

Friday with Pyeongtaek City mayor Jung Jang-seon to discuss 

the military’s pandemic response. 

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday addressed 

USFK’s influx of positive cases and said the government must 

work closer with the command to control the spread. 

“The government should cooperate closely with [USFK] for 

more rigorous disinfection management of U.S. military bases 

in Korea and their service members,” Moon said in a statement 

issued by his spokeswoman, Park Kyung-mee. 

South Korea’s response to the uptick in U.S. military infections 

stands in contrast to that of Japanese officials. U.S. Forces Japan, 

dealing with its own surge, has agreed to restrict troops to their 

military bases, excluding essential off-base activities, for 14 

days starting Monday. 

“All members of the Eighth Army are aware of the critical 

situation and are operating [within] strengthened quarantine 

guidelines,” Burleson said at the meeting. 

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Visits to Seoul are limited to official duty “due to the associated 

risk of potential exposure to the virus,” USFK said in Saturday’s 

announcement. The capital city, which frequently counts higher 

case numbers than other provinces, reported 781 new infections 

on Sunday. 

The surge of new cases comes after the country reported a oneday 

record of 7,849 infections on Dec. 15. The uptick prompted 

the government to roll back its plans to loosen social distancing 

restrictions by reenacting business curfews and limiting private 

gatherings to four people.



Business Is Global. Your Education Can Be, Too. 

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semesters 

2022 Program Update 

In these uncertain times, the Harbert College of Business is 

taking extraordinary steps to ensure the health and welfare of its 

students. As such, only two study abroad trips will be offered for 

this summer. 

Please be on the lookout for details on offerings of a range of 

Study Abroad Programs in Summer 2023. We appreciate your 

interest and will be global again as soon as possible. 

Study Abroad 

At the Harbert College of Business, we offer the opportunity to 

experience different business cultures, practices and standards 

around the world. Round out your undergraduate experience with 

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Navy Adds 2 Weeks 

to Boot Camp 

The Navy has announced that it is lengthening its 

basic training from eight to 10 weeks in an effort 

to provide sailors with more practical training as 

well as life skills and professional development. 

Navy leaders said the change is the first major 

shake-up of the sea service's boot camp in 20 

years. 

"We are trying to give sailors some preventative 

maintenance ... giving them some tools that they 

can use to prepare themselves as individuals to be 

part of a warfighting team," Rear Adm. Jennifer 

Couture, commander of Naval Station Great 

Lakes, the Navy's sole basic training facility, told 

the press during a roundtable Friday. 

Recruits will still spend eight weeks going through 

the typical phases of instruction that culminate 

with the "battle stations" capstone event. At the 

end of the 12-hour scenario, set on a 210-footlong 

Arleigh Burke-class destroyer simulator, 

recruits are given a Navy ball cap that symbolizes 

their transition to full-fledged sailors. 

With the latest change, however, sailors would not 

move on to graduation after the crucible event but 

rather stay with their training cohort for an extra 

two weeks and receive additional instruction -- 

albeit under less intense conditions. 

"We're going to change the nature of the relationship 

between the instructors ... and these sailors, to 

more of a coaching and mentoring relationship 

where we can have in-depth conversations about 

what life is really like," Fleet Master Chief Wes 

Koshoffer said. 

Koshoffer noted that "identity transformation 

in eight weeks is a lot to ask" and that the 

additional training time "shows our commitment 

to deliberately developing our sailors for success 

in the Navy." 

Some of the additional training is also aimed at 

addressing problems with the culture of not just 

the Navy but the military overall. 

Perennial issues such as sexual assault prevention, 

suicide prevention and healthy lifestyle topics will 

make up a "a big portion" of the new "Life Skills" 

curriculum, Couture explained. 

She also noted that, while "the additional twoweek 

timeline was not designed specifically with" 

extremism prevention in mind, the training will 

"model the behaviors that we want to contribute 

to the culture" of the Navy. 

"What we're really focusing on here is taking 

recruits from many walks of life ... and introducing 

them to the concept of what it means to be a sailor 

and what is our level of expectation for how you 

act and how you treat each other," Couture said. 

The extra training will also focus on topics like 

personal finance and "things that we need to teach 

them about some basic living on their own that 

they may not have gotten before they arrived 

here," Couture explained. 

Navy leaders emphasized that the longer training 

time at Great Lakes will not impact the fleet or 

lead to a short-term shortage of new sailors. 

"Some of this type of training we were doing at 

various locations all over the fleet. ... We've pulled 

that out of those training continuums, and we've 

pulled it back and connected it to boot camp," 

Koshoffer explained. 

According to Couture and Koshoffer, the change 

was driven largely by feedback they received from 

commanders and leaders in the Navy. 

"Our ships, submarines, aircraft and other fleet 

units have got a lot on their plate, and they do 

not have the time to do basic training," Couture 

explained. 

The new program began for all recruits arriving 

on Jan. 3, 2022.



year takes a lot more time than hiring someone to 

bang it out. 

15. Sign up for a mentor. American Corporate 

Partners and FourBlock do great work connecting 

transitioning military with mentors and companies 

in the corporate world. 

16. Get advice on your VA physical. So much 

of getting your separation health assessment 

done right is local knowledge, particular to your 

geographical area and your branch of service. Ask 

your local network for recommendations. You also 

may find some real gurus in Vets2industryonline 

networking events. 

Embrace Your Career Level 

17. Get focused career-level advice. Watch the first 

10 minutes of one of our transition master classes 

for your career level. Each one has different 

strategies aimed at you and you alone. There are 

free sessions for young enlisted, junior officers, 

mid-career pros, senior leaders and spouses. 

Make the Most of LinkedIn 

18. Follow me on LinkedIn so that you can ask me 

your questions. I always like hearing from you. 

19. Reject LinkedIn envy. You know you have 

LinkedIn envy when your entire feed consists of 

everyone getting a job or a promotion but you. 

This is guaranteed to make you run from LinkedIn. 

Instead, get on LinkedIn for 10 minutes a day for a 

week in order to check in with one of your groups, 

find a new contact or send a message to a former 

work friend. 

20. Sign up for your free LinkedIn Premium 

account when you are six months away from 

transition. 

21. Start your minimalist Linkedin profile. You 

can do this in 10 minutes if you just fill in the 

basic stuff the right way. You don't want to scare 

off recruiters with your LinkedIn profile. 

22. Write a fantastic summary section with 

our exclusive instructions. Be sure to add your 

keywords. 

23. Use your profile. It isn't enough to make a 

Linkedin profile, then disappear. You have to use 

it. Avoid the six mistakes veterans are most likely 

to make on LinkedIn. 

24. Upload your job titles to LinkedIn in the 

Experience section. 

25. Connect with 501 people on LinkedIn. The 

magic number on LinkedIn is 500 connections. 

The older you are, the easier this will be because 

you know more people. 

26. Make friends with the job fairies. Recruiters 

and talent sourcers are the job fairies of LinkedIn. 

Find out about the three types of recruiters so that 

you know what to say when they contact you. 

27. Check your work. Make sure you have got it 

all by reviewing your profile with our Military. 

com LinkedIn checklist. 

Do Networking Like Normal People 

28. Decide not to hate networking. Study after 

study shows that most people get their jobs 

through networking, not through job boards. You 

don't have to be a dirtbag to network into a job. 

29. Stop lying to yourself about networking and 

get started. Trust me. You are not bothering people 

by contacting them. You are not begging for a job. 

You do not have to be ready to network to get the 

job done. Send one email. Make one phone call. 

Text someone. Reach out on LinkedIn. It only 

takes a minute to ask a question. 

30. Make a list of 10 people in your network. 

You don't have to start networking with total 

strangers. Start with 10 people you have known 

in your career who already have left the military. 

Ask them whether they will tell you about their 

transition. 

31. Listen for the magic questions. People in your 

network have three secret ways that they signal 

they want to help you find a job. Listen for these 

magic questions so that you can move to the next 

level. 

Begin to Upskill 

32. Decide whether or not you need an MBA. For 

veterans who already have a four-year degree, an 

MBA can be the making of you or an epic waste 

of time. Check out our five best reasons to pursue 

an MBA. 

33. Make a list of upskilling opportunities. At 

Military.com, we always are looking for top 

programs that offer veterans opportunities to 

upskill for free. 

Max Out Your GI Benefits 

34. View your GI Bill statement of benefits. It only 

takes a minute to look at it. 

35. Look into how to apply for your GI Bill benefits 

and check into other Tuition Assistanceprograms. 

36. Learn more about transferring GI Bill 

benefitsto your dependents. You can't do this after 

you leave military service. 

Engage with the TAP Program 

37. Brace yourself. Then look at your preseparation 

checklist DD-2648. It is five pages 

long. Be simultaneously overwhelmed and bored 

out of your mind. Remember that this is not a 

demand signal. This is a menu of things you can 

opt in for when you meet with your transition 

counselor. All the links are live, so you can click 

on them and decide whether this is something you 

might be interested in hearing about more. 

38. Make an appointment with your local 

transition counselor. The great thing about the 

local counselors is that they are local. They go 

to all meetings and the job fairs. Employers and 

veteran service organizations pitch them all the 

time. If you plan to stay in the area, these guys 

usually know a ton about local opportunities.


39. Sign up for the TAP workshop online. If you do well working 

at your own pace, if you have consistent internet access where 

you are stationed, and you will honestly do all the work on your 

own, this could be the way to go. Git 'er done. 

40. Sign up for an in-seat TAP class. If you are a notorious 

procrastinator, or your job is so all-consuming that you have no 

brain power left over at the end of the day, sign up for the in-seat 

version of TAP. You will feel so much better after you put that 

tick in the box. 

41. Upload my FREE resume template before you go to your 

TAP class. It uses the same format, so you can just type without 

wasting your time learning how to insert columns and bullet 

points. 

Knuckle Down on Your Resume 

42. Take our FREE Reverse Resume Master Class.Once 

you have struggled to think up bullet points on your resume 

workshop in TAP, you are ready for a master class about how to 

do it the easy way. Full disclosure: This one takes an hour, but 

you can do it in 10-minute bursts if you like. 

43. Do resume recon. Ask friends who already transitioned if 

you can see their resume. Sometimes these people have great 

resumes. Sometimes you will see that they got hired despite 

their resume by using their network. Both are good lessons. 

44. Edit the term "leader" out of your resume. You have spent 

most of your career in the military learning how to lead, manage 

and motivate people. Civilians like that. They just don't want to 

see the word "leader" on your resume. Strange, but true. 

45. Upload your resume to Military.com to get found by 

recruiters. 

46. Learn about federal resumes. Federal jobs are often hard to 

get because the resume process is such a mess. Untangle the 

process with our FREE Federal Resume Master Class. 

Fun with Interviews and Negotiations 

47. Practice insulting your interviewer. It is so easy to say the 

wrong thing even when you mean to say the right thing. Then 

practice not insulting your interviewer. Spouses are great at this 

exercise. So are teenagers. 

48. Get interview coaching with a real live feedback-giving 

person. I know you are great at public speaking, and you can 

talk to anyone professionally. But interviews are not like any 

conversation you have had before. Interviews are all in code. 

The hiring manager may sound conversational, but they are 

looking for very particular answers. Get a coach to help you 

now, not when you have had a dozen bad interviews. 

TO ADVERTISE 


49. Decode the language of "no." What did that "no" really 

mean at your last interview? Sometimes it isn't them; it is you. 

50. Learn about how to evaluate your job offers. 

51. Practice asking for more money by preparing for the 

negotiation phase. 

The Most Important 10-Minute Skill of All Time 

52. Stop waiting. Stop telling yourself you need to be ready. 

You are already ready. Set yourself the goal of doing just one of 

these 10-minute tasks every week. You will be amazed how this 

tiny win will help you whittle down all the tasks of transition so 

that you make real progress to the next great step in your career. 

VISIT OUR WEBSITE 

AT MHCE.US


mhce.us 

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT MHCE.US


Japan PM: Deal Reached on US Military 

Curbs to Halt COVID 

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio 

Kishida said Sunday that Japan 

and the U.S. have reached “a 

basic agreement” on banning 

the U.S. military from leaving 

its base grounds, amid growing 

worries about a sharp rise in 

coronavirus cases. 

Kishida said American soldiers 

will stay on base “except 

when absolutely necessary,” 

which presumably means for 

emergencies or other security 

reasons. Details of the deal are 

still being worked out, he said 

on Fuji TV. The overall U.S.- 

Japan security alliance remains 

unchanged. 

New daily COVID-19 cases 

have surged recently in what 

medical experts call “the sixth 

wave.” New cases jumped above 

8,000 on Saturday, a four-month 

record. The spike has been 

blamed on the U.S. military 

because the case increases are 

most pronounced in areas near 

the bases. Japan asked the U.S. 

for cooperation in keeping its 

military personnel on base last 

week. 

A spokesman for U.S. Forces 

in Japan was not immediately 

available for comment on 

Kishida’s latest remarks. But 

Maj. Thomas R. Barger has said 

COVID-19 trends were being 

closely monitored among the 

ranks for “health protection and 

operational readiness” in Japan. 

the spread of infections kicked 

in Sunday. 

The measures, which last 

through the end of the month, 

force restaurants to close early, 

at 8 p.m. or 9 p.m., and some 

must stop serving alcohol. 

Government-backed restrictions 

also went into effect in Yamaguchi 

Prefecture, where Iwakuni base 

is located, and nearby Hiroshima. 

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial 

Museum, which documents the 

U.S. atomic bombing of Japan 

at the end of World War II, and 

Hiroshima Castle are both closed 

to visitors. 

Other regions may order similar 

regulations if cases keep rising. 

People have been warned to 

stay home and avoid travel. 

Until recently, bars, shrines 

and shopping districts have 

been jam-packed with year-end 

shoppers and New Year's holiday 

travelers. 

Japan has never had a lockdown 

but it has undergone periods of 

varying levels of restrictions, 

including school closures and 

event cancellations. 

About 80% of the Japanese 

population have received the 

second vaccine shot. Boosters 

have barely started, with 

fewer than 1% receiving them, 

despite repeated promises by 

the government to speed up 

their rollout. Japan has set up 

stringent border controls, barring 

most incoming travel except for 

returning residents and citizens. 

Japan has reported about 18,300 

COVID-19-related deaths so far. 

On recent days, there have been 

just one or two deaths, and on 

some days, zero. 

Creating a Culture 

of Caring 

Offering master’s 

and doctoral 

degrees for 

Registered Nurses 

Specialties Offered: 

Nurse-Midwife 

Family Nurse Practitioner 

Women’s Health Care NP 

Psychiatric-Mental Health NP 

Okinawa, a southwestern group 

of islands that houses most of 

the 55,000 U.S. troops in Japan, 

is among the three prefectures 

where new restrictions to curb 

Learn more at frontier.edu/military


TO ADVERTISE 

contact 

Kyle.stephens@mhce.us 

mhce.us


TO ADVERTISE 

contact Kyle.Stephens@mhce.us


College of Nursing 

Visit www.southalabama.edu/colleges/con 

251-445-9400 

5721 USA Drive North, Mobile, AL 36688 

High Quality 

Programs 

Available Online 

and on Campus 

On Campus: 

• Pre-Licensure BSN 

• Accelerated BSN 

Online OptiOns Offered: 

• RN to BSN 

• RN to MSN 

• MSN 

• DNP 

• Post Graduate Certificates 

areas Of speCializatiOn: 

• Clinical Nursing Leader 

• Nursing Administration 

• Nurse Practitioner 

(multiple tracks) 

• Clinical Nurse Specialist 

• Nursing Informatics 

sub-speCialties: 

• Cardiovascular 

• Oncology 

• Palliative Care 

• Nursing Education 

• Lipid Management

January 2022 — MHCE Newsletter

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