Veteran and military families, you got this! And ZERO TO THREE is right here with you as you ensure your young child thrives. The summer of 2020 is a summer like no other. How will you get through the summer while balancing the need to keep your child’s good health while social distancing? [From VAntage Point]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Navy Veteran Nikki Taylor, who served as a dental technician and now works as a healthcare advocate for Veterans. Nikki Taylor, whose parents both served for 20 years in the U.S. Navy, grew up in the Veteran community. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Nikki!

Food pantries are cropping up at various VA medical centers across the country. VA providers screen patients during clinical assessments for signs of food insecurity. If Veterans are in need, food pantries supply them with a week’s worth of groceries before they leave the medical center. [From VAntage Point]

Practicing yoga in a class is an excellent self-care practice, but sometimes it just isn’t possible to grab a mat and head to a studio. Yoga teacher and Whole Health Coach, Katherine Hillgren, from the St. Louis VA Medical Center, suggests that a home practice, like chair yoga, is a suitable replacement in a pinch. [From VAntage Point]

More than 830,000 former service members are enrolled in MVP, of which 80,000 are women. Their genetic information and other health data are being used to study diseases, such as breast cancer, and to research gender differences in other common conditions, including depression and heart disease. [From VAntage Point]

Global conflict is evolving, and to illustrate that the United States military needs the expertise and viewpoints of all members of society for success. DOD has published the Women, Peace and Security Strategic Framework and Implementation Plan as part of a national effort to promote the safety, equality and meaningful contributions of women around the world, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman said. [From U.S. Department of Defense]

Phillis Abry enlisted in the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) in 1943 and met her lover Mildred, with whom she worked on radio repair and WAAC recruiting. As a teenager, Phillis Abry was expelled from her private high school after it found a love letter she wrote to another girl. [From VAntage Point]

The Marine Corps has learned a hard lesson when it comes to recruit training: While military lessons in protocol, combat, and strategy are paramount, classes on lifestyle subjects, like birth control, also pay dividends in the long run. In 2016, the service eliminated mandatory education on contraception at its Marine Corps recruit depots, leaving female recruits with only the option of getting birth control training on their own. [From The War Horse]

Active-duty service women and women Veterans can learn more about VA health care services for women through free online training sponsored by VA in collaboration with the Department of Defense. Virtual VA Women’s Health Transition Training sessions are offered twice a day, Monday through Friday, during June and July. [From VAntage Point]

I want to acknowledge the very difficult time we find ourselves in as a nation. And today I want to express my profound love for America and the Veterans who fought in uniform to fulfill the promises of our founders for every American. [From VAntage Point]

Capt. Emily “Banzai” Thompson with the 388th Fighter Wing is now the first woman to fly the stealth fighter in combat after launching from Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. Thompson, who started her career flying F-16 Fighting Falcons, was on her first deployment and this was her first combat sortie. [From Task & Purpose]

During periods of stress, the human body goes through a lot of changes. The body will release stress hormones, increase its heart rate and pump harder with a stronger contraction, rise its blood pressure, and slow digestion. [From VAntage Point]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Air Force Veteran Debra M. Morotini, who served in aircraft maintenance and as a first sergeant in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Coming from a line of service members, Debra Morotini became the first woman in her family to join the military. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Debra!

All across the country, U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds have been performing flyovers to honor the workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. One of the team’s newest members is a Howard University graduate and the first black, female officer. [From NBC Washington]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Laura Bozeman, a human resources officer who taught English at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. After graduating from Wasson High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1988, Laura Bozeman attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Laura!