The U.S. military will be well-represented during the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo later this month, as well as at the Paralympic Games in the same city in August. Here’s a quick look at some of the servicemembers taking part, courtesy of information provided by DoD and the Army’s World Class Athlete Program (WCAP), among other sources:

Army

• 1st Lt. Amber English (women’s skeet) joined the Army Marksmanship Unit in 2017 after missing the cut for the 2012 Olympics and serving as a 2016 Olympic alternate. She has four shooting World Cup medals to her credit, including a silver from 2018.
• 1st Lt. Sam Kendricks (pole vault) took bronze in the 2016 Olympics and made headlines for stopping mid-run during the playing of the U.S. national anthem.
• Staff Sgt. Naomi Graham (women’s boxing, 75-kilogram) took silver in the 2019 Pan-American Games but was later awarded the gold when the top finisher was disqualified after a positive doping test.
• Staff Sgt. Nickolaus Mowrer and Staff Sgt. Sandra Uptagrafft, a former Navy Reserve member, will compete in multiple shooting disciplines: Mowrer in the 10-meter air pistol, men and mixed team, as well as the 50-meter rifle 3 positions; and Uptagrafft in the 10-meter air pistol, women’s and mixed team, along with the 25-meter sport pistol.
• Other shooting stars for Team USA include Sgt. Patrick Sunderman (men’s smallbore rifle), Spc. Sagen Maddalena (women’s smallbore rifle), Spc. Alison Weisz (women’s air rifle), and Sgt. Philip Jungman (men’s skeet).
• Three-time Olympian Sgt. Amro Elgeziry (modern pentathlon) will make his fourth trip to Summer Olympics and his first since joining the Army in 2017. His wife and two brothers are also Olympic pentathletes.
• Sgt. Samantha Schultz (modern pentathlon) was a 2016 Olympic alternate. She and Elgeziry will be looking to surpass the modern pentathlon performance of another U.S. Olympian with an Army background: George Patton took fifth in the event in Stockholm in 1912.
• The Army’s wrestling contingent includes Sgt. Ildar Hafizov (Greco-Roman, 60-kilogram) and Spc. Alejandro Sancho (Greco-Roman, 67-kilogram).
• Spc. Benard Keter (3,000-meter steeplechase), runner-up in the 2019 Army Ten-Miler, joined the service in 2016.
• Four active-duty soldiers, all part of the WCAP program, will serve as Team USA coaches: Sgt. 1st Class Dennis Bowsher (modern pentathlon), Staff Sgt. Spenser Mango (Greco-Roman wrestling), and Sgt. Terrence Jennings (Taekwondo).
• Paralympic soldier athletes include Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Marks (50-meter freestyle, 50-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, 100-meter backstroke), who took a gold and a bronze in Rio in 2016 and earned headlines after her brush with royalty (in the form of England’s Prince Harry) at the Invictus Games that same year. She’ll be joined by shooters Staff Sgt. John Joss and Staff Sgt. Kevin Nguyen, who will both participate in the 50-meter rifle event.

Marine Corps

• Staff Sgt. John Stefanowicz (Greco-Roman wrestling, 87-kilogram) joined the Marines out of high school in 2009. The Olympics will mark a homecoming, of sorts — he told Stars and Stripes that he visited the capital during his service on Okinawa in the early 2010s.

Navy

• An improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2011 left Lt. Brad Snyder blind and led to his medical retirement from service. His Paralympic swimming career already includes Olympic hardware from two continents: Two golds and a silver from London 2012, and three golds and a silver from Rio 2016. This year, he’ll move to the paratriathlon, a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike, and 5-kilometer run.

Coast Guard

• Lt. Nikole Barnes (470-class sailboat), shown here as a lieutenant junior grade in Miami in 2020, reportedly will be the first active Coast Guard member to compete in an Olympics when she sets sail in Tokyo. The U.S. Virgin Islands native graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2017 and has been sailing since age 6. Barnes and sailing partner Lara Dallman-Weiss finished seventh in a qualifying event in Portugal in March to lock down an Olympic spot.

Many veterans of this and other conflicts will take with them stories of service that can’t be replaced. Some will have earned commendations they mentioned only in passing, or ignored out of modesty, or locked away alongside painful memories.

Family members who want to learn more about their relative’s service, even those in service themselves, may have limited knowledge when it comes to navigating an archive process that, with a bit of persistence, can provide more than just a few dates and places.

Military Times sought advice from the National Personnel Records Center, as well as in-house expert Doug Sterner, curator of the Military Times Hall of Valor, to provide some basic steps on the path to piecing together a personal history.

1. First thing’s first. Veterans or next of kin seeking records can visit this National Archives website to learn the basics. Many requests can be filed electronically; be sure to have a Social Security number, service number, dates of service and other basic information at the ready.

You can also get a printable version of Standard Form 180, Request Pertaining to Military Records. This form most likely will grant eventual access to all relevant information, provided it can be filled out as completely as possible. As Sterner pointed out, “With more than 60 million records at NPRC, even what one considers a unique name may not be unique.”

2. What will I get? More than half of the 1.2 million military records requests received by NPRC involve separation documents: DD-214s or older equivalents. Because these documents are key to receiving various benefits, they are prioritized by the center: Officials said nearly 94 percent of these requests that didn’t involve records destroyed or damaged in a 1973 fire (see below) were processed in less than 10 days.

Other requests averaged about 24 days. If you’re seeking more than the separation documents, be sure to request specific records via the online submission process or SF-180. If you’re after an entire Official Military Personnel File, make that request clear on the form.

If your request takes longer than 10 days, you can request a status update online or via phone (314-801-0800). In their online guidance, NPRC officials say sending a follow-up request in less than 90 days “may cause further delays.”

3. The “entire” file. If you’re after materials such as clothing issuances, leave requests or similar documents, you may have to re-submit your request after receiving the file in question. Under a policy outlined at Archives.gov, the NPRC provides “only copies of key documents and extracts of vital information, rather than a copy of every document in a personnel and/or medical file.”

Requests since late 2009 have included an explanation of this policy, per the website.

4. Rush requests. NPRC tasks some of its staff exclusively with high-priority requests, such as veterans facing a medical emergency or family members seeking replacement awards prior to a funeral. Online submission portals and the SF-180 include sections where these requests can be explained fully; be sure to include such details if they apply.

(Veterans who lost critical separation documents as a result of recent hurricanes can also take advantage of this expedited process by including the word “Hurricane” in the comments section of their online request or under the “Purpose” field in Section II of their SF-180.)

5. Old actions, new honors. Even service members who’ve retained complete military records from their time of discharge may be missing honors and awards they earned without realizing it. Sterner cited three examples of high-level honors that came after the recipients took off the uniform:

• The Silver Star didn’t exist as a medal until 1932. Prior to 1932, distinguished service members received “Citation Stars” from their commanding general to denote their accomplishments. Those awards are upgradable to Silver Stars, but the service member had to request it. The same goes for next of kin.
• Soldiers who earned the Combat Infantryman Badge or Combat Medic Badge during World War II are eligible for a Bronze Star Medal thanks to a directive from Gen. George C. Marshall … in 1947. By that point, many troops covered by the directive had left service. Troops or next of kin can request issuance of the award and request their military records be updated.
• The Prisoner of War Medal, established in 1985, targeted Vietnam War-era POWs but any service member who spent time in captivity back to World War I was retroactively eligible. Many World War II and Korean War POWs may not be aware of the change, and family members of deceased former POWs also may request the honor for their relative.

6. About that fire … A July 12, 1973, blaze at the NPRC’s military personnel records building in St. Louis took out up to 18 million personnel files, including 80 percent of those belonging to soldiers discharged between Nov. 1, 1912, and Jan. 1, 1960, and 3 in 4 airmen discharged prior to Jan. 1, 1964, whose names came after James E. Hubbard in the alphabet.

Salvage efforts began immediately, both on site and via a bulletin that required government agencies to maintain any other records that might be used to reconstruct military personnel files. They continue to this day. About 3,000 requests for records affected by the fire are processed by the center each week, NPRC officials said.

Even if the file you’re seeking was lost entirely, that doesn’t mean at least some of the information it contained can’t be recovered, Sterner explained.

“While individual records were lost in that fire, the unit records — including histories, action and morning reports, and general orders for awards to individuals within that unit — are warehoused at the National Archives,” he said. “The caveat is that there is no index for these records … one must generally know exactly what general orders or report they are looking for, or sift through thousands of pages of documents.”

These general orders are especially useful in assembling lists of award recipients. Sterner pointed to the work of Air Force Col. Albert Gleim, who, among other archival efforts he undertook after retiring from service, published an index of all Navy Cross recipients. Gleim died in 1997; his work, and that of many others, provided a foundation for the Hall of Valor database.

7. Medical confusion. NPRC officials said outpatient and inpatient medical records can be the most troublesome of the 1 million-plus annual requests they receive. If NPRC has the records, they can be obtained using the SF-180 or eVetRecs (online request) methods outlined above. But NPRC likely won’t have the records if inpatient treatment took place within the last three years (the records remain with the treatment facility), or if outpatient treatment involves a veteran discharged from the mid-1990s through 2014.

The proper record system will vary depending on when the treatment was obtained and what service was involved. NPRC aims to provide proper contacts, officials said; learn about the Department of Veterans Affairs Records Management Center, and get links to other record-request sites, here.

8. Do I need my congressman? No, said the NPRC: Online submissions and standard forms make outside help unnecessary, especially for requests involving separation documents.

Maybe, said Sterner: While you should include a request for unissued or lost medals along with your NPRC request, he said, “In the case of awards never received, it is best to work through a congressional office.”

These offices generally have staffers who’ve become well-versed in the awards and records process. Successful requests can result in the lawmaker presenting the award(s) to veterans and/or family members in ceremonial fashion.

Congressional offices also may offer assistance when it comes to third-party requests, those involving distant relatives, or others that aren’t as easily processed through NPRC’s online portal.

9. Arlington honors. Full details on burial and inurnment eligibility at Arlington National Cemetery are available at the cemetery’s official website; they include eligibility for service members who received the Medal of Honor, a service cross, a Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star or a Purple Heart.

Separation documents (DD-214 or similar) nearly always reflect these awards and will serve as proof of eligibility. Requesting these documents are the first step, Sterner said, though more research may be required if the documents are not available or do not include relevant information that can be corroborated via other sources, such as general orders.

Some caveats for all of the entries: Eligibility rules differ by state and from VA programs, and most state-run efforts include income and property-price limits, as well as other requirements that don’t have to do with military service.

State-based veteran housing benefits in:

• Alaska, California, Nevada, New York, Texas, Washington.
• Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Oregon, Wisconsin.
• Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah.
• Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania.

Colorado: Qualified veterans can participate in the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority’s FirstStep and FirstStep Plus products regardless of whether they are buying their first home. The program requires participants to have a credit score of at least 620, but those without a measured credit score can participate. Second mortgages offered via the program can be used to assist with closing costs, down payments and other expenses; visit the CHFA online for details.

Connecticut: The Military Mortgage Option offered by the state’s housing finance authority reduces the program’s interest rate by 0.125 percent for qualified participants seeking to buy their first home (or their first in at least three years). It’s open to current and former service members, as well as to surviving spouses and civil partners of troops who died in the line of duty or from a service-connected disability. Other rules apply, including income and property-price caps. The new home must be the owner’s primary residence.

Delaware: Qualified veterans can use the Delaware First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit even if they’re not buying their first home. Beneficiaries receive either 35 percent of their taxable interest as a tax credit or a $2,000 credit, whichever is lowest. Visit the above link for other restrictions and property-price limits, and head here for a list of approved lenders.

Illinois: The state offers veteran support via multiple programs, including @HomeIllinois ($5,000 in down payment and closing cost help, plus other benefits) and 1stHomeIllinois ($7,500 in down payment/closing cost help on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage in certain counties). Unlike other program participants, veterans aren’t required to be first-time buyers. Get details, contact information and links for all the programs here (PDF), and learn more about 1stHomeIllinois here.

Iowa: The Military Homeownership Assistance Program, run by the state’s finance authority, offers eligible veterans $5,000 toward a down payment or closing costs. It’s open only to those with time on active duty during Operation Desert Storm/Shield and since Sept. 11, 2001, and to surviving spouses of those veterans; visit the link for full eligibility requirements, including financial and property restrictions.

Louisiana: Qualified veterans are eligible for a variant of the Louisiana Housing Corporation Market Rate Program that allows beneficiaries to secure VA-backed 30-year fixed-rate loans at “favorable interest rates.” Participants must have a credit score of 640 or better and must use a program-approved lender (PDF).

Maine: Qualified veterans (active-duty members, honorably discharged veterans and reserve-component members who’ve served 180 days in a combat zone) can get an extra 0.125 percent off their 30-year fixed-rate mortgage under the SaluteME and SaluteME Home Again programs, offered via the Maine State Housing Authority. The programs are offshoots of the First Home Loan program, which offers some participants $3,500 to help with a down payment, closing costs or related fees. Check the program’s website for other requirements and contact details.

Johnson, who left the Minnesota National Guard as a sergeant in the midst of his UFC run, will battle Cheick Kongo at Bellator 208 on Oct. 13 at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. It’ll be the first fight for Johnson (12-4) under the Bellator banner, and it comes on the undercard of one of the promotion’s most-hyped bouts: a heavyweight tournament clash between Fedor Emelianenko and Chael Sonnen.

Johnson’s bout will be part of the main card, which will air live on the Paramount Network. It was first reported by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.

Kongo, 43, is 10-2 for the promotion and on a six-fight win streak, the longest of a career that started in 2001. Kongo’s 28-10-2 career mark includes a 2007 win over MMA legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic; losses to Frank Mir, Mark Hunt and Cain Velasquez; and a win over Pat Barry in 2011 that some consider one of the most remarkable comebacks in MMA history.

Johnson went 4-3 in the UFC, alternating between wins and losses before a unanimous-decision win over previously unbeaten prospect Marcelo Golm in Brazil in February. The former Guardsman, who fights out of North Dakota, received attention in fight circles for somewhat inadvertently launching a crowd-funding effort to pay for the travel of members of his fight team.

Johnson enlisted in 2007 and worked convey security as part of a Kuwait-based unit during Operation New Dawn. He left service in 2016 to focus on his UFC commitments, though he has expressed interest in rejoining the Guard.

A number of states offer grants, reduced-rate loans and other benefits to service members and veterans of various stripes. Home HQ has featured several state-run programs in the past (here, here and here); see below for more options to help you land your next home.

Missouri: Veterans can take part in the state’s First Place loan program even if they’ve already owned a home. The program offers discounted rates as well as a Cash Assistance Payment option that lets beneficiaries borrow funds for closing and related costs. Learn more about income and purchase-price limits, and get links to lender and pre-qualification websites, here.

Nebraska: The Military Home Program, run by the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority, allows service members and veterans to qualify for “competitively priced” interest rates. Veterans also are exempt from the program’s first-time buyer requirement. Unlike many other state-run programs, VA loan eligibility isn’t required. Learn more here (PDF).

Ohio: Service members, veterans and surviving spouses may qualify for the Ohio Heroes program, a discounted interest rate offered via the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. The program also covers first responders and teachers. Participants must have a credit score of 640 or higher (660 for some loan types) and must complete an online education course. Other financial restrictions apply, including income and purchase-price limits.

Tennessee: Service members past and present who participate in the state’s Great Choice Home Loans program can qualify for a lower interest rate (half a percentage point below other beneficiaries) and can participate in the first-time homebuyer program even if they’ve already owned a home. A series of restrictions apply including home price and income maximums, and credit score requirements; military spouses also may qualify. Head here for details.

Utah: The Utah Veteran First-time Homebuyer Grant offers $2,500 to active-duty service members and veterans who’ve left service in the last five years to purchase their first home in the state. Beneficiaries must be eligible for a VA loan to participate, and they can qualify for the grant if they’ve owned homes in other states. Head here for the online application.

Jacob McGreevey refinanced the loan on his Vancouver, Washington, home in 2006, according to documents from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He deployed to Iraq in 2009 and returned in 2010, when he requested another refinance; he told OregonLive.com that he’d missed payments and was expecting the foreclosure procedures that began in August 2010.

He wasn’t aware of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, which prohibits lenders from initiating foreclosure proceedings on military personnel serving on active duty without a court order. The current act extends this protection up to nine months after leaving active service, down from a year at the time of McGreevey’s foreclosure.

But regardless of the protection time, McGreevey didn’t know about the act until learning about it while in business school; he didn’t invoke the act until filing a complaint in 2016, after he’d left service.

The SCRA doesn’t have a statute of limitations. In such instances, per the court’s ruling, judges seek legal precedence to determine what a reasonable statute would be: McGreevey’s lawyer pointed to acts with six-year statutes, while lawyers for his lender suggested a four-year limit based on an existing Washington state law.

The judges sided with the lender and upheld the foreclosure. McGreevey told OregonLive.com he hadn’t decided whether to appeal.

The ruling doesn’t change existing SCRA benefits. It likely doesn’t even clarify the law’s statute of limitations outside Washington state, and a potential appellate ruling, or a ruling in a separate case by a different court, could limit the ruling’s scope further in that regard, or negate it entirely.

That said, service members may avoid similar legal issues by making SCRA claims or seeking similar financial protections immediately; learn more about the law here and here, and contact you legal assistance office if you think it may apply to your situation.

Bed bugs have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, to the chagrin of frequent travelers, as well as New Hampshire veterans seeking medical care, and a military family on the move in Italy.

Think you might have an unwelcome guest on your PCS move? Some answers to common questions, courtesy of military, Centers for Disease Control and other sources:

Q. Do I have bed bugs?

A. An itch isn’t really enough evidence: Check for reddish-brown marks on your sheets or blankets, or for the bugs themselves, which tend to cluster on fabric.

Q. I don’t see anything, but I’m itching like crazy.

A. Your body may not react to the bites for days, even weeks, after they’re inflicted. So if you slept in a hotel or temporary military housing and started itching the next week, the bugs may have been left behind.

Q. I see what looks like bed bugs, but I’m not itching.

They could be new arrivals, or you could be one of a small but significant amount (20 percent or more) of people who have no reaction to the bites.

Q. But my house is spotless!

A. No argument. It looks fantastic. But the bugs don’t feed on filth, just blood. A clean house won’t keep them away or prevent them from multiplying.

Q. We’ve been settled in for months. Where’d they come from?

A. Some bed bugs can go months, even more than a year, without a meal. If you’ve just gotten around to unpacking some linens, they could be setting up shop in their new digs just like you are.

Q. I want them dead.

A. That’s not a question, but OK: An exterminator is your best bet; if you’re in temporary housing, report your suspicions immediately. If you’re not sure whether your home is infested, or if an exterminator is a few days off, take these steps, courtesy of Naval Medical Center San Diego:

• Wash everything in hot water (120 degrees or more).
• Dry everything on the highest setting for at least five minutes.
• Vacuum mattresses, box springs and carpets. Empty the vacuum into a sealed plastic bag and get rid of it.

Q. Do I need to see a doctor?

A. Probably not. The bugs aren’t known to spread disease, and the largest health risk comes from skin infections brought on by excessive scratching.

Q. This sounds terrible. How do I prevent it?

A. A quick inspection of linens, either yours or those at your temporary lodging, may avoid the problem. Check over that secondhand furniture before you buy it. And while dirt doesn’t attract the bugs, a cluttered area with plenty of hiding spaces may allow them to survive some attempts on their lives.

Get more on bed bugs from the CDC here.

The bill, which is under Senate consideration, would create a fourth VA under secretary and staff up a branch dedicated to transition assistance, employment, education benefits and other non-health-related VA benefits. To pay for the extra staff, it would raise the funding fee on the VA’s Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loans. That fee sits at half a percent, but the bill would up it to 0.75 percent for loans closed Jan. 1, 2019, through March 1, 2025.

The fee would revert to 0.50 percent after that date. Get the current funding fees for all VA loans, as well as a breakdown of which veterans are exempt from fees, here.

This funding tactic isn’t new: For instance, the Senate is expected to consider legislation that would expand benefits for “blue water” Vietnam veterans — tens of thousands of service members exposed to toxic chemicals while serving on ships who have been denied recompense for decades.

To afford those benefits, the bill calls for a restructuring of VA loan funding fees that would raise some rates and would make more veterans, including those with disability ratings below 100 percent, pay a funding fee to use the loan guaranty program.

Learn more about the VA loan program at our VA Loan Center.

Many states offer some sort of home-buying help for those who’ve worn the uniform, though the assistance takes many forms: Lower interest rates, zero-interest loans for down payments, and other benefits. Most of these come with restrictions, eligibility requirements and other fine print that can exclude some veterans or properties.

We’ve outlined some of these programs before, and five more are listed below. The list is far from comprehensive; do your own research and consult with your Realtor to find out if another state-based program could give you a better deal, or could allow you to improve your offer in a rough real estate market.

Georgia: The Georgia Dream program offers assistance to first-time buyers, those who haven’t owned a home in three years, or those purchasing homes in certain “targeted areas.” While most applicants can receive $5,000 in down-payment assistance in the form of a zero-interest loan, active-duty service members, first responders and some other groups can get up to $7,500. This brochure (PDF) and this FAQ outline a variety of restrictions, including location-based price caps and income limits.

Florida: The Florida Housing Finance Corporation offers the Florida Military Heroes loan to service members and veterans seeking affordable housing. Loan-users may also qualify for down payment assistance or other FHFC programs that can be used concurrently with the Military Heroes program. Restrictions apply; use the program’s online wizard to determine specific rates and eligibility rules for your home’s location.

North Carolina: Not all state programs focus on buying a home — this one will help veterans keep what they’ve purchased. The NC Foreclosure Prevention Fund offers zero-interest loans up to $36,000 for up to three years to help veterans discharged after Jan. 1, 2008, meet their mortgage payment while undergoing job training to prepare for life out of uniform. Veterans who remain in their home for five years will have the loan amount reduced; those who stay put for 10 years don’t have to repay the assistance. Get details here.

Pennsylvania: The Keystone Home Loan Program offers low interest rates and fees targeted at first-time buyers, but discharged veterans can qualify for the program regardless of previous home-purchasing history. Location, price and income restrictions apply; head here for details.

While VA claimed to save more than 97,000 loan-holders from foreclosure in fiscal 2016, the department completed 18,519 foreclosures that year. Those with VA-backed loans who are facing financial issues should contact VA immediately; read more about what programs are available for beneficiaries in this situation here.

As the financial recovery process continues, keep this timeline in mind:

• When your mortgage is 30 days past due, the mortgage servicer can report the loan as delinquent to credit reporting agencies.
• After 36 days, the servicer must attempt to contact the borrower directly. If contact is made, the servicer should inform the borrower of any repayment or mitigation options.
• When the mortgage reaches 45 days past due, the lender is required to assign a staffer to the case who can answer any questions and work out potential repayment plans. A written notice is also required at this stage.
• If all is still not well after 121 days, the loan case can be moved to foreclosure attorneys unless an “active loss mitigation package” is in place, according to federal documents. This could include a Trial Payment Plan, where the borrower is asked to pay an lower amount over a period of time to test out a restructured mortgage. VA officials can assist with TPP setup.

More details on the foreclosure process are available through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.