In the past the Armed Services of the United States had a generally lax attitude about the wellness of its personnel. It considered the health and wellness of its people to be pretty much an individual responsibility, and it did not enter into it very much, preferring to allow its personnel a lot of latitude in making their own choices, without a lot of support by the different Armed Services or the government.
This is a modern era, and the necessity of medical, psychological, and general support for the well being of its personnel has become a major issue in military readiness. If the people and personnel are well supported and given the tools, services and encouragement to keep in good shape and high performance capability then the overall readiness and efficiency of the service will remain high. The United States Army has recognized this, and continues to work to establish different programs and services in support of its personnel.
The Army has a number of well-being and support programs that were not in effect in generations and decades past. They have programs in the Active duty Army, the Reserves, and the Army National Guard, as well as different other programs for the Air National Guard. They all exist to try and give support to Army Servicemembers and their families, to aid in their overall health, welfare, and quality of life. This helps keep morale and satisfaction high, and tends to keep Army personnel upbeat and functioning well. Some of the newest health and welfare initiatives continue in this proud Army Tradition, and consist of programs to help bridge the gap between what services and support that the Army Servicemember needs, and the needs of the Army to have a full functioning and military ready personnel force.
The basic needs of the Army Servicemember remain fairly constant, To Serve, To Live, To Connect, and To Grow. The Army is working to identify the primary and basic needs of military and Army families, and then working to find ways to accomplish this. Programs such as Disabled Soldier Support, Army Recuperation and Rest Leave, and Army Deployment Cycle Support join other Army health and welfare programs to give soldiers the maximum support possible. The Army maintains an active Well Being And Personnel Support office on most Army bases, and it is becoming very active in featuring Internet and Web Based services aimed at bridging the gap between the Army and its personnel.