ABOUT THE PROJECT
In America’s Armed Forces: Time for a Checkup, moderator John King of CNN and expert panelists examine the wide-ranging impacts that health-related issues exact on our nation’s military preparedness, national security, healthcare policy and economic stability. Topics include how everyday health issues, such as obesity and substance abuse, affect prospective recruits’ eligibility to serve; how we assure that our service men and women are fit for the many difficult challenges they face in the post-9/11 world; and how we take care of our nation’s wounded warriors.
The program includes a powerful segment on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and its impact on three veterans: Staff Sergeant Stacy Pearsall, U.S. Air Force, and twice military photographer of the year; Staff Sergeant Arthur Jefferson, U.S. Army, who served in Korea and Europe; and Colonel Mary Martin, U.S. Air Force, who served at the Pentagon on 9/11.
Panelists include:
- Lori Diaz, a U.S. Army reservist and Executive Director of Holiday Help for Heroes in Huntsville, Alabama
- Layton McCurdy, M.D., Dean Emeritus of the Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine
- Michael Pischner, Director, Department of Veteran and Military Affairs, Florida International University
- John M. Spratt, U.S. House of Representatives, 1983-2011
- Maj. General (Ret.) Abraham J. Turner, Executive Director of the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce
- Rebecca Wiley, Director, Dorn V.A. Medical Center, Columbia, S.C.