Once again, all eyes are on the United States Navy SEALs, as the success of one of their more recent missions places them in the limelight yet again.

Rear Adm. Sean Pybus, commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, said: “It’s pretty hot in that kitchen right now. And it’s very different for us. We as a community are not used to operating under such a spotlight.” He did say, however, that “understandably, I think the public is proud of what we do, and they should be.”

The Navy SEALs were credited with rescuing two aid workers, American Jessica Buchanan and Danish Poul Hagen Thisted, who had been held hostage by Somali kidnappers since October. The mission was authorized by President Barack Obama, and carried out by a team that included members of the East Coast-based SEAL Team 6, best known for being the team that killed 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden.

On January 25, Rear Adm. Pybus spoke to a U.S. Naval Institute and defense contractors group at the San Diego Convention Center. While he referred only briefly to the rescue, the naval special warfare commander described the mission as “a joint effort that showed great leadership among forces assigned abroad.”

Pybus shared that there are currently 1,200 out of 2,500 SEALs working in 21 countries. He said: “I know the Navy will be out there. I know the Navy will be in most parts of the world, or close by, often with the Marine Corps. That’s our first relationship. I need to make sure I’m taking best advantage of that.”

The SEALs did it again.

Two aid workers who were held hostage by Somali kidnappers since October last year were rescued by the Navy SEALs, including members of the legendary SEAL Team 6, on Tuesday night.

The news was revealed by Pentagon officials on Wednesday. Special Forces troops arrived by helicopter and killed nine Somali kidnappers, and rescued the two aid workers, one of whom is an American.

The rescued aid workers were identified as Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Paul Hagen Thisted, 60, who both work for the Danish Demining Group, an organization that clears land mines and unexploded munitions in conflict zones.

The United States military revealed that they were kidnapped by two truckloads of armed men while on their way to an airport in the town of Galkayo, central Somalia, on October 25.

Pentagon officials revealed further that they thought that the hostages were abducted as part of a growing kidnap-for-profit problem in Somalia. The Defense Department referred to the kidnappers as “criminal suspects.”

President Barack Obama gave the following statement: “The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice… This is yet another message to the world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people.”

It became even more critical to carry out the mission as U.S. officials learned that Buchanan was having health issues.

President Obama said further: “As commander-in-chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their efforts.”

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has revealed that they have identified problems with 123 gravesites, which include eight instances of people being laid to rest in the wrong gravesite.

The issues were identified after a review of cemeteries administered by the VA. Most of the errors consisted of headstones and markers that were inadvertently moved to the wrong gravesites, during renovation efforts, usually one grave space away from their intended location.

The VA has also revealed that they have taken steps to contact families who have been affected by the errors, in order to apologize and describe the remediation that is being made to set things right. A statement from the VA reads: “VA apologizes to the families affected by these errors… We strive to operate the best cemetery system in the world and we take immediate corrective actions any time we identify any issue.”

The audit, according to VA spokesman Gary Tallman, was triggered by the discovery of the fact that a contractor at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery had shifted 47 markers one grave space away from its supposed gravesite. Due to the mismarked graves, four family members of Veterans were buried in the wrong gravesite.

After the discovery and correction of the error at Fort Sam Houston, the National Cemetery Administration of the VA looked into other cemeteries where realignment of markers and headstones were conducted in order to prevent or minimize damage. A total of 83 cemeteries, with an aggregate number of 1.3 million headstones and markers, were reviewed.

The review identified errors at Dayton National Cemetery in Ohio; Santa Fe National Cemetery in New Mexico; Beverly National Cemetery in New Jersey; Loudon Park National Cemetery in Baltimore; Philadelphia National Cemetery in Pennsylvania; and Houston National Cemetery in Texas, in addition to Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, which had the largest number of errors.

The coming of a little bundle of joy is something that a lot of expectant parents get to enjoy together. For the loved ones of service members who are deployed overseas, however, giving birth is something that they would have to deal with on their own – just another one of the sacrifices that military families make as their loved ones serve their country.

A group baby shower was hosted by Operation Shower, with support from Birdies for the Brave. The event, which was presented by Datron World Communications, was organized in honor of expectant mothers-to-be whose spouses are members of the United States Navy (including the Navy SEALs), the United States Marines, and the California Army National Guard.

The group shower was held during a luncheon on Tuesday, January 24, in the San Diego Padres Military Appreciation Pavilion at the Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, during the 2012 Farmers Insurance Open. March of Dimes served as the lead health education partner for the event, and provided important information on how to have a healthy, full-term pregnancy, as well as a healthy baby.

Participants to the event received the signature “Shower in a Box” from Operation Shower, which consists of high-quality products for moms and babies.

Miriam Erdosi, Director of Program Services of the March of Dimes, shared: “Having a baby is a joyful experience. However, it’s also one that comes with anxiety and stress, especially when your spouse is deployed overseas by the U.S. military… The March of Dimes believes in supporting moms and moms-to-be and we’re grateful for this opportunity to help these military families. These showers and our Mission: Healthy Baby program give families the comfort, support, and information they deserve.”

Estimates provided by a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) indicate an increasing trend in homelessness rates among female Veterans.

A feature on the Navy Times shared that the report, which was issued on Monday, cited “limited” data from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It indicated that the number of homeless women Vets more than doubled between 2006 and 2010, increasing to more than 3,300 in 2010 from less than 1,400 in 2006.

However, the data used in the report is “flawed,” as government agencies do not track homelessness among female Vets consistently. This fact raises questions regarding the ability of the VA to provide assistance for these Vets.

The GAO report had been reviewed by VA officials, who said that they “generally agree” with the findings of the report.

The GAO called on the VA to improve services for homeless female Vets, as demand is expected to increase over the next several years. In addition, the GAO also pointed out reports of women who had been sexually assaulted during their stay in homeless shelters funded by the VA.

The report read: “Absent more complete data, VA does not have the information needed to plan services effectively, allocate grants to providers and track progress toward its overall goal of ending veteran homelessness by 2015… Without improved services, women — including those with children and those who have experienced military sexual trauma — remain at risk of homelessness and experiencing further abuse.”

It was an accomplishment they never thought they had earned. A team of Seabees, consisting of eight women stationed at Naval Base Ventura County, made history by being the first all-female team to complete a construction job from start to finish – and doing it in record time.

Mission commander Gafayat Moradeyo recounted how the team worked 12-hour days and spent freezing nights in tents sans plumbing – conditions where most people would stereotypically think that women would not want to be in.

Russell Stewart, a spokesman with the U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Four, shared that the call for a team of Seabees to build barracks huts in the rocky mountains of Helmand province in Afghanistan – a Taliban stronghold – went out in mid-November.

There were not a lot of male Seabees available at the time, and Moradeyo seized the opportunity for an all-women team to prove themselves. The team, aside from Moradeyo, consisted of Shelby Lutrey, Kadisha Lee, Carla Diazcastillo, Amber Mann, Kacie Dunlavey, Jessica Vera and Shayla Miles.

Stewart said that there was initially a lot of skepticism about the team: “Unlike most times Seabees show up to a new location, this team was welcomed with rolling eyes and comments on the order of, ‘Really, a group of girls?’”

The team built four 20-by-30 foot structures, which included an operations center and a gym, aside from the barracks originally planned. They were able to complete the project, including the installation of electricity and utilities, in two weeks; Seabees officials said that a project of the type would normally take three weeks.