One moment changed everything.
A cavalry scout brushing off hard landings during airborne operations. An Apache pilot tripping at home after a long day. Two very different moments, one shared outcome: a traumatic brain injury that unraveled their inner lives. These Soldiers speak candidly about what it’s like to lose pieces of yourself.
Rehabilitation specialists at Irwin Army Community Hospital break down what’s happening inside the brain, why symptoms shouldn't be ignored, and how delayed treatment can prolong recovery and impact readiness.
Music title "I Walk with Ghosts" by Scott Buckley (@ScottBuckley) – released under CC-BY 4.0.
Just weeks away from graduation, four students in Fort Riley’s Dental Assistant Training Program are preparing to step into careers many of them had never considered.
“I didn’t think I would ever seek something like this,” said Taylor Birkett, a military spouse who had been pursuing a degree in anesthesiology. “But now that I’ve done it, I’m glad I took the chance. It’s way more hands-on than anything I was doing before.”
Birkett is one of four students who will complete the program April 29, culminating more than 800 hours of classroom instruction and clinical training at Fort Riley dental clinics. What sets the program apart is not just the depth of training, but that it comes at no cost to participants.
That single...
03.23.2026 | FORT RILEY, KANSAS, US |
Story by Jorge Gomez
Taylor Birkett, a military spouse and student in the Dental Assistant Training Program, demonstrates precision as she positions an X-ray machine for a patient. Mastering the technical skills required for accurate imaging is part of the program, a journey Birkett took on after initially pursuing anesthesiology, discovering a passion for the hands-on complexities of dental care.
