Because slapping a gaudy yellow ribbon on the back of your SUV simply won’t do.

1. Volunteer to foster a soldier’s companion animal(s) while he or she is stationed overseas.

There exist very few programs to help members of the military care for their companion animals while they are stationed overseas. Unless soldiers can recruit a family member to house and care for their “pets” while they are away, soldiers are forced to relinquish their animals - to a “pound,” a shelter, or an adoption group.

Between 6 and 8 millions dogs and cats enter U.S. shelters every year. Of these, half are euthanized murdered.

By fostering a soldier’s companion animal(s), you can save an animal’s life, and also ensure a happy reunion between a soldier and her furry friend(s) when she returns from serving her country - i.e., you.

How it works: many of the programs I’ve seen match potential foster homes with soldiers in need, based on a number of factors, including location, type of animal, and caregiver preferences. These groups are generally nonprofits, and finances are limited; consequently, veterinary and food costs, as well as terms and conditions, are usually negotiated between the soldier and caregiver.

To get started, check out Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet and Operation Noble Foster.

If you live near a U.S. military base, you may also want to check with local veterinarians to see if they can help match you up with soldiers in need locally. Alternately, you can coordinate with your local veterinarians to start a grassroots foster program in your area - even if you yourself are not in a position to foster an animal.

2. Lift the ban - help repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

According to Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), 12,500 service members have been discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Visit SLDN today to find out how you can help repeal DODT, which is essentially discrimination written into federal law. In a word, unconstitutional.

Three places to start:

- Sign SLDN’s petition to Congress to pass the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal DODT.

- Write to your Congressional representatives and urge them to repeal DODT.

- Make an online contribution. “The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network provides free legal service for LGBT service members. SLDN is also leading the charge to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and replace it with a non-discrimination policy.”

3. Contact President-elect Barack Obama, Vice President-elect Joe Biden, and your Senators and Representative; ask them to provide increased funding for the care of injured veterans.

According to a report by the RAND Corporation, Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery,

Nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan — 300,000 in all — report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet only slightly more than half have sought treatment.

In addition, researchers found about 19 percent of returning service members report that they experienced a possible traumatic brain injury while deployed, with 7 percent reporting both a probable brain injury and current PTSD or major depression. [...]

Researchers concluded that a major national effort is needed to expand and improve the capacity of the mental health system to provide effective care to service members and veterans. The effort must include the military, veteran and civilian health care systems, and should focus on training more providers to use high-quality, evidence-based treatment methods and encouraging service members and veterans to seek needed care.

Since October 2001, about 1.6 million U.S. troops have deployed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with many exposed to prolonged periods of combat-related stress or traumatic events. Early evidence suggests that the psychological toll of the deployments may be disproportionately high compared with physical injuries.

Furthermore, PTSD impacts female servicemembers - who are at an increased risk of experiencing sexual assault while in the military - at a greater rate than their male counterparts:

About one out of seven female veterans of Afghanistan or Iraq who visit a Veterans Affairs center for medical care report being a victim of sexual assault or harassment during military duty, a study reports today.

More than half of these women have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A similar proportion of male veterans with sexual traumas have PTSD, but fewer than one out of 100 men who had recent deployments say they were harassed or sexually assaulted in the military, the report says.

Of course, physical injuries are prevalent as well; according to DOD statistics, 32,977 troops have thus far been injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Furthermore,

As of August 1, 2008, DOD reported 1,214 individuals who are amputees, of whom 877 have suffered major limb amputations. Of the 1,214 total amputees, 606 (49.9%) were wounded by improvised explosive devices. [...]

As of July 2008, DOD reported a total of 8,089 servicemembers suffering from traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs. Of those, 5,792 (71.6%) sustained their injuries due to a blast, 916 (11.3%) sustained their injuries due to a fall, 495 (6.1%) sustained their injuries due to a vehicular incident, 401 (5.0%) sustained their injuries due to fragments, 190 (2.3%) sustained their injuries due to a bullet, and 295 (or 3.6%) sustained their injuries due to other causes. Of the 5,852 cases of TBI in the Army, 5,150 (88.0%) were counted as mild, 350 (6.0%) were counted as moderate, and 349 (6.0%) were counted as “severe” (an additional 3 cases were not recorded).

Contact President-elect Obama and VP-elect Biden, as well as your incoming and/or returning Congressional reps, and urge them to provide increased funding and improved care and outreach for our veterans. Also, encourage them to focus on the the issue of rape and sexual assault in the military, which disproportionately affects our nation’s female servicemembers.

- Contact President Obama here, here and here.

- Contact VP Biden here.

- Find your Senators and Representative here.

4. In the meantime, make a donation to help care for injured veterans.

Some suggestions:

- The Fisher House: “Supporting America’s military in their time of need, we provide “a home away from home” that enables family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful time — during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury.”

- Yellow Ribbon Fund: “The Yellow Ribbon Fund was created in early 2005 to assist our injured service members and their families while they recuperate at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center.”

- Wounded Warrior Project: “The mission of the Wounded Warrior Project is to honor and empower wounded warriors.”

- Disabled American Veterans: “With more than 1.4 million members, Disabled American Veterans is an organization of disabled veterans who are focused on building better lives for disabled veterans and their families. The organization accomplishes this goal by providing free assistance to veterans in obtaining benefits and services earned through their military service. It is fully funded through its membership dues and public contributions. It is not a government agency and receives no government funds.”

- The Blinded Veterans Association: “The Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) is an organization of blinded veterans helping blinded veterans. Through our service programs, regional groups, resources, and advocacy before the legislative and executive branches of government, we hope to make life better for blinded veterans. We also hope to be there with encouragement and support. There is no charge for any BVA service and membership is not a prerequisite to obtain help. All legally blinded veterans are also eligible for BVA’s assistance whether they become blind during or after active duty military service.”

Visit the DOD’s Military Homefront for additional “Community Support Links.”

Of course, be sure to consult Charity Navigator to evaluate and compare nonprofits before making a donation.

5. Health care professionals, volunteer your services to help injured veterans recover.

On Memorial Day, the AP reported on “donated mental health services” to troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan:

Thousands of private counselors are offering free services to troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health problems, jumping in to help because the military is short on therapists. [...]

There are only 1,431 mental health professionals among the nation’s 1.4 million active-duty military personnel, said Terry Jones, a Pentagon spokesman on health issues.

About 20,000 more full- and part-time professionals provide health care services for the Veterans Administration and the Pentagon. They include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, social workers and substance abuse counselors. [...]

About 300,000 of those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are estimated to have anxiety or post-traumatic stress, a recent private study said. Add in spouses left home to manage families and households without their partner as well as children deprived of parents during long or repeated tours of duty, and the number with problems balloons to 1 million.

If you’d like to volunteer your services, contact Give An Hour, The Soldiers Project, or The Coming Home Project.

These programs accept monetary donations as well.

6. Hire an (injured) veteran.

If you are a small business owner, or are in the position to influence your company’s hiring decisions, please consider employing an injured veteran - or a veteran, period.

Start at Hire Vets First, a “comprehensive career website for hiring veterans of America’s military. Whether you’re a manager, human resources specialist, or veteran, you’ll find the resources you need for matching employment opportunities with veterans.”

Remember, injuries can be both physical and psychological.

7. Bring the troops home - with their furry friends.

While stationed overseas, troops may befriend and unofficially “adopt” local stray animals, including cats and dogs. When their tours are over and it’s time to return home, the military is unable and unwilling to assist in the transport of these animals back to the states. Whereas the importance of the human-animal bond is recognized by mental health professionals, and can even prove healing to those with mental and physical health issues, being forced to abandon a beloved companion - in the middle of a war zone, nonetheless - can prove traumatic for already-traumatized servicemembers.

Luckily, Operation Baghdad Pups is trying to fill the gaps in our governments’ misguided policy:

Operation Baghdad Pups assists in transporting to the United States dogs and cats adopted by soldiers serving overseas.

In many cases, the pets become not only camp mascots, but provide comfort and companionship while the soldiers are far from home, says SPCA spokeswoman Stephanie Scroggs.

Ms. Crisp (left) greets Kujo, a dog rescued by an American soldier in Iraq. A cat named Jasmine (above) is also among new arrivals at Dulles.

Technically, military regulations bar soldiers from caring for animals found while on active duty overseas. However, humanity sometimes trumps rules when a soggy and homeless animal needs care.

“We started the program earlier this year when we heard from a soldier who had tried everything to bring the unit mascot, Charlie, home with him,” she says. “The military will not bring animals to the States.”

Charlie, who was once malnourished and flea-ridden, now lives near Fort Bragg, N.C., with that solider, Sgt. Edward Watson of the Army’s 82nd Airborne. The border collie arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport on Valentine’s Day.

“Leaving him behind was not something I was looking forward to,” Sgt. Watson says from North Carolina as Charlie barks at a neighbor cutting the grass. “This program is definitely an awesome thing.” [...]

There is strict criteria: The animals must have a home to go to in the United States, and they need to have been adopted by soldiers who have taken care of them from a young age, Ms. Scroggs says.

“We do not hope to be animal control for the Middle East,” she says. “We are helping American soldiers by bringing home the animals they love.”

You can learn more and donate to Operation Baghdad Pups - a project of the SPCA - here.

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