David Philipps

The pounding that sailors’ brains take from years of high-speed wave-slamming in the Special Boat Teams can cause symptoms that wreck their careers — and their lives.

For individual veterans, private care could mean shorter waits, more choices and fewer requirements for co-pays. But critics say the current veterans’ health care system could be starved of resources.

The Army has sought to play down the significance of the mixed-gender milestone. But female grunts see it as monumental and revolutionary.