Wearing noise-canceling headphones, designating a safe space at home, and practicing deep breathing are some of the tips for easing anxiety that some people experience from fireworks. Shown here is a fireworks show at Naval Support Activity Panama City on June 26, 2026. (Zachary Harris/U.S. Navy)
For some military members and veterans, July Fourth can be triggering rather than celebratory.
“Sudden loud booms, bright flashes and crowded spaces can heighten anxiety” for individuals with anxiety, said Josette Sullins, chief executive officer of dēhp Therapeutic, which offers treatment for trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse.
Sullins recommends small gatherings instead of larger public celebrations with crowds and fireworks.
Roger Rivera, a veteran and psychiatric nurse practitioner, echoes those comments.
Rivera, who researches PTSD at the University of Florida, says that explosions and light flashes from fireworks can trigger “fight or flight” responses. He also provides practical tips for lowering stress and easing symptoms:
Use noise-canceling headphones, earplugs or white noise machines that muffle sound.
Deep breathing exercises are helpful for people attending fireworks displays, whether with family or in public spaces.
Practice the “5-4-3-2-1 method,” which is to identify five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste,” to distract from anxiety-provoking noise.
For veterans and military members who choose to stay home, Rivera advises creating a quiet, safe space. Private spaces also can calm dogs, which many veterans have as companions and service animals.
The best havens for animals are away from windows, inside covered crates or in darkened interior rooms, according to PetMD. Fans, white noise machines and even noise-canceling headphones can help canine companions.
Rivera advises veterans to continue to take their regular prescription medication as directed and keep a normal routine as much as possible.
Sullins and Rivera urge individuals in crisis to contact the 24-hour hotline for veterans — 988, then press 1 — for immediate help.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, addresses a crowd at the groundbreaking of a veterans cemetery in Interior Alaska. The cemetery will be located in an unincorporated community near Eielson Air Force Base. (Dana Rosso/Army National Guard)
Veterans, their families, and local and state leaders attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the Interior Alaska Veterans Cemetery, which will serve as the northernmost veterans cemetery in the nation. (Dana Rosso/Army National Guard)
Groundbreaking recently took place for the Interior Alaska Veterans Cemetery, which will become the nation’s northernmost veterans cemetery when completed.
The cemetery will be in Salcha, south of Fairbanks near Eielson Air Force Base, and accommodate up to 12,000 veterans and eligible family members, according to the Alaska Office of Veterans Affairs.
Construction is expected to be completed in 2027, and burials will begin in the spring of 2028.
Developing the cemetery ensures that veterans of Interior Alaska have a final resting place close to home, said Verdie Bowen, who directs the Alaska Office of Veterans Affairs.
The cemetery will grant the same burial benefits for families as national veterans cemeteries, which include military funeral honors, interment and flag presentation ceremonies, officials said.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, spoke at the groundbreaking, attended by veterans, their families and local and state officials.
“When the people of this part of our state see an opportunity or a challenge that relates to our veterans and our military, the whole community puts its shoulder into it,” Sullivan said.
Weight-loss drugs are now covered for Tricare recipients overseas, according to Tricare. Air Force airmen are shown working at the 18th Wing medical building pharmacy on Kadena Air Base, Japan. (Karina Lopez/U.S. Air Force)
Coverage for popular weight-loss drugs, including Wegovy and Zepbound, is now available by prescription to eligible Tricare recipients living overseas.
“Tricare is expanding access to GLP-1 medications for beneficiaries living overseas,” said Richard Ruck, a physician and chief medical officer with Tricare Health Plan at the Defense Health Agency. “This coverage ensures that service members and their family members can get the same quality obesity management care abroad that they would receive in the U.S.”
To qualify, patients must meet criteria that include a diagnosis of obesity and a qualifying health care exam, as well as reside in a country where the drug is available.
The following Tricare plans now offer coverage: Prime Overseas, Prime Remote Overseas, Select Overseas, Reserve Select, Retired Reserve and Young Select.
Former Army Sgt. 1st Class Jorge Otero Barreto, who helped save fellow soldiers during intense fighting in 1968, was nominated posthumously for the Medal of Honor. Rep. Pablo Jose Hernandez of Puerto Rico, front, nominated Otero Barreto. (The office of Rep. Pablo Jose Hernandez)
Jorge Otero Barreto in Vietnam. (101st Airborne Division)
The first Puerto Rican graduate of Army Assault School, who participated in more than 200 combat and aerial missions in the Vietnam War, has been nominated posthumously for the Medal of Honor.
Sgt. 1st Class Jorge Otero Barreto, who helped save fellow soldiers during intense fighting in 1968, was nominated for the nation’s highest military decoration.
Rep. Pablo Jose Hernandez, a Democrat representing Puerto Rico, submitted the “Sergeant First Class Jorge Otero Barreto Medal of Honor Act.”
It authorizes the president to bestow the honor on Otero Barreto, who died in 2024. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., is a co-sponsor.
“On May 1, 1968, during Operation Carentan II near Hue, [Otero Barreto’s] platoon came under a fierce attack by North Vietnamese forces. In the middle of the assault, Otero Barreto neutralized a fortified enemy machine gun position and led his squad in clearing three additional bunkers, helping save the lives of his fellow soldiers,” according to a statement from Hernandez.
Otero Barreto, who served five tours of duty from 1959 to 1970, earned 38 military decorations, including two Silver Stars, five Bronze Star Medals with “V” Device for valor and five Purple Hearts.
The Doughboy Foundation is inviting the public to listen and watch taps sounded on July Fourth at the National World War I Memorial.
Visitors to the nation’s Capital can watch in person, as a bugler dressed in a replica uniform plays taps at 5 p.m. EDT. The live performance can also be viewed online on YouTube.
“Taps at the National World War I Memorial is sounded to honor all veterans who served the United States of America in uniform throughout our nation’s first 250 years, and all those who continue to serve today,” according to the nonprofit Doughboy Foundation, which supports the taps program.
“This will be an unforgettable start to the evening’s amazing activities and displays, honoring all those whose service made the day possible,” according to the Doughboy Foundation.
The live taps ceremony takes place daily at the memorial, which is located at Pershing Park on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 14th and 15th Streets.
