Category Archives: PTSD

Transitionnews 12/11/13

Posted by Mike Grice on

Transitionnews for Wednesday, December 11th 2013:

Good news story of the day

‘Roof-raising party’ benefits veterans store in Ansonia  (New Haven Register)  An organization that helps veterans got some much-needed help of its own Saturday when volunteers replaced a roof on its thrift store.

Transition

Career transition program expands to cover spouses  (Stars and Stripes)  Spouses of troops and veterans are now eligible for courses through the Veterans Career Transition Program, a host of online courses designed to boost job seekers’ resumes.

US representative meets with student-veterans about easing transition from military  (The Daily Californian)  Rep. Jackie Speier, a Democrat from California’s 14th district, discussed ways to ease the transition for former service members into civilian life during a meeting with UC Berkeley student-veterans Monday.

Businesses Step Up Efforts to Hire Veterans  (Military.com)  It took Francisco “Frank” Miranda, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, about three years to find a job in the civilian world that was a good fit. Since August, Miranda has been working at Home Depot in Totowa, N.J., where he and two fellow vet employees refer to each other by their former military ranks.

Veterans

Could Community Service Be the Answer for Veterans Looking to Treat PTSD?  (The Pacific Standard)  Thousands of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder rely on the Department of Veterans Affairs for relief. They might be better served, however, if they tapped the hard-won wisdom of incarcerated Vietnam veteran Michael “Doc” Piper.

Reinventing Michael Banks: A Lesson in Empathy – recruitDC Guest Post  (RecruitDC.org)  Many veterans on the job hunt get frustrated because they feel like potential employers don’t understand or appreciate their experiences.

NM orders halt to investment scheme involving vet benefits  (Albuquerque Journal) The state Regulation and Licensing Department’s Securities Division said Tuesday it has ordered two investment companies involved in the illegal purchase of monthly pensions and disability payments from veterans and resale of them as investments to halt the scheme immediately.

Veterans, soldiers learn show biz with ABC  (Army Times)  Five Army veterans and current soldiers got the chance to write, direct and produce their own films for ABC television during the network’s November and December “Home for the Holidays” campaign — an initiative that encourages supporting and hiring veterans.

Veterans’ Law Attorney with Hook Law Center Explains Rules For Early And Delayed Social Security Benefits Claims  (Law Firm Newswire)  A recent survey indicates many U.S. veterans are uninformed about the advantages and disadvantages of delaying or hastening the start of their Social Security benefits.

Veterans Affairs

Hagan repeats call for action on VA backlog  (Winston-Salem Journal)  Sen. Kay Hagan on Tuesday again asked Eric Shinseki, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, to reduce an enormous backlog of appeals made by veterans in North Carolina and the U.S. on claims for disability compensation.

Legionnaires’ bacteria found at Texas VA hospital  (Stars and Stripes)  Officials say water sources at more than three buildings at a Central Texas veterans hospital have tested positive for legionella, a

Benefits

Retirees pushed off Tricare Prime may be allowed back in  (Army Times)  More than 171,000 military retirees and family members booted from Tricare Prime on Oct. 1 when the Defense Department cut coverage areas for its managed health program could get their old health plans back under the compromise 2014 defense bill under consideration in the House and Senate.

Path To Reclaiming Identity Steep For Vets With ‘Bad Paper’  (NPR)  When Michael Hartnett was getting kicked out of the U.S. Marine Corps, he was too deep into post-traumatic stress disorder, drugs and alcohol to care as his battalion commander explained to the young man that his career was ending, and ending badly.

Gay Dallas couple faces veterans home loan problems  (Military Times)  Just days away from closing on a new house, a Dallas couple has discovered the Veterans Affairs Department won’t guarantee their new home loan because it doesn’t count the income of a non-veteran spouse for same-sex married couples in states that don’t recognize such marriages.

Budget deal would reduce COLAs for some military retirees  (Military Times)  A bipartisan budget deal to avoid another government shutdown and reduce the impact of sequestration over the next two years includes thorns for working-age retirees.

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Transitionnews 12/10/13

Posted by Mike Grice on

Transitionnews for Tuesday, December 10th 2013:

Good news of the day

Students bring holiday show to veterans  (Orange County Register)  Students from Corona del Mar Middle School took their show on the road Thursday, putting on a holiday performance for veterans at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Long Beach.

Transition

Group helps Volusia veterans readjust to civilian life  (The Daytona Beach News-Journal)  After returning from his second “brutal” deployment to Iraq, Bobby Colella found himself teaching ROTC cadets at the University of Central Florida in Orlando who were just starting their military careers as he was preparing for retirement after 21 years in the Army infantry.

Florida Tech to Host Informational Webinar on Military Benefits  (The Business Journals)  U.S. News & World Report-ranked Florida Tech recently announced it will be hosting a webinar for military personnel and veterans on December 11, 2013.

Nonprofit Helps Veterans Learn Farming  (AARP.com)  American farmers are getting older, with an average age of 57 — and climbing. Farmers 65 and older are the fastest-growing group. At the same time, military veterans returning home face a 7.7 percent unemployment rate and a host of challenges as they negotiate the often-difficult transition to working and living outside of the armed forces.

Marcademys New Scholarship Program Helps U.S. Veterans, National Guard and Reserves Learn Internet Marketing and Land Jobs  (ITBusinessnet.com)  Marcademy, Inc. announced that it is accepting applications for its 2014 class of Marcademy Fellows.

Veterans

Military Invasion! Veterans As a Part of Your Multicultural Advertising Mix?  (The Huffington Post)  25 million Americans have served in the U.S. armed forces, and you just need to look online or watch TV to see how advertisers are increasingly pursuing them.

Paralyzed Veterans of America Launches National Vehicle Donation Program  (Business Wire)  Paralyzed Veterans of America, a non-profit organization working to serve the needs and challenges faced by American veterans with disabilities and their families, today announced the national launch of its vehicle donation program, Wheels Helping Warriors.

Yeshiva students honor local veterans  (Jewish Journal)  Marv Levine, 77, is the chairman of the Men’s Club at the Forest Trace Luxury Resort Senior Community in Lauderhill, where he is a resident. He also is a veteran of the Korean War.

One Thousand Job Seekers Attend Congressman Garamendi’s Job Fair, Veterans Hiring Program Unveiled  (InsuranceNewsnet.com)  Reflecting the continued struggles of far too many Americans in search of work, the Solano County Job Fair and Jobs Boot Camp hosted today by Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA) was exceedingly well-attended. 971 jobseekers, including 146 veterans, talked with more than 50 employers, labor unions, and job skills organizations and two dozen resume counselors.

Cintas Awarded Outstanding Veteran Employer Award  (BusinessWire)  Cintas Corporation today announced its Maumelle, Little Rock and Searcy, Ark. facilities have received the Outstanding Veteran Employer Award from ARVets, an organization that provides support and resources for military personnel, veterans and their families.

Veterans Affairs

VA Offers New Dental Insurance Program  (ABC10up.com)  The Department of Veterans Affairs is now offering dental insurance at reduced premiums for Veterans enrolled in VA health care as well as beneficiaries of VA’s Civilian Health and Medical Program (CHAMPVA).

Veterans bonus deadline approaching  (TheVWIndependent.com)  Just a reminder that Ohio veterans who served during the time of the Persian Gulf War have until December 31 to apply for the Ohio Veterans Bonus and receive a “thank you” for their service awarded by Ohio’s citizens.

Effort to clear national backlog of veterans benefits claims makes things worse in Minnesota  (StarTribune)  An effort to clear a national backlog of veterans benefits claims is making things worse in Minnesota.

PTSD rates similar among defense contractors and veterans, report says  (The Washington Post)  Federal contractors who worked in war zones reported post-traumatic stress disorder and depression at rates similar to military personnel in a recent survey by the RAND Corporation.

Benefits

Feds: Woman pocketed dead brother’s VA benefits  (WFTV.com)  While thousands of veterans wait for their backlogged benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, one Orange County woman who has never served watched her bank account grow for years.

VA Loan Benefits Explained In A New Loan Love Guide   (StreetInsider.com)  LoanLove.com is a home loan borrower advice website that provides in-depth information in and easy to understand, concise and even entertaining way that both new borrowers and experienced home owners can benefit from.

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The tragic loss of a great friend to all veterans: A Goodbye to James Gandolfini

Posted by Mike Grice on

Yesterday, in Rome, a great friend and supporter of the military and of veterans passed away.  James Gandolfini, the iconic actor who redefined the mafioso in cinema and popular culture, died of an apparent heart attack while visiting Italy.

Gandolfini, whose acting performances brought him into the top tier of the industry, was so much more than “just” a brilliantly talented actor.  He was also a compassionate and driven man who cared deeply for the members of the armed services who were fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the veterans who rejoined society after hanging up their body armor and combat boots.

His contributions to the military are too numerous to recount here, but there are two of his passionate endeavors that have resonated with me personally.

As an actor, he has been at the top of his game for over a decade.  The roles that he has played and the movies that he has made took a level of dedication and passion and professionalism that would have left a lesser man unable to look past his own career.  Fortunately for me and for all who have served, however, he leveraged the professional capital that he had earned and selflessly gave back to those who were wearing the cloth of the nation.

He used his talents to produce two incredibly powerful documentaries, both of which I found to be moving and staggeringly relevant in a time of seemingly ceaseless war.

In 2007 he produced the documentary “Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq” in which he told the story of soldiers and Marines who were severely wounded and disabled during their tours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  It was not a feel good driveby piece of pseudo-journalism, but instead a heartfelt and heartwrending journey with veterans who had come within an Angel’s breath of dying, yet survived the traumatic violence that robbed them of limbs and, for many of them, hope.  Gandolfini took everyone brave enough to watch inside the lives of those who paid the price of freedom with their arms and legs, and will continue to pay it for the rest of their days.  He pulled back the curtain and showed the tragic realities of war in such impactfully human terms that it brought the cost of war home in an undeniably compelling and emotional way.

Later, in 2010, he produced another powerful documentary about the unseen wounds that affect those who fight in war.  “Wartorn: 1861-2010” drew back the curtain on a different and equally debilitating price that veterans face: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Gandolfini provided a glimpse into the psychological damage that is wrought by war on those who fight it from the Civil War to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  As with “Alive Day”, the documentary makes the audience not just view the subject, but to feel it in a way that is unforgettable.

Yesterday, June 19th, 2013 was a day like any other except that on that day a great friend to anyone who has ever sworn an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States was taken from the surly bonds of earth.  Although he is no longer with us in body, his spirit joins the likes of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby and other giants of entertainment who embraced the military even though they didn’t have to.

He will certainly join the likes of Hope and Crosby on the other side of the Pearly Gates, for as anyone who has ever heard the words to The Marines Hymn knows the gates of heaven are guarded by the United States Marines.

And they always open the way for one of their own.

Semper Fidelis James Gandolfini.  You will be missed.