how to help veterans
Continuing Actions Chapter 2
DEADLY MISCONCEPTIONS MECHANICAL ADJUSTMENTS are easy. If a pistol-shooter consistently hits low on the target, it’s more than likely they’re anticipating the shot. A good pistol coach can break that bad habit and have them drilling the bull’s-eye in short order. The same cannot be said for mental adjustments. Mental adjustments cannot be externally imposed—they have to come from within. In order for us to change how we perceive the world, we need some motivation, some personal understanding of why the adjustment is necessary. Years of inertia must be overcome before most people will even listen to a different viewpoint, [...]
Continuing Actions Chapter 1
NONE OF THIS IS NEW A FEW YEARS BEFORE the invasion of Iraq, Mongo (his mom didn’t name him that; we—his friends—did) was flying a Cobra helicopter with a senior officer from our squadron. Crossing a huge desert training range, they heard the electronic beeping of an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) coming through their radios. Knowing a stricken aircraft must be nearby, they began searching and soon spotted smoke rising above the desert scrub. Not far away from the blackened remains of the jet, they saw the pilot, still strapped in his ejection seat and not moving. After landing the [...]
Mmm, crow–yum.
A fellow Marine called me to the carpet about my last blog entry. Specifically, she confronted me--professionally and privately--about several assertions I made about the effectiveness of the #22KILL campaign in accomplishing its goal of raising awareness about veteran suicide. More than that, though, she pointed out that I'd denigrated a group that was trying to do its best to address a problem in order to promote my own work. Ouch. That stung. Mostly because it was true and I hadn't thought about it that way. Truth is, addressing veteran suicide is a daunting task that requires passionate people [...]
How to address veteran suicide–other than filming ourselves doing pushups, I mean.
I've done the 22 pushups-thing. Other than giving my giant mutt unfettered access to thoroughly tongue my ears, I can't say they accomplished much. That's not completely true--my ears are sparkly clean--but that wasn't the point. The short videos were supposed to help raise awareness that an alarming number of veterans are choosing to take their own lives. I don't know who started the whole campaign but I think it has, thankfully, run its course. Veteran suicide, on the other hand, hasn't gone away. Funny thing, that. Letting folks know about the problem is one thing. Addressing it [...]
Marketing Strategy: Reviews
You are probably saying "What? Why's Dan writing about his marketing strategy on his blog about coming home from war?" Well, because it involves you, that's why. As you probably know, I've just published my second book, Continuing Actions. Now that the book is available on amazon.com, my efforts shift from production to marketing. Hence, this post. The most valuable marketing tool available to a self-published author are the reviews posted on the book's amazon.com product page. These reviews allow potential readers to see what other readers, just like them, thought about the book. The best reviews give a little background [...]
How To Help The Veteran In Your Life
I was getting the kids ready for bed last night when the phone rang. I almost didn’t answer--I didn’t recognize the number, the kids were rebelling like only 3 and 5 year-olds can, and I could feel the chances of getting to bed at a reasonable hour slipping away. As one pants-less monkey jetted down the hall--chased by another with only a spiderman mask on--I answered anyway. I’m really glad I did. On the other end of the line was a Marine I’ve never met--let’s call him Tim. Tim had just finished After Action and found that the experiences I wrote [...]
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