VA
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 [...]
Transitioning Out? Some Things To Consider When Leaving Active Duty.
Somehow, while managing to finish a rough draft of my second book, get the kids to/from school, and catch some of the nice south swell hitting San Diego, I stole time away from my normal duties to write this article for ExpertBeacon.com. If you are getting out of the military and trying to figure out what to do next, this article has some good information for you. Leaving active duty is much more than a simple economic transition from one source of income to another. It is a life-transition that will impact your physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. Do yourself [...]
What’s A “Vet Center?”
My last combat tour was in 2004 and I just recently went to talk to a counsellor at my local Vet Center. Why did it take me nine years to do this? Mostly because I didn't know anything about the Vet Centers. I envisioned the Veterans Administration as a monolithic organization that sucks you in and sticks pills down your throat as soon as you walk in the door. There was no way I was going to put myself in that position. This post is designed to shed some light on the misperceptions I had about the VA, specifically the [...]
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