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Practical Tips for Caregivers Jan 14, 2014

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Cultivate predictability in your life without compromising flexibility. In simpler terms, decided to become proactive instead of reactive in all areas of your life. Torrey Shannon: Blogger, writer, speaker, veteran's advocate and full-time caregiver and spouse of a wounded warrior. Torrey Shannon is a blogger and writer, speaker, veteran's advocate and Mom to three children, one of which is an honorably discharged veteran. She is also a full-time caregiver and spouse of a wounded warrior. Her husband, SSG John Daniel Shannon, survived a gunshot wound to the head in a gunfight in Iraq in 2004. He served in the Army for more than 23 years and was medically retired in 2009. They spent three years of his recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and became the central figures behind exposing the Walter Reed Scandal in 2007. In addition to multiple physical injuries, her husband is most affected by severe PTSD and a traumatic brain injury. Dealing with the invisible wounds of war first-hand allows Torrey to bring a human element to the problems our military communities face. She serves at a leadership level for many nonprofits across the nation and is proud to work with Senator Elizabeth Dole at the Dole Foundation's Caring for Military Families program. When she finds time, she freelances for a variety media outlets and is currently writing a book. She and her family live in a remote location in the Colorado Rockies. You can learn more about her work and life by visiting her blog at TorreyShannon.com

Hot points about 2013 shows Jan 07, 2014

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Claims, Employment, Education and changes Lt. Col Wilbert B. Forbes, Former Deputy Secretary for the Veterans Administration, Maryland He is a Past Department Commander of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) for the State of Maryland Former Deputy Secretary for the Veterans Administration, Maryland. Prior to this appointment, he was a Contract/Consultant Investigator conducting security background investigations for applicants seeking security clearances for positions of trust and responsibility in various agencies in the federal government. Mr. Forbes is very supportive of matters recognizing the service and sacrifices of veterans. He is a Past Department Commander of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) for the State of Maryland and has served as the Sixth District National Executive Committee Alternate, representing the DAV Departments of Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. During his tenure with the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs, Deputy Secretary Forbes continues to be a dedicated advocate for veterans and their families. He has been involved in a number of instances whereby assistance and help has been provided to those who were in need. His involvement with homeless veterans on the state’s Eastern Shore has resulted in the establishment of a veterans’ service center which bears his name Forbes Hall Veterans Education and Training Center, Salisbury, Maryland. Most recently, Deputy Secretary Forbes was honored by the African American Patriots Consortium, Inc., and was awarded the Paul L. Thompson Humanitarian Medal for his unyielding commitment to veterans as an innovative leader who has made Maryland the model for service delivery to veterans and truly represents the legacy of Paul. Thompson. He is the recipient of the Department of the District of Columbia, American Veterans’ (AMVETS) Americanism Award for his patriotism and service within the veterans’ community. Recently, for the school year 2011-12, he was inducted into Morgan State University’s ROTC Bear Battalion Hall of Fame recognizing his services to ROTC Alumni Chapter and the veteran community. As a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel, with combat service in Vietnam (1967-68), he received numerous awards during his military service, including the Combat Infantryman’s Badge. As a public servant he retired from the US Department of Labor, where he managed a national investigative program.

Hope for the New Year: Challenges, Progress, and Hope Dec 31, 2013

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What mental health challenges lay ahead for American Warriors in 2014? What progress has been made this year to help American Warriors? How can we create more hope among Warriors and families? Dr. Mary Bartlett is a licensed professional counselor, and serves as an independent behavioral health consultant on resilience, risk reduction, and suicide prevention. With a doctorate in Counselor Education from Auburn University, her professional credentials include certification as a national counselor, a certified Alabama counseling supervisor, a certified family life educator, and a military family life consultant. She is an authorized trainer for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center and the American Association of Suicidology, is a qualified master resilience trainer, and speaks internationally on suicide prevention, resilience, leadership, and various mental health related topics. Dr. Bartlett is currently involved in research on the correlation between eating disorders, self-harm, and suicide with Dr. Thomas Joiner, a leader in the field of suicide research, and his research team at Florida State University concurrently with Dr. Tracy Witte at Auburn University. She serves Department of Defense leadership on suicide and resilience-related matters and works closely with the Air National Guard Bureau in Washington, DC; formerly, she served on the Army National Guard Resilience, Risk Reduction, and Suicide Prevention Council and the Air Force Resilience Programming and Development Working Group. Dr. Bartlett is a board member of the Alabama chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and serves as a member of the Alabama Suicide Prevention and Resource Coalition and on the ethics committee for the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals. Dr. Bartlett is passionate in her commitment to prevent suicide and advocate for those who have been touched by suicide. She travels to lecture and provide support services to a wide range of organizations, hails from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is married to a retired military member who served for twenty-five years on active duty.

Coping with the Holidays Dec 24, 2013

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For a veteran with mental health concerns, a big part of navigating the holiday season is about being honest with yourself and open with your family: setting realistic goals; helping people understand what you're up for and what's just too much. Dr. Dee Rajska is a clinical and rehabilitation psychologist. The focus of her clinical practice is on treatment of trauma. She has worked with survivors of childhood abuse, physical and sexual assaults, serious motor vehicle accidents, as well as workplace injuries and assaults. Her professional activities in her private practice are focused on treating service-related trauma in veterans, currently serving members of the Canadian Forces, as well as law enforcement professionals and first responders. She believes that those who have put their lives on the line to serve their country or community deserve to be treated with the utmost compassion, dignity, respect, and gratitude. Serving those who have served includes striving to continually educate herself to provide the very best possible care to my patients. In addition to her clinical work, she also writes Coming Back Home, a blog about PTSD for veterans, currently serving members of the military and their families. The goal of the blog is to provide easy-to-understand information about the biology behind PTSD, as well as to provide support to those with service-related PTSD and their families. You can find the blog at: http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/comingbackhome/

POS-REP: A Mobile, GPS-based Social Network for the Veteran Community Dec 17, 2013

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POS REP is a mobile, proximity-based social network made expressly for the military veteran community. Short for Position Report, POS REP connects veterans who served together but more importantly allows veterans to discover peers and resources in their communities. Anthony Allman is the CEO & Co-Founder of POS REP. Since his Honorable Discharge from the Army in 2003, Anthony has worked as a veterans advocate with such organizations as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Student Veterans of America, Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) and Team Rubicon. In 2010, Anthony transitioned into the tech sector where he worked for Google's first Value Added Reseller of Google Apps, a cloud-based productivity suite. Anthony also founded Cloud Corpsman, a 2011 VA Innovation Industry Award finalist, which developed a direct import tool for VA's Blue Button Initiative and Google Health.

EBV & EBV-Family: Entrepreneurship for Vets & Family Dec 10, 2013

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Jeremy Williams, Principal & Managing Partner of Hashmark Strategies, LLC™ Jared Lyon, The National Program Manager For The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp For Veterans With Disabilities (EBV) The impact of effective leadership along with how the IVMF leverages higher education to design, develop and deliver world-class educational programs for veterans, their families and community stakeholders.

Leadership Lessons Dec 03, 2013

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Through his journey of courage, injury, resilience and triumph, Justin demonstrates that we are all stronger than we think we are. His personal story of recovery and success is a testament to the power of the human spirit, and the message he shares applies to all members of the audience. All will leave inspired to attack any difficulties in their own lives, and will search out opportunities to excel at work and at home. Lieutenant Colonel Justin Constantine: Inspirational Speaker, Lawyer, entrepreneur, published author and member of the National Speaker’s Association. Justin is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps with 16 years of active and reserve service. He volunteered for his deployment to Iraq in 2006, excited to lead other Marines and help rebuild that war-torn part of the world. While on a routine combat patrol, an enemy sniper shot Justin in the head, causing catastrophic damage, destroying his jaws and much of his face. Thanks to the heroic efforts of a young Navy Corpsman, and his own warrior spirit, Justin is still alive today. Since his injury,Justin has continued to lead from the front and serve as a role model to other Wounded Warriors. Justin's personal awards include the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.

Vet Jobs - The Value of Hiring a Vet Nov 26, 2013

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VetJobs.com, Inc. (dba VetJobs) is owned and operated by veterans and headquartered in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta. VetJobs is the premiere military related job board on the Internet. The VetJobs website connects transitioning military personnel, veterans and their family members with organizations who are searching for highly trained, reliable and mission-oriented employees. TED DAYWALT: President of the Veterans of Foreign Wars sponsored VetJobs the premier military employment site on the Internet. Since 1999 Ted Daywalt has been president of the Veterans of Foreign Wars sponsored VetJobs (www.vetjobs.com), the premier military employment site on the Internet. From 1971 to 1978 he served on active duty in the Navy as a line officer and intelligence officer, then transferred to the Naval Reserve Intelligence Program, from which he retired as a Captain (O-6) with 28 years of service. Ted has held executive positions in the steel, electric utility, importing, chemical and recruiting industries. Ted is an in demand speaker and is regularly cited and interviewed in the press, including USA Today, 60 Minutes, Military Times, PBS, NPR, CNN, and FOX News. Ted testifies regularly before Congress on veterans and economic issues. Ted is recognized as the leading subject matter expert regarding veteran employment issues. Ted earned a BS from Florida State University (1971); an MA, International Relations, University of Southern California (1977); and an MBA from the Goizueta Business School, Emory University (1980).

Female Veterans: Military Sexual Trauma & Combat Roles Nov 19, 2013

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Since 2002 I had closely followed the actions of women throughout the war and it quickly became apparent that women were doing things they had never done before. Women like Kayla were successfully serving as imbedded members of combat units in Iraq and Afghanistan. They were being used in ways that clearly violated the intent of the combat exclusion policy. Kayla Williams is a former sergeant and Arabic linguist in a Military Intelligence company of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Ellen Haring is a colonel in the US Army reserves. She is a senior fellow with Women in International Security where she directs the Combat Integration Initiative project.

Shining light on Brain Injury Nov 12, 2013

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Family Program Position providing support and outreach for Alaska Air National Guard Gretchen Nealy Haney Gretchen moved to Anchorage, Alaska in 2000, shortly after she began her career working in the support services. Gretchen volunteered her time with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) which led to a full time career with the ADA. Years later Gretchen was asked to manage the Family Program Position providing support and outreach for Alaska Air National Guard and continued working in the Military Member and Family Support Services for over 8 years at the Headquarters Level. Gretchen brought change and created a working relationship between the military services and the community allowing a partnership and transition for military and family members. She has also assisted in the creation of Memorandum of Understandings, policy letters and guidance and excelled in unit and leadership training for the air and army guard locally and nationally, in addition to providing services to the Air/Army/Marine and Navy Reserve. Gretchen’s community outreach created recognition of issues surrounding victims of sexual assault and the National Guard. As the Program Manager for the Transition Assistance for the military, Gretchen helped in providing a link and resources for the Alaska Brain Injury Network from 2007-2008.

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