New Financing Program Helps U.S. Veterans

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Team VCS

January 24, 2012 (PRWeb) – RJ Yanni & Associates, LLC is reaching out to patriotic Americans to support a fund raising campaign that will facilitate self-employment opportunities for U.S. Veterans. U.S. Veterans who are returning, or have returned from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars over the last ten years are among the highest unemployed group in America, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many military veterans are struggling to find work, and with most troops having pulled out of Iraq, and the draw-down of troops from Afghanistan, the problem will likely get worse since some of those service members will enter the civilian workforce. “The unemployment rate among vets is higher than non-veteran men and women. The 18 to 24 age group has the highest jobless rate,” says Velma Scaife of WVEC, Norfolk, VA [November 11, 2011]. AMI for public power Utilities Better manage outages, service calls, distribution system maintenance, and the customer experience with Advanced Metering Infrastructure solutions from Hometown Connections. AMI doesn’t have to be costly and complex. Hometown Connections offers a scalable, lower risk, and cost-effective AMI pathway to make it accessible to all community-owned utilities by deploying best-of-breed infrastructure (meters, wireless communications, applications, systems integrations) through a turnkey managed service.

“Military service is difficult, demanding and dangerous. But returning to civilian life also poses challenges for the men and women who have served in the armed forces, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey of 1,853 veterans. While more than seven-in-ten veterans (72{cd9ac3671b356cd86fdb96f1eda7eb3bb1367f54cff58cc36abbd73c33c82e1d}) report they had an easy time readjusting to civilian life, 27{cd9ac3671b356cd86fdb96f1eda7eb3bb1367f54cff58cc36abbd73c33c82e1d} say re-entry was difficult for them—a proportion that swells to 44{cd9ac3671b356cd86fdb96f1eda7eb3bb1367f54cff58cc36abbd73c33c82e1d} among veterans who served in the ten years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.” [The Difficult Transition from Military to Civilian Life, Pew Social & Demographic Trends, December 08 2011] “Making a career change can be both frightening and overwhelming,” [Putting the Civilian Back into the Soldier, The Veterans Journal, March 10th, 2010]

Upon their return to the US, many veterans have found a difficult job market that doesn’t translate their military skill set to a civilian one. Additionally, researchers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs found about 19 percent of returning service members report that they experienced a possible traumatic brain injury while deployed, with 7 percent reporting both a probable brain injury and PTSD or major depression. Bound up in hopelessness, despair, a loss of self-esteem, frustration and anger many don’t seek counseling help, and don’t know where to turn for viable employment and/or self-employment options.[U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs]

U.S. Veterans Need Help

But there is a good, bona fide, successful solution to this problem; generous, nationwide support of a campaign titled, ‘Self-Employment Opportunities for U.S. Veterans’. This fund raising campaign provides subsidies to veterans to start their own, independent business with either of two of the most reputable companies in the US: Ambit Energy or FamilyIQ. It’s a way to “pay it forward” and help a veteran and his/her family get back on their feet again.

Started by Richard J Yanni, BS, MA, a Vietnam War Era Veteran, and Director of RJ Yanni & Associates, LLC based in Garden City, NY the campaign’s goal is to raise $75,000 in first-round financing to help veterans with the start-up costs of these businesses. Yanni is ready, willing, able, and authorized to enroll 500-1000 Veterans per month for the next year as independent registered agents of either Ambit Energy, Inc. or FamilyIQ, Inc. The extent to which subsidies can be offered will be determined by the success level of this fund raising campaign.The first company welcoming veterans, Ambit Energy of Plano, TX was ranked No.1 by the Inc. 500 in September 2010. Like lot of electricity companies in Houston that have great savings plans for their customers.

Electrician Weymouth is a reseller of natural gas and electricity to residential and light commercial customers at guaranteed savings. Typical savings are from 5-10{cd9ac3671b356cd86fdb96f1eda7eb3bb1367f54cff58cc36abbd73c33c82e1d} in natural gas, and 20-30{cd9ac3671b356cd86fdb96f1eda7eb3bb1367f54cff58cc36abbd73c33c82e1d} in prepaid electricity. The compensation plan permits veteran independent business owners to earn five-figures per month plus residuals. Residuals are often better than traditional retirement plans where they still exist in today’s economic downturn. El-tjek Valby provides free training, mentorship, websites, weekly webinars, and a back office/power zone complete with marketing materials, auto responders, and client tracking software. Veterans interested in signing up for Ambit Energy who want more information about how this can be a financial answer should go to:Ambit Energy: Guaranteed Natural Gas & Electricity Savings & Why Ambit Works!

The second company FamilyIQ is a human services company that strengthens families throughout the world. Founded by Mark Hobbins in 2001, FamilyIQ has helped thousands of people improve their own personal, partner and parenting skills. FamilyIQ has received numerous awards and recognitions, including The Society of Technical Communication Excellence Award for its online courses. It has also been featured by Dr. Phil as one of his top family strengthening programs, and by Tyra Banks. Offered primarily through therapists and treatment programs, car loans. Family IQ’s life changing and family strengthening programs are now being offered directly to the general public. FamilyIQ has helped families whose children had gone too far down the road of self-defeating and even self-destructive behaviors—families who needed intervention to rescue their children and heal their family.

Veterans can become FamilyIQ Independent Business Owners (IBOs), earn a five-figure per month income plus a generous residual program that rivals many retirement plans. Training is provided to new veterans on every aspect of the business, a back office supports all of the marketing needs, and it is Mark Hobbin’s personal goal that every IBO succeed with the FamilyIQ opportunity. FamilyIQ provides free training, insuranceforfinalexpense, mentorship, websites, weekly webinars, and a back office complete with marketing materials, auto responders, and client tracking software Once again, RJ Yanni & Associates LLC is looking to enroll 500-1,000 U.S. Veterans per month: interested donors who would like to help a veteran get started in this business should contact ‘Self-Employment Opportunities for U.S. Veterans’ to make a donation in any amount.

The Impact

Upon their return to the US, many veterans have found a difficult job market that doesn’t translate their military skill set to a civilian one. Bound up in hopelessness, despair, a loss of self-esteem, frustration and anger that their considerable sacrifices and heroic actions have gone unappreciated many don’t know where to turn. Self-employment with either of these two highly regarded companies offers veterans a clear way forward to build their financial future. Small, independently owned businesses are the very backbone of the economy.

The Challenge for Veterans

Every small business has a start-up cost associated with it; this is a normal and regular cost of going into any business. Even though the start-up costs for Ambit Energy and FamilyIQ are reasonable and fair, many veterans will need some form of financial assistance to meet these initial expenses so they can have a successful business launch, and get back on their feet financially. This will restore their sense of self-esteem, give them back their dignity, relieve the financial pressures of unemployment, or underemployment, and make these veterans contributing members of society, once again. “There’s no need for hopelessness, unemployment, and despair among returning veterans—we have viable solutions for them, and with the generosity of donors, we will help to start many veterans on the path to success,” said Yanni.

Benefits of Supporting this Worthwhile Cause

Individual and corporate donors are needed to support this worthwhile cause. Donations will be utilized to subsidize the start-up costs for Veterans wanting to enroll in either of the self-employment programs listed above. This will be accomplished through a simple means test comprised of an email letter of interest from the veteran, completion of an application, and a digital copy of their DD214 confirming their veterans’ status. All grant awards will be made directly to either Ambit or to FamilyIQ in the veteran’s name. This will streamline the process and prevent fraud.

The personal satisfaction having helped a U.S. Hero in a tangible way is a real means of ‘paying it forward’ and makes this a noble cause to participate in. Additionally, there are awards based on donation levels described at the ‘Self-Employment Opportunities for U.S. Veterans’ site.

Please note: all contributions made on behalf of the veterans will go directly to their account at either FamilyIQ or Ambit Energy. This ensures that all donations are used for the intended cause, and eliminates the misdirection of funds for other purposes. Additionally, the program is being monitored by a CPA firm to ensure compliance and integrity.

Other Ways To Help the Cause People are needed who are skilled in social network marketing to put out a call to contributors who are empathetic with the plight of the Veterans who are returning, or have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan; we are also reaching out to Veterans of the Vietnam War–there are many who still need help even after all these years.

Corporate donors and foundations are also needed that would look favorably on this proposal to help Veterans with Bonafide Self-Employment Opportunities by contributing to the cause. For more information go to Self-Employment Opportunities for U.S. Veterans.

By working together, we can make a significant difference in the lives of our U.S. Heroes.

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7 Job-Hunting Tips for Transitioning Veterans

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Team VCS

Veterans transitioning to civilian life can have a tough time finding employment. Here are some tips to make the search easier.

January 24, 2012 (Fort Stewart Patch) – Veterans returning home from abroad and transitioning to civilian life are likely to encounter a multitude of challenges as they search for new employment. In addition to facing high unemployment, the skills and experience they gained in the military may not match the open jobs companies have available in their hometown.

If you’re a returning vet, here are a few things you can do to facilitate the transition:

1. Create a job search plan

Assess your interest and capabilities, and determine what type of work you would like to do. Then make a list of companies in your local area that might hire someone with your background and decide which ones you want to work for.

2. Exploit your experience

Once you have determined the type of position you want, tailor your resume to mirror the position description and start applying for jobs. Your resume should provide recruiters and hiring managers with a clear picture of how the capabilities and accomplishments you developed in the military relate to this job. Emphasize the experience you have gained in teamwork, leadership, resourcefulness, and the other areas that are strengthened through military service.  

If you have ever been stuck and held back by writer’s block while trying to create your resume, you know how tempting it is to use a resume template. Using a resume template, you may reason, will lead you in including all the crucial details in your career background. Further, a resume template will help you in creating a resume that is appropriately formatted and designed, and looks professional. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth than these assumptions.

Resume templates are inflexible, one-size-fits-all formats. You, on the other hand, are a one-of-a-kind individual with incomparable experience and value to bring to your next employer. Resume templates force you to present your experience in an unbending format that makes every candidate look just like every other candidate. Is that your goal in a job search? Or is it better to promote yourself and your professional capabilities in a way that helps you to stand out to recruiters as an applicant who has distinguishing abilities and will produce benefits for the hiring company in a way that all your competitors in the job market will not.

For example, veterans can become great hunters because they have the necessary skills like, shooting, alertness and even attention to details. At zoomtargets you will get the adequate information on all the facts that need to consider before choosing the right scope. They know which gun is perfect for hunting, some were even recommended this 9mm Semi Automatic Rifle for the perfect hunting experience.

3. Build your network before you return home

Utilize LinkedIn, which is a business related social media website that is used for networking. And start connecting with former veterans who have vocational backgrounds and interests similar to yours. Exchange job-hunting information with them, and expand your list of companies you would like to work for. You can also buy likes to explore your network on social media.

4. Use your network to leverage your brand

Once you have formulated your job-search plan and established your network, start reaching out to other veterans, especially those who are employed in your local area, to see if they can give you guidance about your career transition. If they served in the same branch of the military as you, or perhaps even in the same unit, they may be more inclined to help you, because at one time they were in your situation. Try to meet with them in person, when feasible, to facilitate the building of trust and the exchange of information.

Be aware that you may have to network with a lot of people before you are able to get a job. In my role as a recruiter, I once worked with someone whose position was being phased out by his employer. After speaking with approximately ninety people within 3 weeks, he found a new opportunity and was able to stay with the company.

5. Ask for referrals

As you network with people, ask if they know anyone else who can assist you in your job search or if they know anyone who might hire someone with your background. Your goal is to get them to open their network to you.

6. Invest in your future

Now may be the perfect time for you to back to school to further your education, possibly by getting a bachelor’s or a master’s degree. The G.I. Bill is an incredible opportunity, because it will pay for tuition and fees for up to thirty-six months, as long as the costs do not exceed what you would pay for an undergraduate education at the most expensive public, in-state college. This program also covers some of the cost of housing and books.

Colleges and universities value the leadership skills and experience you have gained in the military, which means that your application will most likely receive favorable attention.  And once you graduate, your new degree coupled with your military experience will cause you to stand out relative to other job candidates.

7. Utilize transition programs and groups

To gain a better understanding of what civilian life will be like, take advantage of military transition programs before you are discharged. Many of these programs offer various types of job-search training, such as information about how to market yourself and how to network using social media. Check to see if there are any career fairs or associations in your local area that cater to veterans and attend them to leverage the contacts you make there to build your network.

The transition from military life to civilian life can be challenging, especially in a sour economy. Build your confidence and increase your success by developing a plan, building and exploiting your network, taking advantage of the many programs that are available, and, most of all, persevering.

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New Report Cites Rise In Army Suicide Rate, Sex Crimes

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Team VCS

January 24, 2011 (New Haven Independent) – Troops who have deployed to war zones two or more times have a higher risk of committing suicide than those who have deployed once or never deployed, a new Army report shows.

The report—“Army 2020: Generating Health & Discipline in the Force”—shows the suicide rate among active-duty soldiers reaching a new high in 2011 of about 24.1 per 100,000—up from 9.6 per 100,000 in 2004. In terms of stressors, military work stress was the leading factor in suicides in 2010, replacing relationship problems, which had been considered the prime factor in suicides from 2003-09.

In the report, Army officials acknowledge that some of the suicides were preceded by warnings that went unheeded by leaders.

“To be sure, the Army has investigated numerous suicide cases that, in hindsight, seemed to present a clear trail of behavioral indicators that may have afforded leaders or others in the social circle an opportunity to respond,” the report said. “However, post‐mortem suicide investigations can never truly capture the subtlety of pre‐ suicide indictors, nor truly judge the appropriateness of the response within the pre‐suicide context.”

The Army has improved mental-health services and taken myriad other steps to stem suicides since 2005, as pressure on soldiers increased with long, repeated deployments. The new report shows that the percentage of suicides committed by soldiers who had deployed multiple times increased steadily from 2009 through 2011.

Army officials said that while the increase in suicides over the last six years has been “dramatic,” self-inflicted deaths among active-duty troops appear to be “stabilizing at approximately 160 deaths (per year)” in the last several years.

Among other findings in the report:

• Research indicates that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in general are at higher risk for suicide immediately following the transition from active duty, with risk decreasing over time.  Following separation from active duty, veteran suicide rates were 23.1 per 100,000 in the first two years, 18.1 in years two through four, and 12.9 in years four through six.

• Approximately 950 veterans under VA care attempted suicide each month between October 2008 and December 2010.

• The Army reported an increase in sex crimes by active-duty troops—28 percent overall from 2006 to 2011. The increase was especially steep for violent sex crimes: from 665 in 2006, to 1,313 in 2011, (more than 90 percent).

• Domestic violence crimes increased 85 percent, to 2,699 incidents, from 2001 to 2011. Child abuse rose 44 percent, to 2,201 incidents, in the same period.

• Prescription drug use among soldiers has climbed, including psychotropic and controlled substances, which were used by 358,203 active-duty troops in fiscal year 2011—up from 337,932 service members in 2010. The report says, however, that research ” counters the assertion that the Army is overmedicating the Force ” compared to the civilian population.

• The Army provided outpatient behavioral health services to 280,413 soldiers in the 2011 fiscal year—up from 253,773 the year before. Incidence rates of mental-health diagnosis doubled from 2000 to 2009. Forty-four percent of soldiers who committed suicide in 2010 had received outpatient behavioral healthcare, with about 37 percent of suicide victims having been seen at a military treatment facility within 30 days of the event.

• Reported depression among soldiers can be attributed at least in part to deployments, with about one-third of soldiers reporting depression symptoms three to six months after returning home.  Research by the Institute of Medicine found that 27 percent of those who deployed three to four times received diagnoses of depression, anxiety or acute stress, compared to 12 percent of those who deployed just once.

The report cites several new programs designed to improve mental-health care, including pre- and post-deployment screenings and embedding behavioral health providers in combat units and in primary-care clinics. The Army pledged to continue seeking ways to improve soldier healthcare, including better detection and treatment of mental health issues and improvements to its transition services, to provide a “warm hand-off” of troops to VA healthcare programs.

“Leaders at all levels must recognize that while our Army has completed operations in Iraq and will eventually do the same in Afghanistan, this does not equate to less responsibility or fewer demands on them in coming days,” the report says. “To the contrary, arguably more will be asked of them during upcoming periods of reintegration and reset…The challenges facing our Army’s leaders in the days ahead are incredibly complex and consequential.”

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New Veterans for Common Sense Impact Report is Now Available

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Team VCS

Veterans for Common Sense is the only organization making extensive use of the Freedom of Information Act to compile a regular and comprehensive report of this nature. Our concise report uses primary source data obtained from the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to gauge the true costs of the War on Terror. As the wars  wind down it is important to realize that the last troop coming home is not the end of our military’s struggles. The human consequences of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be felt for decades to come. As a nation we need to understand just what those consequences entail and how we can deal with them, that requires that we confront the cold hard facts. Facts like the ones contained in our impact report. Our veterans deserve our best efforts long after the parades are over,the welcome home banners have come down and the car magnets have faded.  Our previous reports have been used in numerous national media outlets including Time Magazine, Bloomberg News and NPR.

To read full report or download PDF:   VCS_IAIR_JAN_2012

Please be sure to cite properly if you use this information.

Below is an excerpt from our Impact Report:

Military Deployments to War Zone 

  • 2,333,972                  Total Service Members Deployed
    • 1,002,106      Number Deployed Twice or More to War Zone (43{cd9ac3671b356cd86fdb96f1eda7eb3bb1367f54cff58cc36abbd73c33c82e1d})

Military Casualties in War Zone

  • 112,019                     Total War Zone Casualties
    •   6,324            Deaths (5{cd9ac3671b356cd86fdb96f1eda7eb3bb1367f54cff58cc36abbd73c33c82e1d}), Includes 309 War Zone Suicides
    • 47,409           Non-Fatal Wounded in Action (42{cd9ac3671b356cd86fdb96f1eda7eb3bb1367f54cff58cc36abbd73c33c82e1d})
    • 58,286           Non-Fatal Medical Evacuations Due to Injury or Disease (52{cd9ac3671b356cd86fdb96f1eda7eb3bb1367f54cff58cc36abbd73c33c82e1d})

Veteran Post-Deployment Healthcare Use [iii] [iv]

  • 1,526,746                  Veterans Eligible for VA Healthcare
    • 741,954        Veteran Patients Treated (49{cd9ac3671b356cd86fdb96f1eda7eb3bb1367f54cff58cc36abbd73c33c82e1d} of Veterans Eligible)
    • 385,711         Veterans with Mental Health Condition (52{cd9ac3671b356cd86fdb96f1eda7eb3bb1367f54cff58cc36abbd73c33c82e1d} of Patients)
    • 223,609         Veterans with Potential PTSD (30{cd9ac3671b356cd86fdb96f1eda7eb3bb1367f54cff58cc36abbd73c33c82e1d} of Patients)
    • ~  9,700         Average New Veteran Patients Each Month

Please donate to Veterans for Common Sense today to support our efforts to educate the public and advocate for our veterans. Thank you for your support. 

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PTSD a growing problem. Nationwide and local efforts needed.

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Team VCS

From CNN

Experts:Vet’s PTSD,violence a growing problem

By Ashley Hayes, CNN updated 5:02 PM EST, Tue January 17, 2012

(CNN) – A man opens fire in a national park, killing a ranger who was attempting to stop him after he blew through a vehicle checkpoint.

A second man is suspected in the stabbing deaths of four homeless men in Southern California.

Both men, U.S. military veterans, served in Iraq — and both, according to authorities and those who knew them, returned home changed men after their combat service.

Iraq War vet could face death penalty

A coincidence — two recent high-profile cases? Or a sign of an increase in hostile behavior as U.S. troops complete their withdrawal from Iraq, similar to that seen when U.S. troops returned home from the Vietnam War?

“You’re going to see this more and more over the next 10 years,” said Shad Meshad, founder of the National Veterans Foundation, who has been working with veterans since 1970. “… There’s a percentage that come back, depending on how much trauma and how much killing they’re involved in, they’re going to act out.”

Margaret Anderson, a ranger at Washington state’s Mount Rainier National Park, was shot to death on New Year’s Day. Police believe Benjamin Colton Barnes, who served in Iraq from 2007 to 2009, was responsible for the shooting. After a manhunt, authorities found Barnes’ body face down in a creek in the park.

According to court documents obtained by CNN affiliate KIRO, the woman with whom Barnes was in a custody dispute said she believed he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from his deployment. Barnes was emotionally unstable, vindictive and anger-prone, the woman said, and owned many knives and guns. The woman said she was frightened to be in the same state with him, the documents said.

In California, former Marine Cpl. Itzcoatl Campo is accused of stabbing four homeless men to death. According to the military, Campo was deployed to Iraq during 2008.

A friend of his, who asked to be identified only as Brian, told CNN Monday that “something happened” after Campo returned from Iraq.

“He was a little bit more serious. It seemed like there was something on his mind,” Brian said. “He seemed really depressed and down, and things in his life weren’t looking that well.”

His father, Refugio Campo, told the Orange County Register that upon his return, his son began talking about things that “didn’t make any sense,” like the end of the world.

It’s important to note, experts said, that the two cases represent the extreme end of a spectrum of behavior signifying difficulties faced by returning troops, and some experience little difficulty, if any.

“What we don’t want to do is stigmatize veterans by saying they’re walking time bombs,” said Elspeth Ritchie, chief clinical officer for the Washington, D.C., Department of Mental Health and a former U.S. Army colonel. “They’re not.”

But study after study has highlighted the struggles faced by troops returning home, including substance abuse, relationship problems, aggression or depression, she and others noted.

Some may have trouble sitting still in college classes, Ritchie said. Others may react with aggression at a perceived threat, such as being pulled over for a traffic violation, Meshad said. Visit https://louisianaspeedingticket.com site for more about the traffic violation attorney. While speeding tickets may seem minor, these charges often result in significant financial burdens that aren’t cheap. These burdens take the form of hefty fines and increased insurance premiums, especially in regards to future citations. We can help you keep a speeding ticket or a moving traffic violation off of your record and, in so doing, protect your insurance rates. Still others have trouble riding in or driving vehicles because they are used to the threat of IEDs (improvised explosive devices), or may react aggressively to a sudden move, even one by their spouse, he said.

“It’s embedded in (the service member) to do that,” Meshad said. “It looks brutal, it is brutal, it’s horrible, it’s heinous, but they switch on like that because they haven’t been switched off.”

Suicide is also a growing problem. The Army reported a record-high number of suicides in July 2011, with the deaths of 33 active- and reserve-component service members categorized as suicides.

While homicides by former troops aren’t tracked, many of the dynamics leading to suicidal behavior are similar to those seen in murder-suicides or homicides, Ritchie said.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and others have made strides in addressing PTSD in veterans, the experts said. Other groups and resources, such as the Wounded Warrior Project, are also available.

But many veterans have trouble seeking help, said Paul Ragan, an associate professor of psychiatry at Vanderbilt University who works with returning service members. “Big boys don’t cry,” he said.

Every veteran he works with in his clinic is married, he said. “It’s because their wives are the ones who helped bring them in.”

“I’m not seeing everybody out there,” he said. “I’m not seeing a random sampling of all the returning vets. I’m seeing the ones who make it in, and they make it in largely through the auspices of a loved one who helps get them over that hump. … The heroes in my clinic are the wives who’ve learned to adjust and adapt.”

Absent that support, some vets may not take that step, he said.

One of PTSD’s fundamental features, Ragan noted, is a lack of trust: in one’s self, in others, in humans, “that the world will give them a fair shake. … There is this tremendous hurdle for them to overcome to get treatment.”

Ragan and Meshad noted that people who are trained killers can have trouble switching out of that role after returning home.

They come home “full of war energy … and it’s hard for them to have a relationship with anybody other than somebody in your unit,” Meshad said. “Your unit is removed. You’re now around a touchy-feely wife or girlfriend that you don’t understand.”

Combat veterans who may have killed or witnessed the deaths of women and children are plagued by guilt, which affects relationships with their own families, he said.

Meshad said a significant effort to deprogram soldiers should be made before they leave the military. While the Marines do have a program, he said, many troops don’t listen; those who do have said it’s “oversimplified.”

Issues such as employment, education and housing must also be examined as part of an overall effort to support veterans, Ritchie said.

“The VA and the military can only do so much,” Ritchie said. “It really takes a nationwide effort and a local community effort … this is an issue that’s not going to go away. It’s going to be with us for 10, 20, 30 years.”

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Wars lessons being applied to ease combat stress

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Team VCS

Published January 18, 2012

| Associated Press

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. –  When the Marine unit that suffered the greatest casualties in the 10-year Afghan war returned home last spring, they didn’t rush back to their everyday lives.

Instead, the Marine Corps put them into a kind of decompression chamber, keeping them at Camp Pendleton for 90 days with the hope that a slow re-entry into mundane daily life would ease their trauma.

The program was just one of many that the military created as it tries to address the emotional toll of war, a focus that is getting renewed attention as veterans struggling to adjust back home are accused of violent crimes, including murder.

While veterans are no more likely to commit such crimes than the general population, the latest cases have sparked a debate over whether they are isolated cases or a worrying reminder of what can happen when service members don’t get the help they need.

“This is a big focus of all the services, that we take care of our warriors who are returning because they have taken such good care of us,” Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said, pointing out that tens of thousands of veterans return home to lead productive lives.

Some, however, fall on hard times, getting into trouble with the law. Others quietly suffer, with their families and friends trying to pull them out of a depression.

In the latest high-profile criminal case involving an Iraq war veteran, a former Camp Pendleton Marine is accused of killing four homeless men in California. His family said he was never the same after his 2008 deployment. In Washington state, an Iraq War veteran described as struggling emotionally killed a Mount Rainier National Park ranger and later died trying to escape.

Suffering from combat stress is an age-old problem. What’s new is the kind of wars that troops fight now. They produce their own unique pressures, said psychologist Eric Zillmer, a Drexel University professor and co-editor of the book “Military Psychology: Clinical and Operational Applications.”

The war on terror “is very ambiguous, with no front lines, where you can’t tell who the enemy is. During the day, he may be a community leader and, at night, a guerrilla fighter. You never know when an assault takes place. It’s very complicated, and people feel always on edge,” he said.

Add to that, multiple deployments that tax the central nervous system, said Zillmer: “The human brain can only stay in danger mode for so long before it feels like it’s lost it. It gets exhausted.” He compared going into combat like “diving to the depths of the ocean and when you have to go back to the surface you have to decompress.

“It’s the same process,” he said. “It’s almost a biological process.”

A 2009 Army report concluded that the psychological trauma of fierce combat in Iraq might have helped drive soldiers from one brigade to kill as many as 11 people in Colorado and other states. The study found the soldiers also faced “significant disruptions in family-social support.”

The military’s stubbornly high suicide rate has proven that more help is needed, and that is why it has been investing in helping troops transition back from war zones.

Few units know war’s pain more than the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. The Camp Pendleton battalion nicknamed “The Dark Horse” lost 25 members in some of the heaviest fighting ever seen in Afghanistan. More than 150 Marines were wounded. More than a dozen lost limbs.

The Marine Corps brass, concerned about the traumatic deployment’s fallout, ordered the entire 950-member unit to remain on the Southern California base after it returned home. The 90 days was the same amount of time crews aboard war ships usually spend upon returning home.

During that time, the Marines participated in a memorial service for their fallen comrades. They held barbecues and banquets, where they talked about their time at war. Before the program, troops would go their separate ways with many finding they had no one to talk to about what they had just seen.

Mental health professionals are monitoring the group, which has since scattered. They say it is too early to tell what kind of impact keeping them together made. Combat veterans believe it likely will help in the long run. The Marines have ordered combat units since then to stick together for 90 days after leaving the battlefield.

“They share a commonality because they’ve gone through the same thing, so it helps them to come down,” said Maj. Gen. Ronald Bailey, the commanding general of one of Camp Pendleton’s most storied units, the 1st Marine Division.

“I can tell you from experience that this will help,” said Bailey, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The new practice is one of a slew of initiatives ushered in by the new commandant, Gen. James Amos, who has made addressing mental health issues of Marines a top priority. He was concerned by the branch’s suicide rate, which has ranked among the highest of the armed services.

Commanders have tried to remove the stigma that seeking help is a sign of weakness. The Marines have set up hotlines and designated psychologists, chaplains and junior troops to identify troubled troops. “We’ve been in this 11 years and the medical staff and Marine officials are better educated now on dealing with combat stress,” Bailey said.

All service members also now undergo rigorous screening of their mental stability both before and after they go to battle.

While Veterans Affairs and Department of Justice have said veterans don’t commit more crimes per capita than others, the VA has launched efforts to help veterans in trouble with the law receive help rather than just be locked up.

Since 2009, the VA has had a legal team review cases to see if the best remedy is treatment instead of incarceration. States also have been establishing special veterans courts to do the same. Some say combat stress is also being used by criminals trying to get a lighter sentence.

Veterans agree the military has made great strides in the past few years but they say the help has come too late for many.

Paul Sullivan, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates, said the military only started administering medical exams of service members before and after deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan in 2007 to identify problems early so they can be treated more effectively and less expensively.

“It’s good their implementing it now, yes, however, what’s the military going to do with all of the veterans the military didn’t examine?” he asked. “That’s the problem.”

___

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Veterans Need Strong Connection to Civilians to Help Transition

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Team VCS

KATIE BAIRD Published: 01/18/12 12:05 am From Tacoma,WA News Tribune.com

As readers of this newspaper likely know, last year Joint Base Lewis-McChord suffered a record number of suicides (TNT 12-30). Tragically, this increase reflects a nationwide trend; suicide rates in the Army have doubled over the last 10 years.

Clearly all is not well with our armed forces. Divorce rates are climbing, and the unemployment rate among younger veterans now stands at 30 percent – twice the rate found among younger nonveterans.

In this column I’d like to draw attention to a slow shift occurring in civilian-military relations that contributes to the growing challenges faced by soldiers re-entering civilian life.

Recently the Pew Research Center published the results of its extensive surveys of veterans. It found that almost half of veterans who served over the past 10 years have had a difficult to very difficult time re-integrating into civilian life.

It’s not at all clear what accounts for soldiers’ growing readjustment problems. But I’d suggest that part of the answer might be found in that same Pew report. Despite 10 years of military conflict, over this time frame only half of 1 percent of adults have been in uniform; compare this with the 9 percent of adults who served during World War II. Military service among us is now at its lowest level in 70 years.

Not only do very few of us today join the military, but we know few people who have. Since the end of the draft in 1973, the nation has relied on a dwindling all-volunteer army with high rates of re-enlistment for its national security. Soldiers today are much more likely to look to the military for longer-term employment; the military today is a profession more than a tour of duty.

Changes in the size, composition and expectations of soldiers have resulted in military personnel who are increasingly isolated from civilian life. The Pew report finds that civilians today have less meaningful and sustained contact with those in uniform.

Soldiers in turn have fewer and more select ties to civilian life than was the case when short stints in the service were more broadly shared among the population.

One result has been the growing existence of military subcultures that are both self-contained and unfathomable to outsiders. For many civilians, those in uniform can seem like members of a strange cult best to avoid, rather than a representative group chosen to carry out our collective security needs.

This lack of civilian contact, along with the more prolonged exposure to military life that is typical among soldiers, can contribute to the ex-soldiers’ re-integration problems. Many have a harder time understanding and identifying with popular American culture and its norms; many too, have a tendency to feel superior to civilians and civilian culture.

Re-entry is also made even more difficult by the type of skills soldiers acquire. Often these don’t correspond with skills needed in civilian life. A disconnect between what soldiers develop during their military careers in terms of hard and soft skills and what the private sector values makes re-integrating into civilian life more challenging.

The cultural gap between civilian and military life also contributes to employment problems. As a recent article in The New York Times states it, “Employers and veterans seem to view each other as alien species.” A veteran job-seeker commented that employers fear “we’re all going to rage out.”

These differences between military and civilian experiences are larger today than ever before. The founder of the advocacy group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America states that these differences amount to us “almost (living) on two different planets.”

As we draw down our forces in Iraq (and eventually Afghanistan), the challenges soldiers face of reintegrating into the mainstream will only grow. According to White House estimates, a million servicemen and women will make this transition over the next five years.

The military must be more candid in dealing with soldiers’ readjustment problems. Meanwhile, the other 99.5 percent of us should in turn assure that returning soldiers are welcomed back to civilian life with the ample training, health and mental health services, counseling assistance, and career advising needed to ease their reintegration back onto our planet.

 

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Important New Resource for our Veterans seeking Work

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Team VCS

US.jobs Connects Job Seekers to 90,000 Employers

INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — DirectEmployers Association and The National Association of State Workforce Agencies partner to launch a new National Labor Exchange website using the intuitive .jobs Internet domain.

DirectEmployers Association in partnership with The National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) today announced the transition of the National Labor Exchange from www.JobCentral.com to the appropriately named www.US.jobs . The National Labor Exchange gives job seekers direct access to hundreds of thousands of jobs from companies like Hilton Worldwide, IBM, ConocoPhilips, Newell Rubbermaid, AT&T and over 90,000 other large and small organizations. lot of these companies employe good working practices that are supported by state of the art project planning solutions.

All listings on the National Labor Exchange site connect job seekers directly to the employer listing the job. New employment opportunities are added daily with special emphasis placed on veterans, people with disabilities, diversity, and green jobs. Only jobs from legitimate employers can be listed on the National Labor Exchange, therefore, fake job listings or non-employment business opportunities are not allowed on US.jobs. Just make sure you have a good broadband connection provided by usave.

“State workforce agencies are a critical component in today’s economy because they represent jobs from thousands of small companies that are not found anywhere else on the Internet,” states Chad Sowash Vice President of DirectEmployers Association.

The move to www.US.jobs is a natural fit in more ways than one. First, it is short, memorable, and describes exactly what the site is, a national database of jobs. Second, the .JOBS extension works much like .EDU or .GOV, a restricted zone where not just anyone can set up shop thus adding to the trust factor that embodies the National Labor Exchange. With nearly every state now participating, the timing for this transition is perfect.

“Since October 2001, DirectEmployers Association has been committed to making the connection between employers and job seekers more efficient, quicker and easier, and US.jobs is the next big step,” stated Rodney Moses, VP of Global Recruitment, Hilton Worldwide and DirectEmployers Board President.

According to Moses, “US.jobs is the pilot for an international roll-out. Understanding how the platform performs and interlinks with states will help us in our future expansion on a global scale. DirectEmployers Association members represent many global organizations and it is important to take our successes from US.jobs and share them across the international workplace.”

About DirectEmployers Association

DirectEmployers Association is a nonprofit HR consortium of leading global employers formed to improve labor market efficiency through the sharing of best practices, research and the development of technology. National Labor Exchange and US.jobs are just two of the many programs designed to help the best employers in the world reach the largest, most diverse pool of quality job seekers worldwide. For more information, visit http://directemployers.org .

About The National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA)

The National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) is an organization of state administrators of unemployment insurance laws, employment services, training programs, employment statistics and labor market information and other programs and services provided through the publicly-funded state workforce system. this will be useful to Get More Information about (NASWA).

SOURCE DirectEmployers Association

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

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Veterans’ New Battle Front: Job Market

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Team VCS

Skill Transition is New Territory

January 15, 2012 (Washington Post) – When Tom Tarantino left the Army as a captain in 2007, he was uncertain how his jobs skills as a mortar and cavalry platoon leader in Iraq and his Bronze Star might be marketable when he entered the workforce back home.

“A good part of it was me not understanding how to sell myself,” he recalls of his initial job hunt. “It’s not like I did nothing for the 10 years I was in the military, but I had nothing to go by, to understand what a civilian market needs and how to transition from that.”

He eventually found his way: Mr. Tarantino now works as a senior legislative associate for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA.org), where he sees the challenges other returning veterans face as an increasing number look for work in a tight job market.

For American troops, the Iraq conflict has ended and the Afghanistan War is winding down at a time when the U.S. economy is struggling and unemployment statistics for veterans are stark.

The latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics put the jobless rate for Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans at 13.1 percent, up from 11.1 percent a year ago. The December unemployment rate for those recent veterans was 4.5 percentage points higher than the national jobless rate.

Mr. Tarantino, mindful of the high numbers, calls it a structural issue. While many corporations nationwide are invested in hiring veterans, “this is the first generation of business leaders in this country who have never served in the military,” he said. “Prior to this generation, almost everyone had served … and the military resume was something easy to translate.

“But leadership skills, being an officer, are not understood by the current employment climate. What we had to do was go back and figure out ways to do quantitative analysis so that we can effectively transition people without losing the valuable skills they got in the military.”

Business groups are stepping into the breach as well.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce last year initiated a “Hiring Our Heroes” drive designed to help returning service members and their spouses find jobs. Chamber officials said last week that the Washington-based business group and its local affiliates have hosted 83 hiring fairs in 41 states, putting an estimated 81,000 military veterans and spouses into contact with more than 4,000 employers.

On Friday, the chamber partnered with NBC News, its local affiliate and the Military Spouse Employment Partnership for what was billed as the largest career forum of its kind at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center dedicated exclusively to helping military spouses get jobs. The gathering featured free makeovers, interview and resume coaching, and interview rooms for applicants to meet with employers.

Getting help

Steven Karl, 28, left his intelligence job in the Air Force in 2010 after serving two years supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Southwest Asia. The University of Florida graduate was rehired quickly as a civilian contractor and is serving a two-year stint doing similar work in Afghanistan. Mindful of his future, he spent much of the past year earning his master’s degree.

Most of his military friends, he added, had little trouble picking up civilian work for the military, but they are the ones who have been flexible.

“I think the Air Force does a good job of setting people up for success as they are headed out the door,” Mr. Karl said. “They provide classes and numerous resources, but just like after college or high school, getting a job will be dependent on the level of motivation of the individual and the level of sacrifice they are willing to make to ensure their ability to be employed.”

Added Mr. Karl: “The sad fact is, some members of the military depart because they lacked qualities that made them a good member of the armed forces. This is a tiny minority of vets, and they tend to be vocal about their situation. The only person I know who was completely unable to get a job was very picky about where he ended up and did not exit the military under the best of circumstances, which is a luxury that can’t be taken in the current market.”

Ted Daywalt serves as president of VetJobs, a business based in Marietta, Ga., and supported in part by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. It offers job boards for veterans and resources to support their returns home.

Mr. Daywalt said the number of available jobs posted on his board has increased from 3 percent to 11 percent over the past year as the economy slowly improves. He said that veterans who take advantage of training, and who are motivated and flexible in their job searches, have many opportunities waiting for them at home.

While the unemployment rate for veterans of all America’s wars is lower than the nonveteran or the national unemployment rates, finding a job is harder for young veterans, in particular those ages 18 to 24 who serve irregular shifts in the National Guard or in its reserves, he said.

As these groups have been deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan, companies — particularly small businesses — have struggled to keep their job slots open when the date of their return to the U.S. is uncertain.

“Companies want to support the military and veterans, but they cannot go broke doing so,” he said. “The unemployment rate in the National Guard and reserves will increase in 2012 as the Department of Defense downsizes, as an employer would rather hire a veteran who is not subject to being called away for 12 or more months.”

The IAVA is sponsoring four job fairs this year aimed at pairing veterans with employers, spokesman James Drury said. Their efforts have been abetted by improvements to the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act that increase safeguards on jobs for reserve and National Guard veterans, but also offer more training and education benefits for those who need it.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that state and local governments are giving preference to veteran-owned businesses that provide goods and services. The National Veteran-Owned Business Association counts 23 states that offer special treatment for veteran-owned businesses — up from 14 three years ago.

Bipartisan support

In late November, President Obama signed legislation that offers tax credits for businesses that hire unemployed veterans.

HR 674, dubbed the Returning Heroes Tax Credit, was led by Sen. Patty Murray, Washington Democrat, and Rep. Jeff Miller, Florida Republican, and had bipartisan backing. It gives businesses up to 40 percent credit on the first $6,000 in wages paid to a veteran who has been unemployed for at least four weeks.

Businesses that hire veterans who have been out of work for more than six months get a 40 percent tax credit on the initial $14,000 of wages. In addition, the law offers incentives to businesses that employ disabled veterans and makes federal aid programs offering transitional funds mandatory for those who are returning.

According to the Armed Forces Press Services, close to 29 percent of new federal government jobs went to returning veterans in fiscal year 2011, marking a 20-year high.

Mr. Daywalt said veterans and employers must share responsibility for opening doors as U.S. forces abroad are drawn down.

“The person has to take the initiative to do it. If you are willing to go out and chase it down, you can find the job,” he said. “It may mean more education, but with this new G.I. Bill, they can learn a trade or get a degree.”

Good information sources are available in each state, he said, citing the VFW, the Navy League and American Legion chapters. Online resources are also plentiful and include onetonline.org, corporategray.com and militaryhire.com.

“Employers need to hire veterans — they must,” Mr. Daywalt said. “I think 99.9 percent of employers are very pro-military. Sometimes I think our employers understand the need for a strong military better than some members of Congress.”

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First Lady Unveils Plan to Improve TBI, PTSD Care

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Team VCS

January 12, 2012 (Military.com) – Speaking Wednesday to an auditorium packed with camouflage-clad soldiers and medical students in white lab coats, first lady Michelle Obama announced a new initiative to help doctors better identify, understand and treat the invisible wounds of war: post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and post-combat depression.

The effort involves a commitment by 130 medical schools and universities throughout the country to do research, share information and train current and future physicians on the disorders, often called the signature wounds of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Among those participating are Richmond’s Virginia Commonwealth University, the site of the first lady’s announcement, and Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk. There is no new federal funding involved.

While most soldiers return from war without significant mental health issues, about one in six develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress, Obama said. And though most Americans try to understand, stigma remains, she said.

“Those of us who have never experienced war will never be able to fully understand the true emotional costs,” she said. “PTSD, TBI, depression and any other combat-related mental health issue should never again be a source of shame.”

While the military has support systems and personnel trained in combat-related mental health issues, more than half of veterans seek treatment in their hometowns, outside the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs, Obama said. The new effort aims at ensuring civilian doctors have access to information on those issues.

 

The goal is to help soldiers like Army Spc. Cedric Mark Holland, who spoke of the headaches, sleeplessness and guilt he suffered with after losing comrades in a 2009 IED explosion in Afghanistan.

“All service members have suffered these emotions,” he said. “All of us go through the pain and the guilt.”

Through the new collaboration, which includes a website hosted by the Association of American Medical Colleges, EVMS will share the results of its research into treating post-traumatic stress using magnetic stimulation, said Dr. Richard V. Homan, the school’s provost and dean.

“I think it’s probably disproportionately important in the Hampton Roads area,” he said, “since we have such a large population of veterans in the region that have had combat experience.”

Sgt. 1st Class Shernell Higgs from Fort Lee has served three tours in Iraq and is preparing for her first in Afghanistan. She said she found the announcement encouraging.

“It’s good to know that the White House and of course the president and Mrs. Obama are taking such an interest in the troops and PTSD,” she said. “A lot of us feel the stress of war and the loss of a comrade.”

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