You are not alone...

[Bullypulpit]

There are a couple of new organizations up and running for vets returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. Both provide resources for veterans, their friends and families...

Community of Vets looks to all vets, with an emphasis on communications and support by veterans, for veterans/

Support Your Vet looks to the friends and families of vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and provides resources for helping vets and their families transition back to civilian life.

You are not alone, and thanks for all you've done.

 

[sinister59]

There are a couple of new organizations up and running for vets returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. Both provide resources for veterans, their friends and families...

Community of Vets looks to all vets, with an emphasis on communications and support by veterans, for veterans/

Support Your Vet looks to the friends and families of vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and provides resources for helping vets and their families transition back to civilian life.

You are not alone, and thanks for all you've done.

thats great .

you can't really handle transition without help .

family can't understand ,

glade to see this , now to get vets in them .

 

[Jackson]

There are a couple of new organizations up and running for vets returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. Both provide resources for veterans, their friends and families...

Community of Vets looks to all vets, with an emphasis on communications and support by veterans, for veterans/

Support Your Vet looks to the friends and families of vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and provides resources for helping vets and their families transition back to civilian life.

You are not alone, and thanks for all you've done.

Thank you for posting this. It is important that all of the vets know how much we appreciate their sacrifices.

 

[jillian]

that post was two years ago.

there have been additions since then:

Alumni and family caregiver registration - Wounded Warrior Project

Returning Veterans - Mental Health

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

Soldier's Heart : Support for Returning Veterans : International Humanities Center

 

[eots]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6jm06HFZ2o&feature=g-vrec]Steve Earle - Warrior (with lyrics) - YouTube[/ame]

 

[sealadaigh]

that post was two years ago.

there have been additions since then:

Alumni and family caregiver registration - Wounded Warrior Project

Returning Veterans - Mental Health

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

Soldier's Heart : Support for Returning Veterans : International Humanities Center

lying bitch doesn't give a shit about vets.

 

[waltky]

More mental health help for veterans...

VA has added 1,000 mental health professionals to staff
February 11, 2013 WASHINGTON — The Veterans Affairs Department said Monday it has added more than 1,000 mental health professionals and 200 support staff over the past eight months to meet the needs of returning veterans, but still has more to do to meet the requirements of an executive order issued by President Barack Obama.

The VA needs to add about 550 more doctors, nurses and counselors by June 30 to comply with the executive order. The VA announced new hiring goals in the spring, just days before an inspector general's report found the department had greatly overstated how quickly it provided mental health care to veterans seeking help. Obama expanded on that goal in August as both presidential candidates were reaching out to veterans in the heat of an election campaign. He also directed the VA to increase the capacity of its telephone crisis line by 50 percent and to ensure that a mental health professional contact within 24 hours any veteran who identifies themselves as in crisis.

The House Veterans' Affairs Committee is holding a hearing Wednesday to examine what progress the VA has made in its hiring program and in other mental health initiatives. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said the VA would not be slowing down in its effort to increase staffing. The new hires include psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, and licensed counselors and therapists, although there was not an exact breakdown for each category. "We still need to hire more mental health professionals to reach our goal, but each new hire means we can treat more veterans and provide greater access to our mental health services," Shinseki said.

The VA also said it was still working on hiring and training 800 veterans to work as "peer specialists" on the VA's mental health teams. Some veterans are more comfortable reaching out to peers who have shared their experiences in serving during wartime. The peer staff is expected to be completely hired by Dec. 31. The number of veterans getting mental health treatment from the VA has risen from about 927,000 in 2006 to more than 1.3 million in 2012.

VA has added 1,000 mental health professionals to staff - News - Stripes

 

[waltky]

More special courts for veterans popping up around the country...

Special courts for veterans expanding across US
September 2, 2013 -- Former National Guardsman Paul Piscitelli is in Philadelphia Municipal Court to answer to drug and theft charges. Elijah Peters, who served in the Army in Afghanistan and Iraq, was arrested twice for assault.

Like all the defendants appearing before Judge Patrick Dugan on a recent Wednesday, Piscitelli and Peters are veterans who chose to have their cases handled in a special court established for those once in the military. More than justice is meted out. Before the judge takes the bench, a volunteer approaches the veterans one by one offering help with such things as resume-writing and job hunting. A second volunteer steers them to long-distance runs and fitness classes. A representative from a community college discusses the advantages of higher education.

There's also a worker from the local Veterans Affairs medical center who's checking to make sure defendants are getting doctor appointments, disability benefits, housing vouchers or any other benefit to which they're entitled. "This is the touchy, feely, kissy, huggy court," explained Janet DiTomasso, who helps administer the Philadelphia court. The veterans court operates under the philosophy that many of the defendants who have run into trouble with the law need treatment, not incarceration. Some courts only take misdemeanor cases. Some only handle veterans who received an honorable discharge. The Philadelphia court has set few limits. The city has been at the forefront of an experiment that has mushroomed across the nation. In 2008, there were just five veterans courts in the United States. By the end of last year, there were 166. Dugan, the judge, is an Army Reserve captain who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has been at the helm of the court from the start.

Iraqi war veteran Paul Piscicelli, left, speaks with Peg Maynard, veterans justice outreach specialist for the Department of Veterans Affairs, at the justice center in Philadelphia. Piscitelli was in Philadelphia Municipal Court to answer to drug and theft charges.

The veterans who appear before him face a range of charges that stem primarily from substance abuse. Sometimes that abuse started in the military. Sometimes, it was a problem before a veteran ever thought about enlisting. Dugan is determined to give them a second chance, and sometimes a third or a fourth. "If you take any human being and you put them in situations the military puts you in, it's going to affect you. For the rest of your life it's going to be there. Some people can handle it. Some people see more and come back with baggage," Dugan said. "In the military, they teach you to shoot a weapon, but they teach you to shoot a weapon at a human being."

When Philadelphia opened its court three years ago, many initial defendants were older veterans, often homeless and longtime drug and alcohol users. "It was actually almost easier to deal with them," said Guy Garant, who served in the Marine Corps before becoming a prosecutor 24 years ago. "I don't think we ever expected we would turn their lives around totally. We turned maybe a couple of lives around totally. The others we just helped stabilize." As the program has matured, more veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have entered the system. Their problems can be just as severe. Some seem determined to become a casualty of war. "It's hard to even convince them to turn around. Some of these guys look at you like you're a Martian. I can't describe it," Garant said. "We're really putting them through the wringer just to get them stabilized."

More Special courts for veterans expanding across US - Stripes - Independent U.S. military news from Iraq, Afghanistan and bases worldwide

 

[bettylicious07]

Interesting!

Thanks for this useful information..

 

[whitehall]

Be careful of alleged "Veterans" organizations that offer nothing but "communications and support". The communications might consist of anti-American propaganda and the "support" might be anything from prostitution to drugs. Be aware that there are dozens of American "intelligence networks" that have nothing better to do than monitor the activities of combat Veterans which the government has determined to be potential "threats" to National security. Don't jeopardize your future by getting involved with unaffiliated alleged "veteran support groups".

 

[whitehall]

Since I am a former Marine let me address the point to my brothers. You did your time in harms way and you need to go on with your life. Many Marines like myself chose to become Police Officers. The last thing you need in your career is to find out that an alleged Veteran group you embraced was a subversive arm of the jihad or some crazy splinter group. You can swear you had no idea but it's too late when you go up for a Lieutenant rank. Think about it and do the right thing.

 

[Grumblenuts]

Common Defense

We started Common Defense to oppose Trump's corrupt administration, organize our community into a powerful force, and elect champions our nation deserves.

commondefense.us

Veterans for Common Sense

veteransforcommonsense.org

 

[whoisit]

[ame=[MEDIA=youtube]Y6jm06HFZ2o[/MEDIA] Earle - Warrior (with lyrics) - YouTube[/ame]

Here you go ,



Another by Steve Earle,