My Story

Posted by STEVE on August 6, 2009
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My name is Steven Maieli, I’m a veteran of the Air Force and the founder of Transitioning Veteran.com. My story begins back in 2003 after honorably separating from the Air Force; I returned back home to New York where the transitioning process from military to civilian life began.

When I returned home I knew I was on my own with having to look for a job, acquire medical insurance and begin the process of using my GI BILL. I returned home with whatever I had saved up in my bank account and whatever I had bought while I served, though I had returned home with only a place to live (thanks to my parents), but no job.

Knowing I was going to be receiving unemployment payments for a certain amount of months, I took that time to search the Internet for as much information as possible on where to find work, how to receive insurance, how to begin the process of attending school and use my GI Bill. As I searched the thousands of websites that pertained to veterans benefits and military affairs, I began to take note of the websites I found to be the most useful. Working with my friends who separated with me, we shared websites and information with each other since we both were in the same boat. After bookmarking a list of websites, I realized if I could just organize them in a way that can be easily accessed I could share what I have found with my friends, though quickly realized this would be great for all military members. This is when I took some of my own money and bought the domain name Transitioning Veteran and www.transitioningveteran.com was born.

Today Transitioning Veteran can be found on Facebook, where I update fans of my website, from family and friends of military members to military members themselves. My site is free and exists to help all military veterans looking for benefits information. It’s often difficult to find the right information from the various sites concerning veteran’s benefits so my goal was to create a centralized resource where it is readily available. Common information that veterans often need is using the GI Bill, medical benefits, and employment opportunities with the federal agencies.

Today Transitioning Veteran also contains information concerning benefits pertaining to children of the military, spouse, disabled veterans, homeless veterans and retired veterans. Transitioning Veteran is made up of my WIKI page and my Blog. The Wiki containing most of the information in a categorized and easy to search format; the Blog pertains to the latest news in military and veteran affairs as well as my thoughts on various matter concerning life during and after military service.

My goal is to reach out to the military community and to unite the many organizations under one roof, so veterans can go to a centralized location to find all the great information pertaining to veteran’s benefits. My website continues to grow and develop and is reaching out to the Military community, THANKS TO THE SUPPORTERS OF TRANSITIONING VETERAN.

TV_BC

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Americans Looking to Help the Military Community

Posted by STEVE on July 21, 2009
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People have asked me, what can they do to help men and women of the Armed Forces? This is a question I have been getting more and more often ever since I started my website Transitioning Veteran. Like I have said before, people are reaching out more than ever for those who have served and those currently serving in the U.S. Military. Even in a bad economy where you would expect people to worry about their own lives, people are looking to volunteer to help America’s military.

With all the information I found using the Internet, I decided to create a website to make a simple site to go to where links and information were organized in a way that can easily be accessible. In no time I realized, this isn’t just beneficial for me, but this can help out a lot of other veterans. So that’s when I decided to begin a group page on Facebook and today with the incredible support of over 500 Fans my website is gaining attention in a way I never thought it would. Focusing on how can I make this a better website for myself has now turned into how can I make this a better website for all veterans.

With the increase of interest from people all over in what I have set out to do with transitioning Veteran, in the past month, I have added to MY WIKI page  links to help military spouses, children, retired military, homeless veterans, disabled veterans and veterans looking to become an entrepreneur. By connecting with so many organizations through Facebook who are also looking to help transitioning veterans, I plan on setting up a section to help them promote their cause.

With all the emails and messages I receive from supporters asking how they can help veterans, I came up with some ideas and now I will share them with you all.

Business Owners

It’s a huge help when business owners can give discounts to Military members, past and present. Whatever the discount is, make it reasonable, many of these men and women are finding themselves without a job when they return home after being deployed. Unfortunately some companies are finding ways to layoff these soldiers, when they are suppose to hold onto a military member’s job while they serve their country. Though there’s rules in place to protect a soldier from losing his job, companies know there are ways to get around it. So giving a soldier a nice discount who may be unemployed could help them in a big way.

However, some people try to abuse a military discount who aren’t even military, so for companies looking to give a military discount, ask the person for proof. Either ask for a military id, form DD-214 or ask to see their dog tags, since they will have the persons name engraved.

- Reach out to Veterans who are in school to help them with doing an Internship and for volunteer work. An Internship will help them build their resume with experience many agencies seek, but if the company can make it a paid Internship this will be even better, cause us Veterans are known for our discipline and hard work ethic under stressful conditions. This can really benefit your company as us veterans who served learn one of the most important aspects in accomplishing a goal, which is Team Work.

- Take a certain percent of your companies profits and donate it to one of hundreds of Legit non-profit organizations setup to support Veterans. Use the money to even make care packages and send it to an organization that can either send it out to the troops in the battlefield or even donate to local veterans in your area. Anything donated is so appreciated among the military community and what many don’t know is how much it affects our morale, knowing people are thinking of us and supporting us.

- Sponsor the many events that take place to raise money for Veteran, such as The Soldiers Ride conducted by the Wounded Warrior Project or the USO that puts on shows for the troops in the war zones. There are many events that take place and your sponsorship can contribute to helping Veteran’s in so many ways, from raising money to help the individual soldier to helping the soldiers’ family.

Professionals in certain fields (Teachers)

Teachers for example, be aware that you may have a student or students in your class that might  have a family member in the military who is deployed. Be a little more understanding, understand that having someone deployed in a war zone can be very difficult for a child of any age. If problems arise with a child that you know has someone deployed, take the time to first speak to them to  find out the difficulties they may be going through while their family member is deployed. Educate yourself about how you may be able to help a student of yours going through difficult times. Here is just one of the many great links out there, here is a PDF file Working With Military Children for educators.

- Use your professional skills to talk with veterans; when we separate from the service we many times need some guidance. For example, when I separated  from the service I realized I wanted to get into another career field, something different from the law enforcement I had done while in. I was very fortunate to meet so many great people when I returned that took the time to talk to me, telling me what they do with their job, what a normal day was like and how they got to where they were with their career. It gave me such a great start to figure out what to study in school and how to work towards achieving the career I decided to choose to go for.

America

To all Americans who ask what can they do to help Veterans

-  WRITE LETTERS to the soldiers deployed, about anything positive. Talk about sports, talk about a vacation you took and would recommend, write about a show you saw on tv, talk about anything. Children through out the U.S. write letters to troops all the time, its incredible and we take those letters seriously and take every minute we need to to read everything the kids have to say to us. this gives us a chance to get our mind off where we’re deployed too.

- Welcome soldiers back – When you see them in an air port, say “Hey welcome back”. When people said that to me or gave me a smile while I was in uniform, it was a great feeling.

- Support the Soldiers Family -  Lend a hand to a Soldiers family who may have a loved one deployed. Many spouses are left alone with or without kids while thier husband or wife is deployed. Findout if there is anything you can do for them, maybe pickup some groceries for them while they are busy raising a newborn who hasn’t been introduced to their parent because he or she was deployed before the baby was born. Maybe help take care of their landscaping so the parent left behind can focus more on the kids. There is so much you can do to help a military family out while a parent is deployed, and just by offering help is all you need to do to give that person a little bit of comfort knowing their community cares about them and is thinking about them while their spouse is deployed.

- Just support us – You may not believe in the wars we get involved in, but support the soldier who fights those who wish to take our freedom away and hurt our people and who also fight for the freedom of citizens of other nations who are being ruled by the most ruthless groups who take every bit of freedom away from not only men and women, but from innocent children of that nation.

Many people feel they have to go above and beyond when trying to help a veteran, but really you don’t. Us who served and currently serve appreciate even the slightest bit of support. Recieving a letter  from anyone while I was deployed to Saudi Arabia put me in such a great mood, knowing someone took the time to write this letter to share  a part of thier life with me . Getting a magazine through a package that was donated from people back home I never met gave me a chance to get my mind off of being in the 120 degree desert far away from home.

What you believe could put a smile on a veteran’s face, probably will and you should just go and do it.

There are so many great organizations out there along with the government agencies, where you can get information on how you can help the military community.

I’m sure I can speak for the military community when I say “THANK YOU”.

thankyoutv

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Jobs Posted on USAJOBS

Posted by STEVE on July 12, 2009
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Since I have been applying for positions to work for the government, especially for the Veterans Affairs and Dept. of the Air Force, it has come to my attention that when a job is posted on USAJOBS, it doesn’t necessarily mean there is an opening at that location. This is something I had no clue about for quite sometime, but after a few contacts I made while waiting to hear back on my application, I learned that some job openings are posted to continuously accept applications.

Just recently I had applied for a position to work at McChord AFB in Washington in the Airman/Family Readiness Center. This job opening states that there are few vacancies at numerous locations on Air Force bases, however if you missed the section that states

************IMPORTANT INFORMATION CONCERNING STANDING REGISTERS************

THIS IS A STANDING REGISTER AND WILL BE USED TO FILL ANTICIPATED VACANCIES (PERMANENT, TERM AND TEMPORARY) AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS AS OPENINGS OCCUR.

Your application will only be reviewed and a notice sent when an actual fill request is received. Salary may vary depending on your experience, education, etc. Your resume will remain on file 90 days after the closing date for consideration.

You would have sent your resume out with high hopes just like myself, not realizing that there’s actually no jobs at the moment and none planned in the near future. I found this out when I emailed someone at the Airman/Family Readiness center. I never knew these types of postings existed; I would hit the main points of the job posting such as the location, salary, duties, qualifications and how to apply. Many times I wouldn’t even scroll down on the first page where you will see this paragraph in bold lettering.

However when you see any job posting advertising a position saying there are numerous vacancies open, you are led to believe that possibly you will find out within a few months about whether you will get an interview or not, because it sounds like you have a great shot with all the openings they mention. Usually the  jobs you apply for will get back to you within a few months at the most, though many have gotten back to me within a couple of weeks after the last day to apply.

Another recent email I received by a person in the Human Resource department, at my local Veterans Affairs, sent me an email explaining about an Internship that was posted through the Veterans Affairs Internship program. Once again I wrote to the person in the email to find out how I could go about applying for the internship. That’s when I found out there are no positions open. Here’s the email I received from the person about the internship.

Steve, all recruitment for Intern programs at Northport is done through Human Resources and we are not currently recruiting for any Interns in any field. The programs we have here are HR, Budget and Biomedical Engineering. Unfortunately, while preceptor names are listed on that we site, that means an office may participate in the Intern program but it is not necessarily recruiting at this point in time because there are no current vacancies. A bachelor’s degree qualifies an individual at the GS-5 or 7 grade levels and Intern vacancies being filled at those grades must be announced in USAJOBS. Intern positions can also be filled at the GS-9 level, which requires a masters degree in a related field or specialized experience in the field. If you are looking nationwide at USAJOBS and see no Intern vacancies, then no one is actively recruiting at this point. Most Intern slots are filled starting in June and so it is possible that all recruitment has closed for any remaining vacancies. Unfortunately, listing the fact that a program exists at a particular medical center does not mean there is a current vacancy. It sounds like that listing gave the impression that all those sites are hiring an Intern, and that is not necessarily the case at this point.

Yes, the listing I was looking at did give me the impression that there were openings, and in the end there was none. Though I learned from her email that if there are openings for an internship position they will be posted on USAJOBS.

In the end I figured the best thing to do, is constantly check USAJOBS, apply for all kinds of positions you believe you are eligible for even for the continuous recruitment ones, because you never know when there is an opening and something may open up down the road, but don’t sit and wait. Also I now learned to email someone in the human Resources dept. of the facility you plan on applying  for, to make sure there is an actual opening and whether or not your taking the right steps to applying for the position. These people are very helpful and have no problems writing you back for the most part as you saw what the person at my local VA sent me within a day.

Checkout my WIKI page below, which has some great links to information pertaining to employment and internships.

MY WIKI – Jobs / Internships

header_USAJOBS_left2

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Severe Clear

Posted by STEVE on July 3, 2009
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Severe Clear is a movie made by a LT of the Marine Core, showing real footage of the Iraq war in 2003. First Lieutenant Mike Scotti records the trials the members of the 1st. Battalion, 4th Marines and himself go through as they push forward for Baghdad in the beginning of the Iraq war. I was fortunate to hear about this film which was produced by SIRK Production and can now be viewed throughout many venues across the U.S.

I’m 1 hour into the film and it really is what the producers say it is, a film depicting the chaos and emotions of war. It’s a film that isn’t edited to portray a political meaning, nor is it a film to portray just the bad side of war. It’s a film that is as real as it can get for a viewer who has never seen war, a film that hides nothing from the viewer as I see images of death, destruction, happiness, loneliness, fear, and bravery. Chaos can be seen and heard, when filming is done during the night; tracers can be seen and screams can be heard as LT. Scotti and his comrades run face to face with the enemy.

This is a film for those who don’t care to support the Veterans, those who volunteered and those who were drafted to go fight not only for the United States, but for the well being of other citizens of other countries that they owed nothing too. This is a film for the politicians who dare to vote to decrease spending on benefits for these soldiers, this is a film for the protesters who dare to interfere with a soldiers funeral and this is a film for those who aren’t thankful for the freedoms we have, because if it’s not directly affecting them, then why should they care.

As I watch this film, I flashback to that day when 9/11 took place, that day when I was doing my duties as an entry controller at Elmendorf AFB.  I remember after working extra hours that morning and returning back to my squadron, my squad and myself were briefed about being prepared to possibly being sent to war. However that day never came for me and in 2003 I separated from the Air Force while the Marines and Army were on stop loss, a word I never heard of until that day.

Till this day I still get the feelings of leaving my friends behind, friends that became family to me who still serve and  deploy to the war zone. I sometimes think that I should be there alongside these guys and when the news came that two of our men from my squadron were K.I.A during a deployment in Iraq, that’s when it hit me. I started thinking to myself I had made a mistake by leaving the military during the time of war. Though it was a great feeling to have completed my enlistment with the Air Force and ready to start college, there was nothing tougher then getting on that plane to come back home knowing I was leaving my friends behind who may find themselves in the war zone in the coming months.

When I arrived back home everyone welcomed me with open arms and smiles, even from people who I had never met before. The questions though began immediately, wondering if there was a possibility I could be called back in and what would I do. Well there was no thought to the answer for that question, as I watched the news on the war alongside my father (Vietnam Veteran). I knew if I was called back in to serve and fight, I would be more than ready to be there alongside my friends and the other members of the 3rd Security Forces.

Severe Clear shows its viewers the real images and sounds of war; some good moments as the members of 1st battalion, 4th Marines show their humorous side, to scenes of chaos when confronted by the enemy. The film may not be for everyone and I can understand, though I feel this is the film for all of those looking to see what war is really all about.

Severe Clear hides nothing from it’s viewers. This is real footage of war, which I urge all to view to gain a little more understanding as to why our men and women are returning home from the battle field and being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Over 400,000 war Veterans suffer from PTSD today and that’s not counting the many more veterans who have yet to come forward to get help.

Article by Truthout.org

http://www.truthout.org/ptsd-claims-rise-among-veterans-treated-va-new-research-study-ptsd-and-tbi57909

WARNING: This film does have graphic images and profanity (cause it’s real footage of the war in Iraq)

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A Call to All

Posted by STEVE on June 28, 2009
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I was recently given a website to checkout called Not Alone, which was created to help military personnel who battle the after math of being in a war zone a chance to share their experiences with one another. We are all affected in different ways when we experience a tragic event in our lives, war can contribute many of these events that can manipulate a persons mind that could change them forever.

As I searched through the pages of the website, I stumbled upon an article speaking about Fort  Campbell Suicides  (by BULLDOG), a subject we are hearing all to often inside and outside the military community. Comments by others had been posted in response of the article and when I came upon a comment by Yvonne and took the time to read it, I realized I was reading a comment left by a soon to be married woman who was excited about marrying her military man, but never saw that day.

Yvonne lost her husband while he was deployed, and yet in the end Yvonne spoke about her fiance’s best friend who after returning home from the war, struggled to fit into civilian life once again do to the lack of support and proper treatment he needed. Yvonne ends her comment calling out to all civilians to be more supportive and  understanding of what these brave heroes go through.

Yvonne is 100% correct, our military men and women need more support and war can change a person too a point where they cannot reconnect to civilian life. Many soldiers are affected differently with the trauma they experience while serving in a combat zone and where the Government lacks, organizations such as this one are making a difference.

Communication and support is key to helping these guys who serve our country. The Soldiers Project is another great organization with medical personnel taking a little of their time to help OIF/OEF veterans battling with symptoms of PTSD, though it is slowly expanding throughout the U.S. and needs more volunteers. The same goes for so many other Non-profit organizations, who are looking to do everything they can to help the men and women of the military.

Though we are making a difference in helping veterans when they return from the war zone compared to other past wars, support is still needed in anyway so these great organizations can fully reach out to these soldiers. Just as the many organizations are here to help these returning veterans, so should their families and American citizens. Family needs to support and understand what their soldier may be going through when they return and family too should take time to educate themselves to prepare for the return of their soldier. Instead of thinking their military family member is just having a bad day which then drags on throughout time, take the time to talk and try to connect with them.

Like I said before, talking to a person shows you care, and communication is the main focal point to understanding what a person may be going through. When you show someone your supportive, that’s when you may find the person opening up, revealing to you what troubles them. Though I’m not a professional or a licensed medical personnel, this is something I have experienced with someone and it’s also what I have learned while attending college.

So to all organizations, families and American citizens looking to make a difference in the lives of returning veterans, support and work with one another and maybe we can help even more men and women of the military and the number of suicides from rising.

To Yvonne,

Whoever you are, My sympathy goes out to you and I will make sure your call to all is heard.

-STEVE

TRANSITIONING VETERAN WIKI – PTSD LINKS

http://www.notalone.com/

The Soldiers Project – a non-profit organization in the Mental health sector looking to make a difference in the lives of OIF/OEF Veterans

SHORT FILMS

WALKING WOUNDED – produced by Darin Farr (Veteran and Film producer for Veterans Affairs)

NOW, AFTER – produced by Kyle Hausmann-stokes (Veteran of OIF and Film producer)

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Job Cuts Seen Throughout the Air Force

Posted by STEVE on June 21, 2009
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It is obvious that the economy is still not where it was before it took a nose dive back in October of 2008. Companies are still laying off workers, thousands of newly unemployed Americans are filing unemployment benefits at this moment, and the talk of falling into a deeper recession still lingers. However, not only does the civilian sector feel the impact of an economic downfall, so does the military community.

In the June 2009 issue of the Air Force Times, an article written by Sam LaGrone titled “Fewer Fighters”, speaks about the downsizing of the Air Force. The government hopes that by downsizing the military we can be a more lethal Air Force focusing on adding the more futuristic and modern aircraft such as the F-22 and F-35. Though this makes more sense as we wish to continue to be the most dominate military in the world, what many don’t know is that by wanting these next generation aircraft, the Air Force is about to start cutting jobs.

The Air Force has plans to start eliminating 5 to 10 squadrons, and a total of 249 aircraft  as stated in the article. Four thousand Airman will see themselves without a squadron, though they will be given choices, depending on where their duty location is. The Airman and Officers affected by this cut may be given the option to retrain into another career field, be reassigned to another squadron on their duty station or move to another base doing the same job, though it all depends on what command they are with.

As the economy continues to struggle, Washington will continue to make budget cuts needed in order to move money around to other departments. When we speak about the pros about serving in the military, many if not all will agree that its a pretty safe way to make a living performing a job you enjoy. Though what people don’t know is that even in the military, the jobs that people choose to do while serving, may not be the job they will have by the time they retire or complete their enlistment. While a serviceman may lose his job of choice, he will find himself with a new job possibly with a new squadron; where as his civilian counter part will lose his job and collect unemployment benefits for a limited time while he searches and struggles to find work.

So is job security safe while serving in the military? Sure it is, however you too can find yourself  losing the job you chose and love to do, because of military cutbacks pressured by the struggling economy. Though the military in the coming years will save billions of dollars because of these cuts, they already have plans on spending this money elsewhere. This will also affect government workers working on military facilities, private contracting companies and even surrounding areas of military installations.

Air Force Times article (Sam LaGrone

Decrease in Home Sales Attributed to Military Downsizing – old but still a good example

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Battlefield Pups

Posted by STEVE on June 4, 2009
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A recent article posted on MSNBC.com caught my attention the other day as it spoke about a soldier and his four legged Iraqi companion.  The article was about Major Steven Hutchinson and an Iraqi dog named Laia that he adopted while deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The article begins on a sad note, as I immediately read that Maj. Hutchinson passed away because of a roadside bomb just three months before he was to return home to the U.S.  While Maj. Hutchinson was deployed, his unit found a stray 1 month old pup that was to be euthanized unless his unit adopted her.     Maj. Hutchinson responded to the call. Almost being reprimanded for defying military orders,  Hutchinson was doing everything he could to make sure Laia would be returning home with him when he was due back.

Major Hutchinson might have lost his life in Iraq, but his dreams of returning Laia back home are coming true.   With the help of the SPCA and Operation Baghdad Pups,  Laia is on her way to a new life with a new family (that family being the brother of  Maj. Hutchinson).

The unit of Maj. Hutchinson spoke about how the dog brought great joy and happiness to him as the dog would travel around with him on his lap and even sleep along side of him.  In the medical field, dogs are used for therapeutic services to help people of all ages who are dealing with physical and mental disabilities. Though in the battlefield dogs are being used to detect explosive material, land mines, perform guard duties, and even help with search and rescue missions.  However, dogs and puppies such as Laia are bringing much therapeutic services to the American Soldiers as they are finding that caring for a dog (while serving in a war zone) is giving them feelings that they are missing with their family back home in the states.

An article by USA Today helps to bring life to what I’m speaking about as it talks about the psychological benefits to therapy dogs and the impact they can have on the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Major Hutchinson’s story is just one of many that have surfaced in the news helping to show the psychological benefits dogs can have on soldiers in a war zone.  With no family and children to care for, soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are finding that the stray pups and dogs they find off the streets are bringing them much happiness that they would be receiving by being around their loved ones who are waiting on their return back in the U.S.

People do not understand the importance of these animals in the fight against the war on terror. As I said before, they carry very unique skills that humans cannot emulate and because of this military dogs have saved thousands of lives doing what they do best.  I was very fortunate to have worked side by side with K-9 units while I served in the Security Forces at Elmendorf AFB.

While being deployed to Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia, I was given the opportunity to watch the training these incredible animals go through with the military.  My job at PSAB was to work with the search team, which    was  made up of a  number of military police members and a K-9 team.  Together we would search all civilians and vehicles looking to come onto our installation usually to do contract work.  The K-9 team was the first to conduct a search of all the vehicles in the search bay, using the dogs keen sense of smell to sniff out any explosive material.  Although I will not go further into how we conducted our searches using the military dog, I will say that the military dog was so well trained that with the slightest amount of material used for making IED’s, the dog would pick up on the scent and we would immediately respond.

Me at PSAB with our K9 Team

Me at PSAB with our K9 Team

The Dog is not only man’s best friend, but it is also one of the greatest assets in the military, and has been for many years.  Military dogs and stray dogs being adopted by American Soldiers are receiving more help than ever before as organizations such as Baghdad Pups, Space Coast War Dog Association and Guardian Angels for Soldier’ Pets are doing all that they can to get the word out on how to donate and help these incredible animals and the people that care for them.

Today War Dogs who have been injured in war are being rewarded military honors for their service, receiving medals such as the Purple Heart.  War dogs who have made the ultimate sacrifice protecting their partner and the lives of so many are being remembered with the creation of numerous monuments and websites.

I’d like to dedicate this to Tsgt. Jason Norton who was a K-9 handler for the 3rd Security Forces, Elmendorf AFB and who lost his life while deployed in Iraq.  I was fortunate to work with Tsgt. Norton and received the news about his passing when I separated from the service.  He will always be remembered.

Other Great sites

John Burnam Monument Foundation

Guardian Angels For Soldiers Pet Sanctuary

K9 Pride Blog

Military Dog Memorial Site Blog

Olive-Drab War Dogs

Operation Santa Paws

ASPCA for Kids (online book) – Dogs at work

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The Military Child of The American Soldier

Posted by STEVE on May 21, 2009
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Photo by Tsgt. Cecilio M. Ricardo Jr., USAF

Photo by Tsgt. Cecilio M. Ricardo Jr., USAF

All too often we are seeing an image like the one above, a child hugging her father’s leg as he prepares to deploy.   When we think of deployments we think mostly about the soldier and what he will be faced with while being away from home.   However, just as organizations are forming at a rapid pace to help support the soldier deal with deploying,  organizations to support the soldier’s children are also increasing in numbers.   America is realizing that not only do we have to help support the American Soldier,  but the children of these soldiers,  who are waiting on their parents return,  are also in need of support.

The military child can endure an incredible amount of stress when a parent deploys to another location for a length of time.   With deployments for soldiers being no less than a year these days,  military children are having to adjust longer to having one parent in the household.   The spouse left behind is finding themselves taking over the roll of both parents as they struggle everyday to make sure their child continues to strive and develop.

Luckily,  spouses left behind can find support not only at military bases Family Centers,  but also on the Internet.   So many incredible organizations and individual people are using their experiences to help support military families with children while their spouse is deployed.    From organizations such as the National Military Family Association and Our Military Kids,  to individual authors who have written books  (that can be found on Amazon to help children deal with a parent being away from home),  America is responding to the needs of military children.

The National Fatherhood Initiative has developed a military section on their website,  hoping to reach out to fathers who are looking for support to help guide them with caring for their child while serving.   With the creation of  books,  pamphlets,  videos,  and numerous programs,  fathers too can feel a little less stressed knowing that resources to help them,  while their wife is deployed,  is only a click away.    Same goes for the wives,  who struggle while their husbands are deployed overseas.   They too can find much needed support from not only the Family Readiness centers on military installations,  but also from other moms who are going through the same situation.

Loaded with lots of activities,  Deployment Kids is another great website, created so children of a deployed parent can stay busy by making a special deployment journal,  playing name games or even making post cards to then send to their father or mother overseas.    A website as such,  though only one in thousands on the Internet,  can be used to teach a child what deployments are about,  give a child an opportunity to get their mind off of the missing parent,  or better yet,  help to strengthen the bond between child and parent.

Though all children are different and react differently to a parent being deployed,  so many support groups are out there ready to help support children get through the struggle of missing their parent.   Another great website I stumbled upon one day is the Voice For The Military Child,  which is a blog that allows military children to write a little about themselves and what they go through growing up in the military.   Many children on this site talk about dealing with having a loved one deployed,  and what a better way for a child to be able to understand that they are not alone than to read first hand what others their age are going through.

The blog Voice For The Military Child allows military children to express themselves;  it allows them to speak about their feelings and what they are going through while growing up in the military.   I find it so interesting to read about what these children have to say as they speak about everything from school,  moving,  new friends,  to dealing with their parent being deployed overseas.   For someone like myself who served his country,  yet grew up in a small town in New York far away from any major military base, I’m able to get a glimpse of what it would be like to be raised as a military child reading what these children wrote about.

Any Veteran will tell you that the support that is out there for us is the greatest it has ever been,  though Veterans who have families will tell you to please not forget about their spouse and especially their children.  The military child needs America’s support more than ever, as they too struggle to cope from being separated from their parent or parents who are deployed to an overseas location.

OTHER GREAT LINKS

www.milspouse.org

www.saluteourservices.org

Working With Military Children (download Adobe Acrobat to read this if it does not load)

www.militarychild.org

Great Resources collected by ArmyFamily and Morale Command (download Adobe Acrobat to read this if it does not load)

Military.com

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My Initial Exam at The Northport VA Hospitalital

Posted by STEVE on May 15, 2009
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Well today I completed my initial exam at my local VA Hospital and everything was great. I’m not trying to be a spokes person for the VA Hospital, but I will say that the stigma of poor medical care that still looms over the VA Hospitals, is not what I have seen so far. The Department I’m assigned to is the OEF/OIF unit which works specifically with Veterans who have served in the Middle East region whether in peace time or war time.

I started my day by first going to the OEF/OIF to sign in and speak with Scott who is the Patient Program Assistant. After speaking to Scott about where I had to go for my appointments, I was seen by Terri who is my Primary Care Provider. She questioned me on past medical issues and any new issues, got me setup with an appointment with other departments and gave me some great resources and information pertaining to claiming disabilities; if I had any to claim which after 6yrs of being out of the service I had no idea I could still claim. She told me how having stuff documented while I was in the service will help me when and if I had to claim for a disability after I leave the military.

After my checkup with Terri I went to the X-ray, Lab (for blood work) and audiology departments which didn’t take long at all. It took about an hour to finish getting all this work done and the process wasn’t bad at all and while I sat waiting I admired all the other Veterans sitting and waiting too. Almost all of the Veterans I saw wore, Vietnam Veteran, Korean War Veteran or Iraq Veteran campaign hats. Even WWII Veterans were sporting their campaign hats, all were there for different reasons, yet all were there accepting the free care they were receiving that we deserve.

After I had completed all my appointments my final stop was to the vocational office where I spoke to James who is the Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist. It was great sitting down and speaking to James, because once again I was given more resources and information to help me with trying to get a job working with the Veterans Affairs. He helped with giving me advice when applying for government jobs, and since I will be returning to college for my Masters degree, he helped me with advising me on how to go about trying to get an internship working at the VA. James also didn’t hold back telling me some possible reasons why I  wasn’t referred for a recent VA position I had applied for, working in the Brooklyn VA Hospital.  Our meeting lasted a good 40 minutes and he just gave me a little more advice that will help me to better position myself for a job working in the Veterans Affairs.

After speaking to James I went back to the OEF/OIF department where I had to sign out and then speak to two more people. I had to sit down with Joan who is one of the Social case manager. She went over information in the Welcome Home Returning Combat Service Members packet. She questioned me on any issues i may have pertaining to PTSD, any stress or depression and my overall thoguht just about life and how any other personnel issues that may be bothering me. Again I was given more resources to help me with any social problems I may be having, and clearly made it known that if there is ever a problem I can call her. She made it clear she is here to help and more than willing to help and she even said that speaking to her is also confidential and does not need to be filed in my personel records.

After speaking to Joan I was able to speak to Vanessa who is the Program Manager for the OEF/OIF department. Speaking to Vanessa was great as we spoke about everything from what I’m doing with my website Transitioning veteran, to how she plans and hopes to expand the department. She speak to me about the benefits of coming to the VA Hospital right after separating from the military as we are authorized to receive 6 continuation months under tricare which I did not know. She spoke to me about up and coming seminars, other organizations she’s working with such as The Soldiers Project which I’m a volunteer of and how even just coming to the VA Hospital to initially get put into the system is a great thing. With the packets they give out and information about benefits we can receive as veterans, it makes no sense to not at least come in and put yourself into the system even if you have other medical insurance with another group. I completely agree with her in that they gave me information that I did not know existed and I wished I had done this right after I separated.

So my final thought is this, we have a free resource here given to us for serving in the military so why not use it. The stigma still remains about the VA Hospital, though those that believe in this stigma are usually the ones who have never went to their local VA Hospital. I’m very glad I have gone to the VA and even if I was to accept medical insurance from another organization, I still have gained so much more knowledge about medical benefits that I’m entitled to receive from our government.

Though back in the day around the Vietnam era, VA Hospitals weren’t getting the funding they are getting now from the government. So today is probably the best time to go take a ride and speak to the people in your local VA Hospital to get into the system and find out what benefits you can recieve. It doesn’t hurt even if you already have medical insurance and these people are here to help and are also Veterans like us so they have experience with what we have been through and can relate.

So final words, take a ride to your local VA Hospital and take advantage of the FREE benefits setup for us who served. And what a better time to go, while we sit here in an economic downturn, wondering whether or not we may lose our job and medical coverage.

This pertains to all Veterans of all Wars.

Here is a good article by MSN about the STIGMA I’m talking about

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30782778

here is a link of the new Budget for the VA

http://www.va.gov/budget/products.htm

us-deptofveteransaffairs-seal

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Last Flight Out of Anchorage

Posted by STEVE on May 5, 2009
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I can remember being on that plane, the plane back to Long Island, New York. After serving four years in the Military, when 9/11 took place, hearing about the term stop loss and being briefed about the possibilities of seeing combat; it was something I probably will never experience in my life again.

I was tossing and turning in my seat as in my mind I realized, this was my last flight out of anchorage, Alaska. The day  before my flight, I was saying my goodbyes to my friends; friends that have become family to me, friends that I have experienced so much with. Flash backs of great times we shared re-ran in my mind over and over, from the times of meeting up at The Kashim Club to the times of camping out in the great Alaskan outdoors. We had so many great moments hanging out with one another, I wondered if it would ever be the same without these guys near me.

We came from all over the U.S., from New York, California, Missouri, New jersey, Maine, Washington, Florida, Alaska, Iowa, Montana and among other states. I sat there in my uncomfortable South West seat, laughing, looking back at some of the guys and girls I had met from all over. Laughing, because I had learned so much about them and how life was like for them growing up in these different parts of the U.S. and yet I was just a naive teenager that thought life wasn’t nearly as good as it is growing up here in New York. The stories we shared with each other about our hometowns differed in so many ways, that i had kinda wished I got a taste of what it would be like to grow up in a small town far away from the city atmosphere.

As time continued to trickle away ever so slowly I decided to forget about sleeping and just let my mind reflect back to my years in the military that I was leaving behind. I remember sitting at post performing entry duties to a high priority location early in the morning. It was around 5am when I received a call from my friend who was on the same shift as me. When I answered the phone he quickly cut me off while I was trying to say hello, to tell me to turn on the radio, because their is announcements everywhere talking about planes hitting The World Trade Center in N.Y.C. I didn’t believe it at first and told him “whatever we’re almost done with work, quit with the jokes”, until the radio station came in clear and sure enough announcements were everywhere saying America is being attacked.

I hung up on my friend and quickly dialed out to my parents back home in New York, asking what was going on. I remember hearing it in my parents voices how scared they were about what was taking place in our city; the city where my godmother travels by bus and train everyday for work. Then my hand held radio went off with an announcement that those of us who were to be relieved for duty by the oncoming shift will have to stand by at the squadron and stay armed.

Suddenly my mind was redirected with an announcement on the planes speaker system, saying to buckle our belts to prepare for landing. As the plane touched down on the runway I remember having a great feeling to be back home, but also a feeling of being unsure. I knew things have changed back home on Long Island and I as a person changed as well. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as the memories of Alaska became overtaken by the  thoughts of  “Am I ready to be a civilian again”?

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  • My Story

    I'm a four year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, since out of the service I completed a bachelors degree in Human Relations. I created this blog to reach out to other Veterans of the Armed Forces who separate from the military who are looking to find simple information helping them to transition into the civilian world.
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    This work by Transitioning Veteran is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

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