History seems to close up behind us as we move forward in our particular bubble of the present and immediate past. The Memorial Day celebrations I attended this year started me thinking about how few World War II veterans are still with us. Reading Senator Frank Lautenberg’s obituary a week after Memorial Day gave me a chance to see his long journey from serving in the Army Signal Corps during WWII to serving three terms as Senator before he retired. Except he didn’t really retire. He ran again and was re-elected. He was still serving at the time of his death.
Blogs
Submitted by Shad Meshad on
Wed, 06/19/2013 - 12:11
Submitted by Marty Papazian on
Thu, 06/13/2013 - 11:49
I’ve always been drawn to the idea that even when you get to that point where you feel like you are completely filled with regret and heartbreak over things you can’t undo from the past . . . there is still a chance to reinvent yourself. It isn’t easy or straightforward, but the possibility is always there. I was not drawn to retelling their ferocious experiences of war, but rather to revealing the very human and moving ways in which they rediscover how to live in the aftermath of it.
Submitted by Shad Meshad on
Mon, 05/20/2013 - 10:55
When you think of it, “holiday” isn’t exactly the right phrase for what began as a day of remembrance, a day to honor those who gave their all for this country. What began as a solemn occasion has somehow morphed into something very different.
Submitted by Mark Scheets on
Wed, 05/01/2013 - 13:10
As many current military personnel and Veterans of past wars know, life can be full of challenges and obstacles. One of the challenges that often may be overlooked is finances. Along with civilians, service members have to deal with doing their finances, and that is usually one of the last things on their minds. Although there are many stressful things in the life of a soldier, finances do not have to be one of them. When it comes to handling your money as a current service member or Veteran, there are many things to consider.
Submitted by Kristine on
Thu, 04/25/2013 - 17:06
If I had known about the National Veterans Foundation before or just after I left active duty how different my life would be…
Submitted by Shad Meshad on
Tue, 04/16/2013 - 12:36
So why is unemployment among vets from Iraq and Afghanistan still higher than in other sectors of the population? And why is the unemployment rate active duty vets face almost double what reservists experience? Well, the gloss of the parade can hide some misconceptions. The press, not to mention the entertainment industry, has done its job educating the public about the effects of PTSD. Who isn't familiar with someone breaking under stress and "going postal?"
Submitted by Shad Meshad on
Thu, 04/04/2013 - 13:36
Southern California, 1971: I had just returned from Vietnam where I served as a psychiatric social worker, and I was finding vets like me living on the street, under bridges, or in temporary communities of hooches in vacant lots or remote beaches and canyons.
My job was to figure out why they weren't taking advantage of VA services. To me, the answer was obvious: clinics were hard to get to whether you were in an urban area or in the wilderness, and the system was not easy to navigate. Any bureaucracy was a symbol of all that had gone wrong with that war.
Submitted by Shad Meshad on
Tue, 03/12/2013 - 14:44
I'm not saying the draft should be reinstated, but I am saying that we need to do something differently. Perhaps if everyone had an equal stake, we wouldn't just change the channel when the news wasn't good. We'd pay more attention to situations as they rose and maybe our leaders would work harder to find alternatives to armed conflict. Maybe in addition to having fewer wars, we'd have a citizenry that was engaged and vested in the country, having served it.
Submitted by Dave the VSO on
Fri, 03/08/2013 - 09:51
What if there were a social media tool (think of Facebook) just for vets like us? You know, some way to keep in touch with the vets you served with, but also some way to find out whether vets like us are close by.
Submitted by Dave the VSO on
Tue, 01/15/2013 - 11:42
It’s a brand new year. What’s new? New things at the VA for one. New semester for Vets using their education benefits for another. Plus a new wrinkle on getting those benefits. States' residency requirements don't always jive with what the Pentagon had in mind for you.
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