Wounded Warriors Get 14,000 Resources Direct to Smartphones

This week Wounded Warriors, Veterans, and their Family members now have nealry 14,000 resources at their fingertips and on their iPhones — and by coincidence (or maybe not) Craig Newmark is connecting the world for the common good.

Do you believe in Karma?

About two years ago, I met up with Craig Newmark in a small café across from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Unfortunately, I was in a hurry and a little frazzled at the idea of meeting the man, and forgot my wallet.

Luckily, Craig understood, and we just sat and sipped coffee while discussing the two different sides of the planet we were from. I was a combat Veteran of Iraq, and Special Assistant to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric K. Shinseki. Craig was, well … Craig. A bonefide genius. During our chat, Craig mentioned that he was interested in helping our Wounded Warriors and Veterans and was inspired by the way that the President and Secretary Shinseki were putting their money where their mouth was in supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs.

He said that it had occurred to him that there many resources out there that could help the Wounded Warrior community, but that there just did not seem to be a way to do it, or do it well. Fast forward about two years, and Craig has lent his genius to several advisory groups on Veterans issues, and then launches a website called www.Craigconnects.org.

This is man who fights for what he believes in. That I can relate to. More importantly, he is fighting on the side of angels. The mission of his new site — “Connecting the World for the Common Good” says it all.

That I can not only relate to, but find inspiration in. Today, I have the honor of working on a project to connect wounded warriors, veterans and their families to resources for free and brought to you by the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Labor.

This week, over 14,000 connections to resources for benefits and services became available for recovering service members, their families and Veterans – on their smartphones via a national resource directory for Wounded Warriors, Veterans and family members at www.nrd.gov.

The connections run deep – from National, or State, to local resources. You can find any number of benefits to help – from benefits and compensation, to family and caregiver support, homelessness assistance, to job resources, to local counseling services to help with the re-adjustment coming home after combat. 

All free connections, and all navigable by your zipcode.

In addition, the information and services on the website are screened by the Department of Defense in collaboration with the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Labor who built the site. Since October, use of the site has grown from around 40,000 each month to 90,000.

Craig Newmark is making a run at connecting people to resources himself, and it is great that these two ventures are highlighting Veterans.  Now I am not saying that Craig invented the idea, he didn‘t. What I am saying is that when smart people from different corners of the world get together and connect in ways that seem unlikely … good things can happen.

So, if you are a Wounded Warrior, Veteran, or Military Family Member and want to connect, fire up the ipod or droid and navigate to www.nrd.gov.   While you are on, make sure to tweet up @craignewmark in between clicks – tell him I said thanks for coffee.

Landing a Job After Service – Tune In and Get Paid

This article is for my fellow Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans who are looking for a job, or friends and family who want to help them out and have three minutes to tune in.

By the end of this article, I am going to help each one of you land a job — the only thing you have to do is to accept the challenge of being who you already are. 

I recently watched a film Amelia Earhart, it was called “Amelia.” I am not certain of it’s historical accuracy, but the only thing that really mattered was the beginning, and the end. I’m pretty sure those were accurate. In the beginning, Ameila states that she intends to fly around the world – the precise term is “circumnavigate the globe.” In the end, she dies trying.

That’s not what I am here to tell you – “keep going, or die trying” or some other unusable dribble.

What I am here to tell you is that Amelia was in the very last leg of her trek around the globe before she disappeared across  the Pacific.

The very last leg. She was at the finish line, and then … nothing. Vanished.   You made it this far, you have visited the devil’s sandy doorstep, and either came home with a picture of a gold-plated AK or a shrapnel riddled HMMWV (Humvee).  You made it back, you are now in the last leg — don’t disappear.

 

 

See, for Amelia, it really can’t be said that she did not know how to fly — she was 90% of the way there — she checked that block. You also really can’t say that she didn’t know how to circumnavigate the globe; in essence, she did just that as it was a straight shot home from a small island in the Pacific to the coast of California – she checked that one as well.

What Amelia failed at, if you are to believe the film, was not tuning to the right frequency — not being able to hear the calls from control tower on that small island in the Pacific telling her to land, to get refueled, and then to fly home victorious.

You, just like Amelia, already have all the tools you need to succeed — you have had a military career that has made you an ideal candidate for a leadership position. You have certifications and training from here to Howland Island. You checked the box.

The only thing you need to do is to realize that this offer has already been made, you just couldn’t hear it.  The only thing you need to do is to tune in, and get paid. Let me help you get tuned in.

Step One. Get your mind right – read a recent article by Dan Gomez on the ten lessons learned for every transitioning combat veteran.

Step Two. Get your information straight – visit www.turbotap.org , and use their new online career decision toolkit.  Yeah, it takes a little while to get through, but it is time well spent.

Lastly, go to the Department of Labor, and visit their www.fedshirevets.gov  site to find job positions, or call out JP Morgan Chase out on their assertion that they are hiring 1000 Veterans – why not you?

One special note for our combat wounded — if you are a disabled Veteran that is rated at over 30% from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or  you suffer from PTSD or TBI, there may be a special hiring authority that qualifies you for a direct hire — no muss, no fuss.

Call any federal agency, and ask them if they have a hiring manager that focuses on hiring Veterans.   Here is the DoD board – http://www.dodvets.com/job.asp

Last year, President Obama issued an executive order that required every major federal agency in America to have  an office that helps Veterans get employed. 

Did you know that? 

Looking for a job after a tour (or four) in Iraq and Afghanistan can feel like you are trying to circumnavigate the globe — an endless flight across barren landscapes and oceans waiting to swallow you alive.

Help is out there my friends — remember how far you have gone and who you are.  You are on the last leg.  Tune in, don’t disappear.

Stop Lossed? Don’t Get KeyserSözed! Get paid!

One of my favorite films is “The Usual Suspects”.  The film is about a group of criminals who are led by a mysterious puppeteer that no one has ever actually met by the name of Keyser Söze.  Because no one actually ever sees him, people start believing that he is not real, and he conducts his criminal schemes under an impregnable veil of secrecy.

One problem — he was real, and in their hesitation and debate about whether he existed or not, the good guys let him get away — right under their noses.

 One of the best lines in the film was delivered by a “witness” during an interview.  They believed that their “witness” had information about the mysterious figure.  At one point, the witness starts telling them about the great feats of Keyser Soze and the Cops get irate.  The cops shout down the witness – these are myths, they say, criminal fairy tales!    Keyser Söze does not exist.

The “witness” chastises them along by saying that “the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist… and like that, he’s gone.”  Unconvinced, eventually, the cops fall victim to the myth that he does not really exist and Keyser Söze walks free and disappears with his ill-gotten gains, never to be seen again.

Before the end of the year, one of the greatest benefits  offered to Service members who served after 9-11 will vanish.  Some still beleive it is a myth, and some have still not applied.  This is a benefit that may pay up to $500 a month for every month that the Service member’s contract was extended, also known as “stop-lossed”.

 The application deadline is now October 21st, 2011, and there is still money on the table. Some suspect that folks are not applying because they don’t believe it’s real, or that it is a trick to get them to re-enlist or somehow extend their service.  That is a myth.  

 Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay compensates members, who, at any time during the period beginning on September 11, 2001 and ending on September 30, 2009, served on active duty while the member’s enlistment or period of obligated service was involuntarily extended due to the provision of law commonly referred to as “Stop Loss Authority”, or similarly, whose eligibility for retirement/transfer to the Fleet Reserve was suspended due to application of “Stop Loss  Authority.”

There is still money in the bank, and many of the eligible Service members, Veterans, and eligible beneficiaries are not taking up Uncle Sam on the offer for fear of somehow being pulled back into service, or some other urban legend.  It is like Söze has mounted a counter-information campaign, and Veterans are being snookered.  

 The myth may/may not be playing a role in folks not filling out the easy application to get paid for the time that they got extended, but myths have a way of becoming reality if enough people are willing to silently let the Devil whisper in their ear that he does not exist.

 President Obama himself has weighed in on the benefit he signed into law last year by issuing a Public Service Announcement stating that:  “As your commander in chief, I’m here to tell you that this is no gimmick or trick. You worked hard. You earned this money. It doesn’t matter whether you were Active or Reserve, whether you’re a veteran who experienced “stop loss” or the survivor of a Service member who did — if your service was extended, you’re eligible.”

 Although many Service members may not want to apply, or simply do not know about it, the real loss is to the survivors of those would have been eligible – these spouses or children may be eligible to receive the benefit directly themselves.

 Even if you are not sure about your eligibility, the average benefit is $3,700.  I know some families could really use that kind of money, and taking a few minutes to fill in the online application would be worth it. 

Don’t get KeyserSözed, get paid.

Army?  Apply for Retroactive Stop Loss Pay HERE.

Navy? Apply for Retroactive Stop Loss Pay HERE.

Airforce?  Apply for Retroactive Stop Loss Pay HERE

Marines?  Apply for Retroactive Stop Loss Pay HERE.

 #stoplossedgetcash

 – Movie Spoiler-