Recapturing Our Sense of National Unity

This is a cross-post from http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,249768,00.html.

Last year was the ten year anniversary of the September 11th attacks that killed thousands of us and left a permanent scar on our collective national psyche. It was a wake-up call, and one that unified America in ways that were seemingly impossible. At that point nearly every American felt connected to the struggle and to the cause of freedom.

So what can we do on the 11th Anniversary of 9-11 to recapture that sense of unity?

Although Al Qaeda has been severely degraded, and yes, Osama Bin Laden is dead, this Nation is still combating the extremist elements that plotted and executed this attack, and our men and women are still dying in the hills of Afghanistan. In addition, although only 1 percent of Americans have borne this burden, the long tail costs of their care will be borne by all American tax-payers for decades to come.

But does the average American still feel the sense of connectedness to a national cause? Are the war wounds of our men and women in combat and their families – both visible and hidden – felt in any way by the rest of America?

According to a 2011 Pew Research study, the answer to that question is no.

“The nation’s post-9/11 wars have been fought by an all-volunteer active-duty military made up at any given time of just one half of one percent of the U.S. population. More than eight-in-ten (84 percent) of these modern-era veterans say the American public has little or no understanding of the problems that those in the military face. Most of the public (71 percent) agrees.”

Although I sometimes agree with Mark Twain who frequently quoted that there were three kinds of lies — “lies, dammed lies, and statistics” — in this case, I think the numbers are right, but that’s not the whole story.

You can’t measure collective patriotism with a study, and you cannot measure the tensile strength of the thread of compassion that runs through the fabric of America with quantitative research.

Americans are better than that, and I think we know it. Many of us are just looking for the right way to make the connection and to show a fundamental truth about being an American – we take care of our own.

So here the good news: there are many ways that Americans can both reflect and also reach back out to the community that responded in defense to the atrocity of the 9/11 attacks, and to honor the victims and heroic actions of everyday Americans. One way that every American can reach back and re-connect is by taking time to volunteer during the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance.

When President Obama declared 9-11 National Day of Service and Remembrance in 2009, he created a way for all Americans to pay homage to those who lost their lives on September 11th, to thank those who fought and bled to vindicate America’s way of life on foreign soil, and gave every American a way to personify our resoluteness to unity in times of tragedy. It’s honor through service — service to our communities and to our fellow Americans in need.

The National Day of Service is the culmination of an effort originally launched in 2002 by 9/11 family members and support groups, who worked to establish the service day as a forward-looking way to honor 9/11 victims, survivors, and others who rose up in service in response to the attacks.

Congress charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with supporting this effort across the country and the Corporation on National and Community Service is working with numerous organizations to implement one of the largest days of charitable service in U.S. history.

If last year is a bench mark of the high tide of public interest in serving on the ten-year Anniversary of 9-11, this year, hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals empowered by CNCS’ two signature programs, AmeriCorps and Senior Corps will give tens of thousands of hours of their time in service to and remembrance of the victims of 9-11, the first responders, members of the military, veterans, and their families in honor of the day.

One of the grantees from CNCS’ National Day of Service Award project, The Mission Continues is with MyGoodDeed is taking this opportunity to a new level – serving by and with military veterans who have come home from serving their country in uniform and then serve again on the home front . These military Veterans come home and then dedicate hundreds of hours to serve their communities and in the process they motivate hundreds of thousands of every-day citizens to join with them.

There are hundreds of Mission Continues fellows doing this work, and they join the national service fight with another 27,000 AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members who are also Veterans and who dedicate a year or more of their lives to serving in their communities.

According to CNCS’ service day partner MyGoodDeed, last year more than 33 million individuals around the country engaged in acts of “charitable service” and good deeds in honor of this day. This year, there are opportunities to serve on 9-11 in nearly every corner of our great nation.

When we look back at the unity of effort that once was, and see the possible, we can embrace today a vision of unity of effort and patriotism that does not need to diminish.

If even for just one day.

The opportunity to serve with and remember the sacrifices of our patriots is here, it is now, and every American is called to serve, and you simply cannot measure that. What we can measure is the dedication of the 99 percent who never wore a uniform to serve with their fellow man and woman on 9-11 and by doing so, honor the 1 percent who did.

Good deeds can unite us.

Learn more at http://www.serve.gov/sept11.asp.

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.