VETERANS AFFAIRS 2020

SPECIAL EDITION

VETERANS AFFAIRS 2020 EDITION

HONOR

SALUTING HEROES Celebrating the ‘Greatest Generation’

MUCH MORE TO GIVE Vets assist their communities

EDUCATION & CAREERS Military skills in high demand

BATTLING COVID-19 Response care set up early

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CONTENTS

2020 S PECI A L E D ITI O N

VETERANS AFFAIRS

HEALING HORSES Equine-therapy programs help veterans cope

SARATOGA WARHORSE FOUNDATION

NEWS

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FEATURES MISSION STATEMENT New gender-neutral VA motto proposed

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FORGING AHEAD

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HOME HELP

Q&A with VA Secretary Robert Wilkie

New loan provision boosts access to hot markets

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HEROES HIGHWAY Indiana gives U.S. 20 Medal of Honor moniker

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UNDERWATER TRIBUTE

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SALUTING SACRIFICE

Circle of Heroes honors all five branches

Florida county readies memorial to military women

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PROGRESS PAUSES Coronavirus shutdown reverses gains in VA claims backlog

24 JHUNATHYN ELLIS

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WHAT’S IN A NAME?

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BRANCHES OF THE TREE

Veterans’ opinions vary on renaming installations

Some sleuthing still required to research military ancestors

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USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION

WORLD WAR II 75TH ANNIVERSARY

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MILESTONE IN MASKS

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MERRILL’S MARAUDERS

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REUNITING WITH HISTORY

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Tributes marking the end of the war were mostly virtual

This is a product of

Jungle fighting unit receives Congressional Gold Medal

Former gunner visits B-25 and recalls 61 missions

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jeanette Barrett-Stokes

CHARLIE RUBLE COMES HOME

jbstokes@usatoday.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jerald Council

Missing for 75 years, veteran finally gets hero’s memorial

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jcouncil@usatoday.com

MANAGING EDITOR Michelle Washington

SUPREME SACRIFICE Washington, D.C., memorials honor “Greatest Generation”

mjwashington@usatoday.com

ISSUE EDITOR Harry Lister

JOBS & EDUCATION

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TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

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HIRING HEROES

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BE YOUR OWN BOSS

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UNCOVERING CAREERS

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ISSUE DESIGNER Gina Toole Saunders EDITORS Amy Sinatra Ayres Tracy Scott Forson Deirdre van Dyk Debbie Williams

Employers turn to veterans, even in a pandemic

DESIGNERS Hayleigh Corkey David Hyde Debra Moore Lisa M. Zilka

Companies recognized for employing, retaining veterans

For entrepreneurial vets, franchising is an option

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

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Army Corps program helps warriors in transition

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES Colleges that embrace Yellow Ribbon Program

VICTORIA STAUFFENBERG/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

ADVERTISING

RESOURCES

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ON THE COVER

GIVING BACK The Mission Continues helps veterans serve communities and themselves

Getty Images

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HEALTH & HEALING

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All-terrain wheelchairs open up the outdoors

PADDLING WITH PURPOSE Veterans trek 300 miles in handmade kayaks

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR Vanessa Salvo | (703) 854-6499

Coordinated effort in battle against COVID-19

vsalvo@usatoday.com

FINANCE

VA medical facilities add six Fisher Houses

Billing Coordinator Julie Marco

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CRITICAL CONVERGENCE

ISSN#0734-7456

Private industry, VA test 5G-enabled care

A USA TODAY Network publication, Gannett Co. Inc USA TODAY, its logo and associated graphics are the trademarks of Gannett Co. Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Copyright 2020, USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. Editorial and publication headquarters are at 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, VA 22108, and at (703) 854-3400.

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SIGHTS SET

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VETERAN EXTRAS

HOMEY HOUSING Streaming TV show renovates military homes

pburke@usatoday.com

PANDEMIC PLAN

HOSPITAL HOSPITALITY

DRIVE TO HELP Group provides aid through shared love of motoring

VP, ADVERTISING Patrick Burke | (703) 854-5914

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GIFT OF MOBILITY

American flag patch on camouflage

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

Matt Alderton, Daniel Axelrod, Margaret Buranen, Anna Katherine Clemmons, Craig Guillot, Gina Harkins, Tony Judnich, Jordan Kartholl, Patricia Kime, David Murray, Ken Perrotte, Kristen A. Schmitt, Sarah Sekula, Sandy Smith, Fiona Soltes, Adam Stone, Laura Jazmin Tolliver

Doctors, dogs and devices aid blind veterans

State-by-state look at additional benefits

For accuracy questions, call or send an email to accuracy@ usatoday.com.

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GETTY IMAGES

PRINTED IN THE USA

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NEWS

Same Mission, New Statement Bill to make motto gender-neutral prompts pushback

By Gina Harkins

A

QUOTE FROM PRESIDENT ABRAHAM Lincoln is causing

JESSICA MCGOWAN/GETTY IMAGES

A survey by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America organization found that 57 percent of female members support changing the VA’s motto to be more inclusive.

a clash in Washington.

For more than six decades, the Department of Veterans Affairs has used a line from Lincoln’s second inaugural address as its official motto. In the speech, delivered weeks before the end of the Civil War and Lincoln’s assassination, the president called on the American people to “bind up the nation’s wounds.” “(To) care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan,” Lincoln said of those who fought in the brutal four-year war that left more than a million dead or wounded.

The quote affirms the government’s obligation to care for the injured and families of the fallen. But with women now serving in combat, some say it’s time for the motto to be more inclusive.

Rep. Kathleen Rice, a New York Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs committee, introduced legislation in July to make the motto gender neutral, and the House of Representatives passed the Honoring All Veterans Act on Sept.

22. “It’s time for the Department of Veterans Affairs mission statement to properly recognize those whom it exists to serve,” Rice said at the time of the bill’s

introduction.

Women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan concur. Of the approximately 220 female members of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America who responded to the organization’s annual survey, 57 percent agree the motto should be changed.

If the Honoring All Veterans Act becomes law, the new motto would read, “To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those ‘who shall have borne the battle’ and for their families, caregivers, and survivors.”

VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, speaking at the August dedication of a plaque displaying the current motto at Camp Butler National Cemetery in Lincoln’s hometown of Springfield, Ill., said Lincoln’s original phrasing should be retained “so every generation understands the origin of America’s progress in becoming the most tolerant nation on Earth.”

Acting VA Deputy Secretary Pamela Powers told Rice during a July hearing on sexual harassment in the VA that the treatment women receive matters more than words on a building.

“I really hope that you will reconsider,” Rice replied, “and stop making reference to words that were spoken many years ago, because the reality of the military in 2020 is very different, and it has to change with the times.”

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NEWS

Forging Ahead VA secretary says ‘renaissance’ continues, even amid pandemic

VA Secretary Robert Wilkie PATRICK SEMANSKY/ASSOCIATED PRESS

By Patricia Kime

A

S COVID-19 BEGAN DISRUPTING life across the globe in late

February and early March, the Department of Veterans Affairs shifted to a “war footing” — restricting visitors to medical buildings and locking down communityliving facilities. In the subsequent months,

VA has hired new employees, ramped up telehealth and embraced cutting-edge treatments for veterans.

But there have been missteps as well, including issues with supplies of personal protective equipment for employees, widescale medical appointment cancellations without follow-up and the deaths of thousands of veterans home residents across the country.

Still, VA facilities were able to accommodate all veteran patients with COVID-19 and provide expertise and medical assistance to civilians — part of its “fourth mission” to support the federal public health response.

VA Secretary Robert Wilkie recently spoke with USA TODAY about this challenging year and his vision for 2021.

CONTINUED

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NEWS

PATRICIA KIME

VA Secretary Robert Wilkie shows a poster depicting Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address. The VA’s motto was derived from this speech.

What are you most proud of regarding the VA response to COVID-19?

WILKIE: The original projections, when we saw them, were devastating. We were looking at, based on information coming from the NIH (National Institutes of Health) and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), hundreds of thousands of infections, tens of thousands of deaths.

(But) we started early — we put up our first emergency operation centers in January, and we shut down our facilities in February or March. What spurred us was what we saw going on in New Orleans — my parents’ hometown — and the flood of COVID cases coming out of Mardi Gras. It was a wake-up call. We cut off our facilities to routine appointments. We cut off family. We shut off nursing homes. We tested the patients;

Q

we tested employees ... The lessons we’ve learned, we’ve tried to share with the rest of the country.

The Defense Department played a significant role in providing medical services to civilians in major urban centers. How has the VA contributed to the national effort?

We opened up (our hospitals) in Orange, N.J. We opened up Brooklyn (N.Y.); we opened up Manhattan. We did the same in Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, but more importantly, we’re in 46 states right now, everywhere from Boston to Navajo Country. We even have nurses who are learning the Navajo language to better serve that community. I just got a request (in early September) from the governor of Hawaii to provide infection control in their state veterans home.

We’re sending in infectious disease

physicians, infectious disease nurses, nurse managers, safety officers, engineers, industrial hygienists. We’ve been doing that all across the country. It’s one of the best stories about government out there, that VA employees — and they’re all volunteers — went out beyond their foundational mission to help.

Telehealth has been very important during the pandemic, and VA also has been moving ahead with its electronic health record. How are these initiatives going?

(Post-9/11 veterans) want answers fast, and they want care faster, and that’s as much psychological as it is practical.

That’s why we’ve pushed so hard on things like the electronic health record, which will come online in the Pacific Northwest (this fall). The scheduling portion already is online in Columbus,

Ohio, designed to give them quicker service scheduling appointments, filling prescriptions and allowing privatesector doctors to input into the veteran’s record.

Younger veterans are just flocking to telehealth. Just on the tele-mental health appointments, in a normal month, we had 40,000. In June, it was 905,000.

(Telehealth) is a venue that veterans from this current generation and even a generation before are very, very happy to have. They can do it at home on their computers.

What lessons from the pandemic response have been incorporated into future plans?

The normal supply chains that we use were disrupted, even though we CONTINUED

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NEWS

EVAN VUCCI/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Secretary Wilkie listens to President Donald Trump during a November 2019 Cabinet meeting at the White House.

had ... made provisions in the event of a national emergency. Once FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) became the focal point for the national effort, the arrangements we made were subsumed into the greater national effort. So what we have learned from that is that we need to stock, and for that, I went back to the old Navy-Marine Corps depot system. They had engineers and parts they could distribute. It makes sense to me to stockpile. If ... we have the potential for the convergence of flu and COVID in the winter, we need to be ready.

This year, there’s been movement on Capitol Hill for VA to make its motto — “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan,” a quote from Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address — more gender-inclusive, and a push to change bases named for Confederate officers and ships named for proponents of segregation. Several VA medical centers are named for these people as well. What are your thoughts on this?

We have an 84 percent approval rating amongst women veterans. We are setting all-time records for service to women. The only time I hear anything about the motto is from activists in this town. What’s the purpose of serving? Is there a higher calling? I think this puts it into very clear perspective. If I could put up Lincoln’s whole second inaugural address, I would. The department is here because of that address. (The speech) calls for a just society and peace among nations and “caring for him who have borne the battle.” If we don’t have a place in our collective memory for Abraham Lincoln, we’re in one hell of a fix. (Note: On Sept. 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill calling on the VA to change its motto to “To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those ‘who shall have borne the battle’ and for their families, caregivers, and survivors.” The Senate had not taken up the bill as of late October.)

Army who later founded several schools and hospitals that became part of what is now Richmond’s VCU Medical Center). Are you thinking about it?

No. Not at all.

As for renaming, say, the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center in Richmond, Va., or others (McGuire was a surgeon with the Confederate

It’s been speculated that the White House has approached you for the secretary of defense job. Does that interest you?

President Trump introduced the President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide, or PREVENTS, this year.

What does VA need to help stem suicides among veterans?

We’re doing as much as we can on our own but a (new law) will put into statute a new grant and assistance program for localities, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and charities (that work on this issue). We know it works because in our homelessness efforts, the supporting charities and NGOs were able to go places and find people, and it made a huge disruption in homelessness in most parts of the country.

If you remember, there were rumors along those lines when Gen. (Jim) Mattis left. I guess I’m the go-to person when it comes to rumors. I am very happy here.

I don’t mean to sound like I’m gilding the lily here ... but this place has experienced a renaissance. ... People are flocking here, not just for care, but to work.

What are your thoughts looking ahead?

It’s just been a wonderful two years.

There are always critics, but that’s the price of this business. It’s important to bring people in leadership positions who understand the culture (and) speak the language. I’m trying to think (of someone) in our leadership who isn’t either a veteran or comes from the military family. That’s important. These aren’t people looking to put a title on a résumé.

All of us have credibility when we talk to veterans. I think that has made a huge difference. I’ve had unwavering support from the president and produced the two largest budgets in the history of this department. Next year, I’ll produce a larger budget. I think it’s the best news story in government.

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NEWS

VETERANS UNITED HOME LOANS

No Money Down Blue Water act provision opens competitive housing markets to vets

By Anna Katherine Clemmons

A

S PART OF THE Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019, many veterans can now obtain home loans for larger amounts without a down payment in some of the nation’s most competitive housing markets.

Previously, VA-guaranteed home loans were subject to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s conforming loan limits, which were particularly challenging for

veterans living in metropolitan areas with higher costs of living and home prices. Typically, the down payment was one-quarter of the difference between the loan limit and the purchase price, which could mean six figures in some of the most expensive markets.

“For most veterans, not having the loan limits in place is a potential game changer in costlier real estate markets,” says Chris Birk, vice president of mortgage insight and director of education at Veterans United Home Loans,

the top VA mortgage lender. “It gives veterans greater power and choice. They don’t have to settle for a smaller house or a different location and potentially struggle to compete against conventional buyers.”

More than 624,000 veterans and service members took advantage of VA-backed home loan benefits in fiscal year 2019, according to Veterans United Home Loans.

It was the eighth consecutive year that the number of VA purchase loans has

increased, and reflects a 43 percent hike when compared with fiscal year 2014 figures.

Also, Birk says, veterans seeking to purchase homes in major metropolitan areas will see a drastic increase in purchasing power with the option of a larger no-down-payment home loan.

That also means more flexibility with their finances. “Veterans can opt to save that money, use it for home improvements or still use it to build instant equity,” Birk says.

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NEWS

Highway of Heroes Indiana becomes sixth state to rename U.S. 20

ANDY BARRAND/THE (ANGOLA, IND.) HERALD REPUBLICAN VIA ASOOCIATED PRESS (2); MICHAEL OKONIEWSKI/ASSOCIATED PRESS; GETTY IMAGES (2)

Indiana Rep. Denny Zent speaks during the Oct. 9 dedication of the Indiana Medal of Honor Memorial Highway.

The Associated Press

T

HE SECTION OF U.S. Route 20

that runs across northern Indiana has been designated Medal of Honor Memorial Highway.

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) unveiled a sign naming the highway on Oct. 9 during a ceremony with state veterans groups.

Legislation introduced by Republican state Rep. Denny Zent calling for the renaming won unanimous approval by the General Assembly earlier this year. Indiana joins a national effort to rename the entirety of U.S. 20 — the nation’s longest road, which runs 3,365 miles from Boston to Newport, Ore. Indiana, with 156 miles of U.S. 20, is the sixth state to adopt the Medal of Honor

name, joining Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon and Wyoming. INDOT officials say efforts are underway in Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania to rename their respective portions of the highway.

INDOT will place commemorative signs along U.S. 20 in Steuben, LaGrange, Elkhart, St. Joseph, LaPorte, Porter and Lake counties.

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NEWS

PRESTON RUDIE

Underwater Tribute Circle of Heroes memorial honors all five branches

By Laura Jazmin Tolliver

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HE SUNSHINE STATE IS home

to the nation’s first underwater memorial honoring America’s veterans.

The Circle of Heroes memorial, located under 40 feet of water about 10 miles off the coast of Clearwater, Fla., currently includes 12 life-size concrete statues representing men and women from the five branches of the U.S. armed forces. The memorial was designed to honor service members and to be a therapeutic dive site for disabled veterans suffering from conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder. The structure is also designed to serve as an

artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico and bring dive-related tourism to the region.

“With the nation’s first underwater memorial, we are shining the spotlight on the importance of remembering those who have fought to protect our freedoms,” says Karen Seel, chair of the Pinellas County Board of Commissioners.

Although the dive site was opened in 2019, the memorial is not yet complete.

Twenty-four statues are planned, with more being added as funding becomes available.

Memorial donations are being accepted at brighterfutureflorida.org.

Laura Jazmin Tolliver writes for The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post.

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NEWS

Saluting Sacrifice Florida memorial to military women to open next year

By Tony Judnich

O

FFICIALS IN OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla., plan to have a

veterans memorial for women completed at Veterans Park at Baywalk by Veterans

Day 2021.

It will consist of bronze statues of eight women who made significant contributions during periods of major conflicts.

The statues will line the trail at the park, which is adjacent to the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center.

The honorees were chosen by the county Women’s Veteran Memorial Advisory Committee and approved by the Okaloosa County Commission.

Tony Judnich writes for the Northwest Florida Daily News.

MARGARET CORBIN

CATHAY WILLIAMS

LENAH HIGBEE

JACQUELINE COCHRAN

Revolutionary War When Corbin’s husband was killed while defending Fort Washington, N.Y., she continued loading and firing a cannon. She was severely wounded in the fighting, and later became the first woman to receive a pension from the government as a disabled soldier.

Civil War Williams was born to an enslaved mother and a free father, and worked as a house slave near Jefferson City, Mo. Conscripted as an Army cook and washerwoman, she subsequently enlisted in the U.S. Regular Army by posing as a man, William Cathay.

World War I The first woman to receive the Navy Cross, Higbee was the second superintendent of the Navy Nurse Corps, growing it from 160 to more than 1,300 nurses. The USS Higbee, commissioned in 1945, was the first warship named for a female member of the Navy.

World War II Cochran trained female pilots for the British Air Transport Auxiliary and was director of the Women Airforce Service Pilots. She was the first female civilian to be awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and the first woman to break the sound barrier.

JONITA BONHAM

SHARON LANE

LEIGH ANN HESTER

NASIMA DADA

Korean War Bonham was serving as a flight nurse on a C54 cargo plane when it crashed into the Sea of Japan.

She secured the safety of 17 surviving soldiers before being rescued. Bonham later became the first female recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Vietnam War The only U.S. nurse killed as a direct result of hostile fire, Lane was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the National Order of Vietnam Medal and the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross.

Gulf War Hester’s squad was ambushed while shadowing a supply convoy in March 2005. She helped clear two trenches, killing three insurgents with her rifle. Hester became the first female soldier to be awarded the Silver Star for valor since WWII.

Afghanistan War On 9/11, Dada, who was born in Afghanistan, was the only airman who understood Pashto (the language spoken by the Taliban) and was immediately deployed as an aircrew linguist. She later conducted signals intelligence for the National Security Agency.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS; U.S. ARMY (4); HARRIS & EWING; NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM ARCHIVES; PROVIDED BY NASIMA DADA

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NEWS PENDING CLAIMS BY REGION

Pandemic Pause

TOTAL: 475,290

Northeast 116,906 Continental 89,916

Pacific* 85,839

Coronavirus shutdown reverses gains in backlog reduction

T

Southeast** 177,345

HIS YEAR, THE DEPARTMENT of Veterans Affairs’ progress in reduc-

Outside U.S. 5,284

ing the backlog of claims was stymied by the coronavirus pandemic.

On April 4, the rate of claims awaiting processing for more than 125 days was 18.4 percent. Around that same time, with COVID-19 cases surging, VA suspended in-person medical disability examinations for its compensation and pension (C&P) programs for nearly two months.

VA resumed in-person C&P exams in locations where it was deemed safe on May 28; as of Oct. 15, VA contract vendors had resumed in-person examinations in all 50 states and 33 foreign locations, but the rate of claims pending for more than 125 days had risen to 42.9 percent as of Oct. 3.

(AS OF OCT. 3, 2020)

*Includes Philippines; **Includes Puerto Rico

STATES WITH THE MOST PENDING CLAIMS 51,302

Texas 40,389

California

38,233

Florida 23,724

Georgia

PENDING CLAIMS IN 2018, 2019 & 2020 203,837 168,172

% of claims over 125 days

Tennessee

22.3%

21.3%

22.7%

Ohio

71,017

39.5%

23.1% 22.4%

13,440 12,496 (AS OF OCT. 3, 2020)

42.9%

84,072

77,558

72,168

74,625

80,501

73,539

70,875 79,303

84,648 25.6%

18.4%

13,656

Pennsylvania 13,461

Alabama

23.5%

21,612

Virginia

■ 2018 pending claims ■ 2018 claims over 125 days ■ 2019 pending claims ■ 2019 claims over 125 days ■ 2020 pending claims ■ 2020 claims over 125 days

17.3%

22,785

North Carolina

WHO FILES THE CLAIMS TOTAL INVENTORY

19.6%

Peacetime (the end of the Vietnam War to the Gulf War)

1.9% World War II* Vietnam War

330,035

409,638

324,342

360,992

405,730

338,283

345,877

425,370

364,099

362,722

475,290

27%

337,744

11%

Korean War*

Gulf War (1990s conflict)

2018

2019

2020

2018

2019

2020

2018

2019

2020

2018

2019

2020

34%

JANUARY*

APRIL*

SOURCE: Department of Veterans Affairs

JULY*

OCTOBER* *Reflects beginning of each quarter

Post-9/11 (Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts)

25%

0.8%

Other era claims*

0.2% *Percentages are rounded up

$ Find out how to get your claim processed faster at: ubenefits.va.gov/ FDC Applying for Veterans Affairs benefits for the first time? Visit: uebenefits.va.gov GRAPHICS: LISA M. ZILKA

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H E A L I N G

HORSES Equine-therapy programs help veterans cope

By Sarah Sekula

A

S JACKIE ORCHARD APPROACHES the massive

thoroughbred, she suddenly feels quite small. Even after a lifetime spent around numerous horse breeds, from Arabians in Alaska to mustangs in New York, this horse was still intimidating.

However, she didn’t let her emotions show. “With any horse, you have to project confidence; otherwise they will walk all over you,” the Army veteran says. “Sometimes literally.”

The dip in confidence she’d

experienced at the conclusion of her military career was a key contributor to why Orchard was standing in a barn in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on a chilly November day. When she discovered Saratoga WarHorse earlier that year, she knew it was worth a try. The nonprofit helps veterans and service members cope with post-traumatic stress.

After her time in the Army, which included a stint as a captain at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska, she just didn’t feel like herself. She felt lost

and scared. How in the world would she manage to take charge of the largest horse she’d ever encountered?

One step at a time.

First, she walks Hidden Vow, a retired racing horse, to the center of the round pen as she had rehearsed that morning sans horse. Quarter turn to the right. “Ho. Stand,” she says in the most commanding voice she can muster. She repeats that four times.

All is going well, so she unclips the CONTINUED

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Jackie Orchard with Hidden Vow PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JACKIE ORCHARD

lead rope and steps back. This is Hidden Vow’s signal to begin trotting around the pen.

“But instead, he took it as his signal to show me who’s boss,” Orchard says. “He started bucking and kicking the fence, pacing wildly back and forth, throwing his head, snarling.”

Orchard snaps the rope in her hand to prompt him to change direction — which he does. But then he cuts in and heads toward her.

“I threw the rope at him, and he halted, then ran back to the fence,” she says. “We did this three or four times. He’d run for a moment on the perimeter then charge me at random.”

That’s when an instructor on the other side of the pen calls for her to throw her arms up in the air and get big. She does

Jackie Orchard

and yells “Back! Back! Back off!”

Hidden Vow does just that. Orchard snaps the rope and redirects him again.

And again. And again. “I started really asserting my stance and my voice,” she

says. “I had turned the tables.”

Next, to keep the energy going, she swirls the rope in her hand and whips the ground, each time yelling, “Let’s go, let’s go.”

“He ran hard like he had something to prove,” she says. “So did I.” Eventually, she slows to a walk. Hidden Vow slows to a canter. Orchard stands her ground, gathers the rope and switches it to her nondominant hand. She looks at the horse and ever-so-slowly drops her gaze while extending her dominant hand to him.

Hidden Vow pauses, slowly turns to face Orchard and drops his head.

“At the center of the round pen he pushed his nose under my palm, and I CONTINUED

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“Horses have a unique ability to help people work through emotional barriers.”

— Angela Chanter, Recovery Happens Counseling Services began to pet him and rub his head,” she says. “He nuzzled into my hair, and I whispered, ‘Good job.’ ” “See if he follows,” the trainer says.

“I walked hard in the opposite direction without looking back, and he followed me like a puppy,” Orchard says. “When I stopped, he rested his head on my shoulder. When I walked, he followed again, closely, and from that point on he was Velcro to my every movement.”

Orchard clips the lead rope back on, walks Hidden Vow out and gives him a thank-you kiss.

Looking back, Orchard says the effects of that magical moment have been tremendous. In fact, she says it feels like something out of a storybook, as if she was an intrepid version of Snow White who could speak to animals.

“I felt like I was doing something that only a really special person would be able to do,” Orchard says. “Like there must be something very special about me if this horse chose me to follow; like I proved myself.”

“There is no greater feeling for me than talking to a fellow veteran who turned their life around after participating in our program,” says Allison Cherkosly, an Army veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and executive director and CEO of Saratoga WarHorse, which has locations in Cockeysville, Md.; Aiken, S.C.; and Saratoga Springs.

Cherkosly says she witnesses these transformations all the time and loves seeing the ripple effects they have.

“We start with a class of five to six veterans who start to feel the immediate positive effects during and after the program,” Cherkosly says. “Those positive feelings morph into positive behaviors over the next few months, which begin to positively affect their families, friends and loved ones. As time goes on, they experience improved quality of life and general well-being, which leads them to positively impact their communities.”

A dose of healing On the West Coast, you’ll often find Tonya Danielly at a 12-acre ranch in Oceanside, Calif., where she runs the Ivey Ranch Park Association’s Horses for Heroes program. Here, veterans shape the program to their needs. Some come for one or two lessons; others come for several months.

The veterans begin by helping with the grooming and tacking before and after their riding time. Some decide to serve as horse leaders or side walkers for others’ lessons. Some lend a hand with maintenance and chores, and others bring their family members and loved ones to get involved, too.

“What is amazing about coming to a horse/human relationship as an adult is finding a nonjudgmental creature that can help you face and deal with your own issues,” Danielly says.

The dreamy setting doesn’t hurt, either.

Because the facility is 5 miles from the beach, there is often an ocean breeze. On-

site, there are two barns, three arenas, a cantering track, a multipurpose classroom, community garden and an 1889 ranch house. The smell of feed supplemented with molasses and freshly cut grass waft through the air, and a shady spot for a picnic is easy to come by.

“Military culture tends to value hands-on action, and equine-assisted psychotherapy honors that value,” says Angela Chanter, clinical director at Recovery Happens Counseling Services, where she also serves as program director of equine therapy.

“This type of therapy is experiential and action-oriented and can be beneficial to veterans where traditional talk therapy fails. Oftentimes there is also a stigma attached to talk therapy in the military community, but this incredibly healing therapy takes the veteran out of the confines of a traditional therapy office.”

Why horses? Chanter says because they are prey animals, they are hypervigilant and constantly scanning their own environment. “Veterans who have experienced trauma can relate to that feeling,” she explains. “Horses have a unique ability to help people work through emotional barriers, sometimes by serving as metaphors for the people and challenges in their own life.”

Equine programs can act as a reset.

Orchard, who left a stressful network operations career in her late 20s, was searching for meaning in her life, and the Saratoga WarHorse program helped her find it. Afterward, she says she felt stronger, more awake, happier — but most of all more confident. She returned to school and is majoring in journalism at the State University of New York at Albany.

“My sister told me once that we all have a little candle inside us and when the flame gets dim is when you need help,” Orchard says. “This program was like a blowtorch.

If you can stare down a charging thoroughbred and moments later have it completely tamed and following you around like a puppy, you can do anything. I promise you that.”

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HENRY LEWIS BENNING BRAXTON BRAGG JOHN BROWN GORDON JOHN BELL HOOD LEONIDAS POLK EDMUND W. RUCKER ROBERT E. LEE GEORGE PICKETT AMBROSE POWELL HILL PIERRE G.T. BEAUREGARD HENRY LEWIS BENNING BRAXTON BRAGG JOHN BROWN GORDON JOHN BELL HOOD LEONIDAS POLK EDMUND W. RUCKER ROBERT E. LEE GEORGE PICKETT AMBROSE POWELL HILL PIERRE G.T. BEAUREGARD HENRY LEWIS BENNING BRAXTON BRAGG JOHN BROWN GORDON JOHN BELL HOOD LEONIDAS POLK EDMUND W. RUCKER ROBERT E. LEE GEORGE PICKETT AMBROSE POWELL HILL PIERRE G.T. BEAUREGARD HENRY LEWIS BENNING BRAXTON BRAGG JOHN BROWN GORDON JOHN BELL HOOD LEONIDAS POLK EDMUND W. RUCKER ROBERT E. LEE GEORGE PICKETT AMBROSE POWELL HILL PIERRE G.T. BEAUREGARD HENRY LEWIS BENNING BRAXTON BRAGG JOHN BROWN GORDON JOHN BELL HOOD LEONIDAS POLK EDMUND W. RUCKER ROBERT E. LEE GEORGE PICKETT AMBROSE POWELL HILL PIERRE G.T. BEAUREGARD HENRY LEWIS BENNING BRAXTON BRAGG JOHN BROWN GORDON JOHN BELL HOOD LEONIDAS POLK EDMUND W. RUCKER ROBERT E. LEE GEORGE PICKETT AMBROSE POWELL HILL PIERRE G.T. BEAUREGARD HENRY LEWIS BENNING BRAXTON BRAGG JOHN BROWN GORDON JOHN BELL HOOD LEONIDAS POLK EDMUND W. RUCKER ROBERT E. LEE GEORGE PICKETT AMBROSE POWELL HILL PIERRE G.T. BEAUREGARD HENRY LEWIS BENNING BRAXTON BRAGG JOHN BROWN GORDON JOHN BELL HOOD LEONIDAS POLK EDMUND W. RUCKER ROBERT E. LEE GEORGE PICKETT AMBROSE POWELL HILL PIERRE G.T. BEAUREGARD HENRY LEWISitBENNING BRAXTON BRAGG JOHN BROWN Plenty, it turns out, when comes to installations and Confederate generalsGORDON JOHN BELL HOOD LEONIDAS POLK EDMUND W. RUCKER ROBERT E. LEE GEORGE PICKETT AMBROSE POWELL HILL PIERRE G.T. BEAUREGARD HENRY LEWIS BENNING BRAXTON BRAGG JOHN BROWN GORDON JOHN BELL HOOD LEONIDAS POLK EDMUND W. RUCKER ROBERT E. LEE GEORGE PICKETT AMBROSE POWELL HILL PIERRE G.T. BEAUREGARD HENRY LEWIS BENNING BRAXTON BRAGG JOHN BROWN GORDON JOHN BELL HOOD LEONIDAS

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION

By Ken Perrotte

T

HE U.S. MILITARY BRANCHES follow

slightly different protocols for naming installations and facilities. Some opt for geography, with the installation bearing the name of a region or specific locale, such as Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia or Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina. Most Army installations and many Air Force bases are named after people, typically ones who distinguished themselves during their service.

Ten Army installations opened

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in the first half of the 20th century are named for generals who served the Confederate States of America. All are located in the South, and honoring a “son of the South” was seen as an appeasement to local communities as training areas were claimed, often by eminent domain, where farms and communities once stood.

Now, Congress appears poised to legislate renaming of these installations. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate addressed the issue in the National Defense Authorization Act. The Senate version, passed with an 86-14 bipartisan vote, calls for a commission to submit a plan to

the secretary of defense outlining how to remove all names, symbols, displays, monuments and paraphernalia honoring or commemorating the Confederacy or any person serving it.

Action on the legislation stalled prior to the November elections, but Senate leaders say quick attention is expected after Nov. 3. President Donald Trump has indicated he would veto the bill over the issue.

VETERAN VIEWS A recent survey by Military Times and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University found

49.2 percent of current service members favor renaming the installations. Another 14 percent are undecided. A greater number (69.3 percent) favors banning Confederate symbols and paraphernalia, such as battle flags, from public places on all installations. A general poll conducted in June by ABC News/Ipsos showed 56 percent of respondents were opposed to changing the names.

Three Virginia natives, all West Point graduates, took up arms for the Confederacy at the start of the Civil War. Each (Robert E. Lee, George Pickett and Ambrose CONTINUED

Fort Lee, Va. STEVE HELBER/ASSOCIATED PRESS

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“Most of my veteran friends are against renaming the bases, especially those having served on them, regardless of political ideology.” — RET. AIR FORCE CHIEF MASTER SGT. FRED STEIN

PROVIDED BY FRED STEIN

Ret. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Fred Stein says he has been following the movement to rename military installations that commemorate Confederate generals “with mixed emotions.”

Powell Hill) has a Virginia installation named for him.

Retired Virginia Army National Guard Col. Tom Wilkinson is a combat veteran who served as the 48th commander of Fort Pickett, an Army National Guard installation located near Blackstone, Va., and home of the Army National Guard Maneuver Training Center.

During his 31-year career, Wilkinson spent 14 years at Fort Pickett. Now a member of the Blackstone Town Council, he says renaming is a “hot topic” among some fellow veterans. Wilkinson says he’s no fan of “losing history,” noting this issue has “swayed with the political breeze

several times and seems to be at a climactic head. If the winds of change have to sway in this direction,” he says, “it is not worth the divisive nature it instills; not worth ‘falling on a sword.’”

Retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. Roger Chase, a multitour combat veteran who finished his 30-year active-duty career at Fort A.P. Hill near Bowling Green, Va., says he strongly favors renaming.

“The proposal is warranted because the Confederate generals represent something negative and inhumane — slavery,” he says.

“Their primary duties were to win the Civil War and extend slavery throughout the Southern states as

PROVIDED BY ROGER CHASE

Ret. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Roger Chase finished his active-duty career at Fort A.P. Hill.

well as the Northern states.”

Chase believes the issue should have been addressed years ago.

“The bottom line is that military installations should not be represented by prejudice, and that’s what the Confederate generals represented and still represent in today’s society in many aspects of life,” he says.

Retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Fred Stein served 21 years as a Defense Department civilian employee at Fort Lee, home of the Army’s Quartermaster School and the headquarters of the Defense Commissary Agency. He previously served 26 years on active and reserve duty in the Air Force

and Navy.

“I’ve been following the renaming with mixed emotions.

It’s an arguable, sometimes divisive, topic among a few fellow veterans, mostly split along conservative and liberal lines of ideology,” Stein says. “Most of my veteran friends are against renaming the bases, especially those having served on them, regardless of political ideology.”

The bases earmarked for renaming “were named based on contemporary values of both support and appeasement of the times,” Stein says. “Military CONTINUED

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“Regardless of which side of the coin anyone represents, I believe most veterans would agree that the United States is in desperate need of unity.” — RET. ARMY SGT. 1ST CLASS GAIL TAYLOR BLACK

PROVIDED BY GAIL TAYLOR BLACK

Ret. Army Sgt. 1st Class Gail Taylor Black served on four installations named for Confederates.

units and their personnel were formed, trained, maintained, deployed, fought wars, conflicts and provided humanitarian assistance from those bases.

Global historical documents of conflicts will have the name of those military installations.

Veterans, families of veterans, servicemen and servicewomen have a connection to an installation’s name, and the respective units’ accomplishments. Many, if not all, of these installations initially had a defining role in ending segregation, both racial and sexual, in the military and subsequently laid the foundation for national acceptance and change.”

PROVIDED BY GAIL TAYLOR BLACK

A 25-year veteran, Gail Taylor Black says the issue of renaming installations isn’t cut and dry. “Like so many others, I have mixed feelings.”

Retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Gail Taylor Black served on the three Virginia installations named for confederates, plus Fort Hood, Texas. She also lived on Fort Bragg, N.C., as a child while her father served during the Vietnam era. John Bell Hood and Braxton Bragg were Confederate generals.

A 25-year veteran with a mix of active-duty, National Guard and Reserve experience, including combat in Bosnia, Herzegovina and Croatia, Taylor Black says the issue is not cut and dry. “Like so many others, I have mixed feelings,” she says. “At one point in U.S. history, I believe the thought process of this country embraced those generals, their contribution

and what they stood for during that time.”

Taylor Black believes some younger American troops give the issue passing notice and others feel the names and symbols representing that period — when racism was prevalent — no longer have a place in our society.

“Regardless of which side of the coin anyone represents, I believe most veterans would agree that the United States is in desperate need of unity, and that facilities should reflect the demographic in which they currently serve,” she says.

lations should be named by their location, with input from military officials and taxpayers.

Stein, though, calls it a mistake to rename the installations because it would “dilute the historical contributions soldiers and units from those installations have had on history, society and their local communities.”

If they are changed, Stein says naming installations after their respective communities is the “safest route,” but wonders what happens when a community’s name — Columbus, Ohio, or Lynchburg, Va., for instance — are controversial.

A ROAD AHEAD Chase thinks military instal-

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“The bottom line is that military installations should not be represented by prejudice, and that’s what the Confederate generals represented.” — RET. ARMY COMMAND SGT. MAJ. ROGER CHASE

PROVIDED BY TOM WILKINSON

Ret. Virginia Army National Guard Col. Tom Wilkinson, right, with former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard B. Myers.

Wilkinson says installations should be named for deserving soldiers who either served there or were from that service branch.

“I believe the post leadership should search their histories and identify worthy honorees,” he says. “They may be Medal of Honor recipients, local heroes or average Joe’s who made a significant impact. They may be minority soldiers who made a significant impact but make the criteria quantifiable and significant to stand the test of time. Or, maybe, tie it to the community or simply what (the installation) supports, such as ‘Maneuver Training Center.’ ” Both Wilkinson and Chase

anticipate resistance no matter what. Wilkinson, however, hopes any renaming can be steered in a positive direction, which could minimize potential protests.

Stein worries where the trend leads. “It sets a bad precedent,” he says. “Where does renaming military installations, ships, weapons systems, county names, city names, street names and building names stop? Do we forget our past and dishonor those previously held in esteem merely because they have fallen out of favor with a small but vocal segment of contemporary society? Honest remembrance of the past keeps history alive and helps us understand how we

PROVIDED BY TOM WILKINSON

Tom Wilkinson, right, at Hindu Kush, Afghanistan, is a former commander of Fort Pickett.

evolved as a society,” he says.

Taylor Black is circumspect, saying, “although complicated, I personally don’t believe the current names should be erased from memory or history altogether.” She believes an appropriate name or combination of names could be selected as a means of compromise. “Modifying or adding to the name of an installation might be the best way to honor the past, while representing the future,” she says.

Taylor Black says she’s concerned “history could be lost if we try to rewrite or destroy it.

Yes, this was certainly a painful part of our history, but so was

slavery. Do we want to remove slavery from the history books?

“Let’s face it, the United States has a long history of separatism stemming back to the 1600s when the first African slaves were brought to this country,” she says. “I understand that, for many, the names and statues of Confederate generals on parks, buildings and installations are a constant reminder of a painful period of time in the lives of so many. But I don’t believe that it’s a part of history that needs to be eradicated altogether. Education is key to informing individuals of our history, which in turn will build a more inclusive and more tolerant nation.”

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Branches of the Family Tree

By Ken Perrotte

Researching ancestors’ military service still requires some sleuthing A generation ago, amateur genealogists trying to discover family history confronted significant logistical hurdles. Research often involved travel and painstaking, tedious study of old newspapers, government records and microfiche archives.

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USEFUL LINKS FOR THE MILITARY GENEALOGIST archives.gov/research/military/genealogy The National Archives details the military records it has available. familysearch.org/wiki/en/U.S._Military_Records_ Class_Handout Offers a brief overview explaining U.S. military records.

The National Archives The steady transformation of records into easily searchable databases now enables remarkable research from your home computer. This includes digging into family military service.

Despite privacy regulations and a devastating 1973 fire that destroyed between 16 million and 18 million official military personnel files at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, uncovering facts about an ancestor’s service is increasingly manageable using a mix of commercial and government resources.

Military service records are available at multiple locations, including the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Many records are digitized, but depending on the depth of research required, gaining the full picture might require trips to physical data repositories or making official document requests.

The National Archives and Records

Administration has committed to digitizing 500 million pages of records and making them available online to the public through the National Archives catalog by Oct. 1, 2024. The agency has digitization partnerships with more than a dozen companies and organizations, including the Department of Veterans Affairs. Its website contains an exhaustive list of all microfilm publications and original records that are partially or wholly digitized by partners.

Some research sites are free, such as Familysearch.org. Others, like Ancestry. com and one of its subsidiaries, Fold3. com, are subscription based. (Free access to Ancestry.com and Fold3.com is available in all research rooms at the National Archives, including those in regional archives and presidential libraries, but those rooms remain closed

archives.gov/publications/prologue/2002/fall/ military-records-overview.html This article from the National Archives’ Prologue magazine outlines a sound approach to researching the records of those who served in the different branches of the military. nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm The 6 million-name Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database was assembled from cards that Department of the Army employees created from muster rolls to determine soldiers’ and sailors’ pension eligibility. Besides finding pension applications by the veteran or surviving descendants, searches sometimes reveal applications for membership in various “Sons of” and “Daughters of” organizations. Many of these records have been digitized.

From there, you can research further to ascertain the specific nature of that military service. archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/ evetrecs-help.html Due to privacy restrictions, veterans’ actual military service records and medical records are not online, but veterans and their next-of-kin can order copies of these records if they still exist at this site.

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The National Archives and Records Administration has committed to digitizing 500 million pages of records and making them available to the public online through the National Archives catalog by Oct. 1, 2024. due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Dana Chinnici, a communications manager for Ancestry.com, says the company has a wide range of records from various sources to help its 3 million paying subscribers learn more about family members who served in the past 100 years.

“Some of these are in collections like veterans’ burial records, various state service and compensation files, indexes to enlistment records and muster rolls,” Chinnici says.

Additionally, “Ancestry has more than 300 million records and indexes to military records available dating back to the Revolutionary War, including service records, pension files, draft cards, cruise books and SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) and DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) applications and casualty lists.”

Ancestry’s search algorithms and other tools make it easier to piece things together. They recommend relevant records based on information you provide while searching or listing facts in your online family tree.

Chinnici says this technology, which scours 27 billion records and more than 100 million family trees, is not available elsewhere.

Many military records are available on both Ancestry and Fold3, Chinnici says. In some cases, though, an indexed version of a collection is available on Ancestry with digitized images only on Fold3. “There are also

many collections unique to Fold3, including unit histories and memorials,” she says.

Chinnici offers these tips for researching military roots: Gather information you already have, including service records, journals, diaries, letters, photographs, obituaries and newspaper clippings.

Interview family members, recording names, dates, places and military branches that family members recall.

Use that information as the basis of your search.

Start a tree on Ancestry.com; enter what you know and upload the documents or photos you collected.

Ancestry’s search engine will use them to generate new discoveries.

In cases where only an index is available on Ancestry, use that information to contact the National Archives or state archives to obtain copies of the original documents.

Speaking from my own experience, the program works. Using keystrokes and mouse clicks, along with one in-person visit to the National Archives, I discovered relatives previously unknown to my family that included Revolutionary War patriots, a firebrand preacher railing against the King of England, and Civil War veterans, as well as draft registration cards, ship manifests and more.

The sooner you begin your own exploration, the sooner you can have your own aha! moment.

A

b

c (A) The tomb of the author’s 12th great-grandfather. Sir John Seymour attended King Henry VII at the battle of Blackheath, England, in 1497. (B) Henry Keteltas, a distant uncle of the author, in his Union Army uniform during the Civil War. (C) Military photos, such as these pilots aboard the USS Lexington in 1943, can be found at the National Archives.

PROVIDED BY KEN PERROTTE (2); NATIONAL ARCHIVES VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS; GETTY IMAGES

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75TH ANNIVERSARY

WORLD WAR II 50

SOMBER SALUTE

Most ceremonies marking war’s end turn virtual

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METTLE REWARDED

Merrill’s Marauders get Congressional Gold Medal

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MISSION MEMORIES

Former turret gunner revisits a flying friend

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FINALLY FOUND

Airman repatriated and interred after 75 years

70 HONORING HEROES The newly dedicated Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial is one of many monuments to the “Greatest Generation” in the Washington, D.C., area.

SUSAN WALSH/ASSOCIATED PRESS

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WORLD WAR II — 75TH ANNIVERSARY

PETTY OFFICER 1ST CLASS DEVIN LANGER/U.S. NAVY VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sailors aboard the USS Michael Murphy render honors to the Battleship Missouri Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, during the official ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the Japanese surrender that ended World War II.

Honoring a Milestone in Masks Tribute marking the end of WWII is mostly virtual amid coronavirus

By Caleb Jones

W

HEN JAPANESE MILITARY LEADERS climbed aboard

the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945, the battleship was

packed with U.S. sailors eager to see the end of World War II. This year, on the 75th anniversary of the surrender, some of those same men who served the United States weren’t able to return to the Missouri in Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor because of the world’s

new war against the coronavirus. The commemoration was supposed to be a blockbuster event with parades, movie premieres, galas and thousands of people honoring the veterans in their 90s or CONTINUED

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TERRY CHEA/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jerry Pedersen, 95, holds a letter he sent to his family from aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945.

beyond, some who may be marking the milestone for the last time.

Because of the threat of COVID-19, only about 50 people were allowed to attend the ceremony, with local veterans and government officials gathering on the USS Missouri in masks. Names of surviving WWII veterans were read aloud, including 14 who were on the ship the day the Japanese surrendered.

As a young Marine, Jerry Pedersen, now 95, was one of the people watching history unfold. He and his comrades who live in the mainland U.S. had to watch a livestream of the ceremony from home instead of on the decks of the battleship as planned. “Well, I was very disappointed, yes. I was hoping to maybe see a friend or two,” he says. “I just want to share with at least my family and a couple of other folks some of the feelings that I was going to express when I got there.”

Those feelings are complicated, says Pedersen, who dedicated his life to peace after the war ended. “War must not happen again,” he says, recalling the words uttered by Gen. Douglas MacArthur on the day the Japanese surrendered. But “we’re still oscillating on many of the things that are necessary to bring us peace.”

Pedersen wore a blue Marine uniform sent to him for the ceremony as he

watched the event from a laptop at his son’s house in West Sacramento, Calif.

His three adult children, their spouses and some grandchildren gathered around the computer, clapping and hooting when his name was called. Pedersen smiled and gave a fist pump.

“For me, it was the end of the killing, the war that had taken millions of soldiers and many, many, many millions of civilians in wars in Europe and finally in the Pacific that came to an end that day. And we were celebrating,” Pedersen says. “I had the feeling that day. I made a pact with myself that I’m going to be a peacemaker in my life.” Pedersen went to college after the war, earned his doctorate and became a minister.

He watched remotely as WWII-era “warbirds” flew over Pearl Harbor and video messages from veterans and others played in a tribute to those who couldn’t attend or had passed away.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he was honored to “commemorate ... and reflect on the sacrifices and victories of our service members and allies who helped fight for — and secure — peace.”

At the end of his keynote address, he built a case for a strong military for the future: “We honor the legacy of those who came before us and recommit ourselves to defending today’s international rules and norms so that the road is

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Servicemen, reporters and photographers were perched on the USS Missouri for the onboard surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay that ended World War II.

safer and is better for generations yet to come. ... The United States’ commitment to the role today is the same one we made to the freedom-loving people of the world in 1941: that we will remain ready to fight any foe and defend any friend.”

The U.S. entered the war after Japanese warplanes attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Thousands of service members were killed and wounded, about half of them dying on the USS Arizona, which still sits submerged in Pearl Harbor near the Battleship Missouri Memorial, a floating museum.

Four years later, after massive losses on both sides that included the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese announced they would surrender on Aug. 15, then met

with Allied forces aboard the Missouri on Sept. 2 to sign the Instrument of Surrender.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige says the country can learn from WWII veterans about targeting the problems of our time.

“Some compare fighting a pandemic akin to fighting a global war,” Ige says. “What I do know is that we cannot go wrong in following their example in the face of any adversity. Their courage under fire, strength of character, resilience over time provides a clear road map for us to follow in all that we do, whether we are fighting a social injustice or a virus.”

Caleb Jones writes for The Associated Press. Terry Chea of The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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U.S. ARMY SIGNAL CORPS VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS

Members of Merrill’s Marauders enjoy a break in the fighting at Myitkyina, Burma (now Myanmar), in 1944.

Medals for Merrill’s Marauders Jungle fighting unit receives Congressional honor

By Russ Bynum

T

HE SOLDIERS SPENT MONTHS behind enemy lines, marching hundreds of miles through the tangled jungles and steep mountains of what is now Myanmar. They battled hunger and disease between firefights with Japanese forces during their secret mission.

In February 1944, the American jungle fighting unit nicknamed Merrill’s Marauders set out to capture a Japanese-held airfield and open an Allied supply route between India and China. Starting with 3,000 soldiers, the Marauders completed their mission five months later with just a few hundred men still in the fight.

The journey of roughly 1,000 miles on foot was so grueling that fighting “was the easy part,” says

Robert Passanisi, who at age 96 is among just nine Marauders still known to be alive.

Now, Congress has awarded the Marauders, officially designated by the Army as the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), its highest honor: the Congressional Gold Medal.

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WORLD WAR II — 75TH ANNIVERSARY and the families of many who have died to begin lobbying for the honor four years ago. A final bill was approved in September and signed by President Donald Trump in October.

“After many years, all the sacrifices and the suffering are now finally recognized,” says Passanisi, of Lindenhurst, N.Y. “It makes you feel like it was all worthwhile.”

In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt agreed to have the Army assemble a ground unit for a long-range mission behind enemy lines into Japaneseoccupied Burma, now Myanmar. Seasoned infantrymen and newly enlisted soldiers alike volunteered for the mission, deemed so secret they weren’t told where they were going.

Merrill’s Marauders — nicknamed for the unit’s commander, Brig. Gen. Frank Merrill — were tasked with cutting off Japanese communications and supply lines along their long march to the airfield at the occupied town of Myitkyina. Often outnumbered, they successfully fought Japanese troops in five major engagements, plus 30 minor ones, between February and August 1944.

Marauders spent most days cutting their way through dense jungle, with only mules to help carry equipment and provisions. Supplies dropped from planes were their only means of replenishing rations and ammunition.

“These guys were subsisting on one K-ration (meal) per man, per day,” says Christopher Goodrow, arms curator for the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Ga. At neighboring Fort Benning, the elite fighters of the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment consider themselves proud descendants of Merrill’s Marauders, who are revered for their overall toughness.

“They’re in a class all by themselves when it comes to the things they endured,” Goodrow says.

The Marauders join more than 160 war heroes, military units and civilians awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for outstanding achievements dating back to the American Revolution. A single medal honoring the Marauders as a unit will be crafted and given to the Smithsonian Institution.

Dozens of Marauders were awarded individual decorations after the war, from the Distinguished Service Cross to the Silver Star. The Army awarded the Bronze Star to every soldier in the unit, and Hollywood paid its respects in 1962 with the movie Merrill’s Marauders.

Surviving members consider the congressional medal the highest honor they could receive as a unit.

“It was a hard job, but we went in there

and did our best,” says Gilbert Howland, 97, of Hamilton, N.J. “I just feel that the Marauders deserve it.”

As a young corporal in charge of 16 Marauders manning two machine guns, Howland was wounded by artillery fire when his battalion was surrounded by Japanese fighters. While recovering at a hospital in India, Howland and other wounded Marauders received a desperate order to return to the fight.

Howland rejoined his machine-gunners, but he soon came down with malaria. He was evacuated on a stretcher and flown back to India, then sent home to the U.S. “They were getting ready to discharge me,” he recalls. “Then my mother said, ‘Why don’t you stay in? You put all this time into the Army.’ ” So Howland re-enlisted. He served another 25 years, including combat tours in Korea and Vietnam. He still says the Burma mission was the toughest of them all.

Russ Bynum writes for The Associated Press.

BUSINESS WIRE; GERALD HERBERT/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Top, Gilbert Howland, left, and Robert Passanisi lobbied Congress on behalf of Merrill’s Marauders; below, David Allan, left, with Passanisi at a Marauders reunion in 2018.

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Frank Pehrson and Maid in the Shade RION SANDERS/GREAT FALLS (MONT.) TRIBUNE

Reuniting with History Flight engineer and gunner recalls 61 harrowing bomber missions

By David Murray

F

RANK PEHRSON RECENTLY WENT to Great Falls, Mont., to

visit an old friend — or perhaps more accurately, a friend of an old friend.

The retired owner of a tire store in Chinook, Mont., Pehrson celebrated his

100th birthday in October. His life reads like an American epic: growing up poor during the Great Depression, helping to build both the Fort Peck Dam in Montana and the U.S. Pentagon, running a business and raising a family, earning the respect and admiration of his friends and neighbors.

Yet one of Pehrson’s most remarkable

achievements, one he’s only recently began to speak of again, was his military service during World War II. From April 1943 to August 1944, Pehrson served as flight engineer and top turret gunner aboard Jersey Bounce, a B-25 Mitchell bomber attached to the 489th Bomb Squadron of the Army Air Corps 57th Bomb Wing.

It had been nearly 75 years since Frank Pehrson had ventured near one of the aircraft that had been his home during the war.

In August, he got the chance to add his signature to the list of other WWII veterans who have signed the bomb CONTINUED

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B-25 bomber Maid in the Shade RION SANDERS/GREAT FALLS (MONT.) TRIBUNE

bay doors of Maid in the Shade, another B-25 which saw combat duty in southern Europe.

PIVOTAL CAREER At the age of 24, Pehrson was an “old man” within his squadron; many he flew with were still teenagers. During his 17 months of combat, he flew 61 missions out of U.S. air bases on the French island of Corsica. All were during some of the most ferocious fighting of the Italian campaign.

According to the 57th Bomb Wing Association, Pehrson’s squadron was critical in providing air support to U.S. troops struggling to maintain their

“He had three flak jackets underneath him to keep the flak from coming up. When they got back on the ground the turret was completely shot out, and there was bullets and flak laying all over on the ground. ... He didn’t have a scratch on him.”

— FRANK PEHRSON JR. beachhead during the battle for Anzio, and in its drive north to force the German army out of Rome.

But according to Frank Pehrson Jr., his father rarely if ever talked about the war after returning home. Speaking of what you’d seen and done just wasn’t something many WWII veterans did once

the battles were over. Better to leave it behind and get on with living.

“I’m not ashamed of it, I’ll tell you that,” Pehrson told the Great Falls (Mont.)

Tribune in a 2017 interview.

The B-25’s versatility allowed it to serve as both a high-level bomber and to cruise in low on strafing missions. It

became one of the most popular Allied aircraft of the second world war. Roughly 10,000 were built, and they were used by the British and the Russian air forces as well as the U.S. Army Air Corps.

As flight engineer, Pehrson’s station was directly behind the cockpit. When Luftwaffe (German air force) fighters attacked — or as the Jersey Bounce made its attack — he would climb up into the top gun turret, a plexiglass shield fixed atop the main body of the aircraft.

“The top turret sits on a rail in a bicycle seat,” says Frank Pehrson Jr., describing one of his father’s most memorable CONTINUED

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WORLD WAR II — 75TH ANNIVERSARY bombing missions. “He had three flak jackets underneath him to keep the flak from coming up. When they got back on the ground the turret was completely shot out, and there was bullets and flak laying all over on the ground. ... He didn’t have a scratch on him.”

SURPRISE RAIDS Not all flight crews were as lucky.

Pehrson’s bombardment group, the 340th, had some of its greatest losses on May 13, 1944, when the Luftwaffe launched surprise raids on the Corsica air bases. The raids destroyed 65 planes, killed more than 20 soldiers, wounded 115 and blew up Allied gasoline stores.

Those raids were the last major success of the Luftwaffe in western Europe, and Pehrson was there to witness them.

However, his most vibrant memories are of the missions he participated in, flying into the teeth of German air and ground defenses.

“Jeez, they were all tough,” Pehrson says of his 61 missions.

The Luftwaffe fighter attacks were bad enough, but it was flak from the Wehrmacht artillery that kept him up at night.

“The gunners on the ground — that’s where we really got it,” Pehrson says of flying into a flak barrage. “Often times they’d be waiting right at the bomb line, and they’d zero right in on us as we crossed the bomb line. We had a lot of planes shot out from under us. There was a lot of them who didn’t make it, and a lot of planes didn’t make it. I was lucky.”

Pehrson’s luck lasted throughout his 17 months on Corsica, but it ended for the Jersey Bounce immediately after he left. Two days after completing his 61st mission, the B-25 that had seemed so charmed was shot down in a mission over German-occupied France. One man was killed, but the remaining members of the five-man crew were able to bail out successfully. They were hidden by the free French, and about a month later were able to make it safely back across Allied lines.

Pehrson returned home on Thanksgiving Day 1945 and married his girlfriend, Jane. The couple set about starting a family. Pehrson put the war behind him. This summer, an old friend came to Great Falls for a visit. Both the man, and the aircraft that once carried him, were honored guests of a grateful nation.

RION SANDERS/GREAT FALLS (MONT.) TRIBUNE

Pehrson signs his name on the bomb bay door of the Maid in the Shade during the B-25 bomber’s tour stop at Great Falls (Mont.)

International Airport.

David Murray writes for the Great Falls (Mont.) Tribune.

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JORDAN KARTHOLL/MUNCIE (IND.) STAR PRESS

Family members created a collage of photos and letters to celebrate Charlie Ruble, whose remains were repatriated and interred at Arlington National Cemetery in March.

Found and Not Forgotten Airman missing for 75 years receives hero’s memorial

By Jordan Kartholl

W

HERE IS CHARLIE RUBLE?

For 75 years, that question, passed like an heirloom between generations, was a source of heartache for the World War II veteran’s parents, siblings, uncles and aunts who wouldn’t live to see it answered. But this year, Charlie Ruble finally came home. On March 2, the Selma, Ind., native was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

And in September, his family and fellow

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JORDAN KARTHOLL/MUNCIE (IND.) STAR PRESS

Dave Roach, commander of American Legion Post 437, speaks at the ceremony for Charlie Ruble in Selma, Ind.

veterans remembered him in a ceremony at American Legion Post 437 in Selma.

“Charlie Ruble will never be forgotten, not here,” says legion commander Dave Roach, an Air Force veteran. “I don’t know if a family can ever get closure in these situations, but he’s finally laid to rest with his comrades ... hopefully this helps celebrate his life.”

VOLUNTEERING TO SERVE Charles “Charlie” Ruble was born in 1924, graduated from high school in 1942 and took a job as an inspector at a local automotive parts manufacturer and distributor soon after.

That same year, overseas, Nazi Germany fought its way into Stalingrad (now Volgograd), Russia, while its Axis allies battled U.S. forces in the Pacific. World War II had reached its fever pitch.

As war spilled across borders overseas, Ruble was developing an interest in airplane mechanics.

Right before his high school senior year,

Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Ruble, like millions of young, volunteer service members at the time, believed he had a duty to help safeguard the country. Putting his future on hold, he thought he could use his knowledge of aviation mechanics for a higher purpose.

In 1943, he was sworn into the Army Air Force, 99th Troop Carrier Squadron, 441st Troop Carrier Group, where he was assigned as crew chief for a Douglas C-47 Skytrain, a 15-ton, troop transport plane capable of carrying 28 paratroopers at a time.

According to military records, Ruble was part of Operation Overlord, flying over the beaches of Normandy to soften German defenses ahead of the D-Day invasion, and later, in a key battle for Allied forces, he helped transport paratroopers to southern France during Operation Dragoon.

Records show that on Sept. 17, 1944, the 20-year-old took part in a third major CONTI NUED

PROVIDED BY THE RUBLE FAMILY

Ruble, second from left, poses with fellow airmen.

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Charlie Ruble

“I don’t know if a family can ever get closure ... but he’s finally laid to rest with his comrades.”

— DAVE ROACH, commander, American Legion Post 437

JORDAN KARTHOLL/MUNCIE (IND.) STAR PRESS

Relatives of Charlie Ruble view photos and other memorabilia following his memorial ceremony in Selma, Ind.

offensive, flying in Operation Market Garden, which was a combined effort

by British and U.S. soldiers to capture Nazi-held bridges that crossed the Rhine River into Germany. According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), while flying at just above 500 feet near the German border, Ruble’s C-47 came under anti-aircraft and small arms fire.

Eyewitness reports from surviving passengers detailed how Ruble helped ensure 10 paratroopers and three crew members had safely parachuted from the plane, which had become engulfed in flames and was plummeting to the ground. He was the last to exit the aircraft, and it was presumed that he didn’t survive the jump.

Military officials told Ruth Ruble, Charlie’s mother, her son was missing

in action and presumed dead.

In 1969, 25 years after her son was last seen parachuting from his C-47, Ruth traveled to the Netherlands American Cemetery, where Ruble’s name was etched into the Walls of the Missing hoping to find information on the location of her son’s body.

“My grandmother sort of became obsessed with it,” says Brent Ruble, the son of Charlie’s younger brother, Bob. “There were a few investigations that they thought got close to finding him, but nothing really happened.”

In 2017, the DPAA, in partnership with Dutch officials, located military records containing promising information regarding Ruble’s case.

According to the DPAA, in 1946, the 606th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company had located the

remains of eight service members at uninscribed burial sites near Zyfflich, Germany.

In 2018, samples of the remains were sent to the DPAA’s laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska for analysis. DNA samples were taken from several Ruble family members to verify a match.

A BITTERSWEET RETURN Ruble went missing when his brother Bob was just 14 years old, but Brent says his father never stopped searching for his brother.

“He always spoke very highly of Charlie,” Brent says. “He wanted more than anything to bring him home.”

A year after Bob Ruble’s death, the DPAA confirmed that they had in fact located and positively identified the

body of Charlie Ruble and began the process of transporting his remains from the Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium to Arlington National Cemetery.

More than 30 family members from across the country and Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt, director of Army staff, attended the funeral in Arlington.

At the memorial service at the Selma Legion post, Charlie Ruble’s nieces, nephews and one grand-niece pored over black-and-white photos of their uncle.

“I know when my dad died, he was finally with his brother, and Charlie told him ‘It’s about time,’” says Brent Ruble.

Jordan Kartholl writes for the Muncie (Ind.) Star Press.

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Supreme Sacrifice Memorials, monuments honor ‘Greatest Generation’

WWII Memorial DAN ARANDT

By Harry Lister

T

HIS YEAR MARKS THE 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, and Washington, D.C., and its nearby Virginia suburbs host a number of memorials, monuments and museums dedicated to the history of one of the most pivotal events of the 20th century. Spend a weekend learning about the millions of men and women who answered history’s call, and in the process became the “Greatest Generation.”

WWII MEMORIAL Located on the National Mall, the World War II Memorial honors the 16 million members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in Europe, North Africa and the Pacific, especially the 405,399 killed during the war. unps.gov/wwii

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER MEMORIAL

FDR MEMORIAL

Across Independence Avenue from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, the newest memorial in the nation’s capital (dedicated Sept. 17) honors the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe who went on to become the 34th president of the United States. ueisenhowermemorial.gov

A short walk from the World War II Memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial sits on the Tidal Basin between the Martin Luther King Jr. and Thomas Jefferson memorials. FDR’s four terms in office are chronicled through bronze artwork and quotes carved in stone. unps.gov/frde

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AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM The collection of World War II military aircraft on display at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. UdvarHazy Center in Chantilly, Va., includes the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortress that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, in August 1945.

Timed entry passes are required. uairandspace. si.edu

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

JAPANESE AMERICAN MEMORIAL At the northeastern end of the National Mall, between the U.S. Capitol and Union Station, is the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II. It commemorates the experiences of the more than 120,000 Japanese Americans interned during the war, as well as the 10,000 Japanese American soldiers who fought in the war. unjamemorial.org

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

HOLOCAUST MUSEUM Located one block south of the National Mall and east of the Tidal Basin, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s mission is to serve as a living memorial to the 6 million European Jews killed during World War II and to inspire people to confront hatred, prevent genocide and promote human dignity. uushmm.org

MARINE CORPS WAR MEMORIAL Often referred to as the Iwo Jima memorial, the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va., is dedicated to all Marines who have given their lives in service of the country. The 32-foot bronze figures depict the capture of Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima in February 1945. unps.gov/gwmp

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY Approximately 400,000 military veterans and dependents are buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, including President John F. Kennedy, who earned a Navy Marine Corps Medal and a Purple Heart for heroism while helming a patrol torpedo boat in the Pacific during World War II. uwww.arlingtoncemetery.mil

ELIZABETH FRASER/ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

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GOOD BUSINESS

Companies continue to seek vets, even in a pandemic

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The businesses best at employing, retaining vets

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BE THE BOSS

Entrepreneurial?

Franchising may be for you

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CURATE A CAREER

Army Corps program helps vets’ workplace transition

102 SMART CHOICES Yellow Ribbon schools such as Northern Arizona University make extra efforts to assist veterans.

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Hiring Our Heroes job fair GETTY IMAGES

Taking Care of Business Employers continue to turn to veterans, even amid pandemic

By Matt Alderton

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OR 14 YEARS, U.S. Army veteran Brady Busby thrived as a military intelligence officer. In 2010, however, his career was taken from him when a mortar landed at his feet during a combat mission in Afghanistan. The explosion ultimately left him with a brain injury, chronic back pain, three herniated discs in his neck and severe post-traumatic stress disorder. Two years later, he was medically retired.

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Margarita Devlin

Eric Eversole U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNDATION

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

“Having employees who understand that change is inevitable and who know how to deal with it is increasingly critical.”

— ERIC EVERSOLE, president, Hiring Our Heroes Brady Busby

William Hubbard

PROVIDED BY BRADY BUSBY

Upon leaving the military in 2012, Busby earned his college degree and taught himself fly-fishing. Mostly, though, he sat idle, like a sports car parked on blocks in the garage.

“It’s not that I was bored, exactly. But ... I felt underutilized,” says Busby, 46, of Gilbert, Ariz. He craved purpose. Although doing so might require forfeiting his disability benefits, he decided to seek employment. That was in December 2019.

Three months later came the coronavirus pandemic.

“People were losing jobs left and right, and you couldn’t go to job fairs anymore. I was really discouraged,” says Busby. His worry was shortlived thanks to the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), which helped him secure a sales agent position at SelectQuote Senior Insurance Services, where he started working in August.

“I feel a sense of accomplishment just getting the job — especially during COVID, when everyone’s hurting so much,” says Busby. “Being a subject-matter expert in something

again gives me back the self-esteem I used to have.”

Like Busby, many veterans seek employment that will imbue them with a new sense of purpose after leaving the military. And despite the negative impact it’s had on the economy, the pandemic has created a hospitable environment for some veterans to find it.

PANDEMIC CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES The COVID-19 economy has put Americans of all stripes in dire straits, including veterans. WWP recently surveyed its members — wounded post-9/11 veterans — and found that 41 percent have experienced employment-related challenges as a result of the pandemic.

A study by the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship and Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) found similar circumstances among veteran entrepreneurs. As of early May, the study found, 39

percent of veteran-owned businesses had closed due to COVID-19 compared with just 5 percent of nonveteran-owned businesses; of those, 17 percent were uncertain whether they’d reopen.

But the picture isn’t as bleak as it seems. In April, veteran unemployment reached 11.7 percent — exceedingly high, but notably lower than unemployment for all Americans, which was a record 14.3 percent. By August, the unemployment rate for veterans had fallen to 6.4 percent compared with 8.5 percent for all Americans.

William Hubbard, chief of staff at Student Veterans of America (SVA), says student veterans are a microcosm of all veterans. On the one hand, their employment is trending upward: As of August, Hubbard says, 64.6 percent of student veterans were employed. Of those, 89.1 percent had a full-time job. On the other hand, uncertainty remains: Although 55 percent of student veterans say they’re confident about their job

STUDENT VETERANS OF AMERICA

prospects, 29.7 percent say they’re slightly worried about them.

“These are fairly promising numbers considering the state of the economy, but there’s definitely still a lot of concern,” Hubbard says.

The concern is real. But so are new opportunities. “As businesses navigate what the ‘new normal’ is, the people they’re going to hire are folks who can flex and be resilient,” says IVMF Director of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Misty Stutsman Fox, who finds military service makes veterans naturally agile and adaptable — and therefore more valuable than ever to employers as they pivot in response to a contracting economy.

Eric Eversole, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes veteran employment initiative, agrees. “Whether it’s because of COVID or technological advances, the employment landscape is rapidly shifting. Having CONTINUED

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Wounded Warrior Richard Dorr WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT

employees who understand that change is inevitable and who know how to deal with it is increasingly critical.”

And then there’s the rapidly expanding world of remote working. “There’s a chance for companies to find some wildly talented veterans in places they never would have looked before,” Fox says.

“Gone are the days where tech companies in Tulsa (Okla.) can’t find coders, because coders can live in the mountains of Colorado and still give those companies what they need.”

MISSION: EMPLOYMENT Organizations across the country are also working overtime to help veterans exploit new opportunities.

Hiring Our Heroes, for example, offers a corporate fellowship program for transitioning service members and military spouses, who during 12-week internships

receive hands-on training that helps them translate military skills into civilian careers. That program, which often leads to full-time employment, has continued uninterrupted during the pandemic with both on-site and virtual internships, according to Eversole, who says it will graduate 1,300 fellows this year compared with 900 in 2019.

“We graduated our first (post-pandemic) cohort in May ... (and) 85 percent of our fellows were offered jobs,” Eversole says.

Other programs include IVMF’s Onward to Opportunity, which enrolls transitioning service members in online career training courses where they can learn or validate skills sought by employers in sectors like information technology, business management and customer service, and WWP’s Warriors to Work, which provides employment services like

job fairs, career counseling, mock interviews and résumé-writing workshops, all of which are now offered virtually.

“Going virtual hasn’t changed what we do; it’s just changed how we do it,” says Warriors to Work National Director Bryan Rollins. “We’ve had more than 1,000 warriors employed since March 16 with a combined first-year salary of over $46 million. That’s on track with where we’ve been every year pre-COVID, so we feel good about that.”

The Department of Veterans Affairs is doing its part, too. Margarita Devlin, the principal deputy under secretary for benefits, says the VA acted quickly at the outset of the pandemic to ensure Congress continued granting veterans the education benefits afforded them by the GI Bill despite new remote learning environments. Meanwhile, it has continued to enroll veterans in its Vet-

eran Employment Through Technology Education Courses pilot program, which teaches veterans the skills they need to work in the growing tech sector and provides free educational and career counseling services.

“Veterans right now have the same employment challenges as other Americans given the pandemic that we’re in. But they also have advantages in terms of their eligibility for programs and services,” says Devlin, who notes that the VA itself has continued hiring veterans throughout the pandemic.

“Over 50 percent of our workforce at the VA is veterans. What I would say to other employers is: ‘If a veteran applies for a job with you, invite them to come in for an interview. I think you’ll be very impressed by their maturity, their performance under pressure and their ability to learn new skills.’”

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AMAZON For its customers, Amazon delivers just about anything. For veterans and military spouses, however, it delivers something infinitely more valuable: jobs.

In 2016, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos pledged to hire 25,000 veterans and military spouses within five years. It now employs more than 40,000 of them, according to Director of Military Affairs John Quintas, whose team has helped Amazon surpass its goal with the help of myriad recruitment, development and retention programs. Among them are the Amazon Military SkillBridge Program, which offers internships to transitioning service members as part of the Department of Defense (DoD) SkillBridge initiative; the Military Mentorship Program, which connects veterans with peer mentors during their first year of employment; and Warriors@Amazon, an affinity group for veteran employees that has more than 120 chapters worldwide.

There’s also the Amazon Delivery Service Partner program, which helps entrepreneurial veterans establish their own Last Mile package delivery services. Since launching the program in 2018, Amazon has given $5 million in grants to help 500 veteran entrepreneurs start their own businesses.

“We employ military veterans because they bring unique value to every team at Amazon,” says Quintas. “Veterans and their families have sacrificed to make the world a better place for generations to come, so we have a responsibility to care for them after their service.”

AMAZON

CVS HEALTH For more than 20 years, CVS Health has had a Workforce Initiatives team with the objective of attracting nontraditional talent, including veterans. CVS has hired more than 18,000 veterans since 2015, according to vice president of workforce strategies and chief diversity officer David Casey, a Marine Corps veteran.

CVS named its first director of military community initiatives, David Lee, in 2016; the following year it opened the CVS Health Talent Connect Center (TCC) at Fort Bragg, N.C. The first civilian facility of its kind on a military installation, the TCC merges hands-on job-search training with state-of-the-art virtual reality technology to help veterans and military spouses secure jobs with CVS. CVS offers internships to transitioning service members as part of the DoD SkillBridge program; has a Heroes2Careers program, through which it recruits and trains transitioning service members at 10 military bases; and operates VALOR, an employee resource group whose 2,000 veteran members offer peer support while helping CVS create a welcoming workplace. “We want to recruit veteran talent, yes. But more than that, we want the military community to know we care about the whole of who you are,” Casey says.

CVS HEALTH

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IBM If you ask Army veteran Jason Kelley, IBM should stand for “I’ve Been Military.”

“We’ve been focused on veterans and what they bring to the table since the earliest years of our company,” says Kelley, IBM’s general manager of blockchain services and head of its Veteran Employee Resource Group (ERG). The ERG provides peer resources and support for veterans across IBM, which has hired more than 2,000 veterans since 2017.

“We see all of our veterans as leaders, and who doesn’t want leaders in their organization?”

According to Kelley, veterans’ training in tasks like cybersecurity, logistics and communication makes them ideally suited to employment in the tech sector.

To help them succeed, IBM in February launched a version of its SkillsBuild adult learning program exclusively for military veterans who are transitioning to the private sector. The free online careerreadiness training was launched in May, and by September had already enrolled 1,000 transitioning service members.

IBM has a corporate goal of being “the premier place for veterans to work when they get out of the military,” Kelley says. “And once they’re here, we want to continue addressing their opportunities for progression, skill development and community.”

IBM

LOWE’S Veterans don’t just work at Lowe’s home improvement stores. Veterans created them, according to executive vice president of stores Joe McFarland, a Marine Corps veteran who cites the company’s founding in 1946 by World War II veterans Carl Buchan and Jim Lowe. In their honor, he says, Lowe’s now employs more than 20,000 veterans, many of whom wear special camouflage vests as a symbol of their service.

McFarland says Lowe’s has hired more than 100,000 associates this year in spite of COVID-19 — many of them veterans, whose talent Lowe’s has sought at more than 40 virtual, military-themed hiring events. “We haven’t slowed down our hiring of veterans because of the pandemic. As a matter of fact, we’ve continued to step on the gas,” he says.

In 2021, Lowe’s will further its commitment to veterans as a new participant in DoD’s SkillBridge internship program.

“There’s a huge benefit to hiring veterans, and it begins with what the military teaches you,” McFarland says. “We can train you on the technical aspects of the job — how to do basic home plumbing and electrical work — but the leadership skills (that) the military instills in veterans can’t be taught.”

LOWE’S

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Hiring Heroes Companies recognized for efforts to employ, retain veterans

By Anna Katherine Clemmons

W

HEN SAM STORJOHANN ACCEPTED a job as an

operations excellence manager at United Rentals, she had no idea if the company would be a good fit. A West Point graduate, Storjohann had served nine years in the Army as a Black Hawk maintenance test pilot while also overseeing missions to recover downed aircraft. “I love maintenance, and being around heavy equipment was what I knew was comfortable,” Storjohann says.

After working for the Veteran’s Engineering Resource Center, a recruiter “We have reached out about United Rentals, a brand which is based in Stamford, Ct., and promise was one of the of going recipients of the U.S. Department above for of Labor’s HIRE those that (Honoring Investments in Recruiting have gone and Employing) Vets Awards for 2019. beyond.”

“Honestly, it’s — JOHN BIRD, been incredible,” senior VP, USAA Storjohann says of her two-and-a-halfyears working at United Rentals, noting the company’s culture of community as well as the expansive programming uniting veteran employees. “One of the biggest things that veterans miss when they leave the military is the camaraderie,” Storjohann says. “Here, the culture is the biggest thing — feeling like you fit in again.”

Along with United Rentals, nine other companies earned HIRE Vets Medallion Awards in the large, platinum category for 2019. The program recognizes efforts by employers to recruit, employ and retain military veterans as employees.

“The HIRE Vets Medallion Award recipients have demonstrated they under-

CO N T IN UED

Sam Storjohann PROVIDED BY SAM STORJOHANN

United Rentals employs 1,700 veterans UNITED RENTALS

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Panel discussion with USAA veteran employees USAA

stand the challenges that veterans face must meet criteria related to programs when entering the workforce, as well as such as tuition assistance. how to address those challenges and how According to the U.S. Bureau of to help veterans succeed,” Randall Smith, Labor Statistics, veterans comprised 5.7 HIRE Vets Medallion percent of the civilian program director, wrote labor force in 2019. in a blog post earlier USAA, another 2019 this year. In 2019, more large platinum award VETS WERE than 400 large, medium recipient, far exceeds and small employers that percentage, with earned HIRE Vets close to 25 percent Medallion Awards, of its total workforce and have hired 52,000 made up of veterans or veterans since 2017. military spouses.

To earn the award That includes retired OF THE CIVILIAN in the large, platinum Vice Adm. John Bird, LABOR FORCE category, companies senior vice president IN 2019 must hire a minimum of for military affairs at 10 percent of employees USAA (United Services who are veterans while Automobile Associaalso retaining 85 percent of veteran tion), who took on the role in 2013 after employees hired in the calendar year a 35-year naval career. A lifelong USAA prior. Additionally, the award earners member — his father also was a naval

5.7%

officer — Bird has long admired the organization that was founded “by the military, for the military,” he says. “We have a brand promise of going above for those that have gone beyond. Our tagline is, ‘We know what it means to serve.’”

Whether it is honoring the founding dates of the different branches of the armed services through company-wide celebrations or creating the USAA’s Vet Net program, whereby veterans joining the company connect with a peer, USAA advocates for the military community externally as well as within its own walls.

Close to 1,500 of USAA’s new hires in 2019 — roughly 14 percent — were veterans, according to Bird, who says veteran employees bring diverse skill sets: technical capability, work ethic, discipline, integrity and flexibility. USAA has always valued employing veterans, but receiving the award strengthens that commitment.

“We know we aren’t the lone ranger in understanding the importance of hiring veterans, but anything that gains us audience is not only good for veterans — it’s good for the company,” Bird says.

Around 10 percent of United Rentals employees are veterans, according to Kacie Brewer, the company’s manager of inclusion and diversity. Brewer organizes and oversees many of the company’s corporate partnerships that encourage employees to give back to the veteran community. United Rentals also has a Veterans United employee resource group. “Our whole company isn’t veterans, but we are sensitive to the needs that veterans may have,” Brewer says.

Brewer says United Rentals is grateful for the leadership exhibited by its veteran employees. “It’s really kind of a loyalty to a greater cause beyond themselves — the teamwork, leadership, discipline, courage and the commitment to the team.”

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California Closets franchisee Joe Lindenmayer, far right, with veteran employees CALIFORNIA CLOSETS GULF COAST

Be Your Own Boss Franchise opportunities abound for entrepreneurial veterans

By Sandy Smith

M

ANY VETERANS MAKING THE transition to civilian

life have no doubt heard the pitch: Purchasing a franchise is a great way

to start and own a business. And many franchisers have programs specifically intended to recruit veterans — and for good reason.

Joe Lindenmayer has seen both sides.

The former Marine, who served in Desert Storm, started working for a franchiser,

TSS Photography, not long after his service ended. Then, he was focused on recruiting veterans. He later became vice president of franchising for California Closets, and now owns his own regional CONTINUED

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“We talk about no plan surviving the first engagement with the enemy.

Business ownership is similar. You have to adapt and overcome.”

— JOE LINDENMAYER, owner, California Closets Gulf Coast

franchise, California Closets Gulf Coast.

“We often talk about veterans’ ability to follow a system, to be team-oriented,” Lindenmayer says. “But it’s more than that. In the military, you have to see the end goal and keep that in mind. You can’t foresee the obstacles that will come across your path. We talk about no plan surviving the first engagement with the enemy. Business ownership is similar.

You have to adapt and overcome.”

Those qualities are why veterans “make great franchisees,” says Rikki Amos, executive director of the IFA Foundation, the research and education arm of the International Franchise Association. “They know how to operate within them. They know the benefit of implementing things in a proven fashion.

The dedication, the commitment, the work ethic and the drive.”

IFA Foundation operates VetFran, a program that recruits veterans into the industry.

Those skills have real appeal for someone like Mike Cline, vice president of franchise development for Alliance Franchise Brands (AFB). AFB has eight brands in two categories: marketing and

print; and sign and graphics. Its portfolio includes brands like Image360, Allegra and RSVP; it also acts as a reseller for print and sign franchises Insty-Prints, Signs By Tomorrow and Signs Now. “I have personally found that the individual exiting the military might just be a little more open-minded,” Cline says. “The military has thrown things at them, and they come in with an attitude of, ‘I can do this. I can learn this.’ Military precision thinking is a huge benefit for owning a franchise.”

Working with a franchiser can fill in important gaps for a new business owner.

“The support system and structure are some of the greatest benefits to the franchising model,” Amos says. Veterans “may not know what it is to manage a profit-and-loss statement. They can get the infrastructure from the franchiser and mentoring, as well as opportunities for growth.”

Lindenmayer grew up in a family-run landscaping business, which included a Purina distributorship. “That was my first experience at having premade marketing materials, sales support and a brand behind you,” he says. “It wasn’t

a franchise, but it showed me how much smoother things could go, versus some of the other things that we tried on our own.”

There are franchise opportunities in just about every type of business, from cleaning to child care, pets to mechanical enterprises. There are tried-and-true brands like Dunkin’ — which topped Entrepreneur magazine’s 41st annual Franchise 500 ranking — or myriad lessestablished names. Price points to open a franchise can vary widely, too, from just a few thousand dollars for a home-based business that doesn’t require a lot of specialized equipment to millions for some national food franchises.

“I wouldn’t say that veterans tend to be drawn to one type more than others,” Amos says. “Some are drawn to quickserve restaurants, others to cleaning management and home services.

Sometimes it is impacted a lot by the cost of entry.” As the world continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, cleaning franchises are doing well, she says, as are packaging and logistics.

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Image360 store ALLIANCE FRANCHISE BRANDS

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Home office CALIFORNIA CLOSETS

Walk-through wardrobe CALIFORNIA CLOSETS

After about 45 days of what Cline characterized as initial COVID-19 “analysis paralysis,” interest in franchising picked up again in late spring.

“People were saying, ‘I can’t sit here and do nothing.’ We see a lot of positive traction.”

Thinking about becoming a franchisee? Here are a few tips to get started on finding the right opportunity: Ask the right questions. Cline suggests exploring the franchiser’s support system. “Find the right match, with a support system that can help you play to your strengths while helping with your weaknesses.”

The VA’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization suggests exploring the Franchise Disclosure Document for information about the franchiser’s legal, financial and personnel history. The franchiser also should provide information about exactly what the franchisee receives, such as training and assistance, site selection and protection from competing franchisees.

The Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer’s Guide to Buying a Franchise is another good resource.

Seek opportunities for aid. While many franchisers offer discounts on franchise fees — the upfront costs for use of a franchiser’s logo, trademark and systems — there are other options to help vets fund the purchase and construction of their new businesses.

Some states’ small-business development offices offer assistance, including aid for veterans with disabilities.

“There are a variety of different organizations looking to boost businesses in their community,” Amos says.

“No one should overlook the chamber of commerce in their community.” She particularly recommends the chamber as a conduit to a local lender.

Learn from those who have gone before. Franchisers know who their veteran franchisees are, Amos says.

“Veterans are always asking about other veterans who are successful. It’s a very different thing to hear from a veteran who has become a successful franchisee.” Don’t be afraid to ask for those connections, she adds.

Know that many of the franchise resources are not just for those veterans who have recently separated. “Even if you’ve been in the private sector for 20 years, some of these same resources apply,” Amos says. “Maybe you’re looking for a new challenge or were laid off in the pandemic. If you served in the military, a franchise may be a good fit for your next move.”

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Uncovering Careers Army Corps program helps veterans in transition

Dustin Wood

By Patricia Kime

F

ORMER MARINE INFANTRYMAN DUSTIN Wood has always had an

interest in history, dating back to a fascination with Egypt, Rome and ancient Greece in primary school. Fast forward to Iraq in 2004, and as Wood patrolled a combat-intensive area south of Baghdad known as the Triangle of Death, he found himself drawn to the Iraqi culture.

“I was on the streets every day and got to talk to (Iraqis) every day and hear their concerns. If I could go back and visit the sites and museums now knowing I wouldn’t die, I would,” Wood says. “The experience definitely made me who I am today.”

After retiring from the Marine Corps, Wood settled in his hometown of Milwaukee, but became restless. One day, while typing “veterans” and “archaeology” into a Google search, he discovered the U.S. Army Corps Veterans Curation Program (VCP), a paid internship for former service members that supports the mission to preserve artifacts found at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers properties and projects.

Woods says he couldn’t apply fast enough. “I couldn’t believe it. Archaeology has been a lifelong passion.”

Conceived by legendary Corps archaeologist and forensic scientist Michael “Sonny” Trimble, who led the

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Coin found at Winfield Locks and Dam in West Virginia

PROVIDED BY DUSTIN WOOD; U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

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JOBS &XXXXX EDUCATION Mass Graves Inspection Team in Iraq that helped convict former members of Saddam Hussein’s regime of crimes against humanity, VCP is a five-month educational and vocational training program. Veterans learn job-hunting and office skills while they work to help preserve and catalog the Corps’ archaeological collection.

Trimble founded the program as a way to give back to the service members who protected his team during the graves recovery efforts in Iraq. According to Jennifer Riordan, a physical anthropologist with the Corps’ St. Louis District, the program is a win-win, as thousands of artifacts that would have otherwise been sitting on shelves — such as pottery shards from a civilization that predated a Revolutionary War fort in Norfolk, Va., and Civil War-era pipe stems from Pea Patch Island in the Delaware Bay — are entered into the record books.

That’s vital work, according to Riordan, who also serves as director of the Mandatory Center of Expertise for the Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections, because the Corps is required by law to recover artifacts unearthed during any project in accordance with the National Historic Preservation and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Acts.

Veterans apply to work in one of four labs or three satellite sites across the country. As part of the program, they work as lab technicians, managed by archaeologists and anthropologists. They rotate through various work stations processing artifacts: sifting through boxes of relics, cleaning them, numbering them, entering their descriptions into a database, photographing them and then packaging them for storage. During the process, these former troops learn valuable computer, photography, digital scanning and other office skills.

“One of the strong suits of the program is the soft skills it teaches the veterans.

Many have never worked in an office. It gives them an understanding outside a military setting,” Riordan says.

The program pays veterans a living wage and also provides them job counseling and training that includes interview preparation, résumé writing and networking tips.

Kimberly Blanke served in the Marine Corps from 2009 to 2013 and decided to apply to VCP after spending several years as a stay-at-home mom. She wanted to learn skills like Microsoft Excel that she rarely used as a combat engineer. Her CONTIN UE D

Kimberly Blanke, center, offers instruction on photographing artifacts.

PROVIDED BY KIMBERLY BLANKE

“I really love being able to provide assistance to fellow veterans. I didn’t know how much I would enjoy working with other vets.”

— KIMBERLY BLANKE, VCP assistant lab manager

U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

Inspecting photographic negatives U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

A glass bottle recovered during the Army Corps of Engineers’ archealogical investigation of the Waverly Plantation in Mississippi.

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JOBS & EDUCATION goal was to become an administrative assistant, and shortly after finishing the program, she was hired as one at a financial services firm in St. Louis.

Though the program has an archaeology focus, it isn’t geared toward working just in that field, Riordan says. “We want to ensure (veterans) have the skills and the stability to take the next steps,” she says. Wood agrees, saying veterans should not dismiss VCP as a beginner archaeologist job. Instead, it’s a program that provides a comfortable environment to re-enter the workplace, especially those with service-connected disabilities like post-traumatic stress disorder.

To date, 665 veterans have completed the program, says Riordan, with 91 percent landing jobs in document digitization, data entry, photography and administration.

VCP was initially established at three locations: Augusta, Ga., St. Louis and Alexandria, Va. Another full-service lab opened in San Mateo, Calif., and two satellite locations were established at universities in Washington and Texas in 2018. Last year, a third satellite location at the University of Arkansas opened.

The program runs on $4 million of congressional funding and is managed under a government contract by New South Associates of Georgia, a womenowned small business that specializes in cultural resource management services.

“When I arrived, they asked what I wanted to get out of the program. No one had really ever asked me that. The coolest thing is they understand veterans.

They help you, and they support you,” Wood says.

While most don’t continue to jobs of a historical or archaeological nature, Wood was offered a job with Na Ali‘i, a contractor for the National Archives, even before he graduated. He now works remotely as an imaging specialist digitizing the service records of former prisoners of war and troops missing in action from World War II — skills he learned at VCP. “It’s a process, preparing the boxes, taking items out like dog tags and telegrams from loved ones. We use the cameras and the whole setup like VCP. It’s so cool,” Wood says.

Blanke found she missed the VCP program, so when an assistant lab management position at the St. Louis VCP became open, she applied and was hired, becoming the only nonscientist fully employed by the lab.

“I really love being able to provide assistance to fellow veterans,” says Blanke. “I didn’t know how much I would enjoy working with other vets.”

Artifact-processing training U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

Processing artifacts U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

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Texas A&M University WESLEY HITT/GETTY IMAGES

Make Yellow Your Color Education-assistance program makes college more affordable for vets

By Craig Guillot

C

OULD YOUR GOLDEN TICKET to a

college degree be a yellow

ribbon?

Established by the Post9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, the Yellow Ribbon Program helps military-affiliated students and their families cover the cost of attending out-of-state and private colleges and universities.

Yellow Ribbon awards fill the gap in tuition expenses that aren’t covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Schools that participate in the program agree to contribute a specified dollar amount that the Department of Veterans Affairs then matches, says Margarita Devlin, the VA’s principal deputy undersecretary for benefits. The amount awarded varies by school and academic program.

To qualify for Yellow Ribbon awards, veterans

must have served at least 36 months on active duty or have received a Purple Heart on or after Sept.

11, 2001, and have been honorably discharged after any amount of service.

“This gives veterans greater opportunities (to afford) private schools if they chose or public schools located outside of their own locale,” Devlin says.

The following universities are particularly supportive of veterans:

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY College Station, Texas Founded as a military academy in 1876, Texas A&M University is the largest of six U.S. schools classified as senior military colleges that offer Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs that align more closely with the cadet corps of U.S. military academies than the ROTC programs on a typical campus. The Texas A&M Corps of Cadets is one of the largest programs of its kind in the nation and offers hands-on leadership experience for those seeking to become commissioned officers. Approximately 2,000 of the 50,000 students at Texas A&M are in the corps of cadets. The university offers several Yellow Ribbon awards up to $10,000 per student. ▶ tamu.edu

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JOBS & EDUCATION OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY Norfolk, Va. Old Dominion University is home to a thriving military-affiliated student community that comprises about a quarter of its student body. It also features several military support centers, including the Old Dominion University Veterans Business Outreach Center, which offers entrepreneurial development services to eligible veterans considering starting a small business. Services include business training events, startup assessment, business plan preparation and assistance to access capital. Old Dominion offers up to $2,500 in Yellow Ribbon funding annually for graduate students in education, engineering and nursing. ▶ odu.edu

EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

H. DARR BEISER

Richmond, Ky. As a public university with an average enrollment of more than 16,500 students, Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) is consistently ranked as a top school for veterans. The Veterans Education & Transition Support initiative offers a variety of services and programs to help veterans reach their highest potential. EKU also is home to a thriving chapter of Omega Delta Sigma, a national coed veterans and military fraternity. EKU’s Yellow Ribbon program covers tuition expenses not paid by the Post-9/11 GI bill for online programs and up to $5,000 for on-campus undergraduate programs. ▶ eku.edu

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY Syracuse, N.Y. As a private university serving more than 22,000 students, Syracuse University is home to several nationally recognized programs, including the prestigious S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. In 2011, the university founded the Institute for Veterans & Military Families to expand its commitment to veterans and activeduty spouses. Scheduled to open soon, the National Veterans Resource Center will be the first of its kind and will foster research and collaboration amongst academia, government and community to serve veterans and military-connected families. Syracuse offers Yellow Ribbon awards that pay any remaining tuition not covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill. ▶ syracuse.edu MIKE GROLL/ASSOCIATED PRESS

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JOBS & EDUCATION SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY St. Leo, Fla. Established in 1889, Saint Leo University is one of the largest Catholic universities in the country and offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and minors. Saint Leo has a strong military heritage with nearly 6,000 militaryaffiliated men and women, representing approximately one-third of the student body. The university was named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security. Saint Leo offers Yellow Ribbon awards that cover up to $2,500 annually. ▶ saintleo.edu SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY

LEWIS UNIVERSITY

TOM TINGLE/THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC

LEWIS UNIVERSITY

NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY

Romeoville, Ill. A private Catholic university, Lewis University has an enrollment of about 6,400 students. Through various financial aid programs, the school offers veterans more than 100 tuition-free education curriculums. Princeton Review named Lewis one of the best colleges in the Midwest in its 2021 Best Colleges: Region by Region list for its small class sizes, faculty and notable programs in criminal justice, aviation and nursing.

Maximum Yellow Ribbon undergraduate awards range from $8,000 to $20,000 annually, depending on the program. ▶ lewisu.edu

Flagstaff, Ariz.

As a public university with nearly 30,000 students, Northern Arizona University (NAU) offers more than 170 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Some of the most popular include criminal justice, biomedical science and nursing. The W.A. Franke College of Business’ Veteran Success Center serves hundreds of military-affiliated students annually with a wide range of support services including academic success initiatives, career development and physical and mental health care.

NAU is continually expanding new financial aid scholarships to veterans and spouses of service members. Its Yellow Ribbon awards are available to all eligible students and fund all tuition expenses not covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill. ▶ nau.edu

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JOBS & EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA OMAHA Omaha, Neb. With a long history with the U.S. military, the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) counts among its alumni former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and several prominent generals. Militaryaffiliated students have priority enrollment with waived application fees, and there’s an active military alumni group that connects military graduates with students. UNO’s Yellow Ribbon program pays all remaining tuition not covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill for all eligible students. ▶ unomaha.edu

ANGIE WANG/ASSOCIATED PRESS

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY Columbus, Ohio The Ohio State University (OSU) is one of the top public research universities in the nation and has more than 1,400 military-affiliated faculty. Popular degree programs include aviation and aerospace engineering, international studies and agriculture. There are several military-affiliated student organizations, including the Military and National Security Law Students Association, and Vets 4 Vets.

OSU’s Yellow Ribbon program is available to all eligible students and pays all remaining tuition that the Post-9/11 GI Bill doesn’t cover. ▶ osu.edu

NATI HARNIK/ASSOCIATED PRESS

EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY Daytona Beach, Fla. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the world’s oldest and largest accredited university specializing in aviation and offers programs in aviation maintenance, aeronautical science, flight operations and air traffic management. Embry-Riddle also offers online programs and supports nearly 100 military bases.

The Air Force ROTC detachment it hosts in Daytona Beach is one of the largest in the nation and has commissioned more Air Force officers and pilots than almost any institution outside of the U.S. Air Force Academy. The university offers Yellow Ribbon options that fund any remaining tuition that the Post-9/11 GI Bill doesn’t cover. ▶ daytonabeach.erau.edu DAVID MASSEY

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SERVING OTHERS

Vets volunteer via The Mission Continues

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ALL ACCESS

Freedom Alliance provides the gift of mobility

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DRIVEN TO HELP

Horsepower Therapy tunes up the psyche

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HOMEY HOUSING

Maria Reed serves vets by renovating their homes

130 JOURNEY OF AWARENESS Three vets paddled hand-built kayaks more than 300 miles on the Hudson River to draw attention to veterans issues.

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PROVIDED BY THE MISSION CONTINUES

Members of The Mission Continues distribute food in St. Louis as part of the organization’s Operation Nourish initiative.

Giving Back Organization helps veterans serve communities — and themselves

By Margaret Buranen

C

OPING WITH PTSD AND other

readjustment issues can be difficult for some veterans.

The Mission Continues (TMC) was founded by veterans to help their brethren make the transition back to civilian life. It offers friendship and the chance to continue the military’s mission of service to others while also helping community organizations across

the country.

Most veterans “felt really needed while they were in the military and they felt good about themselves. They were serving a cause bigger than themselves,” says TMC president Mary Beth Bruggeman.

“But they (sometimes) fade into civilian society and forget that they have so much potential.”

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A volunteer in Killeen, Texas, participates in a service project in support of Operation Nourish.

that helps (us) get through a difficult patch is to give to others. These people were born to serve. It’s not a pit stop in life. It is their life.”

TMC team members sign up for training and serve six months doing projects in or near their communities. They may then choose to take more training to become platoon leaders, creating and directing service projects in addition to working on them.

While some TMC members are retired or on disability, the majority “are employed full time,” Bruggeman says.

“That’s what’s so inspiring. They’re working full time, raising families, (but) they know they have more to give.”

More than 45,000 veterans have volunteered with the organization since it launched in 2007 and TMC operates in 53 U.S. cities, says Jen Parravani, TMC’s

brand and communications manager.

Membership is roughly 60 percent male, and Bruggeman says people of color comprised nearly half of the most recent training class.

A U.S. Naval Academy graduate who served eight years as a Marine combat engineering officer, Bruggeman found TMC to be a natural match for her interests. “It was a perfect intersection of my passion ... and interest for social causes with my background as a vet working in defense and military security,” she says.

TMC members paint school walls, plant community gardens and repair damaged buildings. In the process of aiding local nonprofits and communities, they gain confidence and develop career CONTINUED

Killeen service platoon poses after helping refurbish an elementary school’s garden and outdoor facilities.

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Volunteers with the Atlanta service platoon help build an urban garden.

A member of The Mission Continues distributes food in Houston.

and life skills. the project was completed and were thrilled to A relatively new initiative, Operation Nourish watch the students plant bell peppers, okra and is TMC’s “response to what was happening yams. TMC members maintain the garden, but on the ground” as a result of the coronavirus the children will be able to pick the vegetables pandemic, Bruggeman says. “Our veterans and share them with needy families. were checking in with our (nonprofit) partners “It was a lot of hard work, but when I saw it during COVID. They found an emerging and with my own two eyes, it was very fulfilling,” overwhelming need in the communities” for says Martinez, a former Army operations officer help with food. who is a full-time doctoral student. He admits Operation Nourish has service that he didn’t know a circular saw platoons in nearly 40 of the comfrom a miter saw before working “These people on this project, but he and his team munities it serves, working to feed hungry Americans and help food learned how to use both tools. were born to banks. In agricultural areas, TMC Martinez started the Killeen members work to collect surplus serve. It’s not a platoon with 10 other vets, and it fruit and vegetables for food banks. now has more than 120 members. pit stop in life. Martinez expects more vets In other locations, they distribute food and create community join as they learn about the It is their life.” will gardens. rewarding nature of TMC’s work.

Killeen, Texas, platoon leader — MARY BETH Bruggeman says that while the Anthony Martinez and his team are BRUGGEMAN, initial commitment is six months, working on an Operation Nourish president, “it can last the rest of their lives if project at an elementary school.

The Mission Continues they want to.”

The school’s principal wanted The benefits of working with to establish a food garden, but TMC are measurable, according the garden had to be accessible for disabled to Monica Matthieu, a social scientist at children to work in it. Martinez and his team Washington University in St. Louis. Matthieu created a plan and secured funding for the co-authored a study of TMC members who materials from American Veterans Mission, the had served in the military post-9/11 that found nonprofit for which Martinez is president. positive results. After their initial service term The team cleared the site and built six raised ended, 69 percent decided to further their planters that comply with Americans with Diseducation and 74 percent indicated they had ability Act standards. Members of the school’s transferred skills acquired through TMC to parent-teacher organization were on-site after civilian employment.

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Gift of Mobility All-terrain wheelchairs help vets enjoy the great outdoors

Retired Marine Lance Cpl. Carlos Garcia FREEDOM ALLIANCE

By Sarah Sekula

A Retired Army Sgt. Aubrey Tapley, center

FREEDOM ALLIANCE

UBREY TAPLEY LIVES IN

Elsberry, Mo., a small town about 60 miles northwest of St. Louis, where fishing, hunting and hiking tend to be a way of life. Not to mention great bonding activities for her, her husband and two children.

So, when the retired Army sergeant was injured during a convoy mission in Iraq — which resulted in a fractured spine and two herniated discs — and medically discharged in 2007, it was difficult adjusting to a world with limited mobility.

“I have not been able to enjoy those activities with my family because of the

amount of physical activity it requires, so usually I just miss out,” Tapley says.

That all changed in the summer of 2019 when the Freedom Alliance, an educational and charitable organization supporting wounded troops and military families, provided her with an all-terrain tracked wheelchair.

“When I first got the chair I was so excited I drove it around our yard as soon as we got it home,” Tapley says. “Then I went out hunting on our family property that I hadn’t seen in 10 years because I couldn’t walk the hills.”

The chair itself is “really cool,” says Tom Kilgannon, president of Freedom Alliance. “It looks like a tank; they’re built CONTINUED

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“(The chair) allows them to be with friends and family without having to rely on others to get to where they want to be.”

— TOM KILGANNON, president, Freedom Alliance

Retired Marine Sgt. Matt Amos

to navigate pretty much any terrain — snow, gravel, sand, mud, the woods. They can get up an incline and over a curb.”

While a typical wheelchair is generally confined to paved, flat surfaces, these heavy-duty chairs allow users to get to more remote and adventurous spots.

“I heard about Freedom Alliance online when I was searching for a way to afford a chair because I wanted so bad to be able to join my family in their adventures,” Tapley says. “I cannot thank them enough for the impact the chair has made on being able to share in the memories we are now making as a family.”

Many of the dozens of wheelchair recipients Kilgannon has worked with say they just want to go for a walk on the beach or on a hike with their spouse.

“A chair like this makes that possible,” he says. “It allows them to keep up with their kids. In this way, it helps to keep the family unified.”

For Carlos Garcia, who was a combat engineer as a lance corporal in the Marine Corps, the wheelchair allows him to easily get around his 3.5-acre property.

And getting around at the beach is no

longer a problem either.

“My kids love riding on it. My son will sit on my lap and my daughter will stand on the foot rest,” Garcia says. “The chair to me means ... the freedom to do what I can do without being limited.”

To apply, veterans complete a form on the Freedom Alliance website and participate in a brief interview. If selected, a chair is then customized to the recipient’s needs. For example, the seat height can be adjusted and the joystick can be installed on either side.

“We also provide a trailer that hitches to the service member’s vehicle so he or she can transport the chair from home to his (or her) destination,” Kilgannon says.

The ultimate goal is to help the wounded service member enjoy outdoor activities again.

“Many of these folks grew up hunting and fishing,” Kilgannon says. “For them, it’s a family tradition and they want to continue to enjoy it and pass it along to their kids. The chair helps with that. It allows them to be with friends and family without having to rely on others to get to where they want to be.”

All-terrain tracked wheelchair

Jacki and Carlos Garcia FREEDOM ALLIANCE (2): ROCKET MOBILITY

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Brian Russell UNDERBOSS PHOTOGRAPHY

A Drive to Help Group aids vets through shared automotive enthusiasm

By Margaret Buranen

F

ORMER ARMY SPECIAL OPERATIONS aviator Brian Russell was

concerned about the number of cases of suicide by military veterans. Having served for 22

years, Russell wanted to help, but wasn’t sure how.

Then, the Huntsville, Ala., resident realized that working on cars always helped him deal with stress. “I lose CONTI NUED

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RESOURCES myself in it,” he says. His friend Greg Coker, also a former special ops aviator, agreed that an organization focused on cars and trucks could be therapeutic for veterans, so the two of them started Horsepower Therapy (HPT) in 2017.

An average of about 17 veterans a day took their own lives in 2017, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ 2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report. Several veterans have shared with Russell that they were considering suicide, but through attending HPT events they gradually made new friends. Working on cars helped them feel better about themselves and more able to cope with daily stresses.

Nonprofit HPT (horsepowertherapy. org) is based in Huntsville and has a growing network of area coordinators.

It partners with other military and veterans groups and has nearly three dozen corporate and industry partners.

The organization’s motto: Healing Wounds, Visible and Hidden, One Race at a Time.

Mike Stockton of Fort Lupton, Colo., was an aviation mechanic in the Army.

His first HPT event was “a car-detailing clinic a buddy and I attended in Denver.

It was put on by Adam’s Polishes. The CEO of the company was there showing us how to use the products.”

Stockton also enjoyed watching drag racing with HPT members at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo. He says the veterans exchanged contact information and told each other, “Call me if you need me.”

Bruce Van Den Eng, of Tucson, Ariz., served in the Army as a Chinook helicopter pilot. In 2019, he and his wife attended the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show, the world’s largest automotive aftermarket trade show, in Las Vegas. HPT covered some the couple’s expenses, including admission fees. “We had an absolute ball,” Van Den Eng says. “It was an opportunity for myself and my wife that we wouldn’t have had a chance to do otherwise.”

Van Den Eng says that many men, especially those with military experience, find it difficult to talk about their mental health issues. But “when (there’s) an activity or event that breaks the ice, that provides common ground, then deeper feelings will come to pass in the course of a conversation,” he explains. “There needs to be that impetus ... (and) working on cars or motorcycles together functions as that linchpin, that impetus. Then the conversation flows.”

Drag racing at Bandimere Speedway, Morrison, Colo.

BRIAN RUSSELL

Brian Russell and Greg Coker formed Horsepower Therapy to help veterans bond over a common passion for automobiles. The organization’s motto is Healing Wounds, Visible and Hidden, One Race at a Time.

HPT typically holds a monthly car cruise in Huntsville. COVID-19 put the brakes on most of the scheduled events this year, but when the pandemic eases, the group has plans to attend more races, automotive industry shows and similar events in Colorado, Kentucky and other states.

“We have a big year planned (for 2021), maybe even a two-day (car) cruise, to make up for this year,” Russell says.

BRIAN RUSSELL

Horsepower Therapy guests enjoy behind-the-wheel time at the 2018 SEMA Show.

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Maria Reed and her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Patrick Reed

SANDRA VICCHY

Making Housing Homey Army spouse provides renovations for veterans and service members

By Kristen A. Schmitt

A Designing a project GARRETT RAY/SOLAR FLIGHT PRODUCTIONS

S PART OF A military family that includes a teenage son and daughter, Maria Reed has moved every two to three years for almost two decades — or whenever her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Patrick Reed, receives a permanent change of station. Three years ago, driven to make a change for herself and others, Reed worked 72 hours straight to put together a strategic plan, build a website and establish social media for a prototype television show, Moving With the Military, aimed at helping active duty and veteran families feel at home.

Creating a new home every few years is a standard part of military life. According to a 2018 survey conducted by the Military Family Advisory Network, 74 percent of military families had

relocated within the past two years and all had moved within the past six years, averaging 2.23 years between pulling up stakes. While moving can be stressful for anyone, creating a comfortable house for only a handful of years can be downright frustrating. That was the inspiration behind Moving With the Military.

“The more military spouses I met, the more that (I realized) we all have that same mindset,” says Reed. “I’m not going to paint. I’m not going to hang that up.

Why unpack? Why bother? And I said, ‘No, definitely bother. This is where (your kids are) going to have their first steps or their fifth birthday.’ We’ve got to make (these houses) special for however long it is that we’re here. I really felt like (not doing these things) impacted our mental health and well-being, and how we were at home also translated to how my husCONTINUED

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RESOURCES band felt when he was deployed.”

Moving With the Military, which airs on streaming channel Farm & Ranch TV, tackles design projects for veterans and active military service members.

Reed recently wrapped up season three and is in production for season four — a season that will likely be filmed closer to her home state of Texas due to the coronavirus. To date, Reed and a team of volunteers have completed room or home makeovers for about 50 families, though not every family is featured on an episode.

“We are military families who are very resilient, who do amazing things, who are always giving back to the community,” adds Reed. “So why don’t we share those stories? And a surprising makeover too?”

The Reeds invested their own money to get the program started. Since then, the show has partnered with businesses like Lowe’s, Home Depot and mattress company Purple for donated materials and gained additional financial backing from corporate sponsor Caliber Home Loans.

After Reed selects a family — a process she describes as difficult because she wants to “help them all” — the fun begins.

“I have to be part private investigator, part psychologist, part designer, part friend,” says Reed. “We set up a common Pinterest board. It’s like speed dating. I’ve got to quickly figure them out and go, ‘OK, this is what I think they need.’”

One of the show’s most memorable makeovers was for a Purple Heart recipient who was wounded when his crew hit a roadside bomb on a mission in Iraq.

“He was knocked unconscious, and all he remembers is going on the mission and then waking up in the hospital,” says Reed. “All the time he’s served, (he and his wife) never had a bedroom that was a sanctuary, a place where he could come and just unwind and feel like it was his own.”

Because the room had recently been repainted, Reed was able to focus on bringing in furniture, lighting and art to create a space that was aesthetically pleasing while also comfortable.

“We did a blue velvet bed for that pop of color to create a spa-like feeling, using blues and greens, and added elements that were just a little whimsical, like the leopard print blown-glass lamps,” says Reed.

“Seeing what we put together for him, he smiles because he is a part of a community that serves others,” she says.

Other memorable projects include helping a family establish a home school/ office since all five members were taking remote classes during the pandemic

Reed puts in sweat equity, too.

CHANDEE ULCH

“I have to be part private investigator, part psychologist, part designer, part friend. ... It’s like speed dating.”

— MARIA REED, host, Moving With the Military

last spring; creating a sanctuary for a special needs child who could only tolerate the colors red, black and white; and completely renovating a Navy family’s Virginia house after the father was stuck on a ship for 206 days while the rest of the family was in Florida.

“We also did a whole series where we surprised college kids — children of veterans and active-duty military — with a dorm room, literally (the materials for) a designed dorm room, on their doorstep,” says Reed.

Picking a favorite part of doing the

show is difficult for Reed, who loves seeing the surprise captured on recipients’ faces and working with a cast of helpers who often receive little or no pay. There’s also the sense of helping fellow military families feel safe and secure.

“We remain connected to all of these families,” says Reed. “We leave with a new family friend. This isn’t a business — it’s incredibly personal because we’re another military family. They get it. We get it. I think what I love the most is watching other people come together with this common purpose to give back and help in any way that they can.”

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Matt Russell KELLY MARSH/(MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.) TIMES HERALD-RECORD

Paddling with Purpose Veterans kayak 300 miles to raise awareness

By Daniel Axelrod and Harry Lister

H KELLY MARSH/(MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.) TIMES HERALD-RECORD

Matt Russell dedicated his hand-built kayak to Marine Lance Cpl. Ryan Sorensen.

OW DO YOU TELL your adrenal system to stop seeing and feeling war when you return from military service? For many, it can feel like they’re at war again, but the new battle is within.

They can be left wrestling with long nights of depression.

Those are the issues that Kevin Keaveny and his fellow veterans in New York’s Hudson Valley say they discuss with each other every day.

Keaveny is president of The Hudson Valley Center for Veteran Reintegration.

In August, the organization opened its first office and a woodworking shop in a

former IBM typewriter factory in Ulster, N.Y. Keaveny and other veterans build kayaks, mainly, but they also make birdhouses, lanterns and cutting boards.

And they also build hope, says Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, a West Point graduate who served two combat tours in Iraq as an Army intelligence officer. The center, he says, strives to help military members reintegrate into civilian life.

Why build boats? They’re fun, Keaveny says, and they’re tangible, so the vets can enjoy the fruits of their labor. But, he acknowledges, the kayak building is secondary. “The primary purpose of the CONTINUED

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PROVIDED BY KEVIN KEAVENY

Veterans Matt Russell, Garrison Benz and Kevin Keaveny take a break from their Hudson River journey.

(center) is to build that relationship with the vets, build that trust, re-establish that camaraderie,” he says.

In September, Keaveny and two other veterans from the center, Garrison Benz and Matt Russell, paddled their creations more than 300 miles, from the Hudson River’s headwaters in the Adirondacks to its Manhattan mouth. They embarked on the adventure to raise awareness about suicide and homelessness among veterans, which the center’s programs work to prevent.

The idea was, “Smile, this (expletive) doesn’t have to be so serious,” Keaveny says. “The biggest thing we’re trying to get out there to struggling vets is to live, live and don’t give in to the demons.

You’ve got three idiots running down the

“In a sense the trip was like a deployment — we shared close quarters, slept in the dirt and most importantly, worked as a team.”

— KEVIN KEAVENY, president, The Hudson Valley Center for Veteran Reintegration river in wooden kayaks they’ve made themselves. There’s no reason you can’t get out there.”

The journey began Sept. 4 at Lake Tear of the Clouds, where they popped a pink inflatable unicorn to honor local veterans who have taken their own lives. They pulled in to Manhattan’s North Cove Marina at Brookfield Place 25 days later, and held a closing ceremony at the Esplanade

at Battery Park City, followed by a visit to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

Keaveny served as an infantry mortarman with the Army National Guard in Afghanistan, but says his post-traumatic stress disorder came from 9/11, when his guard unit was among the first on the scene after the twin towers fell.

These days, Keaveny is married with four children, and he’s close to finishing a

master’s degree in social work. He’s gradually grown the center with the assistance of community contacts and other veterans. Andrew Rothlein, a combat veteran and co-owner of the Rondout Yacht Basin in Connelly, N.Y., helped Keaveny and other veterans build and launch their first boats at that marina in 2017.

As for the marathon kayak trip, Keaveny says “the biggest highlight was spending time with my fellow veterans. As we did in uniform, we took on a mission and completed it. In a sense the trip was like a deployment — we shared close quarters, slept in the dirt and most importantly, worked as a team.”

Daniel Axelrod writes for the (Middletown, N.Y.) Times Herald-Record.

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GIVING COMFORT

Six Fisher Houses open at VA facilities in 2020

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VA, private industry bring 5G to medical care

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Doctors, dogs and devices aid blind veterans

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JUST FOR VETS

A state-by-state guide to additional beneďŹ ts

136 CORONAVIRUS CARE The VA wages a coordinated battle against the COVID-19 pandemic at its medical facilities.

DANIEL DUVERNY/HINES VA HOSPITAL

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TECH. SGT. KASEY M. PHIPPS/OKLAHOMA AIR NATIONAL GUARD

Oklahoma Army National Guardsmen take a break from disinfecting the Norman (Okla.) Veterans Center to speak with a resident.

Pandemic Plan Coordinated effort shines in battle against COVID-19

By Fiona Soltes

A

S THE DIRECTOR OF VA Connecticut Healthcare System and an Air Force veteran, Alfred Montoya, Jr. has been grinning from “ear to ear.” He has seen victory in a season of unparalleled

challenges.

In mid-July, the VA’s Office of Inspector General released its review of the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) COVID-19 response and

continued pandemic readiness, based on interviews with 70 leaders like Montoya. The report “details the evolving challenges faced by VHA in caring for the nation’s veterans,” highlighting actions taken by VHA, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) and facility leaders to maintain operations during the national emergency. It also applauds the “unwavering dedication of leaders and front-line staff to deliver care amidst evolving CONTI NUED

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VHA mobile ICU DOMINICK DEL VECCHIO/FEMA

“It is critical for VA to plan for these unpredictable and consequential events. We were pleased to find the progress VA had made.”

— MICHAEL MISSAL, VA inspector general

DANIEL DUVERNEY/HINES VA HOSPITAL

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and VA guidance has been implemented at Hines (Ill.) VA Hospital since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the addition of hand-sanitizing stations at facility entrances.

science and the need to adjust practice as guidance was updated on a frequent basis by subject-matter experts.”

“I very much value the role of the IG — especially as a veteran — coming in and making sure we’re doing things correctly,” Montoya says. Such reports often provide opportunities for improvement, but this one validated the hard work of his staff.

That work resulted in “tons of success stories,” Montoya says, with creative solutions in staffing, equipment and support of VA’s fourth mission of enhancing

preparedness for national emergencies and natural disasters.

Montoya led his staff with rapid response, employee engagement, deferring to front-line input and delegating clear zones of care. None of the staff on the VA Connecticut Healthcare System’s COVID-19-dedicated floors had tested positive as of mid-September. The VA operates 100 Community Living Centers (CLC); of the 59 CLCs included in the study, the facility in West Haven, Conn., was one of 34 that had no positive cases

of COVD-19 during the review time frame of March 11 to June 15. All of this was while regular operations continued; between March and early September, VA Connecticut Healthcare System has conducted more than 140,300 virtual and 76,000 in-person appointments.

At Hines VA Hospital in Hines, Ill., medical center director James Doelling tells how his employees have been able to supplement staff at state nursing homes.

“Hines has stayed all-hands-on-deck, ready to fight this pandemic, not only for

our nation’s heroes that we proudly serve in the Chicago area, but for our community partners,” he says. Hines cared for 20 nonveterans at its facility, too.

“Collaboration leads to good outcomes,” he says.

VA continues the High Reliability Organization initiative begun last year, focusing on leadership commitment to creating and maintaining a culture of safety in patient care. Directors have CONTINUED

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TELEHEALTH CONNECTS WITH VETERANS

DANIEL DUVERNEY/HINES VA HOSPITAL

Music therapist Maggie Murphy connects with veteran Marshall Boyle as part of Guitars 4 Vets, a weekly event for patients who are active in Hines VA Hospital’s outpatient recreation and creative arts therapy program.

held daily calls with other leaders, sharing best practices, wins and creative solutions.

Pamela J. Powers, acting deputy secretary for VA’s Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, credits the success of COVID-19 response to enterprise-wide coordination that set standards early on, but was flexible enough for facilities to adjust. As the nation’s largest integrated health care system, VA worked to eliminate unnecessary exposure, ban visitors, switch outpatient care to telehealth methods, establish screening, delineate COVID-19 and nonCOVID-19 zones of care and to be clear and consistent in external messaging.

VA also has hired more than 50,000 personnel since March — including nearly 10,000 nurses — many

available due to downsizing in civilian hospitals. VA offered staffing and expertise to governors, and Powers says tens of thousands of nurses and other VA employees have been “running into the fire,” deployed on 24 active assignments and 61 completed missions in 47 states.

According to the IG’s review, the peak number of veterans with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses was 433 on April 23. Of the veterans who received care at VA facilities, 1,536 died of the disease or related complications during the review period. Despite the large number of veterans considered to be at high risk for contracting the coronavirus, 96.6 percent — 16,275 of 18,016 — of reported positive cases among all veterans in that period

were convalescent.

“I would say this is really a story of resilience, innovation and agility,” Powers says.

As the pandemic unfolds, opportunities to improve efficiencies and procedures continue to arise.

Powers anticipates the reintroduction of regional readiness centers that hold equipment and supplies. Expansion of telehealth likely will continue, as will regular communications about best practices and streamlined operations.

In reviewing the response to COVID-19, VA Inspector General Michael Missal says, “It is critical for VA to plan for these unpredictable and consequential events. We were pleased to find the progress VA had made.”

A key component to the VA’s coordinated response to COVID-19 has been an emphasis on telehealth.

VA’s Office of Connected Care has spent more than $84 million from the CARES Act to expand and secure telehealth services, including purchasing more than 30,000 4G-connected iPads for veterans; providing 12,000 iPads, 24,000 webcams and 22,000 headsets to service providers; and quadrupling help desk staff.

Dr. Kevin Galpin, executive director of VA Telehealth Services, says the enhanced efforts hit four key priorities: enhancing the accessibility, capacity, quality and safety of healthcare. Telehealth video appointments using VA’s Video Connect technology increased from approximately 10,000 to 120,000 per week between February and May; it also has changed the way providers operate.

“People think of VA as a place; it’s the hospital in the big city or down the road they drive past,” Galpin says.

“We want to be where the veteran is.

These are the kind of technologies that take us there.”

In addition to reducing exposure to, and transmission of, COVID-19, telehealth visits can reduce travel time and waiting room anxiety while providing privacy, flexibility and convenience. In this season of isolation, it has allowed for ongoing engagement with patients.

Dr. Clifford Smith, director of field support and analytics, VA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, notes that VA traditionally performs about 1.5 million mental health encounters a month, about 80 percent of them face-to-face.

During the pandemic, that shifted to 80 percent virtual, while prioritizing continuity of care.

COVID-19 expedited goals in place prior to the onset of the pandemic, so VA was “well-positioned” for the transition, Smith says. Each month, video usage has increased by 5 percent to 10 percent. “We continue to learn,” Smith says. “We continue to transition.”

— Fiona Soltes

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Fisher House II at Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center, Richmond, Va.

FISHER HOUSE FOUNDATION; GETTY IMAGES

Home Away From Home Six new Fisher Houses added at VA medical facilities

F

ISHER HOUSES PROVIDE FREE, comfortable lodging for families of veterans undergoing care at VA medical centers across the country. Fisher House Foundation and the Department of Veterans Affairs report that five new Fisher Houses have opened in 2020, with a sixth scheduled to open later this year.

Already open are Fisher Houses in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Omaha, Neb.; New Orleans; Richmond, Va.; and Aurora, Colo.

The Richmond facility is the second Fisher House at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center. The new house in Aurora, the Rocky Mountain VA Fisher House, replaces an older one originally built to serve a now-closed Army hospital.

“The challenges for military and veteran families dealing with (a) medical crisis during the COVID-19 (pandemic) haven’t stopped and, in some cases, have increased,” says Ken Fisher, chairman and CEO of Fisher House Foundation. “While maintaining proper safety measures, we have been able to keep growing the network of Fisher Houses. These new homes address recognized needs in communities across the U.S.,

THERE ARE

91 FISHER HOUSES SERVING MILITARY FAMILIES

providing safe and comfortable accommodations to those who have served us in other times of national need.”

The foundation works with VA hospitals and communities to build the homes and then donates them to the VA, which manages them. When the Hershel “Woody” Williams VA Medical Center Fisher House in Huntington, W.Va., opens this fall, there will be a total of 91 Fisher Houses serving military hospitals or as part of VA health care systems in the U.S. and Europe.

A Fisher House is under construction at the Kansas City (Mo.) VA Medical Center, and there are plans to build new houses next year in Columbia, S.C., Lexington, Ky., and Bay Pines, Fla. “VA values our partnership with Fisher House Foundation in helping us to keep the nation’s promise to our veterans,” says VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “The new Fisher Houses will offer comfort and support to veterans and their families as they face challenging times. We are honored to offer them a home away from home.”

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Critical Convergence VA teams with private industry to test 5G-enabled care

By Adam Stone

T

HE DOCTOR STANDS POISED

for surgery. Glancing down through a visored headset, she sees 3D imagery projected over the patient — actually seeing inside the patient — before she makes the first incision.

This isn’t science fiction. Rather, it’s CONTINUED

MICROSOFT

Surgeons can use Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 virtual reality headset to repurpose two-dimensional scans as 3D maps.

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HEALTH & HEALING part of a series of experiments known as Project Convergence. At the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in Northern California, the Department of Veterans Affairs has teamed up with Verizon, medical technology company Medivis and Microsoft to explore how 5G connectivity can enable advanced clinical care.

“In terms of data, 5G is like going from a dirt road to a superhighway.

You can move more information faster,” says Dr. Thomas Osborne, chief medical informatics officer at VA Palo Alto and director of the VA’s National Center for Collaborative Healthcare Innovation.

Verizon is providing the next-gen connectivity, with an eye toward expanding physicians’ toolkits. 5G offers VA clinical staff “the ability to deliver care in an entirely different way, leveraging virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D holograms, modeling, imaging,” says Maggie Hallbach, Verizon Enterprise Solutions vice president of government and education.

Microsoft is providing HoloLens 2, a virtual reality headset that could help doctors take two-dimensional scans and repurpose them as 3D maps in a surgical setting, with support from Medivis software.

“Doctors will be empowered to plan and perform live surgeries, see ultrasounds in 3D and train doctors, surgeons and nurses to learn and understand human anatomy in new ways,” says Susie Adams, chief technology officer with Microsoft Federal.

That training piece is especially important, as VA seeks new ways to educate and inform its clinicians amidst restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

“In the time of COVID, a lot of medical students can’t work in the anatomy lab the way they could before. Now we can have groups of people all working together on the same virtual anatomy, even while they are in separate rooms,” Osborne says.

The HoloLens provides doctors an innovative way to discover the workings of the human body.

“When you put the headset on, you see the world around you, and superimposed upon that you see something else. There is an anatomically correct three-dimensional structure of human anatomy, and it’s interactive,” Osborne says. “You can have this rendering of the human body, and you can take out

ADAN PULIDO

Dr. Thomas Osborne, left, demonstrates 5G-powered augmented reality to Veterans Affairs program analyst David Arreola.

“Doctors will be empowered to plan and perform live surgeries, see ultrasounds in 3D and train doctors, surgeons and nurses to learn and understand human anatomy in new ways.”

— SUSIE ADAMS, chief technology officer, Microsoft Federal

the different components, explore all the different layers. You could literally walk inside the rib cage and into the heart to explore those anatomical structures. It helps clinicians to better understand the way these things work together: You can see why you need to put the needle in this way, to avoid those structures.”

5G is key to these advancements.

Robust connectivity means doctors can move data smoothly and seamlessly, with minimal lag time. “This is particularly important in health care, where there is more and more data being collected,” Osborne explains. “We can capture a tremendous amount of data, but we haven’t kept up with the ability to extract and process insights from that in a way

that empowers clinicians.”

The emerging high-speed capability can close that gap.

“In 5G, that information is served up to a clinician in real time,” Hallbach says. “We think about that ‘golden hour’ after a stroke and how important it is for the surgeon to have detailed information served up to them. 5G can do that, incredibly faster than would typically happen in today’s environment.”

All this has implications not just for VA Palo Alto, but across the ecosystem of VA care facilities. “All of our innovation efforts are about bringing the best and most advanced care possible to our patients. It’s both an opportunity and a responsibility,” Osborne says.

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Sights Set Blind veterans aided by doctors, dogs and devices

By Matt Alderton

O

David Szumowski and Speedwell PROVIDED BY DAVID SZUMOWSKI

N MARCH 20, 1969, tank platoon commander David Szumowski was leading a recovery mission in South Vietnam when a rocketpropelled grenade struck his tank. After that, the 23-year-old Army lieutenant saw the world differently. Which is to say, he no longer saw it at all. Due to injuries sustained during the blast, Szumowski left Vietnam totally blind, just 40 days after he’d arrived.

“I had to start from scratch after that,” says Szumowski, 75, a retired superior court judge and author of the memoir Reach for More: A Journey From Loss to Love and Fulfillment. “A lot of things I took for “It’s done granted had to wonders for be relearned or learned in a new my mental way so I could do them safely. And health ... it’s that was just the very theraphysical aspect blindness. peutic having of Eventually, I a warm, furry had to deal with the emotional thing lying on aspect, too.”

Transitioning my feet.” back to civilian — DAVID SZUMOWSKI, life is difficult Army veteran for many service blinded in Vietnam members, who often struggle to find employment, build relationships, manage posttraumatic stress and otherwise integrate into society. For blind veterans like Szumowski, the challenge is compounded by the innumerable frustrations that come from being a sightless person in a sighted world.

“I went to law school pretty quickly after I was injured, and that kept me focused for a while. But after that I had a lot of time on my hands to think about what it was to be blind. I had to find a job, which wasn’t going well. I probably CONTINUED

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Guide dogs typically work with a professional trainer for four months.

GETTY IMAGES

abused alcohol more than I should have.

For a couple years I began to really take a nosedive. Then, finally, I decided I was better than that,” says Szumowski, who eventually relocated from Denver to San Diego, where he got a job with the Department of Veterans Affairs before ultimately commencing his legal career.

Although Szumowski primarily attributes his outcome to his own wise choices, for many blind veterans, success or failure often hinges as much on external support as it does on internal drive.

Fortunately, there is ample help available.

RELEARNING THROUGH REHAB The VA estimates that there are more than 130,000 American veterans who are legally blind, and more than 1 million who have low vision that impedes their daily lives. Depending on the type of trauma or disease and how far it has progressed, vision issues can range from light sensitivity and depth perception difficulties to loss of peripheral vision, central vision or

both. All can create obstacles for veterans.

“When you’re a blinded veteran, you go from being somebody who’s driven to defend the nation and care for others to somebody who all of a sudden is dependent on others for even the most basic needs,” says Donald Overton, executive director of the congressionally chartered Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) and a blind Army veteran. “We want folks to understand that regardless of what your life experiences are or what type of trauma you have, you can fully integrate back into society and find success.”

The VA’s Blind Rehabilitation Service (BRS), which operates 13 inpatient residential Blind Rehabilitation Centers (BRCs) around the country, is one of the most powerful vehicles for blinded veterans to regain their independence.

At BRCs, qualifying veterans receive complimentary and comprehensive counseling, along with adjustment-toblindness training that teaches them how

to orient themselves, navigate, communicate, perform activities of daily living, use technology and participate safely in social and recreational activities.

“These are specialized care centers with highly skilled professionals who equip us not only with the necessary skills for independence, but also with the support systems that are so important when you experience the challenges and frustrations we all experience as blinded veterans,” says Overton, who notes that the VA also offers outpatient rehabilitation clinics and in-home rehab services for blinded veterans who can’t commit to a BRC inpatient program, which averages six weeks.

Army veteran John Todd, a gunship pilot who was blinded by enemy gunfire during Vietnam, received services at the Central BRC at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital near Chicago. “The training was superb,” says Todd, 74, who is now a government and law professor at Rochester University in suburban Detroit thanks

to career advice he received from an educational psychologist at the Central BRC. “After I attended blind rehab, I lived in New York City for about four years. I walked up the street. I took cabs. I dated women. I went to restaurants. I’d learned that I could do anything, so I did everything.”

CANINE COMPANIONSHIP Even after veterans graduate from BRCs, some require ongoing assistance to navigate the world. For more than a century, service animals have been one of their most revered tools.

“We help people enhance their independence, dignity, self-confidence and mobility,” says Glenn Hoagland, president and CEO of The Seeing Eye, which has made more than 17,000 human-dog matches during its 91-year history. “When we turn 16, most of us get a driver’s license that gives us enhanced CONTINUED

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The eSight 4 processes images captured by the camera

mobility so we can go wherever we want. For the blind individual, a Seeing Eye dog is their wheels — two legs, four paws and two minds working together to enhance their ability to navigate the world without the help of others.”

Guide dogs — typically German shepherds and Labrador and golden retrievers — are raised to 2 years of age, then trained for four months before being paired with an owner, who receives 24 days of rigorous on-site training with their animal before they take them home. Although it costs $70,000 to train each dog, blinded veterans pay just $1 in symbolic tuition; the balance is covered by charitable donations. In addition, the VA will pay for veterinary care if the veteran’s blindness is service-related.

Szumowski has had six guide dogs; the latest is a golden retriever named Speedwell. “A cane is a wonderful and useful tool that tells you lots of information as you’re walking. But it’s slow. A dog is very fast,” explains Szumowski, who considers service animals more like partners than pets. “You take care of the dog, and the dog takes care of you by always being ready to protect you.

It’s done wonders for my mental health, too; it’s very therapeutic having a warm,

Using eSight 4 ESIGHT (2)

furry thing lying on my feet.”

VISIONARY TECHNOLOGY Service animals are high-touch.

Increasingly, however, many blinded veterans are going high-tech thanks to new solutions that make routine activities easier.

A major priority for BVA has been making smart home products more accessible to vets. In August, President Donald Trump signed into law a BVA-

backed bill that makes veterans with service-connected blindness eligible for VA housing grants that they can use to purchase adaptive housing or make their present homes more accessible by installing such features as voice-activated light switches, window shades, thermostats, security systems and appliances.

For Jack Appel, a 96-year-old World War II veteran who suffers from macular degeneration, especially exciting is a new class of wearables that can help

low-vision users optimize what remains of their vision. Appel uses the OrCam MyEye, a voice-activated, lipstick-size camera that mounts to a pair of glasses and uses an optical sensor to recognize text, faces and objects, information it then transmits to a small speaker above the user’s ear.

“I use it for reading mostly,” says Appel, whose device was purchased for him by the VA. “I love it.”

Another new device, the eSight 4, pairs head-mounted cameras and screens with sophisticated computer processing to capture visual information that’s enhanced with light and magnification to help vision-impaired users.

The eSight 4 retails for $5,950, but veterans can purchase it at a reduced price through the VA. “Technology is really starting to tip the scales for the visually impaired,” says eSight advocate Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock, a retired two-star general, former deputy surgeon general of the Army and former chief of the Army Nurse Corps.

“If you’re a veteran who has vision issues, there are solutions. None of them is perfect — none of them is going to give you sight like you had before — but you have options.”

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Alaska state park camping ALASKA.ORG

Veteran Extras

The Alabama G.I. Dependent Scholarship helps cover education-related expenses at public colleges for some disabled veterans’ family members.

A state-by-state guide to available benefits

Veterans in Arizona who didn’t finish high school while serving during World War II, the Korean War or the Vietnam War can earn honorary diplomas.

By Gina Harkins

E

ACH STATE OFFERS VETERAN benefits in addition to those offered by the federal government.

Here are some of the newest resources available in each state, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Vantage Point blog:

Disabled veterans in Alaska qualify for a free two-year Alaska state park camping pass, which is good at all state park campgrounds.

Arkansas provides retired veterans with a lifetime combination hunting and fishing license.

California allows for veteran status to be added to a driver’s license or state identification card, eliminating the need for separate proof of service.

COLORADO DIVISION OF MOTOR VEHICLES

Colorado recently added specialty license plates for cars, trucks and motorcycles that honor female veterans.

Connecticut offers expanded benefits to veterans with otherthan-honorable discharges if their exit was connected to post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury or military sexual trauma.

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The Delaware Veterans Trust Fund provides health care services, housing assistance and education and training programs to veterans experiencing financial hardships.

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Through Operation Outdoor Freedom, Florida offers wounded veterans recreational and rehabilitative services at state forests and other outdoor spaces at no charge.

Georgia’s Women Veterans Office connects women with specialized health care services, including counseling for victims of sexual trauma.

Hawaii waives registration fees for one personal vehicle owned by a disabled veteran.

Idaho veterans with 100 percent service-related disabilities qualify for a property tax reduction of up to $1,320.

Maine moose hunting DAVID DUPREY/ASSOCIATED PRESS

tary service could qualify for up to $2,500 in grants through the state’s Military Family Relief Fund and additional funds if the hardship is due to COVID-19.

The Iowa Veterans Trust Fund provides help with employment issues, medical expenses, vehicle or housing repairs to qualifying unemployed or underemployed veterans.

Kansas veterans interested in agriculture could qualify for the Servicemember Agricultural Vocational Education program, which teaches participants the skills required to operate a farm.

Illinois allows those who served to add their veteran status to their driver’s license.

Kentucky is one of 27 states participating in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Governor’s Challenge to help prevent suicide among service members and veterans.

Indiana veterans and their families experiencing hardship tied to mili-

Louisiana veterans in college have access to peer mentors and other

CYBERDRIVEILLINOIS.COM

services through the LaVetCorps program.

Disabled veterans in Maine can enter a lottery for a permit in the state’s annual controlled moose hunts in the late summmer and early fall. Winners get a guide and equipment for the hunt.

Disabled veterans in Maryland qualify for specialty license plates that have permanent registration with no renewal fees.

Massachusetts connects veterans seeking employment with about 100 medical-device and life-science companies through the MVPvets program.

Michigan veterans struggling during the pandemic could qualify for grants through the County Veteran Service Fund Emergency Relief program, which covers vehicle and home repairs, medical expenses, groceries and more.

State veterans benefits can include free or reduced college tuition, enhancements to driver’s and hunting licenses and access to emergency economic hardship relief.

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Minnesota is offering veterans onetime $1,000 COVID-19 relief grants.

Mississippi waives concealed weapon permit and renewal fees for veterans with service-connected disabilities.

Missouri passed a bill this year that makes it easier for military spouses to transfer professional accreditations or licenses earned in other states.

Montana offers a special Honor and Remember medallion to recognize service members killed in combat.

The Nebraska Veterans Aid Fund provides temporary aid to veterans, spouses and dependents during emergencies.

The University of Nevada system will waive some fees for veterans who enroll in graduate-level programs supporting critical-need fields, including science, technology, engineering and health science.

New Hampshire offers special decal license plates that allow veterans to display their service branch or earned valor awards. It also offers Gold Star family decals.

New Jersey offers Purple Heart recipients and disabled veterans placards for their vehicles that exempt them from parking meter fees for

24 hours.

New Mexico’s Forgotten Heroes program ensures members of the public are invited to military funerals in the event no family comes forward when an honorably discharged vet dies.

New York’s Restoration of Honor program allows veterans with other than honorable discharges due to post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma, sexual orientation or gender identity to have state veteran benefits restored.

North Carolina issues qualified military or veteran spouses professional business licenses, certifications and registrations within 15 days of an application.

North Dakota provides service dogs and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, a treatment the VA doesn’t always cover, to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Ohio offers veterans a military skill translator online search service that helps them match their experience to civilian jobs.

Oklahoma veterans who lived in the state when they enlisted and served during a war may qualify for a special Oklahoma Cross of Valor badge.

Oregon has established a veteran coordinator office to provide outreach to LGBTQ veterans to assist with health care, disability compensation and pension, homelessness resources and more.

Pennsylvania, through its PA VetConnect program, helps connect veterans in need to advocacy organizations that can assist them.

Rhode Island offers the RIServes initiative, a tool that links veterans and their families to organizations that provide job training, mental health services, legal assistance and more.

South Carolina offers military retirees under the age of 65 state tax exemptions of up to $14,600 on military retirement income.

South Dakota plans to open the state’s first veterans cemetery in Sioux Falls in 2021. Veterans can preregister for burial sites online.

Disabled veterans and former POWs in Tennessee can receive free military-related specialty license plates.

Nonprofits that provide direct services to Texas veterans may qualify for grants through the Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans’ Assistance.

The Utah Veterans Business

Resource Center helps vets, service members and their families start and grow businesses.

Vermont National Guard members are eligible for tuition entitlements at state colleges.

Medically trained veterans in Virginia can take advantage of the Military Medics and Corpsmen program, which offers pathways to health care jobs.

Washington offers a Veterans Transitional Housing program to assist vets in need of stable housing, vocational rehabilitation and increased income potential.

Veterans in West Virginia are not required to pay state tax on their retirement income, and vets with 100 percent service-connected disabilities may be exempt from certain property taxes.

Wisconsin offers the Veterans Outreach and Recovery program, which connects vets to community services and case management, with a focus on substance use treatment and recovery.

Wyoming’s Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery in Evansville, the state’s only veteran cemetery, is open to veterans who received any discharge other than dishonorable.

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