AT EASE! Veterans Magazine Summer 2024 : simplebooklet.com

PUBLISHERDevil Doc PublishingEDITOR IN CHIEFChristine WalkerASSISTANT EDITORVL StevensonASSISTANT Megan SuttorSTAFF WRITERSGuy BensingSonja BerryEric McNailStuart SaxVL StevensonAdam WalkerChristine WalkerFEATURE WRITERSLarry BroughtonDaniel DancerGy.Sgt. Jesse EsterlyMatt FeehanDr. Robert GarciaTim GrutiziusDonna HoffmeyerCristie RemmelPaul SullivanRob YounceFEATURE ILLUSTRATORStephen RussellSALES STAFFStacey BartellChristine WalkerLAYOUT & DESIGNChristine WalkerCONTRIBUTING WRITERS:Clinton BowersJohn F. DaviesRonald DicksonD. Paul FlemingJason JepsonChad LennonBrad MillerCourtenay NoldOperation Deep DiveTMShannon RobinsonEric SowersFIND US AT:ATEASEVETERANSMAGAZINE.COMCopyright 2021-2024 © AT EASE! Veterans Magazine and Devil Doc Publishing All Rights Reserved.AT EASE! Veterans Magazine, a subsidiary of Devil Doc Publishing, reserves all rights connected to all copyright and proprietary property contained in our official publication, website(s), social media accounts, videography, email marketing, branding and printed materials. This includes, but is not limited to, authoritative and/or written content, photographs, graphics and infographics, ad design, artwork including official company logos in design, color, and format and video(s). Any use of the above aforementioned in whole or in part may not be used for any reason without the express written consent of Devil Doc Publishing. The subject matter and opinions of Contributing, Feature and Staff writers are their own and are covered under their First Amendment Rights.A MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORA MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORChristine WalkerSummer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 3 Summer is here, and with Independence Day just around the corner, we have some awesome news to share! As we celebrate the freedoms we hold so dear (and enjoy some fantastic BBQs), we’re also embarking on a new adventure – AT EASE! Veterans Magazine is moving to Denton, TX!Denton is a fantastic community with a vibrant Veteran presence, and we can’t wait to immerse ourselves in all it has to offer. This move means more opportunities to connect with amazing Vets, share their incredible stories, and keep bringing you the high-quality content you love.Now, let’s talk about the wild ride we’ve been on! Moving while putting together our latest 96-page issue has been a little like herding cats. Time management has become our secret sauce—balancing the chaos of moving with the deadlines of publishing. But don’t worry, we’re on track and more determined than ever to bring you another fantastic edition of AT EASE! Veterans Magazine, packed with inspiring stories and insightful articles.We have a kick-ass issue featuring Ryan Weaver, a soldier, singer, and sentry who’s a combat aviator, two-time Gold Star brother, country artist, and patriot. We’re also spotlighting emerging country artist and combat vet Scotty Hasting with his latest single, “I’m America,” and introducing Cody Strause with his piece, “For God & Country.” This issue will also include “Tootsie Roll Warriors in the DMZ” by Vietnam Marine Les Stevenson, part two of “Tuyen’s Journey,” “Invisible Scars,” a tribute to Pat Tillman with “Pat’s Run,” the incredible 26-mile Bataan Death March Memorial Hike, Veteran stories, “DD-214 & Beyond,” and so much more. Don’t miss this action-packed edition!We’re super excited about this new chapter and all the possibilities it brings. Thank you for being a part of our AT EASE! Tribe, and we look forward to continuing this adventure with you.Have an amazing summer, a fantastic Independence Day, and enjoy that BBQ!COVER PHOTO: Manny Cabo | mannycabo.com

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Table of ContentsTable of ContentsMessage from the Editor 3Warrior Wisdom 6The Veteran Lobbyist: Rising Stars 10Pat's Run 12Declaration of Military Accountability 20Using the VA Home Loan Benefit to Buy Your First Home 23DD-214 & Beyond: Secret to a Long Happy Life 24Veterans in Business: Brian 'Big Country' Conwell 27Scotty Hasting: 'I'm America!' 34Cody Strause: For God & Country 36Life & Liberty 38Why Sysiphus Matters: Part II 39On Air with Stuart Sax 40I Remember When: USMC 'Summer Camp' 41Excerpt: The Fallout of Moral Injury 42A Date with Suicide 46Make Death Earn It: Part I 48Desoto in Distress: The Tonkin Gulf Incident 50Invisible Scars 55Bataan Death March Memorial Hike 57From My Point of View: Patriotism 60TAPS 63Tootsie Roll Warriors on the DMZ 64Tuyen's Journey: Part II - The Trail 66 Book Review: Earned in Blood 68Ten Thousand Words: Day III 70Operation Deep DiveTM 72Keeper of the Scroll 75SAPPER Competition Winners 77Veteran Fitness: Fitness Tips for This World 78Mind, Body, & Soul: The Healing Power of Dirt 80Salty Skipper: Choppers Hovering 8228 Veteran Podcasts 86Crossword: 'Summer' Scavenger Hunt 88Completely Inappropriate Exerpts from 'Born in a Bar II' 89Chow Call 90What the F%*k?! 91Coming Up in Our Next Issue 921515EVERY VETERAN HAS A STORY TO TELL29293434RYAN WEAVERRYAN WEAVER4 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024SO WHY THE QR CODES? It is simply a way for us to utilize technology and help make your reading experience more interactive. IT’S EASY!1. Open your phone’s QR Reader or Camera.2. Hold it over the QR Code3. A drop down link will appear, just tap it and it will take you to the extra content/website.4242NOT ON OUR WATCH!If you are a Vet struggling with thoughts of suicide, know that you are NOT ALONE! You are loved and there is no shame in reaching out for help! VETERANS CRISIS HOTLINE988Press 1 For Immediate Help4848SOLDIER | SINGER | SENTRYSOLDIER | SINGER | SENTRYSCOTTY HASTING:SCOTTY HASTING:I'M AMERICAI'M AMERICA3636FOR GOD & COUNTRYFOR GOD & COUNTRYCODY STRAUSECODY STRAUSEEXCERPT: EXCERPT: MORAL INJURYMORAL INJURYMAKE MAKE DEATH DEATH EARN ITEARN IT

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In the quiet after the storm, in the still moments when the heart feels heavy, we nd ourselves at the threshold of grief. It’s a path walked by many, yet it bears the solitary footprints of our own journey. The death of a military comrade, family member, service animal, or pet; a dream that once felt tangible that has slipped away; the breakdown of a once secure marriage; or the unexpected farewell to a phase of life—each carves a unique landscape of sorrow within us. And while the terrain of loss is vast and varied, it’s traversed by a common thread of human resilience and the quest for healing.My own journey through the valley of grief includes the death of a brother, parents, friends, and comrades. I’ve also traveled the lonely road of divorce, failed business ventures, and betrayal. It was, however, the blunt force trauma of a freak car accident that snatched the life of my 17-year-old son, while simultaneously providing a crash course in spiritual, emotional, and physical pain that has impacted every area of my life. The crushing weight and despair I experienced was unlike anything I’d ever heard of, read about, or been through in my life. In the darkest of times, alone at home, the pain was so raw that I sobbed, cursed God, screamed, and wailed as if demons were clawing at my insides to escape my soul. Miraculously, somehow the sun would rise again. In the pilgrimage through the valleys of loss, grief shows its many faces. It’s the echo of a voice we long to hear just once more, the empty space on the other side of the bed, the silence that lls a home where laughter once lived. It’s in the loss of physical abilities, the end of relationships, or the relocation to unfamiliar grounds. Each loss is an intimate narrative, and we honor them by acknowledging their impact.Expressions of grief are as diverse as the personalities that experience them. Some are worn openly, a testament to the erce love and deep connection that endures. Others are carried in silence, an invisible weight that shifts with each step. Physical symptoms may surface, emotional waves may crash with intensity, and behaviors may alter as we seek to navigate our new reality.Grief is indeed a process, one that is inherently circuitous. There may be days when denial stands guard, a temporary respite from soul-crushing pain. On other days, acceptance may feel within reach, only to be followed by a resurgence of anger or bargaining. Relief may intertwine with regret, and in the rare, unexpected moments, joy may dare to surface, reminding us that our capacity to feel remains unbroken.Though it may seem like a herculean task, taking care of ourselves through this journey is a radical act of self-compassion. It’s allowing us the space to grieve without timetable or expectation. It’s nding solace in sharing our story with those willing to bear witness to our pain. It’s engaging in the simple rituals of daily life, which anchor us to the present. Exercise, nutrition, and rest become pillars upon which we can lean.In times of grief, major decisions loom like mountains on the horizon. We’re counseled to pause, to allow the landscape to become clear before choosing our path. Journaling can serve as a map of our inner terrain, By Larry BroughtonBy Larry BroughtonNavigating The Dark Valleys of Grief & LossLarry Broughton is an award-winning entrepreneur, bestselling author, keynote speaker, and former US Army Green Beret. CBS News has called Larry “the nation’s foremost expert on leadership and entrepreneurship.” He has been featured in national publications and has been a guest expert on every major television and cable network. www.larrybroughton.com6 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine |Summer 2024

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offering insights when the way forward is obscured. While some lose their faith in God, for many, spirituality provides a beacon of light, offering comfort and connection beyond the tangible world.Within the grief community, especially for those who have served, shared experiences can forge a bond that sustains us. Veterans may nd camaraderie and understanding in spaces dedicated to their unique experiences of loss. Resources through the VA and support groups provide havens where stories of loss and courage intertwine.Talk therapy offers a lantern in the darkness, its glow revealing strategies to navigate the shadowy maze of grief. It teaches us that maintaining a routine can steady our trembling hands, that physical health supports emotional fortitude, and that our journey is ours alone—requiring grace, patience, understanding, and self-kindness.There is healing power in nding meaning, and in forging connections that transcend loss. We’re invited to weave the memories and legacies of those who have died, transitioned, or passed (whatever term you choose to use) into the fabric of our daily lives. In volunteering, creative endeavors, or the quiet contemplation of spirituality, we honor those who have left us behind and reafrm our bond with life.Yet, there are times when the weight of grief requires a companion more experienced in its landscape. Professional help is not a beacon of weakness, but rather a declaration of courage and strength. Therapists and counselors can provide the tools to build bridges over the rivers of sorrow, enabling us to continue our journey with a steadier gait.By focusing on healing, we ultimately nd ourselves at the crest of a new dawn. The journey through grief is not about reaching a destination where the pain of loss is left behind. It’s about learning to carry it with grace, integrating it into the narrative of our lives. We don’t move on; we simply learn to move forward. We learn to live with the absence, allowing it to shape us without dening us. We nd that love endures, that memories become treasures, and that in the heart’s quietest moments, there is still a song to be sung.In this shared human experience that touches all of us, let’s walk gently with ourselves and with each other. Let’s nd solace in the knowledge that, although the journey is long, it’s dotted with moments of beauty, resilience, and hope. As we continue forward, let each step be a testament to our strength, and each breath a reminder that even in grief, we’re surrounded by an unwavering human spirit that whispers, persistently, of love and renewal.Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 7"There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love." -Washingto IrvinSIDEBAR: If lingering grief impedes your ability to move forward with your life, consider these counseling and support resources. You can meet with other Veterans to talk about grief or other concerns at your local Vet Center: http://www.vetcenter.va.gov/index.aspVA Medical Center locations can be found here: http://www.va.gov/landing2_locations.htm Information about chaplaincy services available through the VA is available here: http://www.va.gov/chaplain/For those experiencing the passing of a child, consider the support group, Compassionate Friends. https://www.compassionatefriends.org

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10 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024It is this author’s genuine honor to introduce the rising stars on Capitol Hill (“the Hill”), a new cadre of advocates for Veterans’ rights, equipped not only with the experiences of their honorable military service but with earnest missions that matter deeply to the heart of the armed forces and our Veteran community. These advocates are former servicemen who have transitioned from battlegrounds overseas to advocating for legislative changes in the halls of legislative and executive power. They ght for substantial changes to name a few; improving base housing conditions, securing U.S. visas for the interpreters who risked their lives alongside American troops, and enhancing medical care for those still in uniform. Meet these dedicated Veterans turned lobbyists, who are reshaping Veterans’ advocacy through their unwavering commitment and unique perspectives.Before we hear from the stars themselves, it’s worth revisiting what exactly ‘lobbying’ entails. At its core, lobbying is about advocacy and persuasion—engaging with legislators and government ofcials to inuence public policy and legislative decisions in favor of specic interests or causes. In the context of veterans’ affairs, this advocacy is crucial. Despite a signicant historical presence, veterans currently represent about 18% of Congress, reecting a steady decline over recent decades and underscoring the growing need for direct veteran involvement in policymaking. With their rsthand knowledge of military life and its challenges, these veteran lobbyists are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between military service and civilian governance.In Washington, D.C., beneath the high-stress politics often highlighted on social media, some human stories and experiences echo our everyday lives. For instance, Tom discovered on his rst week on the Hill that Senator Elizabeth Warren (Democrat-Massachusetts) is a notably fast walker, nearly running him over due to his slower pace! This humorous encounter served as a gentle reminder of our shared humanity amid political fervor. In another inspiring moment, during a ‘Hill Day,’ Mark was among over 35 representatives from various Military and Veteran Service Organizations (MSO/VSO) advocating for the passage of the Major Richard Star Act (S.344). Unexpectedly, Senator Rick Scott (Republican-Florida) walked past just as a group photo was being taken. Seizing the opportunity, the group encouraged him to co-sponsor the bill, supporting our combat-injured Veterans. To the crowd’s delight, he agreed on the spot. This act of spontaneous teamwork helped gain substantial legislative support, with two-thirds of the Senate and three-fourths of the House now backing the bill.Echoing the experiences of both Tom and Mark, Andy had his own memorable encounter during a ruck march, where he discovered that “Senator Maggie Hassan [Democrat-New Hampshire] is a machine!” This was a unique opportunity for Andy to discuss the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation with her. However, this being his rst ruck march since leaving military service, Andy found himself struggling to keep up, noticeably out of breath, in stark contrast to Senator Hassan’s effortless pace.Andy holds a degree in International Studies from Virginia Military Institute, a Master of Public Policy focused on International Global Affairs from Harvard Kennedy School, and is currently pursuing an Executive MBA at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.Andy now serves as the Director of Advocacy at No One Left Behind, America’s oldest nonprot dedicated to supporting former interpreters and U.S. government employees through the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) Programs for Iraqis and Afghans. As a Veteran of both wars, Andy’s commitment to this cause is deeply personal. His interpreters safely relocated to the U.S. via the SIV program, and he is dedicated to ensuring that others who took similar risks receive the same opportunities.Andy is championing several key initiatives that reect his deep commitment to both veterans and America’s national security. Foremost among these is his push for a robust Special Immigrant Visa program. He argues for a permanent solution to protect America’s wartime allies, including Syrians, Nigeriens, and Somalis who have served as interpreters for U.S. special operations and now face potential reprisals. Andy believes that America has both a moral obligation RISING STARSRISING STARS: : MEET THE NEW LOBBYISTS FIGHTING FOR VETERANSMark BelinskyMark BelinskyEric JohnsonEric JohnsonT. E. SeamanT. E. SeamanAndrew 'Andy' Andrew 'Andy' SullivanSullivan

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Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 11Matthew Feehan is a military veteran who honorably served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, Massachusetts & California Army National Guard, and the U.S. Army Reserve. He was commissioned as an infantry officer in 2013 through Boston University's Reserve Officers' Training Corps and later earned his Juris Doctorate from Western New England University School of Law in 2019.and a national security imperative to support these individuals. Tom shares in this goal, specically, the passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act (H.R.8685).Andy is a steadfast proponent of the Major Richard Star Act, advocating for military personnel who must retire before completing 20 years of service due to service-connected disabilities to receive full retirement and disability compensation. He believes this reform is not only a matter of fairness but also vital for addressing recruitment challenges facing the military—a sentiment echoed by his colleagues Mark, Tom, and Eric. Moreover, Andy is committed to transforming the bipartisan recommendations from the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party into enforceable laws, viewing these measures as crucial for sustaining America’s strategic advantage over signicant global threats—a legislative passion he shares with Tom.Meanwhile, Eric is focusing on enhancing medical care for veterans and improving the quality of life for active-duty troops on bases—a concern shared by Mark who seeks to bring back the DoD family childcare (FCC) in-home program. Eric is keenly aware of the nancial implications of such legislative measures, emphasizing the need for solutions that balance the interests of the government, taxpayers, and Veterans. This pragmatic approach underlines the complexity of advocacy work, where the ambition to extend benets must be tempered with economic feasibility.Raised in Louisiana, Eric began his studies at Southeastern Louisiana University. His senior year was interrupted by a deployment to Iraq with the Marine Corps Reserves in 2007. Returning from service, he shifted his focus to legal studies at Oak Brook College of Law & Government Policy, earning a certicate in Paralegal Studies and becoming certied by the National Association of Legal Assistants. Like Tom, who searched for Hill jobs for Veterans while stationed in Okinawa, Eric also targeted legislative work early on. He became a registered state-level lobbyist in 2017, and by 2023, he was a federally registered lobbyist with the American Legion’s DC ofce. Conversely, Andy entered the lobbying eld by chance. After graduate school, while awaiting a security clearance for a government agency, he took a temporary job at With Honor, a nonprot promoting bipartisan Veteran leadership. What started as a part-time role led to a full-time offer as Legislative Director, which Andy accepted, pivoting fully into the advocacy space instead of federal government work.Eric has been afliated with The American Legion for several years, drawn to its reputation as the largest and one of the oldest Veterans’ service organizations. The chance to join came when a friend in the Media division recommended he apply for an open position in the Legislative Division. He was offered the job within a week of his interview. The American Legion stands out not only for its signicant size and long history of advocacy but also for its grassroots, membership-based approach. The organization thrives on the dedication of its volunteers, who are the driving force behind its operations, making it an honor for him to implement its legislative vision. His work has deepened his appreciation for the diversity among veterans—each with unique experiences and needs, which contrasts sharply with the often uniform portrayal by the general civilian public. He is committed to changing these perceptions, highlighting the individual stories and contributions of Veterans, much like the other stars like Tom, who seek to implement all of the recommendations from the Military Quality of Life Panel to make sure that our service members are taken care of.Tom earned his Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, and his Master of Arts in International Affairs, with a double major in U.S. Foreign Policy & International Security, from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.Tom’s career on the Hill began with his involvement in HillVets, an organization founded in 2013. HillVets is dedicated to supporting Veterans, service members, and their allies who are interested in governance, international affairs, policy, advocacy, and politics. As a mentoring organization, HillVets plays a crucial role in opening doors for members of the military-connected community by offering essential contacts, education, and resources to foster their career progression in government. The core mission of Hill Vets is to assist those who have served in continuing their service within governmental roles. Tom is now an integral part of the With Honor team, passionately advocating for the reduction of polarization in Congress by supporting Veterans from both major parties in their political campaigns. This aligns deeply with his personal values, as he believes rmly that bipartisanship is key to legislative success and reducing political divides.Mark emphasizes the importance of traditional face-to-face interactions in lobbying, noting, “The ‘old school’ brown shoe lobbying where you show up in person, build rapport with staffers, and keep a persistent presence on the Hill really matters.” His commitment stems from a desire to continue serving and supporting service members and their families in ways he couldn’t while in uniform.Tom advises, “Know what your values and priorities are and make sure that you know exactly who you’re working for and what it is you’re lobbying on. No lobbying contract is worth your integrity.” This underscores the ethical backbone necessary for effective advocacy.Eric suggests a practical approach for those looking to enter the eld: “Get started in government or politics however you can. Internships, volunteering on a political campaign, whatever. Get your foot in the door and get some experience while building your network.” He highlights the importance of being either a subject matter expert or a skilled networker. Lastly, Andy speaks to the essential role of trust in lobbying, “Trust is the most important currency you have and once trust is lost it is incredibly hard to rebuild. So, you must have a deep understanding of the issues you’re lobbying on, you must be honest about them, and you need to admit when you don’t know something. Also, be likable—people want to work with and support people they like.” He encourages Veterans to engage in advocacy, recognizing the unique perspective they bring to the table: “If you’re a veteran and you’re thinking about lobbying or advocacy—do it! You’ve got an important perspective and your voice should be heard.”Tom, Mark, Eric, and Andy champion a more unied and ethical approach to political advocacy, emphasizing the importance of relationships, integrity, and trust. Their collaborative efforts aim to enhance legislative processes for our nation’s veterans and service members, fostering a more bipartisan and service-oriented environment in Congress. The author extends heartfelt thanks to these advocates for their dedicated work and signicant contributions to improving outcomes for those who have served our country.

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12 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024PAT'S RUNTHE 20-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF SACRIFICEI joined the Air Force in 1998, a time when there wasn’t an obvious conict on the horizon; at least not from the perspective of a young twenty-one-year-old with little awareness outside of her small bubble. September 11, 2001, had abruptly changed the world stage, and my worldview. As such, I’ve always had a special admiration for those who signed up to avenge the attack on our homeland. They possess the kind of seless spirit that birthed and sustained our nation. Army Ranger Pat Tillman was the embodiment of these principles, having laid down his life for our country twenty years ago. This article is not only honoring Pat Tillman, the Army Ranger, football superstar, national media sensation, and OEF hero, but also to remember the little boy who loved climbing trees, the protective older brother, the husband who married his high school sweetheart who he’d met at age 4, and the son who once accidentally put his size 10 boot through his mom’s ceiling when xing a leak in the attic. Patrick Daniel Tillman Jr. played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils, earning 1st Team All-American honors in 1997. He earned a B.S. in Marketing and graduated Summa Cum Laude. Tillman went pro after college, and four seasons later, he left the NFL, turning down a $3.6 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals, to enlist in the United States Army alongside his younger brother Kevin. Pat and Kevin were both assigned to the Second Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment in Fort Lewis, Washington. Tillman served multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before he was tragically killed by friendly re in the Afghan mountains on April 22, 2004. Pat’s friends and family started the Pat Tillman Foundation that same year, according to the ofcial website, “to carry forward his legacy by giving military service members, Veterans, and family members the educational tools and support to reach their fullest potential as leaders, no matter how they choose to serve.” To date, the foundation has awarded over 850 college scholarships.This year in April, the foundation celebrated the 20th Annual Pat’s Run. Pat’s run is the main fundraiser for the Pat Tillman Foundation’s Scholars program. The race is an annual event hosted in Tempe, Arizona, ending in the Sun Devil Stadium on the 42-yard line. In addition, Arizona State University Alumni chapters and clubs host Pat Tillman honor runs in multiple cities across the US. The 4.2-mile race routes in each city represent the number 42 Pat wore on his Sun Devil jersey. This year, I had the privilege of honoring Pat Tillman’s legacy by participating in the Colorado Pat Tillman Honor Run on April 13, at the Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs. The experience was both humbling and rewarding.The run was awlessly led by run captain, Vanessa Fry, an Arizona State University Aluma with strong ties to the military. Vanessa proudly served as an Army medic and recently married an Army soldier. She acquired her Master of Social Work degree in 2019 and now works as a case worker helping soldiers and their families. According to Vanessa, “As an ASU Alumna and a Veteran, it was a big deal to me to get involved in this event. I have been able to understanda small percentage of his (Pat’s) sacriceand dedication.” In preparation for the race, I picked up the book, Boots on the Ground by Dusk, My Tribute to Pat Tillman1, authored by his mother, Mary Tillman. I wanted to know more about who he was as a person. Men like Tillman aren’t heroes because they have superpowers, they are heroes because they are ordinary men, who do extraordinary things. Who better to tell Tillman’s story, than his loving mother who raised him to be a man of incredible character? Mary said of her son, “Patrick Daniel Tillman was full of life from the moment he came into the world at 9:39 on the morning of November 6, 1976, occipital-posterior, facing up – a stargazer.” She also described him as a determined baby, who repeatedly threw himself out of his crib, started walking at 8 and a half months, and constantly unbuckled his car seat, and that of his little brother Kevin. As a child, he was tenacious enthusiastic, and he loved learning. In middle school, he roughhoused and got kicked out of the school dance because; “Pat turned over his ticket, got his hand stamped, then proceeded to get a running start and slid across the dance oor on his stomach. Swiveling on his pelvis, he stood up dramatically, only to face his principal.” Tillman became more humanized with every turn of the page. The more I learned, the more grateful I was for the opportunity to be a part of honoring his life and sacrice. However, I would be lying if I said I was excited about running 4.2 miles. I had just retired from the Air Force and moved to Colorado Springs, which shot up six thousand feet above Dallas, where I’d moved from. And hello, retired = no PT test. At this point, I gured I’d only run if something was chasing me, and even then, I’d likely give up and lie down and die. Lucky for me the run was casual, with a run or walk option. I’ll take Walk for 100 please Alex. The race took place on the scenic Bear Creek Park Trail in Lower Bear Creek Park. It was considered to be a moderately challenging route with a total elevation gain of 206 feet. We were greeted by friendly goat onlookers on the rst turn, silently PAT TILLMAN - US ARMYby Sonja Berry4242

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cheering us on as they grazed on the grass. Shortly after was the steep incline with breathtaking views of Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods to the west, and the Colorado Springs Downtown skyline to the east. The view from the top was worth the excruciating toll it took on my gluteus maximus. Besides, considering the occasion, I decided to suck it up and run the entire way although, running is a pretty loose term. It was more of a shufing of the legs kinda situation. Once my legs went numb, I got lost in my thoughts, thinking about the day Pat died. How utterly horrifying it must have felt to be killed by your own teammate. And how disgusting is it that the government chose this event to propagate the war. Pat deserves better. His family deserves better. The next thought that came to mind while I was shufing along brought me to tears. In her book, Mary described the day three service members wearing class A uniforms arrived at his wife Marie’s workplace. “She knew from military briengs that if soldiers wearing class A uniforms came to inform family members of a soldier’s condition, it meant the soldier was dead.”When I eventually crossed the nish line, I was met with high ves and cheers from spectators and the real runners who nished the run long before I did. I surprised myself, it wasn’t as hard as I feared it was going to be. After the race, I met with Vanessa to ask about the volunteers. “The volunteers for the Colorado Springs Tillman Honor Run are ASU Alum, ASU Denver and Colorado Springs Alumni Chapter Presidents, and people from Arizona. We have Mount Carmel Veteran Service Center that assists in coordinating with Norris Penrose Event Center, providing some volunteers. In the past, we have also had some businesses come out and donate water and vendors with coffee and a breakfast food truck. We are always looking to grow the run, share Pat’s story, and support the Pat Tillman Foundation.”I was also fortunate enough to meet representatives from Mount Carmel Veteran Service at the race and learn more about their mission and involvement with the Colorado Honor run. Mission Statement: To provide best practices for our Military, Veterans, and their families through accessible programs, integrated resources, and collaborative partnerships that empower lives and strengthen our community.Bob McLaughlin, Executive Director, of Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center, offered the following comment about the Colorado Pat’s Run: “The Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center team and I are extremely proud to support the Pat Tillman Honor Run in Colorado Springs.Pat Tillman was a true hero and an American patriot who sacriced his life for our great nation. His journey to serve as an Army Ranger is inspirational.The foundation named in his honor has helped hundreds of Veterans — its mission ts in with Mt. Carmel’s goals to help Veterans thrive in their lives after military service.His legacy of service and sacrice lives on through events like the honor run.We pledge our continued support of the Pat Tillman Run and will honor his memory through our own mission to serve those who served.”My biggest personal takeaway is that it’s important to take time to reect on heroes like Pat Tillman, to keep their honor alive. The Pat’s Run is a great cause, that not only memorializes Pat and his sacrice but also gives back to our community in a big way. Please visit the Pat Tillman Foundation website for more information and to get involved.“I miss his physical presence, and I always will, but his energy is all around me. It lives in my vivid memories of him, in the earnest and loving letters he left behind, and in the stories shared by friends and acquaintances. Most of all, it lives in his brothers, Kevin, and Richard, and in his wife Marie.” – Mary Tillman1. Tillman, Mary and Zacchino, Narda. 2008. Boots on the Ground, My Tribute to Pat Tillman. New York, Modern Times. “Somewhere inside, we hear a voice. It leads us in the direction of the person we wish to become. But it is up to us whether or not to follow.”Pat Tillmanhttps://pattillmanfoundation.org/Passion is kind of an important word for me, whether it’s playing sports or whether it’s just living or whatever you’re going to do. In my opinion you should be passionate about it or else, why do it?Pat Tillman

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16 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024SOLDIER ~ SINGER ~ SENTRYSOLDIER ~ SINGER ~ SENTRYThere are some common themes that permeate country music, among them storytelling, heartbreak, and patriotism. These three streams ow with a bold, uncommon authenticity in country music artist Ryan Weaver. Ryan grew up in a large family that included nine siblings in rural Florida. This is part of the country where serving one’s country is a well-respected path and for some a young man’s duty-bound obligation. Ryan’s oldest brother Steve was the rst to enlist in the Army. Steve’s service not only set an example, but it fueled the adventurous hearts of the younger boys Aaron and Ryan, who were about ten years junior. Aaron and Ryan were close in age at less than two years apart, but more importantly, they were simply close. Each of them would follow Steve into the Army. Steve and Aaron began their careers in the infantry, as Rangers. Ryan enlisted in the Army after graduating high school in 1991 and served as an intelligence analyst. This was an early indicator that, though he followed his brother’s examples, he was also still very much his own man. Ryan took to Army life. It seemed to suit his disposition, as it did his brothers. In time he reenlisted and was well on his way to becoming a career Soldier, a lifer. The brothers did not realize it at the time, but they were establishing a legacy.The Weaver boys came up in an Army transitioning from the Cold War when the conict was generally short, including Panama in 1989 and then Desert Storm in 1990-1991. Aaron rst saw combat in Somalia in 1993, surviving some close calls such as was a lot to juggle. Looking for a way to manage stress while blowing off a little steam, he began going to karaoke bars with some buddies. He’d always loved music but had never applied himself to it in a meaningful way. In karaoke Ryan soon found he had both a strong voice and the charisma to engage the crowd. A hidden talent unexpectedly emerged. An endeavor that began as a distraction from work unintentionally planted seeds that would blossom later in life. A dream was in the making.Being a professional Soldier who knew the meaning of balance, Ryan continued to give ight school a focused effort. The technical and tactical acumen required was challenging and demanding. He worked hard, receiving support, guidance, and insight from Steve and Aaron. In 2000 Ryan graduated at the top of his class. Both Steve and Aaron were there to pin on his wings. It was a memorable event and the last time all three brothers were together in uniform. The Weaver brothers each returned to their units and resumed the tasks soldiers undertook in the times in between battles. They trained and prepared for combat. After the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, the military quickly moved from an era of short-term conict to over two decades of war, and events that would forever change life. In 2003 both Aaron and Ryan were deployed to Iraq. Ryan relates that ying the Blackhawk was initially intimidating and even more daunting in combat. It was a heavy responsibility that left little room for error. He tackled the task with a sober resolve and was ready. Aaron had showcased this kind of approach depicted in the lm “Blackhawk Down.” Little did he know the Blackhawk would be a dening object in his future. Aaron was already an example and role model to Ryan, but by becoming a combat Veteran another professional marker had been set.By 1996 the Army placed Ryan on recruiting duty in Kansas where he served until 1999. Steve had transitioned from enlisted to the warrant ofcer ranks via the Army’s Aviation Rotary Wing Warrant Ofcer Program and was serving as a pilot. Aaron had just completed the Warrant Ofcer Basic Course, following Steve’s footsteps towards becoming a pilot, and urged Ryan to apply to the well. Ryan applied and was accepted in 1999. As he wrapped up a tour on recruiting duty he opened a new chapter in his career.Flight school was extremely demanding. As Ryan was undergoing the professional transition from the enlisted ranks, he was simultaneously going through a transition in his personal life. It AARON AND RYAN | IRAQAARON AND RYAN | IRAQRYAN WEAVER | COMBAT AVIATORRYAN WEAVER | COMBAT AVIATOR

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Summer 2024| AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 17Summer 2024| AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 17and Ryan followed suit. Aaron had always been the standard by which Ryan measured his service. He felt fortunate to have such a close personal and professional relationship woven into his life. He was as equipped as a man possibly can be for combat.For Aaron, returning to combat was not a foregone conclusion. He had previously been diagnosed with cancer. He beat it and then found he had to ght just to get himself forward deployed. This is the kind of behavior one nds in an uncommon warrior whose devotion to duty is not in platitudes but in action and example. In Aaron’s mind, there was no way his unit and his brothers were going to war and he was not a part of it. The Army nally relented and permitted this committed, determined, and stubborn ofcer to go forward. The only caveat required was that he must undergo periodic health assessments to screen for further evidence of cancer. Aaron packed his bags and went down range to carry out his duty as a soldier and patriot.In the Gettysburg Address in 1863, Abraham Lincoln wrote “Those who gave their last full measure of devotion” when speaking of those courageous and honorable men who had fallen in battle. The timeless words soon hit close to home. On January 2nd, 2004, Captain Kimberly Hampton, a fellow Soldier and pilot was killed in action. Captain Hampton was the rst female military pilot in United States history to be shot down and killed as a result of hostile re. Aaron and Ryan saw each other at her memorial service on January 4th. They embraced, appreciating the few moments together in these dangerous and trying times. The cost of this war was heavy and deeply personal.A few days later on January 8th, 2004 Aaron was ying as a passenger in a Blackhawk enroute for his scheduled medical screening. The helicopter was shot down by enemy activity, leaving no survivors. The morning of January 9th Ryan was awakened at 0833. He was transitioning between day and night missions with reveille scheduled for 1200. Something wasn’t right. He was summoned to the commander’s ofce. He entered and noticed a chaplain was also present. Assuming something had happened to their father back home, he was taken aback by the report of Aaron’s passing. As they broke the news that Aaron was gone, something broke inside of Ryan too. He never ew again.Ryan left Iraq and spent several months in Germany where his unit was based. He later returned stateside and became an instructor. He went through a very dark time. There were moments when the grief was crippling. Soldiers objectively know that people die in combat, but when it is your people, your esh and blood; the pain’s depth cannot be described. It is a wound to the soul. Who can understand such a thing? How does one go on? One feels, “How can the sun ever shine again?”It was two years before Ryan would allow himself to look up into the sky. As he drove to work each day aboard Fort Rucker, in Alabama, he passed a Blackhawk helicopter. The physical reminder was too heavy and every day he turned his head and looked the other way. The clouds loomed in that dark season of life. Falling rain symbolized the tears cried in silent moments alone. Despite this crippling grief Ryan Weaver soldiered on. Numbness came before the slow dawn of healing.After losing Aaron, Ryan felt he had no footsteps to follow. Who would lead the way? Where would he turn? He now had to chart his path and so Ryan Weaver became a dream chaser.As many have found, music serves as a powerful mechanism for healing. Memories, emotion, purpose, motivation…each of these elements emerged in Ryan’s music and helped him channel the grief. Slowly, the sun began to shine again.Ryan sang in bars, local festivals, and various venues. In 2005 he was the runner-up in the Military Idol competition on Fort Rucker. The following year he performed with the Army rock band for Fort Rucker’s Fiftieth Anniversary celebration. For the next several years he remained on active duty while growing as an artist. He began to appear in concerts and festivals around the southeast. Music transcends barriers, makes connections, and communicates in powerful ways. Ryan recognized this and found a new purpose in life. He learned to turn losses into success. He found an effective way to connect with people while being vulnerable. In many ways, songs are a form of storytelling, yet in a medium that stirs emotion and penetrates the heart. It is a different kind of heading, but a lasting one.Being a warrior requires destruction while being an artist requires creating. Both require passion, and both embody service. Ryan Weaver, though he will always remain a warrior, made the transition to being an artist full-time. He retired from the Army in 2012 and turned his attention to chasing the dream.The twelve years since hanging up the uniform have been a whirlwind of highs and lows. Ryan moved to Tennessee to be nearer to the country music scene. He’s had to learn about the business side of music which is an entirely different world. AARON & RYAN IRAQAARON & RYAN IRAQAARON WEAVER IRAQ 2003 | BODY ARMORAARON WEAVER IRAQ 2003 | BODY ARMORAARON, RYAN & STEVE FLIGHT SCHOOL GRADUATIONAARON, RYAN & STEVE FLIGHT SCHOOL GRADUATION

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18 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024Some of the most talented artists out there are waiting tables and swinging hammers. It generally takes money, connections, and luck to succeed in the music industry. Many become overwhelmed facing this kind of adversity, but not many have the kind of moxie such as Ryan Weaver.Though having served a full career as an active-duty Soldier, he still has the look of a young, lean, warrior hungry to face the future. In many ways, that is simply true. He enthusiastically chases the dream with seemingly boundless energy. This energy is seen as he performs patriotic, rocking country music before a live audience.When Ryan rst moved to Nashville, he describes it like being a Private all over again. He had to work hard to nd success, learning along the way. He was in an entirely new environment, one that was starkly different from the military. Ryan was a college student and worked two jobs. He was driven. There was a saying during the war that “complacency kills.” Ryan was anything but complacent and refused to let his dreams be killed. After a series of circumstances and life events, he was able to set some of those consuming activities aside and give music his full attention. His experience in uniform cultivated qualities that helped Ryan in the music industry.  HURRY UP AND WAIT. HURRY UP AND WAIT.  NEVER GIVE UP.NEVER GIVE UP.  ADAPT AND OVERCOME.ADAPT AND OVERCOME.  DISCIPLINE.DISCIPLINE.  CHALLENGE.CHALLENGE. MOVING FROM PLACE TO PLACE.MOVING FROM PLACE TO PLACE.These attributes became assets, equipping him and strengthening his resolve. Strength and resiliency are the hallmarks of Ryan Weaver’s story. He needed those qualities to withstand another loss when his brother-in-law Randy was killed in Afghanistan in 2013. Another Blackhawk down.One can’t help but think of music in another era of war and the tragic cost that comes. In 1969 Creedence Clearwater Revival sang in Fortunate Son:"Some folks inherit star-spangled eyes"Some folks inherit star-spangled eyesOoh, they send you down to war, LordOoh, they send you down to war, LordAnd when you ask ‘em, And when you ask ‘em, 'How much should we give?'"'How much should we give?'"Ooh, they only answer, “More! More! More!”Despite such immeasurable loss, Ryan Weaver continues to give. He gives hope, he gives inspiration, and he gives us leadership. In this journey of tragedy, experience, and perspective set it. Deeply moving story-telling emerges in Ryan’s music. The vulnerability and intimacy of fraternal relationships strike a powerful nerve in Weaver’s song “What Do You Think of Me.” The music video for this song shows a young high school football player, wearing his fallen brother’s dog tags and preparing for a big game. Speaking of the jersey he is wearing the father says, “That’s your number now, this is your time.” And later, “You are the Big Weave…Aaron is proud of you too.” The ball is symbolically passed to Ryan, who is no longer young. A deeply touching aspect of the project includes the part of the father being played by the oldest brother Steve. The cinematography pairs powerfully with the music relating to this tale. In one scene the young man, looking down and touching the dog tags around his neck, looks up, and then with resolve, he chases a dream. The symbolism RYAN WEAVER PERFORMS AT BRIDGESTONE ARENA FULL BAND & MIKE HUCKABEERYAN WEAVER PERFORMS AT BRIDGESTONE ARENA FULL BAND & MIKE HUCKABEEDREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE! RYAN WEAVER PERFORMS AT THE GRAND OLE OPRY! DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE! RYAN WEAVER PERFORMS AT THE GRAND OLE OPRY! PHOTO CREDIT SHELBY CAROL CUDEPHOTO CREDIT SHELBY CAROL CUDE

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is unmistakable and tear rendering. The younger brother speaking to the memory of the older brother asks, “You will be there, won’t you?” The smiling response “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” The song…the story if you will…included the lyrics “thoughts are burning, lost and yearning for your company.” The listener is allowed a glimpse into something both beautiful and painful. The song continues “So I take the pain and push it down” which is not a metaphor, but rather exactly what Ryan had to do to move forward in life after the crushing loss of Aaron. Tears brim when hearing the powerful lines “And I hear a song that I want to sing…loud enough to reach your heart.” Ryan sings with passion and conviction certainly reaching the heights of Aaron’s heart. Then tenderly he sings “I followed you, I followed you, you were everything…now I wonder what you think of me.” There is no doubt Aaron approves, applauds, and is deeply proud of Ryan; the sentry who continues to stand watch.Ryan has accomplished some amazing things as a country music artist. Some highlights include being named the ofcial Patriotic Voice of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) for their Celebrate America campaign. In 2018 he played in Madison Square Garden, and he’s played for PBR’s World Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada.Ryan Weaver made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry in 2014 when he opened for Charlie Daniels at the Ryman Auditorium. A signicant experience on the music front occurred the next year on September 11, 2015, when Ryan was introduced by Charlie Daniels onto the Opry Stage at the Opry House. Once again, he used this platform to share Aaron’s story, honor his memory, and fulll the American dream. What an amazing experience for a simple country boy from Florida. He went from Army Private to the Grand Ole Opry. Ryan not only achieved one of his dreams, but he also showed us that we live in a wonderful country where one has the freedom to pursue their dreams.Ryan has opened for numerous artists, including Jamey Johnson, Trace Adkins, Blake Shelton, George Jones, Darryl Worley, Craig Morgan, Montgomery Gentry, Tracy Lawrence, and many, many more. Just as he matured through the ranks in uniform, Ryan has matured in the music industry. Though some have seen him as a Veteran rst and an artist second, his talent and passion are unmistakable. He continues to break barriers and exceed assumed limitations. Ryan committed himself to telling Aaron’s story every time he performs. He reminds us not only is this country worth ghting for, but it’s also a place where dreams can come true.Ryan has an uncommon ability to connect with the crowd, a quality that reects the value of relationships. Through music, he connects. Though he does not know all his fans, in a manner of speaking they feel they do know him. Again, it is the authenticity and vulnerability he displays that draws their hearts close to his, combined with the passion and power when he sings.Few American families have faced such compounded tragedy in the Global War on Terrorism. These events compel Ryan to never forget and to remind us. His platform as an artist permits him to be a spokesman for the Veteran community, and because of the kinship of service, to the law enforcement and rst responder community as well. We see this in another one of his powerful songs, “Let’s Talk About Heroes.”Ryan has strong convictions about the state of our country and politics. He doesn’t hesitate to voice those opinions and use his platform to represent folks of similar persuasion. It is another means by which he continues to serve and to lead. Ryan engages in life with deliberate action, refusing to simply be a passenger to the whims of fate. In addition to music, he is an inspirational speaker showcasing that despite great loss, one can still achieve dreams and nd success.Not all of Ryan’s music has such somber tones. In “Crank It” and “No Second Chance” we get a rocking side of country full of life, energy, and fun. It’s the kind of music that makes you want to drive fast with the windows down in the company of a good buddy or a special lady friend. He’s got good balance, some tunes to make you smile while others bring a tear down your tired face. Both kinds speak to the heart and bring a good feeling to your bones. It’s like somebody out there understands. There is both comfort and encouragement in such sentiment. Thank you, Ryan.Through his music and his public speaking Ryan Weaver allows us to get to know who he is. His story unmistakably touches our hearts. He also encourages us to remember the memory of the fallen in a way that motivates us to pursue our dreams. He reminds us that if indeed those brave men and women fought and died so that we may pursue happiness in this free land; then let us do so. It is a means by which we can ensure they have not died in vain. They certainly would not want us to spend our remaining days in misery, but rather to let laughter drown out the sorrow life has dealt us. He does this through story, through song, and by example. We must remember that wars are primarily fought by young men, some of them falling and remaining forever young. The Veterans who return and grow old do not forget the fallen ones, their brothers. Though the Veteran grows gray, the fallen ones grow brighter. Ryan Weaver does not forget, and he ensures the memory of his brother Aaron grows brighter every time he steps out on the stage. His service continues and his songs speak for so many of those who have worn the uniform. From AT EASE! Veterans Magazine we salute the soldier, singer, and sentry Ryan Weaver.THATS WHAT AMERICA MEANS TO MEBURNTIME LIKE THISRYAN WEAVERSummer 2024| AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 19

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20 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024In the course of human events it sometimes becomes necessary to admonish the lawless, encourage the fainthearted, and strengthen the weak. We have reached just such a time in our history. The affairs of our nation are now steeped in avaricious corruption and our once stalwart institutions, including the Dept of Defense, are failing to fulll the moral obligations upon which they were founded. Standing upon our natural and constitutional rights, we hereby apprise the American people that we have exhausted all internal efforts to rectify recent criminal activity within the Armed Forces.In the Declaration of Independence our founding fathers sought separation. We seek no separation, but through this letter and the efforts we pledge herein, we pursue restoration through accountability. We intend to rebuild trust and restore the rule of law, particularly within the Armed Forces. Ultimately, we strive to once again become a moral people, restoring our nation, and making it again worthy of the great gift of liberty won by the colonial-era American people.While implementing the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, military leaders broke the law, trampled constitutional rights, denied informed consent, permitted unwilling medical experimentation, and suppressed the free exercise of religion.Service members and families were signicantly harmed by these actions. Their suffering continues to be felt nancially, emotionally, and physically. Some service members became part of our ever-growing veteran homeless population, some developed debilitating vaccine injuries, and some even lost their lives. In an apparent attempt to avoid accountability, military leaders are continuing to ignore our communications regarding these injuries and the laws that were broken.For GEN Milley, ADM Grady, GEN McConville, ADM Gilday, ADM Lescher, Gen Brown, Gen Berger, Gen Smith, VADM Kilby, VADM Nowell, VADM Fuller, LTG Martin, Lt Gen Davis, MG executive branch ofces, while those of us still serving on active duty will continue to put fullling our oaths ahead of striving for rank or position. For those who achieve the lawful authority to do so, we pledge to recall from retirement the military leaders who broke the law and will convene courts-martial for the crimes they committed. For those of us who attain legislative ofces, we pledge to introduce legislation to remove all retirement income for the military leaders who were criminally complicit, and we will ensure none serve in or retire from the Senior Executive Service.This endeavor will be a continuous process with a long-term time horizon, but fullling our oaths to defend the Constitution requires just such persistent vigilance. Likewise, we are obligated, and so commit, to train those who come after us to fulll their duty in achieving this accountability and safeguarding against such leadership failures hereafter.Our nation was once great because it was good. It was built on moral principles founded in natural law and yet, the recent acceleration of moral relativism has us headed towards a precipitous implosion. While all good things come to an end, we refuse to allow our nation to go quietly into the depths of decadence and decay. We promise to exhaust all moral, ethical, and legal means to restore the rule of law and will begin by attempting to hold senior military leaders accountable. The Constitution is the supreme law of our land. We will ght to enforce that law and put an end to the two- tiered justice system. May future generations see our efforts and, God willing, may they also be recipients of the great gift of liberty that we have had the honor of safeguarding.Edmonson, GEN Williams, ADM Fagan, VADM Buck, Lt Gen Clark, MG Francis, LTG Dingle, Lt Gen Miller, RADM Gillingham, and numerous others;These individuals enabled lawlessness and the unwilling experimentation on service members. The moral and physical injuries they helped inict are signicant. They betrayed the trust of service members and the American people. Their actions caused irreparable harm to the Armed Forces and the institutions for which we have fought and bled.These leaders refused to resign or take any other action to hold themselves accountable, nor have they attempted to repair the harm their policies and actions have caused. Since there has yet to be any accountability, the undersigned give our word to do everything morally permissible and legally possible to hold our own leadership accountable. We intend to rebuild trust by demonstrating that leaders cannot cast aside constitutional rights or the law for political expediency.The ag and general ofcers are far from the only ones complicit in recent illegal activities, as a signicant number of SES leaders and political appointees contributed. Evidence indicates that other executive agencies are engaging in illegal activity. However, as service members and veterans, we feel particularly responsible for the DoD and, in accordance with our oaths, we will make every effort to demonstrate by example, how an institution can put its own house in order.We the undersigned, on behalf of hundreds of thousands of service members and the American people, while appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for guidance and purity of intention, mutually pledge to each other that we will do everything in our power, through lawful word and action, to hold accountable military leaders who failed to follow the law when their leadership and moral courage was most desperately needed.In the coming years, thousands within our network will run for Congress and seek appointments to 1 January 20241 January 2024An Open Letter to the American People from Signatories of this Declaration of Military AccountabilityDeclaration of Military Accountability“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” –John Adams™

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Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 23As a Veteran or active-duty service member, owning a home can be a signicant milestone in your post-military life. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers a valuable benet in the form of VA Home Loans, which can make the dream of homeownership a reality for you and your family. As a mortgage expert, I understand the complexities of the VA Home Loan process and aim to guide you through the detailed steps to qualify for this exceptional program.Build a Budget: Take a personal inventory of all your existing debts and consider what monthly mortgage payment is comfortable for you. Mortgage loans also require budgeting for closing costs. These are fees and expenses such as appraisal fees, attorney fees, and escrow funds. You may be able to negotiate these fees to be paid by the seller, otherwise you will need to budget for them.Collect Necessary Documents: First and foremost, it’s essential to determine if you qualify for a VA Home Loan. Generally, active-duty service members, Veterans who have been honorably discharged, and certain surviving spouses may be eligible for this benet. To establish your eligibility, you must provide your Certicate of Eligibility (COE), which proves your military service. For Veterans, you should have a copy of your DD-214. A competent lender can pull your COE. You will also need to show your income and assets through paystubs or Leave & Earnings Statements (LES) as well as bank statements and retirement accounts covering at least 2 months.Find a Competent VA Lender: Choose a reputable lender with experience in handling VA Home Loans. Working with a knowledgeable mortgage expert will ensure a smoother and more efcient application process. Keep in mind, not all lenders are created equal. Typically, independent lenders offer more exibility than credit unions and large banks.Pre-Approval Process: Before you start house hunting, your lender will pre-approve you for a mortgage. This step involves the lender evaluating your income, assets, and credit documents. The pre-approval process allows you to understand how much you can afford and demonstrates your commitment to sellers when making an offer.Find a Real Estate Agent: Find a real estate agent with whom you feel comfortable. Often, your lender can recommend a real estate professional to assist in nding the right home for you and negotiate on your behalf. Obtaining and using a real estate agent is typically at no cost to buyers as the seller usually pays agent commissions. Once you ratify your contract, your real estate agent will help navigate your home inspection and negotiate any needed repairs with the seller.Home Appraisal: The VA requires a property appraisal by a VA-approved appraiser to determine the home’s value and condition. The appraisal is critical because it helps protect you from overpaying for the property and ensures that the house meets VA standards.Underwriting and Approval: Once you nd your dream home and have an accepted offer, the lender’s underwriting team will review your application and supporting documents. While the VA Home Loan program is more exible than conventional loans, lenders still assess your nancial stability to ensure you can manage mortgage payments. They will consider factors such as your credit score, income, and debt-to-income ratio. They will verify your nancial information and assess the property’s eligibility for the VA Home Loan program. If all goes well, you will receive nal approval, and you’re one step closer to becoming a homeowner!Closing: On the closing day, sign the necessary paperwork, and the property becomes yours!Post-Purchase Assistance: Even after you become a homeowner, the VA continues to provide support. If you encounter nancial difculties, the VA has dedicated resources to help you avoid foreclosure and maintain your home.The VA Home Loan program is a powerful tool designed to reward veterans and active-duty service members for their dedication and sacrice. As a mortgage expert, I encourage you to explore this opportunity and take the necessary steps to secure your dream home. Remember that each situation is unique, so it’s crucial to work closely with a knowledgeable VA lender who can guide you through the process with personalized advice and expertise. My team and I are licensed in 48 states to provide you with expert advice.USING THE VA USING THE VA HOME LOAN HOME LOAN BENEFIT TO BY BENEFIT TO BY YOUR FIRST HOMEYOUR FIRST HOMEby Rob YounceROB YOUNCEUSNA ‘93 | Military Mortgage AdvisorOVM Financial powered by Annie MacNMLS# 1521082Phone: 757-605-0513Email: ryounce@annie-mac.comWebsite: robyounce.com

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24 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024Written by: Donna HoffmeyerTHE ANSWER…WE PROBABLY WON’TIf you’ve ever watched M.A.S.H., there is a scene where Colonel Potter nds out he is the last of four military buddies alive. The agreement was the last friend alive opened the bottle of scotch and gave a remembrance toast to the group. I remember watching that scene and thinking how many Veterans could relate to that scene. The memories we have of our high school or college buddies, while fond, lack the emotional depth we have for our military buddies.I had a Veteran friend, Lisa, tell me a story. Her civilian friend introduced Lisa to another Veteran friend of a different service. Lisa chuckled as she told me she loved the horried look on her friend’s face when they, having never met before, immediately started to razz each other’s service.I nd this connection fascinating. I may have burst your bubble and made it sound like all is lost, but it doesn’t mean we cannot nd meaningful connections. And, from the research, it is ever so important that we invest in these relationships.“[I]f you are alone and feel stressed and lonely, that’s part of what breaks down your health. That’s why we think loneliness is as dangerous to your health as smoking half a pack of cigarettes a day or being obese.” ~Robert Waldinger, author, of The Good Life.Robert Waldinger, the fourth director of the Harvard Adult Study and co-author of The Good Life, summarized the results of this study in this TEDx Beacon Street talk. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-7zAkwAOYg)I encourage you to take the time to watch the whole video. There are three main takeaways. They are geared toward the general population, but we’re going to talk about it concerning our Veteran population.SOCIAL CONNECTIONS ARE GOOD FOR US... LONELINESS KILLSWe are a bunch of turtles. Many Veterans tend to do the opposite and limit contact or fully isolate themselves. There are a multitude of reasons including, unfamiliar territory, lack of trust, mental health struggles, location, and resource availability (rural versus urban settings), and lack of support from family, friends, or other Veterans, or just a bad experience. The ‘unknown’ to us can be scary and overstimulating.However, it is ever so important we take the step and make these relationships. Here are some thoughts to help ease us into connecting.I am having one of those nights. Long to-do lists override my nocturnal routine. As I scrolled mindlessly through social media, I came across this interview about the “Harvard Study of Adult Development.”AHHH, SOMETHING TO WEAR MY BRAIN OUTStarting in the 1930s, it is the longest-running longitudinal study. Studies such as this can be used to look at many things over a long period.The topic that caught my attention was the key to a long healthy life. It wasn’t the topic, as much as the key, that threw my little crack squirrels into high speed.This study found the key to longevity was connection. Now, before you look it up and yell at me for believing a study of all male participants, understand that other longitudinal studies with more diversity found the same results. Happiness and Longevity in the United StatesSocial Relationships and physiological determinants of longevity across the human life spanSocial Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic ReviewMy mind leaped to our Veterans Connection for us is a double-edged sword; it comes at a price.From the moment we enter training, we are taught the success/failure of one is the success/failure of the team. We learn to do our best to strengthen (or compensate for) the weakest link to avoid mission failure. It is our rst lesson in connection.As we move on in our careers, our training is put to the real test.We are learning to be good followers to eventually become great leaders. We are learning to build trust with people we may have to intentionally put in harm’s way or may have to put us in harm’s way. We knowingly put our lives into each others’ hands to protect and defend our country.IT IS THE ULTIMATE CONNECTIONAnd then, 4,10, 20, 30 years later, after building these life-long relationships, we leave the service. We now have to nd new connections. But how do we nd connections as intimate and trustworthy as those we had in service? Those connections are so intuitive, that they need little verbal communication. The connections are so strong, that reconnecting after a decade feels like only a day has gone by.... BUT ALSO THE STRUGGLE FOR MANY VETERANSTHE RESEARCH IS IN: THE SECRET TO A LONG HAPPY LIFETHE RESEARCH IS IN: THE SECRET TO A LONG HAPPY LIFE

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• Start with social events. Jumping into a structured networking event can be extremely intimidating. Find an event at a library that interests you. Look for a Veteran gathering. Even a get-together at a friend’s house is a perfect start. The point is to nd something low-threat and positive.• Go with a friend. We can feel awkward when we do not know anyone in the room and nd ourselves sitting in the corner observing (slowly raising a hand). Having someone there you know can help you get out of your comfort zone. • Consider volunteering. This is a great way for Veterans to connect. We love to give back and having a purpose outside of the military is something most of us crave. The beauty of volunteering is that the volunteer is in control to give as much as they feel capable of giving. Nonprots are grateful to have any level of help.THE QUALITY OF SOCIAL CONNECTIONS MATTERSThis is a difcult area to navigate. Something is not always better than nothing. More is not better than fewer. When we make connections, we want them to be trusted and authentic. When there is any question of either, we will tend to put up our defensive wall. Sometimes they go up before we have a chance to fully look at the situation. Maybe there was a misunderstanding, miscommunication, or misinterpretation. At the same time, there is a uid reciprocity that should occur when we make meaningful connections. However, there are moments when we nd ourselves on a one-way street and in a situation that is not mutually benecial. Maybe it is a friend who is ready to go drinking with you every weekend, but never around when you need an ear. When the take is more than the give, it is time to evaluate the quality of the relationship.Trust your gut, challenge your thoughts, and choose wisely. It can affect your health.GOOD RELATIONSHIPS PROTECT OUR BODIES AND BRAINSListen up, we are all broke as a joke when we leave the military. There is not a Veteran around who doesn’t have one or a combination of ailments — bad back, achy knees, tinnitus, GI issues, decreased memory recall, TBI, anxiety, depression, and on and on and on.Bottom line…we need all the help we can get. To see research that supports having a bestie helps our body and brain, is probably the best thing to come out of the study. Sign me up! I’d happily take a rocking friendship over narcotics. Besides, we can get into a lot more mischievousness with our buddy than we can with a pill. As tempting as it is to sit in the perceived safety of our house, the research is showing it is critical to build healthy, authentic relationships. We don’t have to have hundreds of people, just a few solid friends that have your back, front, and sides. So, let’s grab a friend, nd a HEALTHY social event (binge drinking at the VFW is not it folks), build those relationships, and lengthen our time on this planet. After all…it is your health.Donna Hoffmeyer is a 21 year retired Air Force nurse, with a career that spanned nursing, ight nursing, education, training, readiness, and policy. During her last job, she saw the stress service members transitioning to the civilian were under. This lead her to co-author her rst book, Warrior to Patriot Citizen; focused on ensuring service members are prepared for transition well before transition occurs. She retired and transitioned out of the military, 30 Sept 2020, during COVID.

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Brian “Big Country” Conwell joined the Army in July 2006. He grew up on the East Coast and even as a young man, was enamored with the Army way of life. The pride of being a soldier, the importance of discipline and good order, and the ability to serve his country. With an MOS of 91D/Generator Mechanic, Brian was prepared to make the Army his life. He joined at 26 and was shipped off to Fort Knox for basic training. Afterward, he went to Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland and started learning the art of being a professional soldier. He would deploy to Iraq in 2008 and throughout 9 and a half years, would be awarded three Army Commendation Medals (ARCOMs), six Army Achievement Medals (AAMs), an Iraq Campaign Ribbon, a Global War on Terrorism Medal, and a Volunteer Medal for 1000 hours of community service. His life was forever changed when he went out to get lunch for his troops, skidded on ice, and plunged down a 150-foot ravine. When he came to, he was in a hospital bed and had lost one leg. The doctors were able to salvage his other leg and told him he would never walk again. Brian sunk into a deep depression and gained weight. He felt that his life had no meaning and that he had no future. He was fitted for a prosthetic and one day, he felt compelled to prove his doctors wrong. Big Country was born. He started walking unassisted. Then he went back to the gym. He realized that fitness and athleticism were going to be his path to success. Brian started entering events for disabled veterans and winning his first few medals. He specialized in several sports such as powerlifting, discus throw, shot put, wheelchair basketball, and more. Brian realized the power of what he was doing when people started coming up to him at events. Shy children who had lost limbs would quietly come to say hi and pose for pictures with their heroes at events. Brian tried out for the DOD Warrior Games and qualified for Team Army. He was featured in promos and quickly earned his way up as a top competitor. These days, he is just focused on being a loving father of six and a husband. Brian started a clothing line with the help of veteran-owned Really Designs, and a nonprofit. His goal is to encourage other disabled Veterans to get involved in para-athletic events to rediscover their mission in life. Brian has several events and competitions this year and looks forward to competing and growing his nonprofit. Dr. Rob Garcia is an award winning business strategist in San Diego. He is the founder of SHIFT Magazine.Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 27Brian “Big Country” ConwellWebsite: www.sgtbc.com

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30 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024Donald Erickson was born in Florida. His father, a Veteran of the U.S Coast Guard, was a State Trooper. At age six he moved to Maine. As a teenager events on the news included military intervention in Panama and Desert Storm. He was inexplicably drawn to service, condent that it was his calling.During his junior year in high school the phone rang, his father answered, grinned, looking at Donald and said, “It’s for you.” A condent voice identied himself as the local representative for the Marine Corps. The brief conversation ended with Sergeant Allen saying, “I will see you at school tomorrow, zero nine hundred.” Donald hung up the phone and asked “What is zero nine hundred?”The next day Sergeant Allen walked in wearing Dress Blues. His condent manner and commanding presence made a deep impression on Donald. He told Donald directly “I am going to offer you the greatest opportunity, the chance to earn the title of U.S. Marine.” After graduating high school in 1994, Donald Erickson shipped off to Parris Island for Marine Corps Recruit Training. Many people harbor fears of boot camp. Erickson’s only fear was the idea of letting down his fellow recruits. The concept of camaraderie was deeply rooted in his heart.After boot camp Erickson became an Infantry Marine, graduating the School of Infantry on the Marine Corps birthday and his rst assignment was aboard Camp Lejeune with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. He had amazing NCOs who laid the foundation for the caliber of Marine and leader he would become. The rst tour ew by and he soon found himself reenlisting to return to Parris Island. Now an NCO himself, Erickson became an instructor. He taught during the Crucible, on the rappel tower, and in the gas chamber. Soon it was time to return to the FMF (Fleet Marine Forces) and Erickson, by then a Sergeant, reported to Camp Lejeune with 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines (2/6). The terrorist attack of September 11th, 2001 occurred and shaped the next several years. He served in 2/6 throughout three deployments. The rst was aboard ship, the second on the ground in Iraq as part of OIF I, and the third to Okinawa, Japan. Erickson gained tremendous operational experience during this time, from service aoat, to seeing combat in the desert, and training in the tropics. He became a Staff NCO and had the great privilege of serving in the same unit long enough to receive Marines as Privates, train and deploy with them, then see them grow into NCOs. He passed along lessons in leadership and warghting that had been taught to him all those years ago.Returning stateside Erickson had the opportunity to serve on recruiting duty and become the Marine Corps representative just like Sergeant Allen had so many years ago. He did not take the job lightly, nding it to be both challenging and rewarding and he extended the opportunity to earn the title to another generation. The war continued. When Erickson returned to the FMF this time, the salty Infantry Marine and combat veteran held the rank of Gunnery Sergeant just like Dan Daly and John Basilone before him. He reported to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines back on Camp Lejeune. His rst deployment with the battalion was to Iraq, and the next to Afghanistan. He displayed certain attributes including intellect, work ethic, and the ability to perform under pressure which made him stand out amongst his peers. As such, he was selected to serve as the Assistant Operations Chief and was mentored by a calm, cool professional who laid the foundations for him to become an Operations Chief.After returning from combat once again, Erickson was promoted to Master Sergeant and became the Operations Chief at Camp Lejeune’s Weapons Training Battalion. During this tour his efcient and effective methods positively impacted Marines across a wide range of ranks and MOS’s. Next Erickson returned to 2/6 and served as the Assistant Operations Chief. The Corps is relatively small and he found himself serving alongside a Marine from boot camp almost twenty years prior. They executed a rewarding deployment to Okinawa which had an exciting, old corps feeling after the preceding combat deployments to the desert.Master Sergeant Erickson was selected to serve as a Faculty Advisor and Instructor at a school in Twentynine Palms, California where he trained operations ofcers and operations chiefs while rening his own skills. The Corps recognized this exceptional Marine’s abilities and selected him for promotion to the rank of Master Gunnery Sergeant. He then executed orders to Camp Pendleton to serve as the Operations Chief for 1st Battalion, 4th Marines and deployed aboard ship in the Pacic.Master Gunnery Sergeant Erickson’s experience made him the perfect candidate to serve at EWTGLANT (Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Atlantic) in Virginia Beach, Virginia as the Chief Instructor and later in his tour as the Senior Enlisted Leader.Following Norfolk, Erickson returned to Camp Lejeune to serve as the Operations Chief for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). While deployed the MEU was tasked with Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations in Afghanistan. Erickson found himself ashore with difcult tasks at hand. His experience, calmness under pressure, and empathetic leadership made him the perfect man for the job. All the leaders who’d sewn into him “earneD tHe title, Marine”The Story of Ret. MGySgt. Donald Erickson - USMC – OIF/OEF"Earned the Title, Marine" continued on Page 44

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Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 31The majority of enemy re focused on his position as rounds impacted all around him. As Sergeant Upp approached the pit, another 107mm rocket howled and illuminated the darkening sky as he shouted for Arnone to get down. Amidst the ricocheting of bullets and explosions Alex locked eyes with Sergeant Upp and for a fraction of a moment felt like it was the last thing he was going to see. Sgt Upp was honest, really tough, and was thick skinned. He always led from the front and never hesitated under re. Arnone recalled, “There was no one I’d rather go to war with than him. He made you feel like by being with him you had a better chance of making it home.” Though Sgt Up had survived the encounter, the 107mm rocket had severely wounded Lieutenant Hall. Though the aid station was able to get his heart going again, he was lost during the medivac. This was the rst American KIA PFC Arnone witnessed. After 45 minutes of battle and 75 mortars launched, Arnone’s efforts were directly attributed to repelling the enemy attack and he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal with Valor. Departing the military after 5 years and 2 combat tours, Sergeant Arnone had become more of a man than most have had the opportunity to become. His irreplaceable experiences had bonded him with those he served with for life. Though he would no longer serve as a soldier, the Army values he lived would serve him in the coming trials of tting into a country that cannot understand what he had been through. “I knew who I was, what I had done, and what I had to offer.” Sowers: We talked a lot about your darkest hour, and so I wanted to end contrasting with what the brightest or best experience you had in your service?Arnone: There is a lot of bad with silver linings. On my second deployment I brought all the soldiers home safe to their families. Knowing they were home safe was the best feeling I could ever have. “roCKetS reD glare”The Story Sgt. Alex Arnone- USA – OEFA 107-millimeter rocket with a lethal radius of 12.5 meters landing 5 meters in front of you could be the last thing you see. Alex Arnone served from 2006-2011 in the 173rd Airborne Brigade with two combat tours in Eastern Afghanistan along the Pakistani border. Over the course of his deployments, he would see positive societal changes that his unit helped to facilitate, and the reprisals of Taliban ghters who returned from their safe havens in Pakistan. Regardless of the state of today’s Afghanistan, warriors like Arnone did not hide when their bodies were 6 inches from becoming 6 feet deep. They courageously did what their comrades needed them to do to survive in the fray of battle. They painstakingly left their loved ones to support America’s plan for a more stable and democratic Afghanistan. They did their best upon returning home to not let the scars of war prevent them from continuing as soldiers. Born on September 11th, Alex marked his 16th birthday watching the 2001 terrorist attacks unfold from his high school classroom. Viewing the wars that followed from his couch at home, he said to his Army veteran father, “Dad, I need to be part of this.” Following in his father’s footsteps, Arnone’s newfound discipline and strength became more than the call to defend his nation. Becoming a soldier was his ticket to nding who he truly was and to developing into a formidable man. When Private First Class Arnone was deployed to Chowkay Valley in 2007, the soldier he had become would encounter his darkest hour. The surrounding mountains began to cast their shadow as the sun slipped behind them. As PFC Arnone stood next to a bunker the slight howl of a 107mm rocket as immersed in the deafening explosion 20 meters away. Grabbing his gear and sprinting for the mortar pit, machine gun re, RPGs and 107mm rockets continued to rain down on the Vehicle Patrol Base. Reaching the mortar pit, a 107mm rocket impacted 5 meters from his position knocking him to the ground, collapsing the ammo storage bunker, and damaging the mortar bipod legs. Arnone swiftly began digging out another soldier that survived and was buried in the damaged bunker. Taking command of the soldiers in the area, PFC Arnone coordinated the of the ammo and repair of the mortar system while under heavy re. Quickly Arnone and his team began launching 120mm mortars onto enemy positions in the offensive that had them surrounded.

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32 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine |Summer 2024It is rare to meet someone who exudes positivity like Jeff Willie. The tenth of twelve children (the “Willie Dozen”), Jeff grew up a hard-working, driven country boy in Deberry, Texas. All 12 family members lived in a four-room home in the woods without electricity, without indoor plumbing, and without an automobile. Jeff’s father was a World War II Veteran, and his stories rst planted the military idea in Jeff’s mind. In 1965, his older brother joined the Air Force and helped that idea grow.It was at 19 years old that Jeff’s focus had to change. He had left Houston City College to work odd jobs and support himself. In January 1977, he was rushed to the hospital and received an acute appendectomy, “just in the nick of time” as the doctor told him. While recovering, Jeff lost his job. Pat, his girlfriend at the time—now his wife of over 45 years—had their rst child on January 1, 1977, and the couple soon married. Now, married, jobless, and with a baby girl, the next question Jeff had to answer was “how do I feed my family?”Enter the Air Force.The excellent salesmen that they are, a recruiter convinced Jeff to join the Security Police and focus on resource protection. The recruiter asked “Do you like to y? If you sign up to be in the Security Police, you guard the aircraft, and every time it leaves, you get to y on it as part of aircraft security.” Jeff, who had never been on a plane or to an airport, saw this job as an opportunity. Excited and ready to y, he eagerly signed up to be a Security Police.However, as he soon found out, Security Police did not y—the aircraft took off, and Jeff stayed behind on base.This wasn’t a problem though. Responsibility and resilience are characteristics Jeff was taught from a young age. He learned responsibility from his father, living the mantra that “if I say I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it well.” The rules, regulations, and routine in the Security Police could be mundane, but Jeff found ways to navigate his profession and engage himself as much as possible. While on his rst permanent assignment at Hahn Air Base in Germany, Jeff prepared himself for any situation he could encounter on base, learning as much as he could about the different military branches, weapons, and aircraft nomenclature. He began to develop his training and speaking skills and soon became a Security Police Trainer with just two stripes (Airman First Class/E3). Where many other airmen left the career eld because of the lack of excitement, Jeff saw opportunities to become the best Security Police possible. “When you don’t have a childhood, you grow up very quickly. You learn to be mature and responsible.” He took this attitude into every assignment and deployment, training at Army Infantry School to learn combat skills for Air Base Ground Defense, as well as becoming a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) instructor and a Combat Security Police instructor. In October of 1983, the United States enacted Operation Urgent Fury and rescued the Saint George Medical School hostages in Grenada. The morning they were called, many men from Jeff’s cadre at Little Rock AFB were on Alert—except for Jeff. However, by the afternoon on the same day, as he was helping his fellow cadre members onto the bus, one member came to him and said “Jeff, go home and get your stuff. You’re coming also.”Jeff went home and grabbed his “go bag.” Pat was working. His daughters were in school. Standing in the kitchen alone, he called his wife. “Honey, I don’t know where I’m going, but I’ll try to get in touch with you as soon as possible. But I gotta go.” Pat had to tell his daughters goodbye for him. Nine days later, he was nally able to contact Pat through a C-130 Loadmaster ferrying Army troops from Fort Bragg, North Carolina to Grenada. Jeff recognized the loadmaster, gave him his home phone number, and asked him to call Pat when he arrived at Fort Bragg. Pat received the phone call, and she informed the other cadre members to let them know they were okay. To this day, that memory stirs heavy emotions in Jeff.Jeff also served at Florennes AFB in Belgium and Dyess AFB in Abilene, Texas. He worked as a Security Police instructor at both locations, but at Dyess AFB, he switched into Human Resources career eld, (United States Air Force First Sergeant) wearing the rank of Master Sergeant and Senior Master Sergeant. After a 26-year military career, Jeff’s transition back into civilian life wasn’t easy. In fact, he states that his mindset and discipline are still military to this day. However, his transition was also opportunistic. Visiting Dallas for a job fair, he had a fateful meeting with a woman who got his resume to a University of Phoenix recruiter. With his years of teaching experience and multiple degrees, the recruiter at the school called Jeff and said he’d be perfect for their communications department. The rest is history—Jeff has been teaching at the University of Phoenix since May 2003, and he is currently working on his doctorate degree in Educational Leadership. Alongside teaching and research, Jeff is the CEO of Jeff Willie Leadership, an Executive Director of the John Maxwell Team (where he is a leadership consultant and leadership trainer), a motivational speaker, a speech and life coach, a conict resolution trainer, a diversity/equity/inclusion trainer, and a DISC Behavior Analysis consultant. His one leadership tip that applies to everyone is “learn to lead yourself well.” No matter where you are in the chain of command, if you can lead yourself, “a Man oF aCtion & reSolVe”The Story of SMSgt. Jeff Willie - USAF – CWE"A Man of Action & Resolve" continued on Page 44

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Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 33Richard Kirshen was born and raised in the city of Miami, the Sunshine State. He had a solid childhood and was working and going to college in 1967. He, like many other young men of that period, received his draft notice. Richard had a choice to make, either go in front of the draft board and leave things to chance or take fate into his own hands and join the US Navy. He tells his sister, “Forget this I’m not going into the Army, I’ll end up in Vietnam sure as hell and I don’t want to do that so I’m going to join the Navy today, tell mom and dad I’ll be home later.” Rich began serving his country in February 1967 as an undesignated seaman. His rst command was the USS Banner AGER-1 home ported in Yokosuka Japan. The Banner started her life during World War two as one of the Army’s US Coast Guard crewed ships. Acquired by the Navy in 1950 and converted into a light auxiliary cargo (ALK-25) ship. The Banner was assigned to the service force and supplied the Pacic Fleet from Hawaii to Hong Kong and everywhere in between. The Navy had a new mission in mind for the Banner and in October 1965 she was sent to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and converted into an “Environmental Research Ship” and re-designated AGER-1. In reality, the Banner became a signal intelligence or spy ship. Richard spent about a year on the Banner when he was offered an opportunity he could not refuse. During some downtime, he stated, “A yeoman came in and said look at this, what do you think?” The yeoman had shown him a request from the Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) looking for volunteers to become divers and go to dive school in the Philippines. “Sign me up right now!” he exclaims and with a little help, he was on his way. He completed Dive School on October 25, 1968, and after some additional Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training, his next stop was the place he enlisted to avoid, the Republic of Vietnam. Richard recalls the plane landed and an Army sergeant all dressed up “Looking open Casket sharp” came on the plane and in his Southern drawl welcomed the 90 of them and asked them to exit the plane in a zig-zag manner as they were under attack.Stationed at Cam Ranh Bay, where he was tasked with keeping different river channels up and down the coast clear by “mostly to blow up boats that were sunk” that were impeding the river trafc. His diving days were short-lived though when the Navy had a greater need on the Mekong Delta as the attrition rate was higher on the river. “Well then I don’t want to go,” he told an interviewer for the Cooper City spotlight “and I went, anyway.” Upon arriving in the Delta he was approached by a lieutenant and was asked if he had ever driven a boat before, “Jokingly I looked at him and went hey I’m from Miami.” A moment later he became maybe the only US Navy diver and River Boat Captain. “I have talked to a bunch of Vietnam Vets who were either a diver or a boat captain,” he tells me, “But not both.” The Mekong Delta was one of the most dangerous places for humans in 1969, as Richard would nd out on his second day going upriver. While transporting a load of supplies to an Advanced Tactical Support Base (ATSB). Richard noticed a white puff of smoke rising out of the jungle, immediately something ew across the bow of the boat and exploded on the starboard side of the river. A second one was red at them. Excited and mystied, he screamed to one of the crewmen, “What the Hell was that? The sailor calmly and deliberately nished a toke on his Corn Cobb pipe lled with something other than tobacco, looked over his shoulder and, with a shit-eating grin, stated, “It’s the fucking war, man.”Richard and his crew would make this same trip many times over the next four months. Each time unsure if it would be their last or if chaos would ensue. He was responsible for three other shipmates; an engineman and two deckhands. Each trip the crew would transport everything from toilet paper to munitions. However, he had to put his foot down once when he was ordered to transport barrels of gasoline, “One stray bullet and we were all dead’ he said. When asked how hard it was to disobey that order, “the punishment for doing that was being sent to Vietnam,” he said, “I was already there.”Richard might be a unicorn in another area too. He never lost a man under his command. The closest he got was during a reght on the Delta; one of his sailors screamed out that he had been hit. Richard went to his aid and saw him lying in an enormous pool of blood, thinking he was dead. “It felt like a scene from a movie” he picked the man’s head up and was asked, “Could you do me a favor?” “Here it comes” Rich thought. “He is going to ask me to tell his mom he loves her.” Instead, he got asked, “Do you have a camera?” His crew member had been hit in the back and had a large hunk of meat removed. The bullet had just grazed him but caused a large amount of blood loss. They laughed about it instead of crying. Richard would spend eighteen months in-country before he was discharged in 1970. Upon returning home he took Adrian Cronauer’s advice, “When you go into the jungle, I want to see you, CLASH.” That is what the former diver and boat captain did. He owned a successful interior design studio “it'S tHe FuCKing war, Man!”The Story of Richard Kirsen - USN – Vietnam"It's the Fucking War, Man!" continued on Page 44

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In the heart of Cincinnati, a man named Scotty Hasting embodies a profound truth; the human spirit can endure physical trials without diminishing its will to persevere. With the release of his debut Extended Play (EP), I’m America, on the horizon, Scotty’s journey from a baseball enthusiast to a valiant soldier and eventually to a therapeutic musician is a testament to this resilience.Baseball was not just a game for Scotty; it was a passion that sculpted his early years. His dedication to the sport led him to play semi-professionally, turning his love into a livelihood. But his patriotism ran as deep as his love for baseball. Driven by a fervent desire to serve his country, Scotty enlisted in the Army, committed to defending the nation and supporting his comrades.However, on April 21, 2011, Scotty’s life took a drastic turn. While on a mission to apprehend a notorious bomb maker, his squad encountered a hostile ambush. Scotty sustained severe injuries from ten rounds of gunre, marking a pivotal moment in his life.The physical recovery was arduous, but the psychological scars, including trauma and survivor’s guilt, posed a greater challenge. Rather than succumbing to despair, Scotty channeled his struggles into opportunities for growth. Embracing the Army’s adaptive sports program, he rediscovered his athletic spirit, eventually joining the U.S. Paralympic Program. The transition was not easy, especially with nerve damage in his right hand forcing him to learn archery left-handed. Yet, this challenge only further showcased the unyielding strength of his spirit.Archery provided a sanctuary for Scotty, a place where focus and breathing techniques kept his inner demons at bay. “The seven seconds before releasing the arrow, that was my peace,” said Scotty. “It was my moment of complete calm and my escape.” But the onset of the pandemic in 2020 brought unexpected obstacles, halting the Paralympics and stripping Scotty of his therapeutic outlet. It was in this silence and isolation that he discovered a new passion, music.Picking up a guitar for the rst time, Scotty educated himself through online resources and soon found solace in songwriting and performing. His afnity for ‘90s country music inspired him, and he began using music as a new weapon against his inner demons, offering him a longer-lasting peace than archery ever did. According to Scotty, “For that time when I’m on stage, nothing else matters. The PTSD, the depression, the anxiety, it all is gone and I’m able to be in the moment.”By 2023, Scotty had evolved into a recognized Nashville recording artist, collaborating with organizations like CreatiVets, Guitars 4 Vets, Operation Encore, and more. His music gained popularity on platforms like Gun Room Radio, and he even opened for artists like Dave Grohl from Nirvana, the Foo Fighters, and Jelly Roll. His rst major label release, “How Do You Choose” with Black River, delves into the depths of survivor guilt and the loss of his close friend Adam Scott Hamilton “Ham.”“It’s without a doubt the most meaningful and hardest song I’ve ever written,” said Scotty. “I’m so glad that I did it though because so many people have reached out and said that it’s helped them and that they have connected with it. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.”Having amassed nearly a million streams from the early success of tracks “How Do You Choose,” “I’m America,” and “Runnin’,” the forthcoming EP reects on the journey that has led him to this moment in his budding musical career. Scotty attributes much of his success to the support of his team, drawing a parallel between the collaborative spirit in the military and the music industry. “What we’re trying to do here at Black River and with myself is to just make the world a better place one person at a time. It’s so much more important than just me, and I think that’s what drives all of us here.”When asked about any advice he’d give his younger self, Scotty’s response was reective of his journey: he wouldn’t change anything, as his experiences shaped who he is today. “I’ve been saying this a lot lately, that my getting shot was kind of like the rebirth of who I am now. There was that guy before, and getting shot has redened who I am and who I want to be.”His ultimate dream venue is the Grand Ole Opry, a symbol of musical prestige and history. “I feel like the Opry is the pinnacle,” said Scotty. “When you play the Opry you know you’ve done something in country music.”In our conversation, Scotty’s choice of comfort food—pizza—mirrors the simplicity and authenticity of his character. Beyond his talents, Scotty is a man deeply committed to his fellow Veterans. His advice to fellow musicians? “Don’t quit.” This echoes the resilience he has shown throughout his life’s challenges.Scotty’s story, conveyed through various media platforms, extends hope and inspiration to many, especially those facing similar trials. His journey from a soldier to a musician is not just about overcoming adversity but about transforming it into a source of strength and healing.“Always remember your purpose for why you want to do it and don’t take no for an answer,” said Scotty. “Just keep going.”34 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine |Summer 2024Listen to 'I'm America' While You Read Scotty's StoryWritten by: Donald Dunn

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36 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine |Summer 2024Twenty-year-old active-duty Soldier, Cody Strause, is a talented young man with an infectious smile. He grew up in southeast Texas in a family with a history of law enforcement service. Coming of age, he had a friend joining the National Guard. This combined with the emerging conict in Ukraine had Cody thinking of things bigger than himself including old-fashioned concepts such as duty, service, and a warrior’s call. At eighteen Cody enlisted in the U.S. Army and soon found himself as an Airborne Infantryman serving in the legendary 82nd Airborne Division.The initial phases of serving in the military have experiences well known to Veterans including long hours, physically demanding tasks, and restricted freedom of movement. All these conditions do, however, contribute to the strengthening of camaraderie amongst one another. One of the elements that comforted, encouraged, and inspired Cody was music. While attending Airborne School where very few Soldiers had vehicles, Cody had a buddy with a truck on base. After work and late into the night they would sit in his truck listening to music, singing, and talking about life. These are some of his fondest memories.Cody had been intrigued by music since he was a child. At age seven he started playing with the keys of his grandmother’s piano out of curiosity. By ten or eleven he was given his grandfather’s guitar. As a teenager, Cody began to realize how inuential music was in life. It seemed to be the vehicle by which one could nd healing, inspiration, and support in navigating life’s challenges. The recognition of music’s potential and role in life seeded something deep in Cody’s heart. One day when the training schedule permitted he left base, went into a local pawn shop, and picked up a guitar. This was more than just an idle pastime; it was an outlet that channeled something deep and moving inside of him; something that stirred others too.Cody settled into Army life and the training regime, learning the life of a grunt. While contemplating and training for other challenges in his future as a soldier, he decided to audition for the Army’s All-American Chorus. He was accepted and began serving with the chorus in an unexpected turn combining his passion for music and his life as a Soldier. The chorus performed regularly regularly, and the venues varied. One day they may be at a local elementary school and the next at a festival. They performed the National Anthem at the Daytona 500 and are scheduled to perform in Normandy as part of a D-Day Anniversary.Cody wrote a song called, “2 A.M.” in April 2023. He played it for a friend who enthusiastically encouraged him to record it. He scraped together several hundred dollars (quite an investment for a junior enlisted service member) and paid for a couple of hours of studio time. Cody is of the generation considered to be digital natives. He downloaded an app that distributes music via multiple platforms and then leveraged social media to self-promote. On his website (codystrausemusic.com) Cody describes his music style by saying “I started at country, went to blues, jumped over to rock, and nally landed in a hazy spot between the three genres.”When discussing “2 A.M.” Cody smirks and says it is a song about a girl and a heartbreak of course. These are common themes in country music and something that resonates with folks. In this song, his voice starts clear, lonesome, and soulful before turning gritty, impassioned, and full of frustration in the chorus. The storytelling combined with the vocals and guitar evokes emotion in the listener and feelings of having been there before.Cody now has four songs released including “2A.M.,” “So Much More,” “Make Me Nothing,” and “Frostbite.” So “Much More” has a bluesy-rock sound that makes you tap your foot, smile, and roll the window down. FOR GOD & COUNTRYBy Adam WalkerLISTEN NOW'MAKE ME NOTHING'

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Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 37“Make Me Nothing” is a lonesome, retrospective song about regret that bridges brokenness with hope. “Frostbite” returns to the theme of heartbreak and truly displays the country, rock, and blues blend. Each of these songs reects tremendous talent. Music is more than just a hobby for Cody Strause. Christian faith plays a prominent role in his life, and he believes music is one of his gifts. He wants to use that talent to move people’s hearts. Music is inuential and speaks in a way mere words cannot convey. He has experienced this in his own life and wants to share it with others. Cody keeps this in mind as an artist and it serves to keep him grounded.This young man is also very balanced. A passion can become all-consuming, but Cody recognizes that he is still an active-duty soldier who has taken an oath. Some of his music aspirations, such as releasing an album, are on hold for now. There is no rush. He is still on his rst enlistment and must devote most of his time and energy to the Army. He has not yet quite arrived at the crossroads of a decision where he must choose to either reenlist or return to civilian life. Cody Strause enjoys change and like many who put on the uniform, is drawn to challenge. Though a regimented and somewhat predictable environment, there are so many opportunities in the Army to experience change and certainly no shortage of challenges to pursue. Time will tell if he transitions from Army life to pursuing music full-time, but for now, the two are meshing well. As Cody continues to mature as a soldier, in his faith, and his music, there is no doubt he will inspire, inuence, and impact others. He serves as an example that dreams don’t have to be put on hold, they can be engaged deliberately while still meeting the day-to-day demands of life. His maturity, charisma, and zeal exceed his two decades of life. These are exciting times, and we look forward to seeing what else comes from him.VISIT CODY'S WEBSITEAnd when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever.”2 chronicles 20:212 chronicles 20:21

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38 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024Diversity within our armed forces is truly remarkable, and it is the core strength of our military. It comprises of individuals who represent many races, ethnicities, religions, and creeds. The Fourth of July is a time to honor the sacrices made in the preservation of liberty and the building of a nation dedicated to justice and equal rights. Sometimes, through the tangled webs that are diverse, you nd resistant cells within communities. One rather concentrated example I experienced was when stationed for a number of weeks aboard the USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19). I and another Chief Petty Ofcer (CPO) were on board augmenting staff. Well, while partaking of the wonderful chow in the Chief’s Mess, we quickly discovered that there are a lot of mini-groups within the larger group of CPOs. We decided to, instead of just eating together every day, break the silence between groups by sitting at a different table at every single meal. At some tables we were met with silence, some a quick escape, some tolerance, and some inclusion. Only within the Filipino group was one individual who gured out what we were doing and was amused by our social experiment. Of course, this sort of gravitation towards ‘your own’ is to be expected, as sometimes it’s the closest that individuals can get to the accepting web of ‘home’ and belonging, as well as being able to express themselves in their native language.According to Lockwood (n.d.), “To civilians, chances are it is barbecues, ags, parades, throwing back a few cold ones and watching the night sky light up. There is so much more to it than that. To Veterans, the loved ones of the fallen, current service members, and their families, it is Independence Day. On July Fourth, they celebrate the country and the independence they and their loved ones were willing to sacrice their lives for. Remember that the birth of this nation came with the loss of life paid by heroes willing to sacrice everything so that we may know how precious our freedom and liberty truly are.”Diversity in my bloodline is a genetic connection to 20 different countries. You could say I have a veritable melting pot wrapped within my own DNA. I consider the many experiences had in my almost 15 years in the Navy as a part of that melting pot. My Russian grandmother, Isolde Valentina, married Albert Wright Weaver, a Navy Commander, soon after coming to the United States. He served as part of the Silent Service on board submarines during WWII while stationed in the South Pacic. He was the reason I was a part of the United States Navy, both Active and Reserve. Through personal example, he taught me pride in myself and honoring others from an early age. Both my grandmother and grandfather dealt with PTSD that was rooted in their upbringings and personal experiences. My grandmother carried permanent evidence of bomb shrapnel to her abdomen. I longed for stability and control within my family’s chaos and found it in my grandpa’s person and spirit.According to Melani (2023), “External triggers are anything in the environment that can activate the ve senses that bring you back to the moment that initially caused PTSD. There are certain things you hear, smell, taste, see, or feel that bring back reminders of the traumatic event. So, a car door slamming or any loud, unpredictable noise. For some Veterans, seeing other service members in uniform brings them back to their time. A lot of these are very idiosyncratic triggers.” As mentioned in another article (ScienceDaily, 2018), “The shock of noise and light may trigger a deeply learned expectation of danger.”Through serving my country, I learned that the 4th of July means something different to everyone. It was also a day to unite as one and celebrate in a tremendously diverse and community-driven manner. The freedom and diversity I experienced daily developed into my pride in service and honoring those who choose to continue ghting to support the freedom held close in each of our hearts. Guided by valuing community over self-objectivity, it creates the opportunity to reap the benets of dreams and aspirations. We are the 1% who choose to step up and serve. We still honor our oath.Life & LibertyBy Courtenay Nold, LTJG USN/R RetiredBy Courtenay Nold, LTJG USN/R RetiredReferencesLockwood, D. (n.d.). Veterans column: Fourth of July carries deeper meaning for some. Ventura County Star. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2020/06/29/ventura-veterans-fourth-july-independence-day-carries-deeper-meaning/3223233001/Melani, D. (2023, June 21). Fireworks and PTSD: Keeping the Warzone Out of the Fourth. News.cuanschutz.edu. http://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/reworks-and-ptsd-keeping-the-warzone-out-of-the-fourthScientists nd heightened attention to surprise in veterans with PTSD. (2018, January 9). ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180109090251.htmPoem by Courtenay Nold – Adapted to Lyrics by KD TrudgeLiberty bell rings true through a silent fissure.Diversity of voice heard behind golden treasure.The sound of opportunity heard through the open door-a symphony unassailed!Laboulaye lady lifts her light high as she reaches for the sky.Fifty stars with tattered stripes, swinging gently through the night.Stories told of steadfast hands fighting gallantly to protect our land.Bandaged wounds, love ones lost.The price of freedom, our sacrificial cost.No need to look it’s easy to see.The healing hope of family.Brothers and sisters bleed together.An infinite bond, always and forever.Blood stained earth beneath our feet.Hallowed ground where patriots meet.Oh the irony-fighting where we stand for peace.Home again, pain reverberates,echoing through body, heart and mind.Grateful for the power of a healing soul.Time takes time.Gratitude and grief - patriot blood runs deep.The memories of war cut into my spirit.Sparks from deep within begin in the dark.Sitting on this lawn chair, breathing in the night air, away from the rockets red glow, dreaming these thoughts as they tread ever so lightly whispering quietly to my soul.”Have a safe and happy 4th of July, but be sure to celebrate in your own way and within your own limitations. Above all else, thank you for your service.OXYGENOXYGEN

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Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 39Sisyphus was a megalomaniac who cursed the Gods and sought to prove himself better and shrewder than not only men but the Gods. His acts as a mortal man demonstrate a narcissistic king who feared no one whether mortal or immortal. Likewise, he had no sense of responsibility and was completely ignorant of any consequences for his actions. He deed not just the Gods, but the God of Gods. This deance was not an act of rebellion against a tyrant. Instead, this was the act of a narcissist who held himself in higher regard than the ultimate being in the universe. Perhaps Zeus let Sisyphus get away with a few acts of deance viewing him as just a mortal man who knows no better. However, eventually, Zeus became tired of the deance. Zeus, tired of his audacity, ordered Sisyphus to be dragged to Hades for his actions. Perhaps at this point, Zeus thought he was done with Sisyphus, yet the Underworld misjudged a strategic King who not once but twice tricked the Underworld. Sisyphus continued to live and make a fool of the Gods. At this point, Zeus had to act swiftly for such an unruly character as Sisyphus.Sisyphus was never a humble man, yet Zeus was able to achieve such an undertaking. Sisyphus, who thought himself too good for men and Gods alike, was nally humbled. The act of pushing a boulder up a mountain repeatedly for an eternity certainly can humble the most hardheaded of men. Zeus was nally able to break Sisyphus. To put it in better terms, Sisyphus was humbled and came to terms with his fate and himself. He was able to learn and grow as a person. The lesson here is to not get to the point that the Gods must humble us. We all have greatness within us but can easily lose sight of our humanity and the foundation that led to our success. If one takes success as a sign that one is better than others, one is bound to fall in time. Sisyphus may not have fallen in the mortal world, but his afterlife was certainly his fall. Sisyphus was a skillful and successful King for his kingdom in terms of building wealth and prosperity. If Sisyphus had been humble during his mortal days perhaps we would read the tale of a righteous and successful king.Even Sisyphus did not lose sight of the boulder going up the mountain. He did not let the boulder go halfway up the mountain and simply give up. He stayed focused one step at a time, even when he stumbled. If Sisyphus were to peek around the boulder to focus on where the mountaintop was, the boulder would have rolled back. The focus is the goal that has already been set concentrating on one step at a time, putting your all into one step followed by the next. One will set out a goal in life no matter how big or small. The goals we create for ourselves help to shape the character of the person we are and will progress towards. It is not the accomplishment of the goals that will dene us, but how we react to the process. Sisyphus did not sit around and sulk. He did not moan and complain about his damnation. Instead, Sisyphus focused on his goal of pushing a mighty boulder up a mountain one step at a time. He knew if he continued to push forward, no matter the situation, he would reach his goal.A person will struggle through mental, physical, and spiritual exertion to reach that goal. Each step one takes he or she will seek to have stable footing. Once the feet are stable, one will push that boulder a little more, making room for the next step. Finally, through great exertion one is about to peak and release the boulder. However, as soon as the goal is met, reaching the top, the boulder tumbles back to the bottom of the mountain.As one walks back to the bottom, it is a moment to enjoy the previous goal being reached, but also the time to plan out the next goal. Once success is reached, we know we can reach the goals we lay out for ourselves. Once the plan is set, it is time to plant our feet rmly in the ground and begin to push to our next goal, our next boulder to be pushed up the mountain.This is a lesson of life as we continually go up our own mountain. One day we push the boulder of work up the mountain and receive a promotion or bonus or whatever goal we may have. However, once we reach that goal, our boulder tumbles to the bottom. We now have to push the boulder up the mountain again with a new goal in mind. This is the same in our personal life. We build relationships with family, friends, co-workers, etc. We build by reaching out and supporting others. However, a single act or set of acts alone does not make a relationship set for life. It has a solid foundation, but we must continue to be there and support those relationships during our lives.Note: Chad H. Lennon is a Major in the Marine Corps Reserve, Suffolk County Legislator for the Sixth District, and Attorney. Chad is a member of the New York State Veterans Hall of Fame and set the World Record for pulling a 400-pound chain for one mile in 63 minutes and 18 seconds while raising over $6,000 for the Semper Fi Fund.WHY SISYPHUSSISYPHUS MATTERSWritten by Major Chad H. Lennon, USMCPART II

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40 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024Stories shared from my broadcast interviews often allow a deeper perspective into a guest’s life, background, and feelings. Some of those conversations open doors into memories forgotten and more often it allows for a greater appreciation of those memories for both the guest and the listeners. These stories are not manufactured but rather taken from real people who have lived real events and then shared them with me and with my followers. When researching guests for my podcasts I often nd that if they have served in the military there is a foundation of character, focus, integrity, and discipline that is established for the rest of their lives. That is clearly the case with Terry Drake who uses those four qualities as the cornerstones of his Drake Athletics organization. He is tough as nails for a reason and is also compassionately steadfast in his life’s mission.While Terry enjoyed a lucrative career in the healthcare industry, it is his love and intense passion for football that guides his future by sharing that intensity with others, especially at-risk youngsters and teenagers. Through his football and cheer camp programs, he uplifts children and helps them achieve their goals and dreams.The re started when Terry was a standout football player in college. So much so that his talents on the eld led to a professional football career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League. He is also actively involved in the NFL Players Association and adapts many of their programs into the regimen that he teaches to his students currently. When talking with Terry about these programs it is evident that he cares about every student under his guidance and will stop at nothing to help each one achieve success for their efforts. And while Terry has a staff of highly qualied instructors, he chooses not to direct from an ofce chair but rather from the playing eld.Terry’s approach to coaching has led to four state championships in Florida and Texas over the years and being named Coach of the Year in both locations. The real character of this man is that when these accomplishments are mentioned, he bypasses the personal accolades by giving credit to his coaches and to the young athletes and cheerleaders who pour their hearts and souls onto the playing eld. He lights up when he shares stories of taking timid non-athletes and turning them into ferocious competitors. When asked about whether his coaching techniques can be shared with other programs around the country, he is quick to state that he will talk with anyone about his methods and even travel to any location necessary to share his expertise and knowledge in uplifting lives and character in young people. Coach Drake not only talks the talk, but he knows how to walk the walk. He is proud to be called a mentor and many of his student athletes see him as a father gure because, in some of those cases, he is. His eyes light up when he shares these stories because he knows that he is making a difference, and gratitude is felt on both sides.Off the eld, Terry is a licensed and certied motivational speaker and life coach. He loves to address school audiences as well as corporate gatherings because his lessons learned are adaptable to most cross sections of life. Success is achieved when people are motivated, and nobody knows motivation more than Coach Terry Drake. When talking with him you can hear it in his voice, and you can see it in his eyes. There is an ability in each student that he works with. Through his programs and guidance that ability surfaces and is developed to its fullest potential which ultimately builds condence and character in that person. Having coached and mentored for more than twenty years, Terry still stays connected to many of his former students and their progress. He is constantly improving his methods and techniques with the upcoming generation of potential athletic superstars. All while developing character, focus, Integrity, and discipline.Please check out DrakeAthletics.net for additional information and reach out to Coach Drake at TDrakeCFL31@gmail.com. And don’t be surprised if the response comes to you personally from Terry himself. He is that kind of guy.

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Summer 2024| AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 41I REMEMBER WHEN...I REMEMBER WHEN...I REMEMBER WHEN...I REMEMBER WHEN...I remember way back when I was a college sophomore I heard of a Marine Corps program that accepted candidates for a very special program called the Platoon Leaders Course (PLC) program. If I were to pass the physical and mental examinations, I would be eligible to attend a summer boot camp at Quantico Marine Corps Base, VA. If I completed that particular program, I would be invited to my 2nd summer boot camp the next summer. If I were to nish that program and graduate from college with a Bachelor’s Degree, I would be sworn in as a 2nd Lt., thus qualifying me to return to Quantico to continue my ofcer basic school training.I believed I could complete two summers of Marine Corps Boot Camp, nish my college education, be promoted to 2nd Lt., and nd myself at USMC Basic School being trained as a leader of young Marines not much younger than I, to prepare them to defend our US of A against all the bad guys, foreign and domestic who seek our demise.But rst, I must go to Marine Boot Camp. At least I was not going to be at Parris Island, NC, or San Diego, CA, about which all sorts of stories, rumors, and tall tales had been shared with me. I mean, after all, I planned to become an OFFICER, so MY boot camp could not be that kind of experience. My experience would be most enjoyable – wouldn’t it?Allow me to elaborate. My rst experience began at a Washington DC train station. It was when I was rearranging the gear I packed for my trip to VA, knowing I would be going south to a relatively warm climate. I packed two bathing suits, four summer shorts, three colorful short-sleeved Hawaiian shirts, and my undies. I was ready for summer. It was in the air. All’s right with the world until a very foggy voice crackled out some kind of noise. I think it said something like, “Get into those damn cattle cars!” What the hell was a cattle car? We were screamed at, yelled at, and bellowed at by three uniformed Marines, each one bigger than the other, inviting us to load our asses as swiftly as possible. We were told NOT to look out the windows. After 40 minutes of rumbling down Shirley Highway (I peeked), we ended up somewhere on the grounds of Marine Corps Base, Quantico, VA.A mean-assed, loud-mouthed giant of a Marine, shouted and shoved to his heart’s content and nally ended up standing in front of me, the last skinny-assed PLC candidate leaving that cattle car. The shit hit the fan! It was because I was last. “NO MARINE IS EVER LAST! NEVER IN A MONTH OF SUNDAYS IS A MARINE LAST!” My legitimate reason for being last was quite simple, we were placed on the bus in alphabetical order. I was about to tell him; however, I thought twice about doing so. You may now take a moment or two to ponder why I chose to remain silent. I was carried off the bus by this giant, who just happened to grab me by the front of my colorful, new, short-sleeved Hawaiian shirt (neatly packed I remind you), only to nd out he choked off a couple of buttons and ripped the shirt down the middle of my back (by accident?) I heard no apology. Should I have? Was this the way they treated future ofcers?My next wonderful experience occurred when they had the audacity to deny me my own individualism, my uniqueness, the most important personal asset that separated me from every other human being. My uniqueness was gone. In one minute it was gone. I found myself sitting in someone’s chair. They called him a BARBER!! My uniqueness was gone in one minute, maybe less than one minute. At that very moment, I was seeing those candy-assed candidate recruits watching me and laughing at how many more cuts and bruises I might have compared to what was on their skulls. We were shouted back into line and while I tried to stand at attention, not quivering or wavering one inch, I happened to see a small banner waving in the warm summery breeze. Now, that is the breeze I was going to enjoy all summer. But what I read on that banner jumped right out at me. It was a simple saying that I believed was unique, carried a truism, went straight to my heart, and opened my eyes to the reason I was there standing at attention. It read...WHERE PERFECTION BEGINS!WHERE PERFECTION BEGINS! What a unique message! That’s what they wanted and that’s what they want from me! They need perfection and they need it from me! My future was in that banner’s message. Internally, at this point in time, I can almost hear me saying my decision to become a United States Marine Corps Ofcer was the moment I eyeballed that banner. From this humbling start, I survived two summer boot camps, graduated college with a BS, and completed seven months of ofcer training at our beloved Quantico. My boot camp experience was not the “Summer Camp” experience that I thought it was going to be when I set out from home. It turns out that it was no different than any other Marine’s experience. It was grueling. It was hot. It was hard. It was long. It was painful. But, most of all……”It was worth it!!!”uSMC 'SuMMer CaMp'by Paul Sullivan, Ret. Captain, USMCPaul Sullivan, Ret. Captain, USMC resides in Massachusetts with his wife Beverly.

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42 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024There’s an interesting historical anecdote that comes from the 1787 Philadelphia Convention that resulted in the Constitution of the United States. The story involves Benjamin Franklin’s contemplations upon the sun engraved in the back of the chair (pictured above) used by George Washington as he presided over the Convention. Franklin stated that he “Often and often in the course of the Session, and the vicissitudes of my hopes and fears as to its issue, looked at that behind the President without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting: But now at length, I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting Sun.”It is interesting to note Franklin’s reections on what the sun might have portended at that time for the edgling United States. While Franklin’s interpretation of the engraved sun’s symbolism might have been correct in 1787, I do not harbor the same enthusiasm in 2024. If I am being honest, I must state that the sun seems to be setting. With each passing minute, the light of the republic seems to fade, leaving darkness to ll the void. [1]One of the greatest examples of this encroaching darkness is the current moral state of our military. This issue is known as moral injury.MORAL INJURYBefore I describe what it is, let me quickly explain how I came across the term, at least within the context I use it here. Recently, I have participated in several events of public discourse with individuals seeking to inform others about the true effects of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) COVID-19 injection mandate. A few weeks ago, I was given a few minutes to share my perspective on the current situation, and in doing so, I spoke about the feelings of resentment permeating the military. I explained how currently serving and recently separated or resigned troops feel great disgust toward their leaders. These weren’t just my opinions; I’ve heard this openly discussed by troops still in uniform or those who have recently left service. When I nished my comments, a prominent member of the group whom I have come to greatly respect, Dr. Crisanna Shackelford, spoke up and mentioned that the phenomenon I was speaking about had a name: moral injury.I had certainly heard of moral injury before and was well aware of the concept but I had not yet made the connection between the term within this specic context of the COVID-19 injection mandate and its impacts on individuals, on the military as a whole, and even on society. In hindsight, of course, the connection was obvious, totally valid, and extremely signicant.More recently, we have had subsequent public discussions in which we have spoken more clearly and deeply about this particular phenomenon and what it means for the institution charged with supporting and defending the Constitution and our country.WHAT EXACTLY IS MORAL INJURY?We can consult the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs entry for the topic. To understand moral injury, we must acknowledge that when under “Traumatic or unusually stressful circumstances, people may perpetrate, fail to prevent, or witness events that contradict deeply held moral beliefs and expectations.” This can then lead to moral injury, the “Distressing psychological, behavioral, social, and sometimes spiritual aftermath of exposure to such events.”The nature of the COVID-19 policies, including the injection mandate, has undoubtedly caused immeasurable moral injury. To truly see this, we must understand that there is a large portion of the currently serving military population, as well as many Veterans who have recently departed from service, who are surely suffering a moral injury in some capacity that falls within the denition provided above from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The website explains that these suffering individuals likely fall into the following groups. Those who participated in some action that goes against their own moral code. These would be those individuals who were uncomfortable with the policies implemented by DoD but went along with them, perhaps to save their careers. This group could also include those who were initially “true believers” in the injection policies but have since learned the reality of the objectives behind the mandates and now nd it difcult to reconcile their own previous actions with what they now know.Those who witnessed an action that violates their own personal moral code. These are the individuals who MORAL INJURYMORAL INJURYA BLOG EXCERPT BY LTC BRAD MILLER (RET)Chair used by Washington during Philadelphia Convention. Photo from classroom.monticello.org. Public Domain.

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Summer 2024| AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 43did not directly participate in the harmful actions that were part of the COVID-19 policies. They may have even openly opposed them and perhaps were even harmed in some way by the policies such as loss of promotion, loss of desired duty assignments, or loss of one’s career entirely. This can be difcult for individuals to accept because they likely feel a strong sense of identity and professional kinship with an organization (the military) that has betrayed their trust and has instead turned against what it purportedly stands for such as the Constitution.Often individuals can fall into both of the above categories. One can participate in bad actions as part of a group or organization that also pushes the bad action. In this type of case, the participating individual perhaps feels they were trapped and coerced into doing what they did. In turn, they feel both like a perpetrator and a victim.How does this moral injury manifest itself? Again, we will consult the Department of Veterans Affairs website for their entry on the topic of moral injury. First, those who commit acts that violate their own moral code (Group #1 above), will feel guilt. This guilt is act-oriented, which means that the person’s guilt is directly tied to whatever action is deemed to be in direct opposition to the person’s moral code. The feelings of guilt will manifest themselves as something like, “I committed a bad act and I feel guilty about the act.”Specically, there are leaders all across the military who feel guilty for pushing the COVID shots on their subordinates when now it is abundantly clear that the shots were harmful. They may also feel guilty about marginalizing the individuals who resisted the injections. Whether or not these individuals have the courage to admit their guilt and do anything about it remains to be seen, but the guilt is undoubtedly there.Another way in which moral injury affects those in Group #1 is through shame. The shame goes further than guilt. Rather than being about what one has done (the act), shame is about who one is (the actor). This shame is expressed in terms such as, “I am a bad person because of what I did.” It is immediately clear how destructive this type of shame could be. It can be prejudicial to one’s self-esteem, professional output, and relationships with others in both a personal and professional setting.There are leaders across our Armed Forces who feel uncomfortable with themselves as a result of the policies they carried out. They are having a hard time looking at themselves in the mirror. Some of them have a hard time wearing the uniform because they question whether or not they deserve to wear it. They are now unsure of their own character. They question whether or not they are the type of person who should be serving in the military or whether or not they should be serving in a leadership or command capacity. Again, perhaps they lack the courage to speak up but that does not mean that they are not internally conicted.It doesn’t end there. The entry on the Veterans Affairs page tells us that disgust is another potential effect of moral injury. Disgust primarily affects the moral injury victims in Group #2. This is a massive problem. This means that there are currently serving troops who feel disgusted with their leaders and with their organizations. They may actively resent both their local leaders at the unit level (these would be the leaders they interact with daily) and also the senior level leaders in the Pentagon that service members see as holding overall responsibility for the harmful policies.Truthfully, we must admit that many individuals will feel more than one of these sentiments, particularly if they see themselves as both a perpetrator and victim of the harmful COVID-19 injection policies. Let’s think about the nature of the military and how this might impact the ability of our Armed Forces to perform their crucial role of national defense.As I mentioned above, there are thousands of service members right now in uniform, going to work every day who not only do not trust their leadership but actively resent them. Further, there are service members who resent themselves. Most dangerously, there are service members who resent themselves and their leadership.Let’s also not assume that many of DoD’s leaders aren’t themselves suffering from moral injury. They are. In many cases, they may be the objects of contempt from their subordinates while also harboring resentment against themselves. Do we really think these individuals can effectively lead their units? First, their character is suspect. On top of that—and concerning moral injury—they are the objects of derision from their subordinates while also castigating themselves for their moral failings. This is a leadership disaster.HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING FROM MORAL INJURY?The number of those who have suffered and continue to suffer moral injury is larger than the number of those who have suffered and continue to suffer physical injury. I would argue that all service members who are physically injured from the injections, provided that they acknowledge the injection is in fact the cause, are also suffering moral injury because they feel victimized by the military and their leaders. They may also resent themselves for consenting to take the shots which ended up physically injuring them.However, there are plenty of others who are not physically injured from the injections but are morally injured from them. One group would be those who took the shots and as of now have suffered no ill effects. Despite having escaped physical harm thus far, many of these service members feel that they were lied to, coerced, and even threatened to make them take the shots. Others took the shots more freely without much coercion, but now feel lied to about the supposed necessity or benets which turned out to be completely untrue.Another group of morally injured are those who resisted the injections entirely. They were subjected to ostracization within the unit as well as extreme detriment to their careers. In fact, many of them lost their careers entirely and some of these were within a short window of earning their retirement pensions. Others lost out on promotions or on-duty assignments for which they were otherwise completely eligible. Many of those who were affected in this way feel betrayed by the institution they faithfully served that prides itself on the character of its leaders.Lastly, many other individuals have never worn a military uniform and yet have still been heavily impacted by the military’s harmful policies and therefore are also victims of moral injury. How many military spouses have watched in horror at the way DoD treated the service members to whom they are married? How many children have witnessed what was done to their parents? How many of these children might have wanted to join the military one day but now will never do so? How many parents watched how their sons and daughters in the military were treated? How many other Americans watched in disgust at the way their military relatives or friends were treated? How many of these individuals, who perhaps have never served in the Armed Forces personally, once revered the military but now feel disgusted by the organization charged with protecting our freedoms? All of these individuals are also suffering moral injury by witnessing the extreme dysfunction that now permeates what had long been one of the most trusted institutions in the country.Brad Miller is a West Point graduate and former Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army. He was relieved of Battalion Command in 2021 for refusing to go along with the Covid-19 injection mandate. He ultimately resigned from the Army after 19 years of active service.SCAN TO CONTINUE READING >>>'Moral Injury' was orginally published in Brad Millers Substack on May 2, 2023.

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44 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024over the preceding twenty-seven years contributed to this mission. They made him ready.Erickson wrapped up his nal tour in Quantico, Virginia as the Operations Chief for Training Command.Master Gunnery Sergeant Erickson retired from active duty after thirty years in a ceremony held at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. This was a tting location for a man who contributed so much to the Marine Corps and its history. After all these years and all his achievements, he still speaks with a mixture of pride, awe, and humility at having earned the title of Unites States Marine. His service and example will continue to impact generations."Earned the Title, Marine" continued from Page 30"A Man of Action & Resolve" continued from Page 32you will make a difference in your life and the lives of others.Jeff Willie can only be described as a man of action and resolve—a true leader. Every “NO” he has received in his life simply means “New Opportunity.” There will always be naysayers and challenges, but Jeff Willie simply works harder, learns more, and nds a way to succeed.in Miami Beach for 37 years before retiring. His clients included Jimmy Page, Sofía Vergara, Barry Gibbs, and the author of the Hannibal Lecter series, Thomas Harris. While traveling with his wife, she noted he was always writing, and he should write his stories for his family. That conversation led to him writing “Vietnam War River Patrol: A US Gunboat Captain Returns to the Mekong Delta” and the ction tale “So, Let Me Get This Straight.” He has collaborated on three others. Richard also mentors Veteran writers, helping them nd their voices through their words. Just like he did on the Mekong Delta, “It’s the fucking war, Man!”"It's the Fucking War, Man!" continued from Page 33

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46 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024If a fully loaded bus crashes and kills fty people, it is a lead story picked up by various news outlets, at least for an hour or two. If a busload of people crashes and kills all those onboard for a second day, it becomes national news. The Federal Department of Transportation would open an investigation. The crash sights would become memorials with candlelight vigils, prayers, and demands of accountability.Now imagine the same thing happening for the third day, a fourth day, and then a fth day in a row. Two hundred and fty lives were lost between breakfast on Monday morning and after-work drinks on Friday. What do you think would happen by the fth day?The National Transportation Safety Board would immediately dispatch dozens of professionals to review the scenes. Millions of dollars would be spent to gure out how this happened, and, more importantly, how to prevent it from happening ever again. The average citizen would stand up, demanding answers, and petition for immediate action. They’d send money to GoFundMe accounts and do what good people do when faced with such tragedy and unthinkable misfortunes.Politicians would make speeches. Congress would hold hearings. The media would play its relentless blood sport of blame and outrage. Tire companies would have secret reports leaked by insiders. Combustion engines would be blamed until someone claims, “It all started in the battery compartment.” Lawsuits would follow the blame game, and in three to ve years, long after the media attention dies off, a report would be submitted in secret with ‘eyes only’ stamps plastered across the encrypted digital les.In the end, the passengers would be blamed as the cause of each death. With the ofcial postmortem released, fteen minutes of media fame would resurrect the deaths as martyrs for a cause a country is not yet ready to handle or understand. Another uniquely American saga as we all drive past the daily crash sites without so much as a glance in the victims’ direction. End of story, right?Now imagine there is a bus crash every single day for the rest of your life. Imagine a bus crash killing fty people from the time you were born until the day they put you in the ground some eighty years later. That would mean you lived in a time when 1,460,000 lives were lost simply because they chose to get on a bus. One and a half million souls surrendered to a metal box and a guaranteed date with death.What if I told you the bus story was true and happening every single day? What would happen if I told you the story of one of those deaths, would it help you understand the metaphor? What do all the passengers have in common, and why did they keep getting to that damn bus? Would Congress and the authorities charged with guring out what was happening look into the reason behind the tragic endings, or would they simply lay blame with a ‘palms up’ head shake and that look of lost comprehension as they offer that same old tired logic while tossing more money at the problem? They know another bus is going to crash tomorrow and the day after that… never-ending, never slowing down, never failing to pay the toll that delivers them to a white marble gravestone with its blackened letters.a datewithsuicideD. Paul Fleming

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Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 47Unsatised with leadership’s approach, oversight reports, and the endless nger-pointing by those hired to handle our affairs, the general public steps in and tries its best to solve the problem. Civilians raise funds, form outreach organizations, lobby Congress, and volunteer time, blood, and sweat to nd answers and end the nightmare.Civilians look at the deaths and notice the commonality between the broken bodies and their own lives. All the passengers are just like them, exactly like them with one exception. They see the passengers coming from all walks of life. They ll the ranks of society from cities and farmland without notice of skin or income. Every possible race takes a seat on that bus. Every religion is represented without a cross to bear from one faith or another. The hairstyles don’t matter, nor does the way they speak, how they sound, or what level of schooling sits in their les of life to date. Shoe size or clothing preferences matter not. Bank accounts with college funds or snap cards waiting to be reloaded hold no sway to the riders or the bus company. They believe they have given their last full measure, and the bus ride is their only remaining option. A ride that will take them to life’s nal destination.Now, what if I changed the narrative by replacing the word ‘bus’ with ‘suicide’ and ‘passengers’ with ‘Veterans’? What would change? Would Congress hold hearings with the same ambition? Would the media run with the story, or the federal investigators march in lockstep with DOD, VA, and civilians to nd answers, solve the problem, and put an end to the daily grind of caskets, frozen uniforms, and endless stream of broken families? I think not.The fact is, we are losing somewhere north of fty Veterans a day to suicide. The number, most likely, is double, but no one really has a true handle on the body count. Those of us living the nightmare see things for what they really are. A never-ending line of holes, polished wood with handholds, and a Liberty Flag clutched in the arms of today’s sorrow and tomorrow’s replay. We all know what’s happening, but we don’t know what to do. I say it’s time we take charge and gure this out. We, as Veterans, seem to be looking for answers from every direction except the right one. We are hoping, praying this plague will go away or the VA, Congress, or someone will nd a solution, a miracle drug or potion that we can sprinkle in our coffee and POOF, no more suicides. We need to solve this from within our ranks. We, as Veterans, MUST lead our fellow Veterans off that bus destined for A Date with Suicide.Where do we begin? How do we nd that starting point, and what happens next? Well, I’m sure we all remember that infamous statement learned on day one of our military careers. Never volunteer! I’m going to break that golden rule and step into the ring line. I’m going to tell my story and expose the most painful experiences in my life. In doing so, you are going to get to see what it’s like to walk in the boon dockers of someone who survived the onslaught of the deadly mental campaign of self-inicted death. You will hear directly from those who sat with the means and intent to become a passenger on that bus.I’m going to open my soul and expose the raw reality that walked hand in glove with my emotions, my mind, my body, and my spirit as they waged war against each other to save my life or end the pain. I’m going to tell stories about my life that I’ve never told a living person, not even my wife who’s stood by me for so many of the decades of mental and physical torture, torment, and the battles to keep my sanity.I’m going to talk about what it was like to battle the VA and the nightmares as they both laid claim to my will to live. We’ll talk about the transition from the military. We are going to discuss what a Veteran is, not just the denition, and what makes us all Veterans regardless of MOS, combat or cook, yeoman or Navy SEAL. In the war with suicide, I’ve learned the Grim Reaper cares not about your rank or medals, our ribbons, or length of service. It only cares that you earned the title of Veteran.We are going to walk, talk, and chew on all the issues that play into the hands we were dealt while serving our country. We are going to learn to tell our story. We are going to help each other overcome the fears that sit inside of us, the ones that don’t want to be told because they worry we will be looked upon as weak or worse. We are going to nd starting points and learn about ourselves in ways we thought we never would.We are going to war against the greatest enemy we’ll ever face—ourselves. We are going to learn we are not in a battle against suicide; we are in a war against A Date with Suicide....STARTING POINTS: The topics we’ll focus on are Trauma, Transition, and Telling our story. We will also discuss what a Veteran is, who we are, and why we don’t feel we’ve earned the title. The questions we’ll address are ‘what happened to me’ and ‘why’. These are our starting points. Ground zero in the ght against A Date with Suicide – Book one of the series by D Paul Fleming US Navy Retired 100% Disabled Veteran.

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48 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024It was my lifelong dream to join the military. I remember playing on the playground with my friend Jeff, we started climbing the school house wall (which we got into big trouble for). While doing this I said something to my friend “ It’ll be so cool to do stuff like this in the Army.” he proceeded to ask me “Why the Army? They’re wimps, be a Marine, they’re lean mean ghting machines.” Jeff’s dad was a Marine. After that day, I was going to be a Marine. Fast forward through high school, I had blown off ACT’s / SAT’s because I was joining the Marines. Marines didn’t need to be smart right? I had enlisted in the DEP and I was going to sign up after graduating. Well MEPS found out that I had childhood asthma, and now I needed a waiver. My DEP was now extended and I wouldn’t ship ‘til November. I missed out on being infantry because Boatspaces (MOS) were full, even though we were in the middle of the Iraq and Afghanistan war. I had to pick a different job. I wanted to ght. The only job that sounded fun and like I’d have a decent career doing when I got out was Air Crew on a Helo. Turns out I enlisted in an open contract and my recruiter pulled the old bait and switch. They never lie right?So upon graduating from boot camp, I am told that my MOS will be 6821 Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (METOC). I still assumed it was an aviation job, something high-speed. I was told I was going to be a weather watcher for artillery. I wasn’t opposed to being artillery, at least I’d be contributing directly to whooping the enemy’s ass, just indirectly by re. Well, I was wrong again. I was a cloud watcher. Literally. I was not happy about my job when I got to the Marine Combat Training Battalion (MCT), I requested to be infantry. I was told that if I could pass MCT with ying colors, I would be able to transfer over to the School of Infantry (SOI) and then go into the infantry. Well, I almost died from heat stroke, severe heat stroke. I drank too much water and ended up in the hospital after a short coma and literally on death’s door. I was told that I wouldn’t be going to SOI, I was devastated. Why? well, you see my older brother was a Marine. A Sergeant in 1st Battalion 4th Marines. He had participated in the early stages of Afghanistan, and the invasion of Iraq. I looked up to him. I wanted to be him. Anyway, I got sent to A school at Keesler AFB MS. I wasn’t happy with my new “job.” I wanted out. I could have done the easy thing and failed the School House (MOS School) if I had known that I wouldn’t get kicked out. But I wasn’t about to take the easy road life. So I gave the School House my all and got sent to Okinawa, Japan, for my rst duty station. Far away from war, and to boot, I got station orders. Non-deployable unit for two years. Cool. Not at all what I wanted. I MAKE DEATHDEATH EARN ITPART Iby Sgt. Clinton Bowers, USMC 05-12

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Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 49wanted to feel like I was doing something. I really hated my job now.I had a girlfriend, who is now my wife, and the mother to my four boys. We hated being apart. I knew I wanted to marry her, and I asked her, over the phone, drunk, if she would marry me. I had to repeat myself the next day when I was sober so she’d believe me. She said yes. So we started preparing to have a wedding. I was going to y home, and get married, then when I left Okinawa, pick her up on the way to my next duty station. Well, our sister unit deployed, left us stuck at that little aireld, undermanned, and my leave got canceled. I was reaaaallly starting to dislike my job and the Marine Corps. Well, nally I got orders off that rock. I was stoked.I got orders to where I grew up as a Marine. Camp Pendleton, California. Other than Colorado, this place felt like home. I loved it there. I loved my chain of command. I loved my new unit. I loved everything. My new unit saw me on the inbound roster, and no one wanted to deploy, so they put my name on the deployment roster. I got there in June and was set to deploy ASAP. Constant training, predeployment everything, gave my new wife and me very little time to actually be a couple. We savored every minute we could together because we knew it wouldn’t be much longer.Well, in October I was sent to Iraq. I had no idea what I was going to be doing. I was just an extra body for the surge. I was under 1 MEF, which meant, I could be sent anywhere to do anything, because well 1 MEF was who was all over the whole battlespace at the time. I got stuck in Kuwait. I was sent around the world, in a hurry, because they needed bodies in a ght, and I got stuck in a First World Country, to shuttle people to and from the airport! I was pissed. I volunteered for anything that would get me sent to Iraq. Every time, I got picked last like the kid who sucked at dodgeball. Always stuck in Kuwait. Handing out ammo for Marines getting ready to y to Iraq and whoop ass. Driving around the camp in a soft top humvee, checking light plants, taking out trash, making sure water pallets were stocked. All on an Army base of all places too. Then we had our morning brief. “I need volunteers to go to Camp Fallujah.” My hand shot in the air. I had heard about Fallujah. It was still crazy there. “Okay Bowers, go get your shit, you leave tomorrow at 0300 and be back at the Cmmand Operations Center (COC).” I ran out of the COC. I was like a little kid. I was packing my pack meticulously. Double-checking straps. Gear list. Junk on the bunk. “Okay got all my shit.” My Sergeant walks in. “Bowers, do you know what you’re gonna be doing?” “ No Sergeant, I don’t really care, I just know shit happens at Fallujah, and I want in it.” “Be careful what you wish for boy, I was there in 05, that place is fucked. Keep your head down, stay frosty, you know how to get ahold of me, call me if you need ANYTHING.” “ Aye Aye Sgt.” That was the last time I’d see Sgt Dopp. He got rotated to the rear while I was gone. He was a reservist who was recalled from Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). He hated he got recalled from IRR to be stuck in Kuwait. He was a grunt, now he was just a gloried limo driver.Anyway, I got to Camp Fallujah and it was pretty uneventful. The occasional Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) for Quick Reaction Force (QRF) to respond to, tower and Entry Control Point (ECP) duty. A couple of foot patrols. No reghts, I was never in an explosion, seen a few, heard a few, and we’d catch potshots now and then, but really it was pretty easy. We had a bunch of Third Country Nationals (TCNs) on base and Iraqi Police. I didn’t learn until later that the whole reason I got sent up there was to provide security for this place while the other Marines taught the Iraqi police how to do our job, so we could hand the camp over to them. I eventually got sent back down to Kuwait after about a month of being there. I stayed in Kuwait for the rest of my deployment. Man was I excited to get on that plane. I went back to Camp Pendleton and nally got to hold my wife.Stay tuned for Part II coming up in our Fall 24' Issue of AT EASE! Veterans Magazine. “WARRIORS BY DAY, LOVERS BY NIGHT, PROFESSIONALS BY CHOICE, AND MARINES BY THE GRACE OF GOD.”

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50 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024On a late July day in 1964, at a pier in Keelung Taiwan, the crew of the destroyer, USS Maddox, made preparations for leaving port. It was a routine day for the ship, herself a Veteran of both World War II and Korea.1 However, this was no ordinary cruise, for attached to the ship’s deck was an unusual piece of equipment. This was a shipping container that had been modied into a portable electronic intelligence facility and designated as a “Communications Intercept Van” (COMVAN), Along with it came a detachment of one ofcer and 15 operators from the Naval Security Group (NAVSECGROUP), the US Navy’s signals intelligence organization. Their assignment was to track and analyze communications and radar trafc off the coast of North Vietnam.2The day before, the ofcers of the Maddox received a brieng on their mission by an ofcer from NAVSECGROUP. During the brieng, Maddox’s commanding ofcer asked the following question, “Will my ship be attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin?” The brieng ofcer replied- “No. Yours is not the rst ship in the Gulf. The Vietnamese have taken no hostile action against US Ships in the past, and I believe they will take no hostile action against your ship.”3 Subsequent events would sadly prove otherwise.Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on 22 November 1963, Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson assumed ofce as the 36th President of the United States. Two days later, the new President received his rst brieng on the ongoing war in Vietnam. Though he had personal misgivings, Johnson favored a stronger, more determined US policy in Southeast Asia.4 At the same time, he also feared that acting too aggressively could potentially trigger a confrontation with China and the Soviet Union.5 There was also the coming Presidential election to consider.6 With his mind on domestic issues, the President sought a “middle way” to accomplish America’s goals while at the same time not seeming too provocative. Johnson found his answer from Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. Using the Cuban Missile Crisis as his model, McNamara proposed a plan of graduated pressure to convince the Communists of the futility of their efforts and bring them to the negotiating table.7 Recent intelligence estimates on North Vietnamese reactions seemed to conrm this.8 Thus, Lyndon Johnson accepted gradualism as the ofcial US policy in Southeast Asia. Among the measures taken under this plan were coastal raids by motor torpedo boats using Vietnamese crews and designated OPLAN 34A. While their effectiveness was limited, these raids t perfectly with the policy of gradual escalation.9 At the same time, the US Navy was running covert operations in the Tonkin Gulf. Known as DESOTO patrols, these involved destroyers cruising off the North Vietnamese coast gathering electronic intelligence. Admiral Ulysses S. Grant Sharp, Commander in Chief Pacic Fleet (CINCPAC) did not think the patrols provocative, and considered Hanoi’s capability for attacking to be “Non-existent.” The most recent patrol by the destroyer USS Craig between 25 February and 9 March 1964 seemed to conrm this as the ship encountered no interference.10 However, the escalation in covert operations caused a reaction from the Communist side. In response, the North Vietnamese deployed a signicant number of their naval assets, consisting of Soviet P-4 Type motor torpedo boats and Chinese-built “Swatow” gunboats to their Southern coast.12 The stage was now set for events that would in time change the course of history.DeSoto in DiStreSSThe Tonkin Gulf IncidentBy John F. Davies “DESOTO in Distress” Illustration by author.

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Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 51On 28 July 1964, the Maddox departed Keelung and arrived on-station on 31 July. Staying an average of 12 miles off the coast, the Sigint crew in the COMVAN commenced their monitoring operations.13 That night, there was an OPLAN34A raid on nearby Hon Me island. Though the Maddox was nearby and played no part in the operation, the Communists still actively monitored the destroyer’s movements.14On 2 August, US Intercept stationed in the Philippines and South Vietnam received messages conrming an impending attack on the Maddox by North Vietnamese naval vessels.15 It appeared that Communist forces mistakenly believed that the Maddox had been involved in the previous night’s raid.16 The task force Commander, Captain John J. Herrick, subsequently ordered the Maddox further out to sea, increasing her speed to 25 knots on a Southwest heading and departing the operational area. At 1400 local time, the Maddox’s radar picked up three contacts approaching at high speed. Captain Herrick immediately sent out a ash message indicating that he would open re if attacked. The carrier USS Ticonderoga, steaming 280 miles to the Southeast, was then contacted with a request for air support. In response four F-8E ghters were dispatched to assist the Maddox.17 At approximately 1500, the North Vietnamese PT boats T-333, T-336, and T-339 were sighted visually. As they closed in, the Maddox red three warning shots, which were subsequently ignored by the incoming vessels. Captain Herrick immediately gave the order to commence ring. The North Vietnamese PTs then made torpedo runs on the Maddox, all of which went wide and scored no hits. They then passed close into the destroyer and opened re with their 14.5mm guns, scoring only one hit. The Maddox responded with a fusillade of 5-inch shells, however, no direct hits were scored. In the confusion, PT boat T-339 became separated from the others, with the Maddox giving chase to the remaining PTs.18 At almost that very moment, the ight of F-8s from the Ticonderoga appeared. The four jets split into pairs and attacked the eeing PT boats. Their 20mm cannon and Zuni rockets caused serious damage and casualties upon boats and crews, leaving T-339 dead in the water.19 Their task now completed, the ghters departed the area, as did Maddox. The following day saw the return of the Maddox to the gulf, accompanied by the destroyer USS Turner Joy, which had been detached from the Ticonderoga task force.20 At the same time, President Johnson announced that patrols would continue in the Gulf of Tonkin, and “would attack any force with the intention of not just driving it off, but destroying it.” Despite the previous day’s actions, another OPLAN 34A raid was conducted against a coastal radar site at Vinh Son. However, the North Vietnamese were instead concerned themselves with salvaging their damaged patrol craft. While they continued monitoring the two destroyers, the Communists nonetheless refrained from any further engagements.21 As the day wore on the weather worsened. Rain squalls reduced visibility and the sea became rough with six-foot swells. Captain Herrick had since again moved his task force offshore to have more maneuver room should an attack occur. In addition, the SPS-40 air search radar on the Maddox was inoperable, as was the SPG-53 re control radar on the Turner Joy. Thus, both ships entered a potentially hazardous area not fully combat-ready.22 Ominously, a SIGINT message had also been intercepted indicating that there were “Imminent plans of DRV Naval action against the DESOTO mission.”23 At 2040, radar operators on both ships registered multiple contacts on their screens. These unidentied contacts, known as “Skunks,” appeared to come from multiple directions, and would quickly disappear, then reappear. Sonar operators also began to report high-speed propeller noises, indicating torpedoes, in response both ships commenced ring.24 Confusion was rife that night, with both destroyers discharging their armament on the eeting radar images. In one instance, the Maddox came within inches of mistakenly opening re on Turner Joy.25Once again, the call went out for air support. Besides the Ticonderoga, the carrier USS Constellation had arrived station-on-station to reinforce the air element. Both ships immediately launched aircraft. But the confusion at sea was mirrored in the air, with Ticonderoga’s ight milling above the destroyers. Unable to direct the ight herself, the Maddox gave control over Task Force Commander Captain John J. Herrick and USS Maddox CO Commander Herbert L. Ogier aboard USS MaddoxOfficial US Navy Photo, NHHCNorth Vietnamese PT Boats approaching USS Maddox, 2 August 1964Ofcial US Navy Photo, NHHC

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52 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024to the Constellation’s E-1 airborne control aircraft, and proper direction was soon restored. The ight then proceeded to illuminate the area with ares, however, no surface contacts were acquired. The aircraft were soon recalled back to their respective carriers.26 The task force in the meantime ceased re and withdrew at 2335.While rst believing that the radar contacts were genuine, Captain Herrick began to have doubts. He quickly sent out the following message: “Review of action makes many reported contacts and torpedoes red appear doubtful. Freak weather effects on radar and overeager sonar men may have accounted for many reports. No actual visual sightings by Maddox. Suggest complete reevaluation before any further action taken.”27Both CINCPAC and the Pentagon viewed the situation differently. Despite there being no physical evidence to support them, the reports from the Tonkin Gulf were taken at face value. What nally convinced them was the same intercepted message which indicated preparations for another attack on the destroyers. Admiral Sharp and Secretary of Defense, McNamara, now rmly believed that an attack had occurred that night. However, recently declassied NSA documents now show that the message refers to the previous engagement of 2 August, and their actions were in response to the OPLAN 34A raids.28 However, this information did not change minds in the Pentagon or the White House. Within three hours after receiving word, President Johnson ordered air strikes in retaliation, scheduled for 0700 on 5 August.29Code named, Operation Pierce Arrow, the mission involved aircraft from both Ticonderoga and Constellation, striking naval bases and the oil facility at Vinh. President Johnson then scheduled a televised message announcing the attacks as they were in progress. However, because of delays, Johnson’s announcement was made while many aircraft were still en route. The attacks themselves were relatively successful, destroying 33 naval vessels, as well as the oil tanks at Vinh. However, two aircraft were lost, both from the Constellation. The first pilot, Lieutenant (jg) Richard C. Slater, was killed in action, while the second, Lieutenant (jg) Everett Alvarez, was shot down and captured, spending 8 ½ years as a POW.30 At this point, with the coming Presidential election in mind, Johnson used the opportunity to pressure Congress into passing a resolution authorizing the Executive Branch to take unilateral military action in Southeast Asia. Later known as the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, this act literally gave Johnson a “blank check” to use force in Vietnam. It was soon passed by both Houses on 7 August 1964 with just two dissenting votes.31 The stage was now set for full-scale American involvement in the Vietnam War. However, for political reasons, Johnson nevertheless acted cautiously and did not react when another DESOTO patrol red at phantom radar images on 18 August.32Tracking Chart: 2 August 1964 Official US Navy Photo, NHHCTracking Chart: 4 August 1964 Official US Navy Photo, NHHCLt. Commander Dempster M. Jackson, Executive Officer, USS Maddox, and Communist 14.5 mm round. Official US Navy Photo, NHHC Situation Report from Captain Herrick on actions in Tonkin Gulf on 4 August 1964 National ArchivesNorth Vietnamese naval vessels under attack by aircraft from USS Constellation, 5 August 1964 Official US Navy Photo, NHHC

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Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 53...Footnotes1. USS Maddox Association website. http://ussmaddox.org/2. “How to Help Start a War” Captain Norman Klar USN (ret) Naval History August 20023. Ibid4. Dereliction of Duty H.R. McMaster Harper Perennial, 1997 pp 48-585. Ibid. pp 148-1496. Ibid. p.1087. Ibid. pp 62-848. Special National Intelligence Estimate Number 50-2-64 National Security Archive pp 10-119. “Grand Delusion: US Strategy and the Gulf of Tonkin Incident” Edward J. Marolda Naval History, July, 201410. Ibid11. “Skunks, Bogies, and Flying Fish: The Gulf of Tonkin Mystery” Robert J. Hanyok NSA Historical Study National Security Archive pp 9-1012. “Tonkin Gulf and the Escalation of the Vietnam War” Edwin E. Moise University of North Carolina Press 1996 pp 70-7213. Ibid. p. 6514. Ibid. p.1215. Ibid. p. 1516. “Surprise Attack” Larry Hancock Counterpoint, 2015 p. 27317. Hanyok, p. 1618. Moise, pp. 71-8219. Ibid. pp. 82-8620. Ibid. p. 9421. Hanyok, pp 20-2122. “The Truth About Tonkin” Lt Cmdr Ray Patterson, USN Naval History, February, 200823. Declassifed NSA Intercept 5/****/R11-64 National Security Archive24. “The Truth About Tonkin” Ibid.25. Moise, pp 140-14126. “Remembering the Gulf of Tonkin” Forrest “Zeke” Zetterberg Naval History 11 August 201427. Moise p 14328. Essay: 40th Anniversary of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident John Prados National Security Archive, 200429. Hanyok, P.2430. Moise pp 210-22431. Ibid. pp 225-22932. Hanyok pp 45-4633. Moise pp 240-25434. USS Turner Joy historic ship website https://ussturnerjoy.org/On 3 November 1964, Lyndon Johnson was returned to ofce by one of the largest popular majorities ever. The following year saw the rst US combat troops deployed to South Vietnam, and soon they were in action. At the same time, China sent in massive amounts of men and materials to assist her Southern neighbor. The Soviet Union, whose previous relationship with Hanoi had been strained, now mended fences, and also sent military aid and advisors.33 Once more, the Cold War was about to turn hot.As for the ships involved, the USS Maddox continued serving with the 7th Fleet, herself later seeing action off the Vietnamese coast. She was then decommissioned in 1972 and transferred to the Taiwanese Navy. After serving as the Po Yang, the former USS Maddox was broken up for scrap in 1985. The USS Turner Joy experienced a different fate. She too saw action off Vietnam, having the distinction of ring both the rst and last naval gunre shots of the war, and is now preserved as a museum ship in Bremerton Washington.34 She also now serves in a new role as a memorial to the naval personnel who served and sacriced in America’s decade-long war in Southeast Asia.President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, 10 August 1964 | National Archives“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy

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Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 55Soon after I entered the world, I received my rst scar. As an infant, I had pyloric stenosis, a blockage between the stomach and small intestines. I’m told that it was a rather simple x, but it did leave a large scar on the right side of my abdomen. As a child, the scar was more of a curiosity than anything else. I remember making up funny stories to tell my friends about how I got the scar such as “I was wounded in a shark attack.” As I grew older there would be other accidents that left scars as reminders of milestones in my life. There were scars on my legs and elbows from my time as a high school athlete playing lacrosse, basketball, baseball, and football. There is a scar on my thumb from one of my rst jobs working in a restaurant kitchen where I had an unfortunate encounter with a slicing machine. There is a scar on my chin that I notice whenever I look in a mirror. I got that scar when I was in the Army, driving a M113 tank. When I hit a bump in the road, my head slammed into the cockpit, and I ended up with a nasty cut that required stitches.The scars that have had the most profound impact on my life, however, are not ones that left a mark on my skin. These scars, while invisible to the eye, have left a lasting effect on my life in ways that go far beyond what my visible scars can tell about my life.In 2003 when I entered the United States Army, I took those visible scars with me to Fort Knox, Kentucky. I was taking a break from college when I joined the Army, and the idea of a military experience seemed like a good t for me. After basic and advanced training at Fort Knox, I was assigned to my rst duty station at Fort Irwin, California as a 19 Delta Cavalry Scout. Although physically I had met all of the requirements to become a soldier, I was woefully unprepared for the emotional scar that would wound me in a way that I never expected while I was there in the desert. That wound was the result of a hazing incident that occurred when a few of my fellow soldiers tried to break my spirit by duct-taping me into a fetal position. The desperation I felt during that incident broke something loose inside me and left a mark on my soul that would change my life forever.After that hazing experience, I was a different person. I have since learned that mental illness can be underneath the surface, waiting to push its ugly head out to control a life. The results of that hazing incident produced a different Me--someone who was suspicious of others, thinking they were going to do me harm. I was now paranoid and fearful of everyone around me. I thought people were stealing from me, talking about me in negative ways, and making fun of me. All this made me suspicious of my fellow soldiers, and I began to isolate myself from them. Of course, they saw me as a nonconformist, and they kept trying to get me to follow orders. However, in this new altered state, I was confused about every aspect of life. One particular delusion I had was that I had a special form of ESP, a special power that would benet the Army. I thought God was going to use me to teach soldiers to be self-aware, so I referred myself to the mental health clinic on post. No one in the clinic was impressed with my special powers, but instead, I was referred to the hospital for psychological testing and received a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Specically, I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder which is a chronic mental health condition characterized primarily by symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hallucinations or delusions, and symptoms of a mood disorder, such as mania and depression. I would go on to learn that my brain disease would leave an internal scar that would remain with me forever; that I would take medication for the rest of my life, and that my future would be a battle to manage the symptoms of this disease. I was twenty-three years old, young, inexperienced, and facing the greatest challenge of my life--something I was totally unequipped to handle. Thankfully, I received an honorable discharge from the Army with a 100% disability rating. When I returned home to Virginia, I was not the person who had left. I refused to accept my diagnosis and without the medication that I was supposed to be taking, I began acting out in ways that were extremely detrimental to my health and well-being. I didn’t understand the voices and delusions inside my head. I was angry that my parents didn’t understand what was going on with me. In my chaotic rants, I tried to make them accept that I could ght this on my own without medication. Although they did their best to support me by researching my diagnosis and by attending a group for parents of mentally ill loved ones, I believed that they, too, were hearing the voices I was hearing and were part of the conspiracy to cause me harm. Having made eye contact with me, my parents were listening to the wrong voices, and I wanted them to just listen to me.I had a savings account that was quickly depleting. I would not take my medication, and my head was full of voices not understanding who they were talking to. My parents nally made the hard decision to call the police because I had become a danger to myself and even to them. It could have ended badly, but even I was tired of the voices in my head. It has been several years since I was committed to that psychiatric hospital. Today I am happy to say that I am in recovery. My recovery has not been in weeks or months but in years. During those years I have gone through trial-and-error periods with my medications, and with the help of my doctors and with my own patience, I have reached a place where my symptoms are manageable. Along with an antidepressant, I now take a monthly injectable which eliminates the need for remembering whether or not I have taken my meds. I still have symptoms, but if my symptoms are getting in the way of life, I know I can have a conversation with my doctor about that.Knowing what is going on around me is an important part of my continuing recovery. I have learned to examine the evidence around me to determine whether what I think is happening is part of reality or non-reality. If there is no evidence, then it is my brain disease talking. The voices are still in my head. Sometimes they are in the form of commentary--sometimes insulting voices, like conversation, as if the person is in the same room as I am in. One delusion is ongoing--a voice in my head of an old man who likes it when I mess up or just waits until I do so. Sometimes they are the same voices I heard in the desert or on the evening when the police took me away from my parent’s home.Perhaps most importantly, I have accepted that I have a mental health diagnosis. I have a brain disease that can affect my perception of what is going on around me. I take a medication that helps with that--just as a person who has heart disease might take a medication to relieve his symptoms. I have decided not to be silent about my diagnosis. There is nothing that I have to be ashamed of. Some people may not understand my diagnosis, but if they give me the opportunity, I can tell them what it’s like to live with a brain disease.Time can heal all wounds, but the scars on my psyche will always be there where I can feel but not see them. My ongoing recovery is a sign that healing is taking place. In my recovery, I have chosen to not dwell on the losses but to live my life the best I can. Part of that purpose is to continue to shed light on mental illness through my writing of rst-person accounts and to ght the stigma that surrounds mental illness and prevents people from getting the help they need. Through my writing and advocacy, I have become an educator for those who need to understand what life is like for someone living with mental illness.Dennis Leary said, “Happiness comes in short doses.” I think that means; grab hold of the simple things. That can be a walk around my neighborhood to observe nature, a cup of coffee or tea, or listening to some Miles Davis jazz. Recovery, for me, is about embracing life again. BY JASON JEPSONWAGING WAR ON MENTAL ILLNESSSummer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 55

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Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 57PROUDLY SERVINGOUR BRAVE MILITARYGet your discount today.No official U.S. Army or Department of Defense endorsement is implied. Some discounts, coverages, payment plans, and features are not available in all states, in all GEICO companies, or in all situations. GEICOcontracts with various membership entities and other organizations, but these entities do not underwrite the offered insurance products. Discount amount varies in some states. One group discount applicableper policy. Coverage is individual. In New York a premium reduction may be available. GEICO may not be involved in a formal relationship with each organization; however, you still may qualify for a specialdiscount based on your membership, employment or affiliation with those organizations. GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees Insurance Company, Washington, DC 20076; a BerkshireHathaway Inc. subsidiary. © 2022 GEICO 21_6557704554630 Long Prairie Rd | Flower Mound469-390-6500geico.com/flower-mound-ferring¡Hablamos Español!In the fall of 2023, I received a text message from Texas native Henry Hernandez. He and I had served as infantry platoon sergeants together in the Marine Corps twenty years ago. Back then we were stationed in the high desert of Twentynine Palms, California. We each stayed in uniform and completed several deployments to Iraq before retiring. We then began to navigate life outside of the military. We were pretty close after all we went through together in the Corps and the war, but our contact nowadays was infrequent. We touched base on key dates and shared updates about our families and the mini adventures we generated for ourselves including hiking and road trips. The text Hernandez sent me basically went something like this, “Hey bro, you ever heard of the Bataan Memorial Death March out in New Mexico?” When I responded in the negative, he said “Well, check it out, ‘cause we’re doing it.” In uniform, we had been peers and buddies, but he was the senior platoon sergeant, and I naturally followed his lead. I said, “Roger that” and the planning began.BY ADAM WALKER | HEAD WRITER

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58 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine |Summer 2024The Bataan Memorial Death March is a 26.2-mile grueling hike held aboard White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. March 16, 2024, was the 35th year of the event. Bataanmarch.com described the history of the event as follows:“The Army ROTC Department at New Mexico State University began sponsoring the Bataan Memorial Death March in 1989. The memorial march was to mark a page in history that included many native sons and affected many families in the state. In 1992, White Sands Missile Range and the New Mexico National Guard joined in the sponsorship and the event was moved to the White Sands Missile Range. Since its inception, the Bataan Memorial Death March’s participation has grown from about 100 to about 9,600 marchers. These marchers come from across the United States and several foreign countries. While still primarily a military event, many civilians choose to participate in the challenging march. Participants get to choose between two courses: a 14.2-mile and a 26.2-mile course.”Hernandez and I both have a strong sense of history, military tradition, and lineage. Several years earlier he visited Bataan in the Philippines while deployed. I served a tour with the Fourth Marine Regiment (who participated in Bataan in 1942), so we each felt a certain kinship and perhaps a sense of duty to undertake the event.The march is intimidating but draws folks from all walks of life. There are lightweight and heavy-weight divisions. The heavy-weight divisions require carrying at least 35 pounds which will be weighed before and after the march. Additionally, a participant can choose to sign up as an individual or in a team (requiring a minimum of ve members). There are categories for military, ROTC, and civilian. Though we consider ourselves tough old hombres who have endured a lot of physical and mental challenges throughout our years in the grunts, we are also each teetering on opposite sides of fty years old with the associated aches and pains. As such we signed up for the civilian, light-weight division.Old habits die hard, even more so when you’ve been institutionalized by the Marine Cult, I mean the Marine Corps. In the months leading up to the hike, we kept in touch making adjustments to gear lists and our training regiments. We tackled this hike like it was an operation. A week before execution we made a nal phone call for coordination of logistical plans. Hernandez would drive from Texas, and I would y from North Carolina. Like many other participants, we camped on base the night before the hike and enjoyed the pasta buffet held at the base ofcer club.We woke in the dark of pre-dawn and packed up our gear. Memories of eld ops and deployments made this act so familiar. We moved to the starting point and took our place with almost 5,000 other participants. It was chilly but there was excitement in the air. The chaplain opened with an invocation, the national anthem was played, and then a salvo of cannon re kicked off the hike. We paced ourselves and plodded on for the next nine hours. There were rest stops at various intervals staffed with friendly and helpful volunteers. They offered water, sports drinks, oranges, and bananas. The rst couple of miles seemed a little crowded but as each fell into their own pace the crowd spread out. Hikers and volunteers were friendly and engaging, encouraging, and motivating one another.Some of the march is on pavement while many other miles are on dirt and gravel roads. About 20 miles into the hike is a 3-mile stretch known as the Sand Pit, an apt name for the ankle-deep churn. Opinions differ on which is harder on the body, the uphill climbs or the toe-smashing downhill trek. Hernandez and I were surprised to see such a diverse group of participants. There were active-duty military, young people in ROTC units, middle-aged veterans, senior citizens, children, and many ordinary, out-of-shape civilians. It was inspiring to see people commit to this challenge and refuse to give up even when they seemed to have bitten off more than they could chew. The refusal to quit was not so much a display of stubbornness, but rather the rendering of great respect to the memory of those brave men who endured such brutality in 1942. There seemed to be a collective understanding of simply, “I can’t quit.”The nish line was lined with cheering, live music, and a festival-like atmosphere. Participants’ names were called out as they crossed the nish line and medals hung around their necks. Hernandez and I took a picture together and limped back to the truck feeling pretty good for a couple of washed-up old grunts. We agreed to return and hike it again but began plotting to recruit some guys from our old unit to join us. The event was challenging, memorable, and a good way to remember the Veterans who went before us. It also provided a vehicle to experience the same camaraderie we shared in uniform as our miles were lled with stories and laughter. Highly recommended.A sea of participants as far as the eye could see.Henry Hernandez & Adam Walker... Just two old Grunts!MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. Adam & Henry pose with their medals at the nish line.

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60 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine |Summer 2024FROM MY POINT OF VIEW:FROM MY POINT OF VIEW:By Cristie RemmelPatriotism is a powerful force that unites Americans in a common love for their country. It is a sentiment that runs deep in the veins of many citizens, driving them to defend and protect the freedoms and values that the United States stands for. From the founding fathers who fought for independence to the brave men and women who serve in the military today, patriotism has been a driving force in shaping our nation.American patriotism can be seen in many forms, from ying the ag proudly outside homes to standing with hand over heart during the national anthem. It is a feeling of pride and loyalty that transcends political differences and binds people together in a shared understanding of what it means to be American.One of the most iconic symbols of American patriotism is the Pledge of Allegiance. Recited by school children and citizens alike, it is a solemn promise to uphold the values and ideals of our nation. The pledge reminds Americans of the sacrices made by those who came before them and the duties they have to uphold the freedoms that were fought for.Patriotism can be seen in the celebrations and traditions that mark important dates in the nation’s history. From Independence Day reworks to Memorial Day remembrances, these events bring people together to honor the sacrices and achievements of those who have shaped the country.American patriotism is a powerful force that unites the American people in defending and upholding the values of the United States. Patriotism is evident in everyday acts, as well as more solemn moments, and it is not just about symbols but a commitment to the core values of freedom, democracy, and equality. Patriotism inspires individuals to stand up for justice and work towards a better future for themselves and their PATRIOTISM:A POWERFUL FORCE UNITED BY LOVE FOR COUNTRY

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HAVE A STORY TO TELL?We're always looking for Veteran stories! Whether it's your story, a family members or a Soldier you've read about... let us know! We are also looking for 'Boots on the Ground' Veteran organizations, making a tangible difference in the lives of Veterans. ... Every Veteran has a story to be told...Email us at: les@ateaseveteransmagazine.comcountry, proving to be a resilient force in times of trial and triumph.As the nation continues to evolve and change, American patriotism will continue to play a vital role in shaping its future. It is a force that transcends borders, uniting people of all backgrounds in a common love for freedom and democracy. American patriotism is a force that has shaped the nation for generations and will continue to do so for generations to come, serving as a powerful reminder of the values and ideals that make America great.In recent years, our patriotism has been put to the test. Issues such as racial inequality, political divisions, and foreign conicts have challenged our unity and resolve to the nation. But through it all, patriotism has proven to be a resilient force that binds people together in times of trial and triumph.To improve our patriotic duty as a society, it is important to remember that patriotism is not just about displaying symbols of national pride, but also about actively participating in our democracy and working towards a more inclusive and just society. Here are some tips on how we can all contribute to the collective duty of patriotism:1. Educate ourselves and others about the history and values of our country, including the struggles and sacrices made to achieve the freedoms we enjoy today. Encourage education on American history and civic engagement to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the principles that underpin American patriotism2. Engage in civil discourse and respectful debate with those who hold different viewpoints, to nd common ground and work towards solutions that benet all Americans. Encourage participation in democratic processes, such as voting and activism, to uphold and strengthen the democratic principles that are fundamental to American patriotism3. Volunteer in our communities and support causes that promote equality, justice, and opportunity for all individuals. Support community service and volunteerism as a way to demonstrate love for country and contribute to the betterment of society4. Vote in elections at all levels of government and hold our elected ofcials accountable for upholding the principles of democracy and serving the best interests of the people.5. Support our military service members and veterans by honoring their sacrices and advocating for their well-being and support.6. Celebrate diversity and promote inclusivity by embracing the rich tapestry of cultures and backgrounds that make up the American experience. Promote patriotic movements to ensure that all voices and perspectives are valued and represented7. Practice good citizenship by following laws, respecting others, and actively participating in our civic duties.By taking these actions and embodying the principles of American patriotism in our daily lives, we can all contribute to a more united, compassionate, and resilient society that honors the ideals on which our nation was founded.In the end, our patriotism is more than just a feeling or a symbol. It is a powerful force that unites people in a common cause and inspires them to work towards a better future for themselves and their country. It is a force that will continue to shape the nation for generations to come.

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IN AN EFFORT TO NEVER FORGET, THIS PAGE WILL SERVE AS A MEMORIAL TO OUR BROTHERS & SISTERS WHO GAVE EVERYTHING!IN AN EFFORT TO NEVER FORGET, THIS PAGE WILL SERVE AS A MEMORIAL TO OUR BROTHERS & SISTERS WHO GAVE EVERYTHING!THIS ISSUE WE REMEMBER THIS ISSUE WE REMEMBER VIETNAM MIA VIETNAM MIASS & AFGHANISTAN 13 & AFGHANISTAN 13WE WILL NEVER FORGET!WE WILL NEVER FORGET!WE WILL NEVER FORGET!WE WILL NEVER FORGET!T A P ST A P SSummer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 63RANK/NAME BRANCH DEATH DATE DEATH LOCATIONCOL.BANNON, PAUL WEDLAKE AIR FORCE UNACCOUNTED FOR LAOSCOL.BENNETT, WILLIAM GEORGE AIR FORCE UNACCOUNTED FOR VIETNAMMAJ. DEICHELMANN, SAMUEL MACKALL AIR FORCE UNACCOUNTED FOR VIETNAMSGT. LAWRENCE, GREGORY PAUL AIR FORCE UNACCOUNTED FOR VIETNAMLTC. BURNHAM, DONALD DAWSON ARMY UNACCOUNTED FOR VIETNAMSFC. COLEMAN, JIMMY LEE ARMY UNACCOUNTED FOR VIETNAMSP5. FORD, EDWARD ARMY UNACCOUNTED FOR VIETNAMSFC. HARGROVE, OLIN ARMY UNACCOUNTED FOR VIETNAMSGT. BAILEY, JOHN HOWARD MARINE CORPS UNACCOUNTED FOR VIETNAMMAJ. CARLTON, JAMES EDMUND MARINE CORPS UNACCOUNTED FOR VIETNAMCAPT. KETCHIE, SCOTT DOUGLAS MARINE CORPS UNACCOUNTED FOR LAOSCPL. ANDERSON, THOMAS EDWARD MARINE CORPS UNACCOUNTED FOR VIETNAMAXCS. BURNETT, DONALD FREDERICK NAVY UNACCOUNTED FOR VIETNAMCDR. EARNEST, CHARLES M NAVY UNACCOUNTED FOR SOUTH CHINA SEALCDR. HOGAN, JERRY FRANK NAVY UNACCOUNTED FOR VIETNAMLTJG. JONES, JAMES GRADEY NAVY UNACCOUNTED FOR GULF OF TONKINSource Database: https://www.pow-miafamilies.org/number-of-americans-still-missing-and-unaccounted-for-by-state.htmlAFHGANISTANSSGT HOOVER, DARIN T. MARINE CORPS 26 AUG 2021 ABBEY GATE, KABUL, AFGHANISTANSGT. ROSARIOPICHARDO, JOHANNY MARINE CORPS 26 AUG 2021 ABBEY GATE, KABUL, AFGHANISTANSGT. GEE, NICOLE L. MARINE CORPS 26 AUG 2021 ABBEY GATE, KABUL, AFGHANISTANCPL. LOPEZ, HUNTER MARINE CORPS 26 AUG 2021 ABBEY GATE, KABUL, AFGHANISTANCPL. PAGE, DAEGAN W. MARINE CORPS 26 AUG 2021 ABBEY GATE, KABUL, AFGHANISTANCPL. SANCHEZ, HUMBERTO A. MARINE CORPS 26 AUG 2021 ABBEY GATE, KABUL, AFGHANISTANLCPL ESPINOZA, DAVID L. MARINE CORPS 26 AUG 2021 ABBEY GATE, KABUL, AFGHANISTANLCPL SCHMITZ, JARED M. MARINE CORPS 26 AUG 2021 ABBEY GATE, KABUL, AFGHANISTANLCPL MCCOLLUM, RYLEE J. MARINE CORPS 26 AUG 2021 ABBEY GATE, KABUL, AFGHANISTANLCPL MEROLA, DYLAN R. MARINE CORPS 26 AUG 2021 ABBEY GATE, KABUL, AFGHANISTANLCPL. NIKOUI, KAREEM M. MARINE CORPS 26 AUG 2021 ABBEY GATE, KABUL, AFGHANISTANHM3 SOVIAK, MAXTON W. NAVY 26 AUG 2021 ABBEY GATE, KABUL, AFGHANISTANSSG KNAUSS, RYAN C. ARMY 26 AUG 2021 ABBEY GATE, KABUL, AFGHANISTANSource Database: Summer 2023 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine

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View of the hills we traveled over on Operation Lancaster. Over those hills is the South China Sea. © 1967 VL Stevenson64 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine |Summer 2024The brass told us it would be a one-day sweep and we would be back in camp before dark. On Sunday, November 5, 1967, without hesitation, we climbed aboard the waiting 6x6 transportation trucks and made our way down Highway 9 from Camp Carroll to a location near Cam Lo Combat Base just about six miles south of the DMZ. If all went well, we would return to Carroll for a hot meal, a cot, and canvas overhead.The sweep was part of Operation Lancaster which began in November 1967 and lasted until January 1968. However, 2nd Battalion 9th Marines (my unit) only participated for a brief time before being reassigned to our next operation called Kentucky. Preparation for a one-day operation is simple: travel light. But one thing I learned from an earlier operation: don’t skimp on ammo or water. Being the smart old salts we were, my buddies and I decided to opt out of carrying any C-rations. Each C-ration meal weighed between 1.63 to 2 pounds per meal. Carrying two days of C-rats (one morning and one evening) would add up to nearly eight pounds to an already heavy load. At the time it seemed like a smart decision.From the Cam Lo Combat Base, we began our sweep north in the direction of the DMZ. Day one was relatively uneventful with us only capturing some caches of weapons. The terrain was rolling hills covered with thick brush, not as bad as some operations we had encountered. By late afternoon we nally reached our rendezvous point, but no trucks were waiting to take us back to Carroll. It was now getting dark, and unbeknownst to me and my buddies, the 9th Marine Regimental Command had changed our orders and notied our CO. The next words that came down were the dreaded, “Dig in.” Our dreams were shattered, no food for us that night after a day of trudging up and down hills. The next morning was Monday, and we were on the move again doing the same routine as the day before, only now we were running on fumes. After burning 4,000-5,000 calories the day before and not replacing them, energy levels dropped rapidly. We reached our next objective, a small hill. About an hour before dusk, we saw a CH-34 helicopter heading our way. This was good news because they were coming out to resupply us—at last, food! The helicopter briefly landed as he kept the props turning and off-loaded jerry cans full of water and assorted boxes of ammo, but no C-rations! Didn’t they know we were starving? Again, our dreams of a meal were crushed. The thought of another day of hunger pains and tramping through the brush in pursuit of an elusive enemy was devasting. My buddy, Cpl D.A. Newcomb, had a Tootsie Roll stashed away in his pack to be used as a treat after we ate. One of those fat ones that was sectioned into bite-size segments. We decided to divide it up and each would eat a section of it each night. It wasn’t near enough, but it was all we had. The second night we dug in again with barely enough strength to handle the entrenching tool…but we did.It was now Tuesday morning and hunger pains were beginning to get serious. We hadn’t eaten since Sunday morning and with the amount of calories burned each day, we were in calorie deciency. As I traveled through the undergrowth, I was constantly looking for something edible. Anytime I saw any kind of berry, I would pluck it, taste it, then spit it out because of its bitter taste. I didn’t nd anything I could consume, and the bitterness may have been related to a poisonous plant, who knew?That evening we dug in again. And again, no re-supply! We discussed chicken-fried steaks, mashed potatoes with cream gravy, and all the other favorites that came to mind. It only made us hungrier. We each took a section of the diminishing Tootsie Roll and tried to sleep in between radio watch. Wednesday was more of the same monotonous march up and down the hills trying to cut our way through undergrowth. More weapons caches were found, but no NVA. I was beginning to think we were the forgotten battalion. Still no mention of a re-supply. If I had only packed a few C-rats it would have helped make a difference. We were in for another night of digging in, discussing food, which was all that was on our minds, and resting as much as our stomachs would let us.Typical Circa 1960s Tootsie Roll Ad found in Comic Booksby V.L. Stevenson

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Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 65On day ve of our march, we broke through the underbrush only to encounter a vast sea of elephant grass ahead, and there was no way around it. The razor-edged elephant grass grows from seven to 15 feet high. Once in it, your vision is limited to about six feet in all directions. It’s an ideal place for ambushes and snipers. The fear of the unknown increased our anxiety, so the quicker we could pass through it, the better. One more night of a missed meal, but the good news was that the operation would be over the next day. Five days had elapsed since my buddies and I had our last meal. We only had to endure one more night fantasizing about food. It was one of the hardest tests of endurance I have ever experienced. Friday morning couldn’t come quickly enough. We only had to travel a short distance to the coordinates where trucks were waiting to transport us back to Camp Carroll. Aboard the trucks were cases of prized C-rations. They were quickly distributed among the battalion. I was already thinking about how many C-rat units was I going to eat when I grabbed the rst unit that came my way. It was a can of ham and limas. With no time to heat it, I opened the can and started gorging. There’s a strong reputation among Marines that ham and limas are the worst of all C-rations, a reputation that still lives on today, ask any Vet. I made it to the halfway point when all of a sudden I had reached my limit—not because of their unsavory avor, but because my stomach had shrunk and I literally couldn’t hold anymore. What a disappointment!The issue behind why we weren’t resupplied with C-rats and only ammo and water was never revealed, at least not to the lower ranks. Hunger is an awful and debilitating condition that no one should have to experience. We were lucky because we knew at some point we would be fed. The lesson I learned was to always be prepared no matter what and not be naïve enough to believe there’s such a thing as a one-day operation. I was in Vietnam for thirteen months and I never experienced a single one!In the foreground a CH-34 helicopter ready for lift-off. In the background, a CH-46 load-ing C-rations and water destined for Marines in the eld. © 1967 VL Stevenson(L-R) Cpls WS Parker and GS McNeal chowing down on some well-deserved C-Rations. © 1967 VL StevensonCpl VL Stevenson with radio on his back, M16 slung over his shoulder, and a radio handset hanging from his left pocket made his way through the thick undergrowth. © 1967 VL Stevenson...

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66 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine |Summer 2024The Ho Chi Minh Trail is an unimproved combination of footpaths, truck routes, and invisible border crossings going from North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia into South Vietnam. It serves as a supply line to resupply Vietnamese soldiers ghting the Americans in the south. Every night a group of planes ew out of Ubon, Thailand to search and destroy anything on this trail. If you were moving here, you were a valid target. Every night C-130’s loaded with ares to light up the ground, F-4’s carrying bombs to attack the convoys, and O-2 Forward Air Controllers to help in nding the targets prowled the trail to stop the trafc.Something special happened aboard one plane to one airman. Something unexpected and unwanted. You couldn’t do this job unless you conditioned yourself to not think about people. There were never people down there, they were objects, trucks, and guns, never people. Not everyone can take the life of another human, especially one a mile away on the ground that cannot even see you. A ight crew member ying overhead using a Starlight scope saw a person and made the mistake of adjusting the scope to get a better look and saw a girl walking along the trail. She appeared to be alone, so he didn’t alert the crew that he had spotted anything. But the damage was done and his training to not think about people was undone. He became obsessed and from that moment on he didn’t just look for trucks, he looked for the girl with the red scarf.Unknown to Tuyen a bond was forming between the American ight crew member ying high above the jungle, and her. As she cautiously plodded along the trail following her brother, she became spiritually bonded to this ight crew member, a bond that would last a lifetime.The ight crew member, nicknamed Rodeo was not a regular member of this crew but ew with them whenever they were short a man. He had, in fact, only own with this crew a few times but was accepted as if he was well-seasoned. Their rst mission had been quite uneventful and allowed him to get to know the other crew members and learn their unique routine. He was accepted and assigned to use their night vision scope. There were regular sequences of events that occurred on every mission, trucks, ares, bombs, and light enemy re from the ground, but nothing to write home about. On their second mission, he had time to tell the story of him growing up on a farm and learning to ride a horse before joining the military. He was a little vulnerable by adding an account of the numerous times he fell before getting back up and trying again. That led to his nickname after one mission when the plane came under heavy re and for lack of a good grip, he would get tossed around the cargo compartment during evasive maneuvers. The seasoned crew took this incident in stride, but nobody expected him to join them for another mission. Expecting him to volunteer for a crew ying a less hazardous route, they were surprised when he showed up the next night, parachute in hand ready for duty. One of the more outspoken loadmasters reached out a hand to help him up onto the plane and called out to him, “Ok Rodeo, you really do get back up every time,” the name stuck.This was not the rst time she looked up into the dark sky looking for the black-bellied airplanes that periodically broke the silence of the night. She was not the only one searching. High above looking through a Starlight scope, the fresh Airman also searched, among other things on the ground, he searched for a girl. Looking for trucks according to the plan, he paused at each patch of jungle that looked just a little different, he was looking for the girl he saw on an earlier mission, a girl that should not be down there. The other crew members were still high from the last kill, the kickers were cleaning the are chutes getting ready for more ares. The timers were being set on the next set of ares according to altitude, the terrain, and the desired ignition point for the next target. The F-4 ying with them was carrying laser-guided bombs and the laser operator on the C-130 had his equipment turned off. That Airman was sitting, resting because there were no trucks to paint, and no bombs were falling trying to get the laser beam. Col. Mason was keeping them in a loose orbit waiting for the FAC to send us the coordinates of their next mission.C-130’s “Hunting the trail” were not the only planes ying this night. A single B-52 out of Tuyen’s Journey PART II: THE TRAILBy Ronald J. Dickson

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Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 67Udorn was directly overhead, ying at about 30,000 feet. Staying well out of range of any anti-aircraft guns in this area of the jungle, its target was predetermined. A culmination of a well-thought-out plan. Nothing this bomber would do depended on a chance encounter, luck, or the thoughtlessness of someone shining a ashlight. It wouldn’t matter anyway because the mission would not be deviated upon. Like the Planets aligning in some cosmic prelude to disaster, these two planes on very different missions would cross paths, separated by nearly ve miles of airspace, a moment in time would collide, lives would change and two people who would never meet would become inseparable.The weather was clear, and even though the moon was not out tonight, the lack of light would not matter, as the target coordinates were well known. Just as the spotters on the Flare plane were watching the ground, the navigator on this solitary B-52 was directing his pilot to a certain ammunition factory that would vanish in a reball in a couple of minutes as a string of bombs would be unleashed. There would be no survivors at the factory, or anywhere nearby. The only one to escape would be Tuyen and only because her father would not let her work there.Meanwhile, Tuyen was miles away from the factory, walking behind a truck that was moving at a snail’s pace trying to drive around one of the many bomb craters along the trail. She was not in any kind of hurry anyway, because this was an adventure, a time to walk the trail with her brother, to be part of something big. More than once her brother had slowed his pace to make sure Tuyen was keeping up. He knew her well. She had a habit of stopping and standing so still that she seemed to disappear into the jungle. A gift her mother said was given to her by her ancestors. Tuyen’s family followed the Buddhist belief that life is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. The goodness she saw in Tuyen was surely a gift from her ancestors and she was experiencing that rebirth cycle. The stories and teachings her family spoke of made Tuyen fearless. She knew that even in death she would live forever and be part of the cycle of life. Her mind would continue clinging and searching for the goodness in everything. In this way, she could be a bridge to another body and be born again.As the planets moved into alignment, a quiet moment overhead was broken by the utterance coming through the headset, “Got one!”, a sense of excitement in the words. Someone had spotted movement on the trail, not an easy thing to do, and always a moment to celebrate. It was a light. Someone down there had committed the unthinkable, the unthinkable act of shining a light. If anything was moving down there at night, it was probably a valid target. That signal was all it took for the crew to start loading ares as the plane circled back to mark this newfound target. A marker was dropped as close to the target as the forces of nature would allow. Altitude, wind, and luck all determined the accuracy of this are. No parachute on this one, it was falling like a rock. It would only take minutes for the F-4 bomber loitering nearby to see the marker burning bright red on the ground.Tuyen watched the red burning light falling to the ground with wonder and curiosity. Her brother had warned her about the dragons that ew at night spitting re towards the ground and implored her to run into the jungle when she saw one. The dragon, of course, was the dreaded C-130 gunship that circled above, raining a thousand bullets down with pinpoint accuracy. But this was not the dragon, and the single red are that fell near her was more of a puzzle and a wonder because it seemed to appear suddenly, falling very rapidly. It was a curiosity to her. She could faintly hear an airplane somewhere up there but couldn’t see it. The Airman who dropped the red marker are was watching it also. Seeing where it landed, he began relaying instructions through his headset the direction and distance from the convoy of trucks he spotted on the ground. When he saw the girl just standing there near the are, he adjusted the sensitivity and magnication of the scope to get a better look. She was just standing there looking up and realized this was probably the girl he was looking for. “Run, run, run,” he whispered to himself knowing it was already too late to alter the events unfolding before his eyes. The Starlight scope he was watching her through was powerful enough for him to see a single person frozen in place looking up as if she could see his face. It was an uncomfortable feeling to watch her because even though she was too far away to make any direct eye contact, it appeared as if she was looking directly at him. Rodeo was sure this was the girl because she was wearing a Coolie hat, and the clothing she wore was traditional for women. The fact that she wasn’t running while everybody else had, had bothered him. The events of the night were being played out exactly as planned; for them to search the trail, nd the enemy, and destroy him. On the ground, it was to simply restock supplies, but for the one who wasn’t supposed to be there, it was an adventure. Textbook execution, but this mission was different, a six-hour frag mission would literally last a lifetime.Tuyen stood motionless looking at the dark sky above her, watching for the dragon. She faced away from the glare of the red marker are that was at her back because it was too bright to look at. There was a slight sense of innocent joy in her heart because it was red, her favorite color. She unconsciously tightened the red scarf at her neck which her mother had given her to bring luck, it gave her comfort to touch it.This moment was being cemented in place as a fatal embrace formed between the two of them, the naivety of the girl and the powerlessness of the ight crew member. As a string of bright lights seemed to pop out of thin air, Tuyen stood in amazement having never seen anything like that. Like giant lanterns oating down on silken parachutes the ares didn’t seem to be a thing to fear. There was another young Airman aboard the plane whose sense of fear did not inuence him. His mission was to point a laser at the marker, a well-choreographed plan of attack. Nothing would distract him tonight as his only thought was to keep the laser on target. It would only be a matter of minutes before the F4 Phantom would pickle his bomb. A bomb that had no heart, no sense of the rules of engagement. It only knew one thing, and that was to get the laser beam and follow it to the target, not a person but a target. They were all targets of the bomb...In 1966, Ronald Dickson served four years of active duty in the U.S. Air Force, during which he was stationed in Okinawa to maintain C-130 aircraft. Initially assigned as a mechanic, he was later selected for combat missions due to his critical skills. The experience of war had a profound impact on him, and he was eventually deployed to Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, where he concluded his tour of duty.Tuyen's Journey consists of three parts, providing the backstory for the article Be Free, published in AT EASE! Veterans Magazine in the Spring 2023 issue.

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68 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024EARNED IN BLOODEARNED IN BLOODEARNED IN BLOODEARNED IN BLOODBOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEWEarned in BloodAuthor: Thurman MillerPublisher: St. Martin's Press New York, New York Copyright © 2013 Thurman MillerReview by: Adam Walker, Head Writer | USMC“I live in a moment, I die in a lifetime.” Guadalcanal Veteran Thurman Miller (aka T.I.) opens chapter one of Earned in Blood with the following words “Being a United States Marine came to dene my life, but Appalachia dened me rst.”In this remarkable tale, Miller describes coming of age in the mountains of West Virginia amidst poverty, the Great Depression, and the ravages of natural disasters. When he nally left home, he said “I took a nal look avoiding any tearful goodbyes, but I felt an immediate loneliness I would carry to the far reaches of the world.”He enlisted before Pearl Harbor and served with many old-time regulars. He rst saw combat on Guadalcanal. Going ashore to uncertainty he records, “No one knew what the next few minutes would bring. I felt alone in the world. Never in my life had I experienced a feeling of utter loneliness such as I had now. I was at last headed into something from which I might not return. I was truly on my own, but I had a job to do and was determined to see it done.”Miller is descriptive, articulate, and emotive. After witnessing cruel atrocities of the enemy, he tells us, “We were hardened by much training, and our reexes were sudden, our minds alert, but now our killing potential was amplied. A second ingredient, hatred, had been added. What kind of warfare was this? There were no words of agreement, no fanfare, no loud cursing or crying, only grimness and resolve.”This book, written late in his life, recalls vivid memories that never left the old Marine. He honors the men he served with and many of the passages carry a depth in their simplicity. One of his fellow Marines lay wounded, cautioning his buddies to not come to help him due to enemy re. “Even in his dying, this tough Marine was protecting his buddies. He couldn’t move, we couldn’t reach him, and he died that night.”Combat veterans of all generations will feel a familiar sentiment as Miller shares his deepest thoughts and perspective on war as if the thoughts were their own. “I can forget very few things about that time for the Scan the QR Code to Find Out More...images are embedded in my memory so deeply that the mere mention of these islands, where my life changed forever, brings them back immediately.”One of the most heartbreaking and lasting vignettes occurred when Miller served as a Platoon Sergeant ghting in New Britain. “I gave one of my squad leaders the order to attack. He told me it was a suicide mission. I told him it was an order. Without another word he turned, gathered his squad, and left. That was the last I ever saw of him. Our lines were so close I heard him engage the enemy. I heard him cry out when he got hit. I heard him dying……for many years the sound of his dying would awaken me from sleep. Even now it’s as if it happened yesterday.”“I live in a moment, I die in a lifetime.”Miller made it home from the war. He trained ofcers in North Carolina before returning to his beloved mountains. Though hardened by war when he saw his family for the rst time amidst the backdrop of the rolling green hills he remembers “A great lump came in my throat and that was strange to me. I had yet a streak of tenderness in me; love remained in my hardened heart.”Married with a child on the way, Miller set about to make a living. In that part of the state in his day there was only one way to pay the bills, coal mines. For the next several years he did backbreaking Profound! AT EASE! Veterans Magazine highly recommends Earned in Blood. Thurman Miller's candid recollection of war's brutality, Marine camaraderie, and a lifetime of guilt is compellingly honest and raw.

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DID YOU KNOW?VETERANS...VETERANS WHO RECEIVE HEALTH CARE BENEFITS THROUGHTHE US DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS (VA) CAN ALSOENROLL IN MEDICARE UPON TURNING 65.Our organization can helpyou understand and navigatethose benefits and show youhow they work together. CALL TODAY! tracy@tracybrileyandassoc.comwork deep within the earth. His health was a wreck, never fully recovering from malaria and severe digestive problems. These ailments often prevented him from employment. It was also in this season of life he wrestled with strong emotions and dark thoughts. “It marked the beginning of a new kind of war. I needed no guns for this war, but the enemy was as formidable as the previous one. I must ght it or die. For about ten years after returning home, I was torn between a desire to end it all or ght it out.”While weighing the cost of war and navigating life afterward he says “The Marine Corps was my family during the most formative years of my young adulthood. Nevertheless, in these dark times of my life, I wondered whether the price of admission to this family was more than I could bear.”One summer, having been laid off from the mine, despondent and dejected, Miller turned to the land for healing. “I decided to spend the summer working hard in the sun. I wanted to use my hands and the simple tools I remembered from my childhood. I stepped into the creek bed and stood still, listening to the chatter of the water as it ran over the rocks. I stood a long time at the creek thinking of the past and all I’d seen.”“I came back and worked that eld every day that summer, going home in the evening bone tired, but a good kind of tired; not the work of combat but the peaceful work of my hands striving to bring forth from the earth the kind of food I had yearned for while starving on captured rice and stale green hardtack.”“This was the prescription I needed….for the rst time since the war I felt whole again.”During the war, Miller said of himself, “I was truly one of the Old Breed now – an old man just past my twenty-fourth birthday”. War ages men beyond their years, yet Thurman Miller, aged 97, passed away on Veteran’s Day in 2017. Generations of warriors will be enriched by reading his tale. He honored the memories of those fallen Marines in the Pacic, and we honor him. Semper Fidelis."IN THE MAGAZINES WAR SEEMED ROMANTIC AND EXCITING, FULL OF HEROICS AND VITALITY.... I SAW INSTEAD MEN... SUFFERING AND WISHING THEY WERE SOMEWHERE ELSE."– ERNIE PYLE– ERNIE PYLEWAR CORRESPONDANT

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70 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024DAY THREEIf I am being completely honest with you and myself, I thought I was going to fail to write ten thousand words this week. But here it is Wednesday, and I am less than fourteen hundred words to the halfway point. I saw my Monday therapist today. We had a brief session, but I spent part of the time reading to them what I had written in the last couple of days. I also used that period as a bit of an editing point. I found some words and phrases that needed to be xed. Then I added to the section about going to occupational therapy. I felt that area needed a bit more clarication. All in all, this is looking more like a win for me. I felt it was a chance to break the mold of negative self-talk that had stopped me in my tracks in the past. While my time with the therapist was brief, they touched on something that struck deep and directly into my core; a negative value that I have held onto like a family heirloom. A belief that I am not good enough.Even as they spoke those words, I knew where the conversation was headed. It has been something I have dealt with all my life, also something that I have kept hidden away like an ancient trunk in the attic. Now and then you need to head up there to look for something, stumble across the chest, open it up, take stuff out, hold it, reminisce, and then lock it back away. That is exactly what I have done with the thought that I am not good enough, or even that I am, just plain, not enough. How this thought manifests itself in people’s lives often denes who they are. It can become a core belief and even a self-fullling prophecy. I rst heard that term in a Tic-Tok video by comedian Taylor Tomlinson. She has been very open about her struggles with mental health and has made those personal battles a part of her show. Taylor has used things said in her sessions to both make them funny and face them head-on. In the video, she is talking about a guy cheating on her, and then telling her therapist about it. Her therapist surprises her and informs her she might be a “self-fullling prophecy.” Taylor adds that her therapist explained to her that because she expected someone to cheat on her, she treated them as if they would cheat on her until they cheated on her. Then she says “See!”I think the same thing goes with feeling like a failure, and/or never feeling like you are enough. I knew someone who never felt like they were enough. No matter how many times I told them they were, it never mattered. The same thing with my string of failed projects. I could go even deeper and attach my interpersonal relationships to it. A while back, I was part of a group of poker players. I considered them friends and enjoyed playing cards with them and being around them. Unfortunately, it did not last. The only person I can blame is me. Have I become a self-fullling prophecy? I felt as if they would not like me, so I treated them as if they did not like me. Pushing away people that could have been there for me when I needed it the most. I believe that is the denition of a “self-fullling prophecy.”I need to stop thinking of myself as a failure or not being enough. Too many times, I have looked outside of myself for validation. Hell, I have done it with this project. I have asked ve or six people to read it while I am still writing it, looking for some validation, while telling myself they are just giving me feedback. I think there is a saying, “Those who seek fame will never nd it. those who never seek fame are blindsided by it.” I know I have been seeking some kind of recognition my entire life, knowing it will never come. All of this has got me thinking, what do I do to become a self-fullling prophecy? The answer is simple; I get frustrated and angry, and don’t take responsibility for my actions. Invariably, I end up blaming the situation or the surrounding people. This action or response ends up hurting those who are the closest or want to get close to me. I am dealing with some irony right now. Much of today’s writing has been about the self-fullling prophecy, and I am struggling to just type a few words. I felt so raring to go and as the minutes ticked away on today; I was not sure I could continue, I felt like a grade school student sitting at their desk staring at the clock on the wall, willing it to move faster, I keep a watchful eye on the word count. My mind is racing, thinking I have typed thousands upon thousands of words today. I have managed around nine hundred, including some edits and additions I made after my appointment. The frustration continues to build. Amid all the excitement from the rst two days, I nd myself drowning again in self-doubt. I am telling myself that there is no way I can do this. This obstacle has popped up in front of me like a copperhead snake on a trail deep in the Missouri woods. It is staring me in the face. Its eyes beady, letting me know I either quit or nd a different way around. What happened to all the thoughts that were running around my brain earlier? It is as if something trapped them in an escape room. Hidden them, away waiting for me to decipher the next clue to let them out one by one. This has been my M.O. It has joined the party. Time for me to get excited just to quit again. I know this is a noble cause. It is time for me to win. I can’t give up. Push on. I tell myself. Keep hitting those keys. Each stroke is one more unit away. It is time to stop worrying about the word count. Ten Thousand words is the numerical goal… but not the purpose. My voice and talent have been lost. I am the one that lost them. It is up to me to nd them. I hold the key to the vault that is in my mind. Merely searching for the words to type will not help me. Ten Thousand Wordsby Guy Bensing

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I can be a self-fullling prophecy but in a good way. I can treat myself with respect and I can tell the physical and psychological pain that they will not win this time. The halfway mark is just around the corner. I can crest that hill. I can write and re-write and edit and do all the other things that a writer is supposed to do. Yes, I can. I said earlier that my emotional pain is where some of my best writing was going to come from. I will use that to fuel me as I type away. Quit, my brain tells me. Take the easy way out. “Not this time”, I shout back. “You have controlled me for far too long. You have held me back. Not this time!”I am using an editor called ProWritingAid. This is what I meant on day one when I said I was going to do some editing and get my scores up. This assistant lets me know when I misspell a word, or I am not using my active voice. I want to tell it, “At least I am using my voice.” It also keeps the score of my compositions depending on the type of writing I am working on. I just checked and my improvement score is ninety-three percent, and I am at ninety-one percent of the goals the editor has set for this piece. These numbers are great for me. It means that I am typing out something that makes sense and is readable. That was one goal I set for myself at the onset of this project. This is not just about typing out ten thousand words. This is me standing up to me and saying, “I am not going to fail again. I can’t. I just can’t!”My brain tried to shut down after I did the BlueNote Fan Report today. I walked to the store to buy stuff for dinner and the emotions of the day ooded me. Friends tried to reach out to me, but I told them I needed space. The space I needed was to step back and see this for what it was. A challenge I set for myself. There is no hard deadline. No punishment if I don’t get it done. No, what this is, is me opening a door that has been closed for way too long and hurdling headlong through that door.I use my self-fullling prophecy to become my self-defeat. I said I felt that I lacked talent and the will. About ve thousand words in I think I know the talent is there. Maybe you do too. Now it is just a matter of nding the will to push on when I don’t want to, to not giving up when it is hard. I recall the motto of the USS Mobile Bay, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.” That is what I must do. Keep typing these ten thousand words every day, full speed ahead. This is a win on day three.Guy Bensing is originally from Maryland Heights, MO, a suburb of St. Louis.he currently resides in Honolulu, HI. He attended the only public full time NJROTC unit and the second largest Naval Academy in the country. After high school he Joined the U.S. Navy in 1987. He served on four ships, the USS Yorktown (CG-48), USS Mobile Bay (CG-53), USS John S McCain (DDG-56) and the USS Gary (FFG-51). He served as an instructor at Great Lakes Naval Training Center and the LPO of the mechanical codes at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyards.“The world breaks everyone and “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at afterward many are strong at the broken places.”the broken places.”Ernest HemingwayErnest HemingwayA Farewell to Arms, 1929A Farewell to Arms, 1929

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72 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024DoD data focused on male and female FSMs between the ages of 18-64. This population provides the greatest detail of the military service experience and is validated by DoD.3OpDD™ used the denition of SIM cited by the CDC and NIH as accidents or undetermined deaths aligned with self-harm/suicidal behavior, which have been attributed predominantly to overdose deaths.MAJOR FINDINGSStates undercount FSMs deaths at a combined error rate of 25%• States undercounted FSMs status 18% of the time and counted non-FSMs as FSMs 7% of the time.OpDD™ identied a 37% greater suicide rate than reported by VA for years 2014-2018. The difference in the data is likely due to under-counting of FSMs deaths and the greater specicity of the decedent’s demographics, military experience, and death details available to OpDD™.OpDDTM identied that the number of suicides represented in the eight states (18% of US veterans), are 1.37 times greater than reported by the VA from 2014-2018. If these eight states and age adjustment represented a national rate:OPERATION DEEP DIVE™ SUMMARY OF INTERIM REPORTEXECUTIVE SUMMARYOperation Deep Dive™ (OpDDTM), a former service member (FSM)1 suicide and self-injury mortality (SIM)2 study encompassing eight states and ve years of death data corroborated by the Department of Defense (DoD), indicates that FSMs take their own lives each year at a rate approximately 2.4 times greater than previously reported by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). OpDD™ data analytics was able to identify FSMs with the greatest probability of taking their own life. This interim report highlights the need to expand data sets to include additional states and the VA, and jointly identify suicide and SIM prevention efforts for FSMs. The implications of the data for prevention analysis and prevention application raise awareness to help prevent FSMs from taking their lives because “Together, We Can Do Better.”ABOUT OPERATION DEEP DIVETMAmerica’s Warrior Partnership (AWP) has contracted with the University of Alabama to obtain state data. In phase two, AWP has contracted with Duke University to analyze state-provided death data, coordinate with DoD to corroborate military afliation, and identify commonalities of the person, military service, and their death. This rst phase of OpDD™ was funded by Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation.OpDD™ has examined ve years of FSM and civilian death data from eight states: Alabama, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, and Oregon.In our Spring 2022 PTSD feature, we wrote an article on the Veteran suicide rates based on the VA's 2021 annual report. In reading the fine print of that report, we found that they were utilizing their 2019 data, essentially making the 2021 report void. In October, I saw a news article, explaining that the Suicide rates among Veterans was much higher than previously reported. This data came from Operation Deep DiveTM, of America's Warrior Partnership. I reached out to the lead investigator and through that conversation, we created a partnership to follow their ongoing study and share that information with our readership, as it continues to become available.Christine Walker | Editor in ChiefAll data and graphics are used with the express permission of America's Warrior Partnership and Operation Deep DiveTM. NEW STUDY FINDS VETERAN SUICIDE FAR EXCEEDS VA REPORTS

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Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 73• Approximately 24 FSMs die per day by suicide (determined by coroner or medical examiner) compared to the VA’s 2014-2018 average of 17.7 veteran suicides per day.• Approximately 20 FSMs die per day by Self-Injury Mortality (SIM)– previously listed as accidents/undetermined – over 80% are coded as overdose deaths.• If these eight states collectively represented the national rate, the combined death rate would be at least 44 FSMs per day which is 2.4 times higher than the VA suicide rate.OpDDTM analysis identied military service experience characteristics to rene the identication of FSMs with the highest probability of taking their lives.• The longer someone has served in the military, the lower their probability of taking their own life is 2% for every year served.• Those who served in the military for less than three years were at greatest risk for suicide/SIM.• Receiving a demotion during military service increased the FSM’s odds of dying by suicide/SIM by 56%.• FSMs from the Coast Guard were most likely to die from suicide/SIM, followed by Marine Corps, Army, Navy, and Air Force.OpDDTM analysis exposed lifestyle experiences to rene the identication of FSMs with the highest probability of taking their own lives.• In general, gender and race diversity were not associated with increased odds of suicide/SIM. Most FSM suicides and SIM were male and white.• Local and state communities differed for at-risk demographics and specic areas of concern depending on the characterization of FSMs in the community.• Living with a partner decreased the odds of suicide/SIM by nearly 40%.• Data indicate that FSMs are at a higher risk of dying from suicide/SIM or natural causes such as heart disease or cancer before age 64 than those who never served in the military.RECOMMENDATIONS• SIM must be included in any analysis of FSM and veteran death.• Improvements are needed at the local, state, and national levels regarding death reporting:o Data standardization and the use of ICD codes regarding suicide and SIM would improve insights.o Coroners and Medical Examiners need better funding with standardized tools and approaches for accounting for FSM deaths.o DoD and the VA should make available a tool for coroners/medical examiners to validate military service as a part of the death record.• VA must share data to ll in important gaps in OpDDTM datao Incorporating other sources of data, such as VA health care and benets, will improve the success of prevention approaches.o Integrating identied state death data with military service data enables the nation, states, and counties to develop impactful/measurable suicide/SIM prevention approaches.• States must make death data available, with proper controls, for research purposeso More state data are needed for OpDDTM. By participating in OpDDTM it will help the states and counties reduce FSM death.• This can be used to effectively identify those at higher risk. Increased participation by states will provide further details and data accuracy to assist in greater specicity of those most at-risk.One-size-ts-one approach is needed to prevent premature non-natural death. Former service member suicide and SIM methods of death differ signicantly from state to state and from community to community.• Prevention strategies must begin at the community level by holistically focusing on housing, meaningful employment, nancial security, relationships, purpose, physical health, and mental well-being. Solely focusing on the mechanism of death does not address the root cause of suicide/SIM.NEXT STEPS FOR OPERATION DEEP DIVETM• AWP moved OpDD™ to Duke University in order to expand the data set over the next four years and develop strategies that can be used at the national, state, and county levels to prevent FSM deaths.• Increase the number of states sharing data and participating in OpDD™• Incorporate US Department of Veterans Affairs data into OpDD™• With a larger data set, further analyze the cause of death in relationship to:o Years of military serviceo Time since discharge from military serviceo Characterization of dischargeo Military Service, Specialty, and Unit of Assignmento Military deployment historyo Incidents occurring during military service (e.g., MST, trauma, or exposure)o Protective factors of those who transition in the National Guard or Reserve prior to deatho Services received from the Department of Veterans Affairso Community services available• Work with government and non-government stakeholders to use OpDD™ ndings to help prevent FSM suicide/SIM.For more information regarding study design, methodology, data, and limitations, please refer to the Methodology Report.TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OPERATION DEEP DIVETM, SCAN THE QR CODE >> OR VISITAMERICASWARRIORPARTNERSHIP.ORG/DEEP-DIVE

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Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 75Preserving our military history goes far beyond reading chapters in books and watching movies and television documentaries about wars and the battles that were fought in them. It’s the stories of those who served in those wars and the memories, both good and bad, that they carry with them that are the real military history that needs to be maintained. Here at AT EASE! Veterans Magazine we follow the credo that “Every veteran has a story that needs to be told.” We archive those stories in each issue printed and distributed. If you are reading this now, you are already very aware of this.But there are other avenues available for preserving the stories of veterans in their own words. One of those avenues has been embraced by a young man, Luke Basso, who captures the stories of military veterans on lm and shares them on his YouTube channel “Filmperia1945”. Luke is a high school senior in North Carolina with a fascination for military and political history. So much so that he began talking with Vets to get their rsthand accounts of the experiences they encountered while on active duty.One interview led to another and soon Luke was saving each interview on video and putting them into his online catalog and YouTube channel. He has already documented stories from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf Wars, Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, and Afghanistan. He has opened his camera lens and microphone to former CIA operatives, ex-KGB agents, mercenaries, Cuban rebels, Pearl Harbor witnesses, and Holocaust survivors. Keep in mind that this dynamic young man has yet to graduate from high school!While other high schoolers are busy with sports, video gaming, and other activities, Luke chooses to hang out at Veterans’ meetings or online recording stories and archiving those stories for posterity. He has participated in the Honor Flight program assisting Veterans in visiting our war memorials in Washington, DC who otherwise could not afford the experience. And this summer he will be in attendance commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing in France.While most Vets seem to share their stories among themselves, Luke feels that telling those stories is essential to making sure that they are not forgotten. “Many veterans” Luke relates, “Have kept their experiences to themselves for decades until deciding to share them. Many have felt relieved after telling their story.” He goes on to say that he has often witnessed a sense of healing after those stories have been publicly shared after decades of being private.Luke Basso’s efforts have been recognized by PBS and several military and government agencies. His plans going forward include adding as many rst account stories to his “Filmperia” collection and producing documentaries based on his experiences. Luke is a passionately focused young man on a mission to listen to the stories of the U.S. military and to preserve them as a legacy for future generations. You can share your stories by emailing LukeB.Filmperia@gmail.com EVERY VETERAN HAS A STORY THAT NEEDS TO BE TOLD.HONOR FLIGHT VETERANS - WASHINGTON D.C.LUKE BASSOKEEPER OF THE SCROLL...A Young Man's Journey to Preserve Military Historyby Stuart Sax

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78 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024The military is full of gun and tness enthusiasts alike. But what about after service? I know we have plenty of guns and enjoy shooting them. But how is your endurance? How is your tness? When was the last time you went for a run or jogged a bit? I love lifting weights, but cardio has always been my weak point since leaving the Marine Corps. You will never see me going on a casual run down the street. I probably despise running. Especially since most of the time, I get shin splints and it causes my back to ache. But why is all of this so important? I truly believe it’s important because the world is not getting any safer. Whenever we go out there’s always a risk associated with it. At least this is how I personally think. We don’t go to big events anymore like stadiums or concerts. It’s not worth the risk these days. Especially while having kids. I know this is not how everyone lives, but things seem crazy around the world. I never thought American colleges would see violent protests over things happening in other countries. I believe in the right to protest but not violently or at the cost of another student’s education. So why is tness important? It’s not always about looks. We in the Marine Corps have always prided ourselves on our strength, endurance, and looking while training. But at the end of the day, it’s becoming more about survival. For example, can you sprint the length of a football eld while carrying your kids? This sounds silly but think about a Walmart or local grocery store. Being able to move when you need to is important. But what if you hate running in general, how can you improve your endurance? I have the answer. Through high-intensity circuit training. I will introduce you to one of the most fun but difcult workouts. I don’t expect everyone to be able to accomplish this the rst time. But give it a shot and see how you do. Before we get started make sure to speak with a medical provider before working out. This is at your own risk. Finally, thank you to Kassidy for being our Ofcial Camp Freedom Fitness Model. She models are CFF clothing line and trains under Camp Freedom Fitness. Let’s get Started! Veteran Fitness:FITNESS TIPS FOR THIS WORLD!FITNESS TIPS FOR THIS WORLD!By Daniel Dancer | USMC

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80 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine | Summer 2024“Gardening is the greatest tonic and therapy a human being can have. Even if you have only a tiny piece of earth, you can create something beautiful, which we all have a great need for. If we begin by respecting plants, it’s inevitable we’ll respect people.” – Audrey Hepburn.Author’s note: I rst visited the Veteran’s Healing Farm (VHF) in June 2022. A local coffee shop owner and I collaborated to lead a fundraiser to benet the VHF. Executive Director of the VHF, Alan Yeck, provided a farm tour for me and co-host Mei-Ling Varnell, then-owner of Hidden Trails Coffeehouse. Alan related that the volunteer Veterans receive education from soil preparation to harvesting vegetables and herbs for personal consumption. Additionally, they distribute crops to Veterans in need at local VA facilities - a primary mission of the VHF.Later that summer, I met with the Farm Administrator, Megan Landreth, to nalize the details. We also discussed our commonality as Veterans and our mental health struggles. Although we had just met, we parted ways with a hug, symbolic of our shared brother and sisterhood as fellow vets. Al and Megan are both passionate about the VHF’s mission. During each encounter, these two ne people immediately welcomed me into their community—an embodiment of who they are and what they offer veterans. I am sure that Veteran and civilian volunteers would agree with my assessment.On September 3rd, 2022, I published a blog post titled “Where There’s Dirt, There is Healing. The subject concerned the yoga fundraiser I led to benet the Veteran’s Healing Farm in Hendersonville, North Carolina. In this article, I will re-share some of that content along with an update concerning the farm. Air Force Veteran John Mahshie founded the VHF in 2013 to build a community for fellow Veterans transitioning from servicemember to civilian. He noted that the military had a clearly dened mission not often found in the civilian world. Many Vets returning home from active duty deployments lose their way while struggling with mental health issues such as PTSD and suicidal ideation. The VHF creates a purpose for returning vets by teaching them sustainable farming methods. In other words, they get to play and heal in the dirt.To build a strong community, the VHF offers monthly activities such as picnics, band nights, write-your-own stories, herbal remedy workshops, an annual Veteran’s Resource Fair, opportunities to assist with training service dogs, a wellness retreat and equine therapy, to name a few. The connection with Mother Earth through farming provides a chance to be in the moment and discover a path to healing. Most recently, the VHF hosted a delegation from Ukraine whose members learned about the farm’s mission to share these practices with the soldiers of their military community.In January of 2024, Executive Director Alan Yeck and Farm Administrator Megan Landreth learned that the retiring property owner was not renewing the VHF lease, and they would have to vacate THE HEALING POWER OF DIRTTim GrutiziusTim Grutzius, is a US Army Veteran and a graduate of the YAM Yoga School (Laurel Park, NC) and is a 200-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance. He is a recognized Level I teacher through Warriors at Ease (trauma-informed training), and is the Owner of Mind Body Badge Yoga and Wellness (timothyggrutzius.com). the property this August. In interviews, Yeck and Landreth stated that the VHF has outgrown the current location, and the pair are looking to purchase land large enough to accommodate an indoor teaching facility, garden space, and visitor and event parking. This vision will cost several million dollars, and Yeck is looking for both “small and big” angel investors to assist the farm in continuing to serve the military community.As an Army Veteran and retired rst responder, I can attest to the camaraderie and healing that the VHF offers. I have attended the resource fair and a suicide awareness workshop, worked with the service dogs from Warrior Canine Connection, and participated in the wellness retreat last year. The Veterans Healing Farm has become essential to my life since I moved to Western North Carolina several years ago.My connection to AT EASE! Veterans Magazine was through the VHF. When I was leading the yoga fundraiser, Megan and Al had several copies of the Fall 2022 edition that included a story about the farm. I encourage you, my fellow vets, to read through the digital issue available on the AT EASE! website or subscribe to the print version.If you want to support the military and veteran community, please consider donating to this worthy non-prot. Please get in touch with them through their website if you know of any land opportunities in Western North Carolina that would be ideal for the VHF to continue its mission. In this article, I have included videos and interviews that outline the future of the Veterans Healing Farm. In one of the interviews, Al discusses the acreage needed for their new vision. Until next time -Be well, Tim

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CROSSWORD ANSWERS:COMPLETELY INAPPROPRIATE EXERPTS FROM 'BORN IN A BAR II'...COMPLETELY INAPPROPRIATE EXERPTS FROM 'BORN IN A BAR II'...Private First Class Schmuckatelli had a knack for getting yelled at by 1st Sergeant “D”. He was always in the wrong place at the wrong time. One day in a heavy rain he cut across the grass to save time, just like the rest of us twenty or so Marines a few steps in front of him, 1st Sgt D called him and only him to attention and yelled obscenities out his window across the courtyard while everyone else watched quietly from under the catwalk. Another day while taking out the trash the bag exploded sending garbage down the stairwell in front of the 1st Sgt’s ofce. 1st Sgt D came out yelling and screaming while kicking the garbage around the walkway before making him pick it up with his hands. The 1st Sgt nit-picked Schmuckatellis’ uniform at every chance he had. This type of thing happened to him enough that we all made bets on how long until Schmuckatelli nally lost his shit and killed the 1st Sgt. It was obvious that our 1st Sgt had something against Schmuckatelli. None of us knew why, and no NCO dared to ask him. Schmuckatelli EAS’d and we had all but forgotten him.On November 10, we were at the Birthday Ball, in a very fancy location, and we were all getting inebriated when 1st Sgt D walked in with a supermodel at his side. His wife was a young smokin’ hot Asian wearing sparkly stripper heels and a super tight red dress that showed off everything. In the immortal words of Ford Fairlane, “You got to shave before you leave the house in a dress like that… and I don’t mean your legs.” One of our Sergeants caught us gawking and calmly said “Be careful gents… that’s what got Schmuckatelli busted down last year.”“Wait, Whaaaaat??” We all asked. This was the juice we had been dying to know for months.Sgt G gathered us around for a quick story time. “If this gets out, I will rip your heads off and shit down your necks, before feeding you to the coyotes. Not a FUCKING word.”Last year at the ball, LCpl Schmuckatelli was drunk at the bar chatting with the 1st Sgt’s wife when it dawned on him that she reminded him of a stripper from Thailand that he hooked up with and insisted that she take a picture with him. Which she did, of course before telling the 1st Sgt what Schmuckatelli had said to her.Since the 1st Sgt had duty over Thanksgiving he decided to put LCpl Schmuckatelli on the duty roster to fuck up his leave as well.Thanksgiving night, 1stSgt D was the Ofcer of the Day (OOD) and was called to a disturbance in the barracks that someone’s TV was on full blast, the Duty NCO had been knocking on the hatch for several minutes, with no response. The 1st Sgt arrived with the Master key to open the door which happened to belong to none other than LCpl Schmuckatelli.Upon entering the room, they found several empty bottles of liquor, a TV stuck on full blast with a porn video playing, and one naked LCpl Schmuckatelli, dick still inside a cheap blow-up doll and laying on top of the TV remote control. Now the best part was that LCpl Schmuckatelli had printed the picture of the 1st Sgts wife from the ball and had her face taped to the blow-up doll.This caused an immediate roar of laughter from all of us, there was no such thing as bearing at this moment. We completely lost it. 1st Sgt D must have gured we were laughing at his expense as he grabbed his China Doll and stormed out. He PCS’d (Permanent Change of Station) very shortly after.For More inappropriate SHenaniganS, For More inappropriate SHenaniganS, SCan tHe Qr CoDe Below: SCan tHe Qr CoDe Below: CHINA DOLL by Gunny Jesse EsterlySummer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 89

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90 AT EASE! Veterans Magazine |Summer 2024S.O.S. (S#!t On a Shingle)Serves 4Prep Time: 20 minutes• 3 (2 oz) Packages Buddings Smoked Dried Beef. • ½ c.Salted Butter• ¼ c.Rue base (1/8 c. Flour & 1/8 c. Corn Starch)• 1 ½ c.Milk• ½ c. Heavy Cream• Ground Pepper to TasteDirections1. Melt Butter in Pan or electric skillet on Medium Heat.2. Dice dried Beef and Sautee in butter until slightly browned.3. Add 1 cup milk and pepper to personal taste.4. With remaining half cup of milk, add rue base to measuring cup and whisk until smooth. 5. Add rue base to skillet, whisking constantly. 6. Allow gravy to thicken for 3 minutes and then add heavy cream. Continue whisking until gravy sticks to a spoon. Turn down heat. 7. Serve Over Toast.A new feature story called Chow Call” is the latest to be added to AT EASE! Veterans Magazine. We Veterans and active-duty personnel all had the privilege of enjoying, or maybe not, a meal in a Mess Hall. The different branches of the military have referred to it most commonly as a Dining Facility (DFAC), Chow Hall, Galley, and Mess Hall. In civilian terms, it’s no more than a cafeteria. When asking Vets or active-duty service personnel, each could give their personnel and creative name!The word “mess” was derived from the Old French word “mes” or “a dish.” When rst used in English, it translated to “a portion of food.” So, through the years it became known as a place to get a portion of food. According to some historical records, during the fteenth century, “mes” came to be known as a group of four people who sat together and were served the same dish. This eventually evolved into any size group that had meals together, hence Mess Hall.SH#!T ON A SHINGLE AKA SOSThe proper name is Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast. The recipe for SOS rst appeared in the 1910 Manual for Army Cooks and was called, “Chipped Beef.” The Army recipe would yield servings for about 60 men. In WWII 1944, the recipe was called “Creamed Dried Beef.” The recipe has slightly evolved over the years with a few tweaks, but it is essentially the same as in the early days. SOS became famous and notorious throughout the 20th century. Opinions on its taste differ as do most foods. However, depending on your hunger level, it could quickly go from thumbs-down to thumbs-up! AT EASE! Veterans Magazine has included our new and improved version of SOS. We encourage all to try it and report back to us with your opinion.We all have stories about our Chow Hall experiences, both good and not-so-good. Many of us had to serve on Kitchen Patrol (KP) duty, which should conjure up many fun-lled stories. AT EASE! Veterans Magazine is soliciting those stories and receipies to be featured in our quarterly publication. If interested, submit your 'Chow Call'story to Les@ateaseveteransmagazine.com | Stories should be no longer than 500 words, give or take.SH#!T ON A SHINGLE AKA S.O.STHE HISTORY...

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It has been revealed that the Biden administration has continued the policy of diverting resources from the Veterans Affairs (VA) organization to assist illegal immigrants across the countrySen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) discussed the issue in an interview with Fox Digital on February 13, 2024. The Alabama senator recently introduced a bill titled the “No VA Resources for Illegal Aliens Act” to prevent such resource diversion in the future.Tuberville stated, “They’ve opened up care from the doctors in these [VA] community care systems. The lines now in the VA’s are getting longer. Our funds that are supposed to go to the veterans are going to these illegal immigrants that are coming across.”The VA informed the news network earlier in December that it has had an “interagency agreement with ICE’s Health Service Corps (IHSC) since 2002.” This agreement allows the VA’s Financial Service Center to assist with reimbursements when private providers offer medical care to illegal immigrants in ICE detention centers.Under the agreement, ICE pays the processing fees and reimburses private providers. However, the resources of the VA’s Financial Service Center have likely become overloaded due to the signicant increase in illegal immigration over the southern border.FACT: • Only 35% or 7.6 million Veterans receive care from the VA, acccording to the VA's own website. • Of the 21.8 Million Veterans in our Country, that leaves 65% or 14.2 million Veterans unserved or under served within the connes of the VA System. Here is a crazy idea...Instead of creating new partisan bills that will never get passed, our congressional representatives, should bring a single item bill for VA Funding and ensure the language therein earmarks that funding ONLY for Veteran care and disability ratings.If only wishes were horses... all beggars would ride. Summer 2024 | AT EASE! Veterans Magazine 91WHAT THE F%*K?!WHAT THE F%*K?!I dont know about y'all... but it seems like every day my bitch switch is flipped by some insane woke lunecy. To be clear, AT EASE! Veterans Magazine strives to remain as neutral as possible on political issues. However, when absurd 'policies' start to negatively impact our veterans, history, or truth in general, the gloves come off. VA UNDERLING TRIES TO BAN HISTORIC PHOTO OF THE V-J DAY KISSOn March 5th of this year, X blew up with a leaked memo by VA underling, RimaAnn O. Nelson, Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Operations, who took it upon herself to try to ban the V-J Day Kiss photo from ALL VA facilities, stating it was an effort "To promote a culture of inclusivity and awareness… your cooperation is vital."The iconic photo, taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt on August 14, 1945 of Sailor George Mendoza and Nurse Greta Zimmerman Friedman, has for decades been an icon of Victory and celebration of the end of WWII. However, like so many other things in our current culture of insanity, Ms, Nelson, without regard to historical context or research, took it upon herself to attach a 'sexual assualt' component to this photo, stating in the memo"Recent discussion have highlighted concerns about the non-consenensual nature of the kiss, prompting debates on the appropriateness of celebrating such images in today's enviorment, especially within institution, such as the VHA facilities, which are committed to holding standards of createing a safe and respectful enviroment." Now let's not get things twisted, we know there are some real issues, but projecting those issues onto a historic photograph when the original intent couldnt be further from the truth is just assinine. Historical culture and context matter.Greta Zimmerman Friedman testified in a Congressional Hearing in 2005 and said: “I was grabbed by a sailor and it wasn’t that much of a kiss; it was more of a jubilant act that he didn’t have to go back. I found out IT'S CONFIRMED! VA RESOURCES DIVERTED TO BORDER. GEORGE MENDOZA, THE KISSING SAILOR WAS ON A DATE THAT DAY, BUT NOT WITH THE NURSE IN THE PHOTO. YOU CAN SEE HIS DATE AND FUTURE WIFE, RITA, JUST OVER HIS SHOULDER SMILING IN THE BACKGROUND. PHOTOGRAPHER ALFRED EISENSTAEDT | FAIR USE. later he was so happy that he didn’t have to go back to the Pacific where they already had been through the war. And the reason he grabbed someone like a nurse was that he just felt very grateful to nurses who took care of the wounded.” Thankfully, within hours, a statement from Secretary of Veteran Affairs, Denis McDonough posted on X. "Let me be clear: This image is not banned from VA facilities - and we will keep it in VA facilities."Got something to share? Email us: stories@ateaseveteransmagazine.com