October 2015

Also joining us this week on Veterans Radio is Stephanie Zarb, MA, Program Manager for the Michigan Buddy to Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program. Buddy-to-Buddy is a peer-to-peer outreach program that trains veterans to provide peer support and linkage to resources for Michigan Post-9/11 service members and veterans. The Program was developed in partnership with the Michigan Army National Guard to meet the unique challenges faced by Citizen Soldiers and Reservists who may not know where to find the resources they need or may be reluctant to ask for help. Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veterans are trained to help address issues ranging from accessing financial, employment, legal, benefit, or educational resources to identifying mental health providers for emotional, substance abuse, or relationship concerns. Buddy-to-Buddy’s 100+ volunteers, covering 93% of Michigan’s armories, have assisted nearly 3,000 service members and veterans since the program’s inception.

And Rob Stewart, Project Coordinator Detroit Veteran Community Collaborative, Michigan branch of  Give an Hour   Give an Hour™ is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), founded in September 2005 by Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, a psychologist in the Washington, D.C., area. The organization’s mission is to develop national networks of volunteers capable of responding to both acute and chronic conditions that arise within our society. Currently, GAH is dedicated to meeting the mental health needs of the troops and families affected by the post-9/11 conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. They provide counseling to individuals, couples and families, and children and adolescents

A TRUE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY TOLD BY A REAL WARRIOR.  WARRIOR: A Spiritual Odyssey There are no coincidenc. You came across this book through a connection between your hungry spirit and the writer’s desire that you be nourished. Which parts of you it will awaken will be as individual as your yearnings, but the words are guaranteed to feed your soul.

“Joyce Faulkner, award-winning author of “In the Shadow of Suribachi,” “Windshift,” and “USERNAME.” “Bill’s book is one that has superb descriptions of the life’s lessons learned from the hell of combat to an incredible, miraculous journey home to his truest self. His story is entertaining, spiritually enlightening, inspirational, and filled with guiding wisdom. It is a book that will surely bring all readers to their own Spiritual awakening.”

Baby It’s You, Messages from Deceased Heroes. This is a compelling, inspirational collection of true life messages from our heroes. These heroes have died in war, state side accidents, suicide and 9/11.  The true stories are shared by widows, family members and friends of the military. The spiritual messages open our hearts to the unending love connections that never die.

And in our continuing series of helping our veteerans we welcome Glenn Albright, Ph.D., Kognito  co-founder and director of research. Kognito has launched their  Be a Hero to Yours campaign in honor of this coming Veterans Day to support military families of veterans and help them manage the challenge of post-deployment life. Kognito and the Rocky Mountain MIRECC encourage family members of veterans to utilize the role-play simulation Family of Heroes https://kognito.com/products/ptsd/, an evidence-based PTSD and resilience training for military families, with the goal of reaching 1,111 family members by November 11, 2015. The free simulation is designed to help educate users on how to recognize signs of distress, connect with  loved ones and refer them to treatment.