Coming Home Well

Transitioning from the military to VP of Franchising Development for a big company is quite a journey and today Tyler chats with Bruce Evans about that vary topic. Bruce started utilized his skills and experiences learned in the Army to work his way up the ladder. Being curious, listening to those around you that bring knowledge to the table and asking questions can help put more layers on your foundation towards success. Thank you to BetterHelp for sponsoring today's episode! Coming Home Well listeners can get 10% off by visiting betterhelp.com/cominghomewell. Hey folks, know of an organization doing awesome work for our veterans and their caregivers? Have a topic you want to know more about? Email us your suggestions at cominghomewell@gmail.com and we will do our best to make it happen.

Exiting the service where one's purpose is often clear can be challenging for so many of our service members. One's purpose can suddenly be undistinguishable. Tyler chats with Hank Barbe, Combat/Flight medic and Iraq Veteran, about his time of uncertainty and hitting rock bottom before discovering his tribe that led to his new purpose in life. His course has been charted and he is using his skills and newfound friendships to make a difference not only for himself but for so many others. Thank you to BetterHelp for sponsoring today's episode! Coming Home Well listeners can get 10% off by visiting betterhelp.com/cominghomewell.

The symptoms of PTSD and Moral Injury can be a beast of a storm wrecking havoc on the mind. Trying to manage the daily tasks involved in just living can be draining so trying to manage symptoms on top of everything else can often times push a person to the edge. This week Tyler talks with Tom Voss, US Army veteran and author of Where War Ends about managing the symptoms through meditation. He began his journey of harnessing his inner storm with a 2700 hike across the country along side his friend and fellow comrade Anthony Anderson in hopes of reflecting and finding solace. Thank you to BetterHelp for sponsoring today's episode! Coming Home Well listeners can get 10% off by visiting betterhelp.com/cominghomewell.

Tyler chats with Robyn Mehlenbeck, Director for the George Mason University Center for Psychological Services (GMU CPS) which is a community-located and community-serving psychological services office that serves as the primary training clinic for the graduate students in Clinical and School Psychology at GMU. The center offers a range of evidence-based treatment services and provides a sliding scale fee so that everyone has the opportunity for assessment and treatment regardless of their income. GMU CPS is extremely supportive of the military community both active and veteran. Visit their center at psyclinic.gmu.edu or call 703-993-1370 for assistance.

Creating a community through food. Tyler chats with Anne Burns, Executive Director about the benefits of good nutrition and better health through the Vets Chat & Chew Program. Vets Chat and Chew was designed for veterans, active military, and families to come together and learn about food. The six week program is a science based nutritional educational course featuring live healthy recipe demonstrations and assistance in creating a lifelong plan to feel better both mentally and physically. www.vetschatandchew.com Thank you to BetterHelp for sponsoring today's episode! Coming Home Well listeners can get 10% off by visiting betterhelp.com/cominghomewell.

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you have imagined" ~ Henry David Thoreau. This is a motto our guest this week lives by as his mission is to not let his disability define him. Tyler chats with Lonnie Bedwell, a Navy Veteran, extreme athlete and National Geographic 2015 Adventurer of the Year, who loves loves kayaking, rock climbing, parachuting, downhill skiing and such more more. The incredible part is Lonnie is blind. Yes blind! Lonnie inspires others to challenge yourself and never let your disability define who you are and what you can accomplish. Join us for Lonnie's amazing story. Thank you to BetterHelp for sponsoring today's episode! Coming Home Well listeners can get 10% off by visiting betterhelp.com/cominghomewell.

As the effects of TBI and CTE infiltrate the minds of so many of our veterans, there is hope in paving a path to potential solutions. Tyler chats with Tyler Maland, Chief Impact Officer at the Concussion Legacy Foundation, about Project Enlist and the importance of Taking The Pledge to donate your brain in the future to further research. This final act of selflessness gives hope to your brothers and sisters in arms that struggle daily with the symptoms to finding solutions to prevent and manage TBI, CTE and PTSD.

Tyler chats with William Mathieson, Marine Corp Veteran and scuba diver for Lifewaters.org, about the healing powers of scuba diving for disabled veterans. Lifewaters is ran by dedicated staff volunteers to include SCI therapists, doctors, nurses, veterans and civilians all helping to passionately bring the euphoric healing powers of scuba diving to our warriors who need it the most. Come join the experience of the beauty and serenity of being underwater and away from all the chaos. Lifewaters.org

Tyler chats with Virginia Cruse, a combat veteran, Army Reserve Officer, published researcher, Licensed Professional Counselor and National Certified Counselor specializing in Military Issues and Combat-Related Trauma, about her book "The Soldier's Guide to PTSD: A No Shit Guide to Reclaiming Your Life". This book is a soldier to soldier guide call to arms, no BS guide offering facts, empathy and direction, while urging service member to seek help. In addition Virginia's guide helps family members to understand the battlefield and connecting civilians with the warrior culture.

In late 2020, Tyler chatted with Dr. William H. Thiesen, Atlantic-area historian for the U.S. Coast Guard and author of multiple publications, as they dived deeper into the history and incredible journey of Lt. Thomas James "Jimmy" Crotty. A WW II hero, Crotty was summarized best by Dr. Thiesen in the Coast Guard Compass magazine as "Mine Specialist, Demolitions Expert, Naval Officer, Artilleryman, Marine and Coast Guardsman in the Battle for Corregidor". Join Tyler and Dr. Thiesen as they guide you through the amazing life of a true legend.

Tyler chats with Monica Schroen, Coordinator for the Program of Veteran General Caregiver Support in Richmond, Virginia. Monica discusses the benefits of program and the recent expansion in eligibility. As a two phase process starting on October 1, 2020, this expansion will include family caregivers of eligible Veterans from all eras who were seriously injured in the line of duty. Tune in to hear the details of the program and how to get started. Visit their website at https://www.caregiver.va.gov/. General Caregiver Support

"Giving back to those that have given so much" is George Mason University philosophy in creating the Military, Veterans and Families Initiative (MVFI). Tyler chats with Keith Renshaw, Director of MVFI and Professor/Chair of the Department of Psychology at GMU about the MVFI and the opportunities offers to veterans and their families. MVFI provides a platform in education and training through scholarships and programs, as well as, a multitude of services such as a Veterans and Arts Initiative, a legal clinic (M-Vets), and a center assisting with PTSD and effects of TBI. MVFI also offers areas of research in human health and performance, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, space, and more. Check out the interview with Keith Renshaw to learn about all GMU MVFI has to offer.

Tyler chats with Ron Haviv, an Emmy nominated, award-winning photojournalist and co-founder of the photo agency VII about the effects of photography on both sides of the camera. Ron's decades of photography has been dedicated to documenting conflict and raising awareness about human rights issues around the globe. Having covered over 25 conflicts, Ron has been able to capture critically acclaimed photos that instill raw emotion, spark conversation and bring exposure to international war crimes.

Tyler chats with John Preston, founder of 22 and You, a movement to save lives of first responders and veterans suffering from post traumatic stress (PTS). John started the movement by embarking on a 630 mile hike from Palo Alto to San Diego that caught the attention of many individuals, including first responders and veterans that joined to walk alongside John. Encouraged by John’s perseverance, these fellow hikers shared their own personal battles or stories of loss as they descended the California coast together. John brought along a film crew also composed of veterans and first responders that not only covered the hike but helped him push on to the finish line on the USS Midway. The movement was inspired by the loss of John’s older brother Michael in January 2016. After Michael’s passing, John had two singles about combatting suicide into the DRT Top 20 and iTunes Top 200, charting with some of the most popular rock and pop artists in the world. The success of his music was getting attention, but John never found a way to fully explain the experience of losing his brother with words alone. He thought if he put himself through horrific physical pain, he may be able to finally express to the world the pain of losing a loved one to suicide. 22 miles a day, 28 days, with a 22-kilogram rucksack.

Tyler chats with Ned Forney, an author living in Seoul, South Korea who is writing a book about the Battle of Chosin (Changjin) Reservoir and Hungnam Evacuation, the largest US military amphibious evacuation of civilians, under combat conditions, in American history. The all-but-forgotten 1950 US/UN humanitarian operation saved 100,000 North Korean refugees during the winter of 1950. An estimated one million descendants of the unprecedented evacuation now live in freedom in South Korea, the United States, and around the world. The current president of the Republic of Korea, Moon Jae-in, is one of them. Ned is a Marine veteran, career educator, and grandson of the late Colonel Edward H. Forney, USMC, the evacuation control officer at Hungnam in December 1950.

Tyler chats with Lt. Col. Sally Maddox, a C5 pilot in the Air Force on her paper Music and Combat Motivation. Sally's takes a dive into the scientific effects of music on military engagement and how it has the ability to boost morale, promote cohesion or potentially push one's ideology. Over history dating as far back as the civil war to present day, music can play a powerful tool in influencing a mood as well as bringing relatability to both sides of the battlefield. Be sure to check out both the interview along with Sally's paper at the link provided. https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a635065.pdf

In this episode, Tyler Pieron with Coming Home Well talks with Dr. Adam Darkins, a physician who spearheaded the Veteran’s Administration’s efforts to begin to use telehealth to help veterans achieve better outcomes, increase the quality of care and provide better access. Beginning in the 1990s, Dr. Darkins began developing what is now one of the largest and most effective telehealth programs in the country, with a focus on ensuring patient access and increasing accessibility regardless of geographical location. Since the beginning of the COIVD-19 pandemic, the use of telehealth services for routine care has exploded, but Dr. Darkins shares how the VA has been laying the foundation of ensuring veterans can receive care no matter where they are for decades.

In this episode, Tyler Pieron with Coming Home Well talks with Dr. John Lukens, PhD, who leads a team of researchers at the University of Virginia investigating the cellular and molecular pathways that contribute to neuroinflammation and central nervous system (CNS)-related tissue damage. Dr. Lukens shares with us the latest research about the intersection of the immune system in neurological issues, such as Traumatic Brain Injuries, Alzheimer’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Autism, among others. He shares groundbreaking research that provide new insights into both the causes and consequences of meningeal lymphatic dysfunction in TBI and suggest that therapeutics targeting the meningeal lymphatic system may offer strategies to treat TBI.

In this episode, Tyler Pieron with Coming Home Well talks with Lynn Lennon, the founder and owner of Richmond Peak Performance, in Richmond, VA. Lynn shares with us what neurofeedback and biofeedback is, and how it can be used by veterans. Neurofeedback is a form of EEG-based biofeedback, which helps to directly train brain function. During neurofeedback training, the brain learns to function more efficiently as the brain observes its own real-time brainwave activity and is then rewarded for changing its own activity to more appropriate and useful patterns. This is a learning process similar to the processes and patterns of general skill learning and sports training.

In this episode, Tyler Pieron with Coming Home Well interviews Rick Yount, the Executive Director and founder of Warrior Canine Connection (https://warriorcanineconnection.org/), who breed, train and place service dogs with severely wounded veterans. What makes Warrior Canine Connection special is they include veterans and injured service members in all aspects of preparing a dog as a service animal, from taking care of puppies to socializing them to training the dogs. This special approach allows a single service dog to help more than 60 warriors as they go from a purpose bred puppy to a fully trained service dog helping a severely wounded veteran.

In this episode, Tyler Pieron with Coming Home Well catches back up with Dr. Lorin Linder and Matt Simmons, the Co-Founders of the Lockwood Animal Rescue Center (lockwoodarc.org)in the California mountains above Los Angeles. Dr. Linder explains how she and her husband Matt started LARC and their methodology of connecting combat veterans with rescue wolves, and how it can heal both. Wee also talk about the first season of “Wolves & Warriors” television show which premiered on Animal Planet in 2018. It highlighted the bond between man and animal, veteran and wolf, as they healed each other through shared trauma. This show brought attention to the work being done at Lockwood Animal Rescue Center in Lockwood, CA - where Matt Simmons and Dr. Lorin Lindner heal wounded veterans and rescued wolves. And how their WolfGuard team also embarks on missions throughout the country to protect wolves from poachers and bring justice to those who abuse and murder animals.

In this episode, Tyler Pieron with Coming Home Well introduces a new member of the show, Mr. Alfredo Torres. Alfredo is a Navy veteran who has faced many of the challenges veterans face as they return home from war, including depression, divorce and near homelessness. Today, Alfredo has found a new calling – helping veterans find both employment and a purpose after they leave service. He shares with us his background, his outlook and begins the Coach’s Corner, where Alfredo shares the tips, tricks and insights he sees every day as he helps veterans find new work opportunities.

In this episode, Tyler Pieron with Coming Home Well talks with Bonnie Carroll, the President and Founder of Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), which provides comfort, care and resources to all those grieving the death of a military loved one. Since 1994, TAPS has provided comfort and hope 24/7 through a national peer support network and connection to grief resources, all at no cost to surviving families and loved ones. Bonnie Carroll is a 2015 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a military veteran, the surviving spouse of the Brigadier General Tom Carroll, a former staffer in the Reagan and Bush White Houses. Ms. Carroll founded TAPS following the death of her husband in an Army C-12 plane crash on Nov. 12, 1992. You can learn more about TAPS at their website: www.taps.org

We have a guest host this week! Libby Bates, who serves with Coming Home Well and is the host of the Behind the Service Podcast (you should check it out – it is great!) interviews Dr. Daniel Perl, a pathologist who studies the effects of Traumatic Brain Injuries on veterans. Dr. Perl was recruited to the faculty of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., as Professor of Pathology. As the director of the congressionally mandated Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, he has established a state-of-the-art neuropathology laboratory dedicated to research on the acute and long-term effects of traumatic brain injury among military personnel.

In this episode, Tyler Pieron with Coming Home Well talks with Ray Cralle, who is a physical therapist who has helped pioneer the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen to treat a number of medical issues. Mr. Cralle shares ongoing research and case studies of the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) to treat Traumatic Brain Injuries and other issues veterans often face, and how it has shown remarkable potential to help heal these internal wounds. You can learn more about HBOT here https://www.oxygenrescuecarecentersofamerica.com/. Later in the show, Tyler walks veterans through setting up an account on the Veterans Administration website known as Ebenefits (www.ebenefits.va.gov) and why it is so useful for anyone trying to interact with the VA, such as applying for benefits, obtaining medical care, or requesting letters from the VA.

In this episode, Tyler Pieron with Coming Home Well talks with Dr. Doreen Marshall with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (afsp.org), which is the largest private funder of suicide prevention research. Dr. Marshall shares with us the challenges of depression and suicide and provide insights into how to help those suffering. Suicide in the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and on average 22 veterans commit suicide each day.

In this episode, Tyler Pieron with Coming Home Well talks with Sara Pitzen, of the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center (www.theupcenter.org), which provides high quality, time sensitive mental health services to post-9/11 veterans and their families, regardless of the veteran’s role while in uniform, discharge status, or combat experience. Services are also available for all active duty family members. The Up Center offers confidential, client-centered therapy for a variety of short-to-medium term mental health issues including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, adjustment issues, anger, grief and loss, family issues, transition challenges, relationship problems, and children’s behavioral problems at low to no cost. Tyler at talks with Helen Stowe, who organized the Trevor Banks/Ruck 22 event in Staunton, benefitting the Specialist Trevor Banks Foundation (www.specialisttrevorbanksfoundation.com/), which focuses on PTSD Suicide Prevention. Teams ruck-march for up to 22K (5hrs) while carrying weight that symbolizes the burden that many veterans carry post-war or post-trauma. Rucker's carry weight in backpacks for up to 22 Kilometers to represent the weight many service members carry in the battle against combat stress and the number of veterans who commit suicide each day.

In this episode, Tyler Pieron with Coming Home Well talks with Chaunte Hall who has partnered with employers, training programs, and veteran groups to form the Victory Trades Alliance (VTA) to increase veteran hiring in the trades, such as HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning), Electrical, and Plumbing. VTA brings together veterans, transitioning military members, training programs, and employers for their mutual benefit. Later in the show, Tyler meets with Matt Hesse, of the FitOps Foundation. FitOps equips veterans who are passionate about fitness, health, and wellness to find success after the military. Using fitness and the leadership skills that they gained during their time in the service, veterans are equipped with a new mission: to help improve the lives of others. Focusing on professional and personal development, veterans who graduate from FitOps are experts in fitness coaching, and are awarded a fitness industry professional certification and designated as Certified Veteran Fitness Operatives (CVFO), which gives them the tools necessary to launch a career in fitness and leadership.

In this episode, Tyler Pieron with Coming Home Well talks with Robert Pearson with Hospice of the Piedmont (https://www.hopva.org/) and learns about the "We Honor Veterans" program, which honors veterans during their last days. Later in the show, Tyler spends time with Dr. Kent Werner, who is a board-certified neurologist at the Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (https://www.usuhs.edu/cnrm). Dr. Werner talks about how TBI and other brain issues affect sleep and what veterans can do about it and what the latest research is showing.

Coming Home Well meets with Army Veteran Matt Hesse, the founder of the FitOps Foundation. FitOps helps veterans who are passionate about health and wellness to find success after the military in the fitness industry. The goal is not just to help veterans to get certified as personal trainers, but to create a path for our servicemen and women to use their leadership skills to help improve the lives of others. FitOps is specifically designed to build on the fitness and leadership experience that veterans gained during their time in the service. The result is Certified Veteran Fitness Operatives (CVFOs) who guide themselves and their clients on a path toward being their personal best, in fitness and in life.

Coming Home Well meets with meets with Art and Lee Beltrone, who share the story of the Walker, a troopship that carried soldiers into war...and was then mothballed for decades. The discovery of the graffiti and other artifacts led to a project to recover the material for preservation in museums throughout the country. Art Beltrone and his wife Lee formed the non-profit Vietnam Graffiti Project and with other volunteers worked with the Maritime Administration and museums to remove examples of the historic material and relocate the artifacts to American repositories and museums. Among the recipients—the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, museums operated by the United States Army, Navy and Marine Corps, and state and local museums throughout the country. Learn more at http://www.vietnamgraffiti.com/

Coming Home Well meets with meets with Dr. Kent Werner, Lieutenant Commander, US Navy. Dr. Werner is a Sleep Medicine and Neurology Physician who currently works for Uniformed Services University studying sleep disorders in the military and is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins for teaching and research. He discusses the impact of sleep disorders on Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Post Traumatic Syndrome and provides recommendations and suggestions for obtaining help.

Coming Home Well meets with Ken Falke, the Founder and Chairman of Boulder Crest Foundation, which uses the proven science of Posttraumatic Growth to heal, train, and advocate for combat veterans, first responders, and their families who have experienced trauma. Boulder Crest has developed, delivers, and scales transformative programs to ensure these remarkable men and women transform struggle into strength and lifelong growth, so they can live the great lives they deserve, with a highlight on a new, innovative, and effective approach to PTSD and combat-related stress, called PATHH (Progressive and Alternative Training for Healing Heroes).

Tyler talks with Patrick Boyaggi, founder and CEO of Own Up to learn the ins and outs of mortgages, how VA loans are different, and how veterans can get the best deal when looking to obtain a mortgage to buy a home or refinance an existing mortgage.

Tyler sits down with Brooke Nowak of the GreaterGood organization and learns about the “GoodPacks”, which are one of the many ways GreaterGood works to help keep people, especially veterans, and their companion animals together during crisis, like during homelessness. Brooke also shares some of the other great programs Greater Good does to help pets and people, like a food lending bank for animal shelters and “rescue rebuild” to help animal shelters renovate.

Tyler meets with Dr. Chaitra M. Hardison, an industrial psychologist with the Rand Corporation, who authored "What Veterans Bring to Civilian Workplaces - A Prototype Toolkit for Helping Private-Sector Employers Understand the Nontechnical Skills Developed in the Military", which gives employers great insight as to why hiring veterans is an asset to their company and how veterans can share their soft skills developed i the military with potential employers.

Tyler meets up with Mark Whiting, Program Manager of the Military Medics and Corpsman Program at the Department of Veteran Services for the Commonwealth of Virginia. As the first and only program of its type in the nation, the MMAC-Qualified Pathway focuses on recently discharged veterans who served as Army Medics or Navy/Coast Guard Corpsmen or Air Force Medical Technicians. The MMAC program also has programs for veterans who have left the military some time ago as well as programs in healthcare leadership.

Tyler talks with Sylvia Muller, Program Manager for Operations Bigs, part of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Virginia. Operations Bigs is focused on helping military children through challenges in their lives, including the deployment of a parent, frequent moves when the military family changes duty locations in a permanent change of station, and everyday challenges that uniquely affect military children.

Tyler meets with Dr. Deborah Beidel of the University of Central Florida’s UCF RESTORES, which is a leading independent research center established to change the way post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is understood, diagnosed and treated. Dr. Beidel shares the unique services they offer at UCF RESTORES to treat PTSD and other trauma, including the use of virtual reality to help overcome wartime stressors. UCS RESTORES boasts of some amazing success, with over 66% of veterans who have attended the intensive outpatient treatment no longer meeting the criteria for PTSD.

Tyler sits down with Barbara Barclay of RightEye and learns how eye-tracking technologies are being used to identify and assist in a wide variety of movement disorders, including Traumatic Brain Injuries and neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s. Barbara relates how eye tracking is being used at 10 Veteran Administration hospitals in clinical trials and some of the dramatic examples of how treating eye tracking issues have helped veterans, athletes, and many others. Institutions that have used RightEye’s database include the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense, Richmond Veteran Affairs Medical Center, University of Florida, Emory University, Duke University, and many others.

"Captain" Bob talks to Sean Passmore about how PTA is making a difference in the working world and hopes to improve the lives of veterans by providing access to training and certification that lead to successful trade careers. Sean is a retired US Army Major and leads the Military Affairs efforts for Perfect Technician Academy (PTA) Weatherford, TX (20-miles outside Fort Worth), a trade school that combines technical coursework with hands on experience to prepare students in a career the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) field.

"Captain" Bob interviews Perry Yee, founder of Active Valor, a combat veteran run non-profit in San Diego, CA dedicated to giving new purpose to veterans by pairing them as mentors to children of our nation's fallen heroes, referred to as Gold Star Children. Active Valor's veteran mentors specialize in becoming the impact in their local communities. Learn about what motivated Perry, how Active Valor helps Gold Star kids and even learn about their famous Halloween Zombie hunts!

"Captain" Bob interviews Nick Montini from Hope For The Warriors, which believe those touched by military service can succeed at home by restoring their sense of self, family, and hope. Nationally, Hope For The Warriors provides comprehensive support programs for service members, veterans, and military families that are focused on transition, health and wellness, peer engagement, and connections to community resources.

"Captain" Bob interviews Michelle L. Baldanza from the Fisher House Foundation. Fisher House Foundation is best known for a network of comfort homes where military and veterans’ families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. These homes are located at major military and VA medical centers nationwide, and, in Europe, close to the medical center or hospital it serves.

"Captain" Bob interviews Joe Lewis of Angels of America’s Fallen, which proactively engages the children of our fallen military, coast guard, and first responders in healthy activities under the guidance of a coach or instructor where they could excel and develop their very own strong sense of self worth. Joe served in the military for 25 years from Private to Lieutenant Colonel with 25 combined years as an enlisted Army cannon crewman, a Marine Corps fighter pilot and as an Air Force pilot.

"Captain" Bob interviews James Hintzke, a 30-year veteran of the US Navy Seals who now runs Valhalla's Forge in Virginia Beach. Valhalla's Forge designs and builds custom metal and woodwork, mostly focusing on the military community, with a staff that includes 3 Gold Star kids (sons of fallen service members), a retired SEAL's son, an active-duty SEAL's and the son of an active duty SEABEE. Learn how they support the special operations and broader military community.

"Captain" Bob visits with Jimmy Thunder Ortiz, a Native American medicine man of Taíno descent who runs a sweat lodge at McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond. Jimmy explains how sweat lodges help to heal and serve a spiritual purpose.

Capt. Bob interviews Beth, the inspiration behind Pets for Patriots, and in her leadership capacity is responsible for strategy, operations, development and day-to-day management of the organization. She founded the charity in 2009 when she felt called to address the urgent and complementary needs of shelter pets and veterans: companionship, acceptance without judgment and love.

Captain Bob meets with Dr. Angela H. McConnell, Ph.D., MAJ USA/USAFR (RET) and learns how NOVAVets guides and assists veterans through the "Veteran Quality of Life Cycle", offering former or current military service member or family member a warm handoff to the service(s) they have earned. Guiding them through a continuity of resources to include: Benefits, Healthcare, Finance & Legal, Employment, Education, Family & Caregiver support, Community Involvement, Fitness & Recreation, and Sunset resources such as wills, hobbies & recreation, and burial benefits. NOVAVets helps veterans throughout Virginia and especially Nothern Virginia.

Capt Bob is joined by Julia Ling & Hiram Murray of Veteran Powered Films to discuss their latest project, Tango Down (www.tangodownfilm.com), and the message of brotherhood woven into the movie.

Judy Elias with the Heroes to Heroes Foundation (heroestoheroes.org) is one of those amazing humans that really give to the veteran community, in a BIG way. Her efforts in bringing wounded veterans to Israel to help heal their "moral injury" has had fantastic results. Learn what her organization does to help these vets, and what moral injury is in the first place.