Category: Vet of the Week
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#EndTheStigma Mental Health: Lisa Spencer
Seaman Lisa SpencerUnited States Navy VeteranWomen’s Advocate Devil Dog USA Lisa suffers from (MST) Military Sexual Trauma, (PTSD) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and drug addiction. Her MST stirs from being raped while on active duty and PTSD spurs from abusive relationships. Her drug addiction is a result of those predicaments, which she felt was her only…
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The End of Mental Health Month but Not the Stigma
Sergeant Gonzalo DuranExecutive Officer Devil Dog USAUnited States Marine Corps Veteran With the end of Mental Health Month, our very own Lisa Spencer, who is our resident (CASAC-T) Chemical Abuse Substance Abuse Counselor Trainee, has started our #EndTheStigma campaign. She has asked me to start off the campaign by sharing my mental health conditions. I…
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#EndTheStigma Mental Health: Ashleigh K. McIntosh
Ashleigh has bravely shared her Mental Health story to help with our #EndTheStigma campaign. I hope you will read and help us spread that there is help out there.
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A Veteran’s Ratchet Philosophy
Featured Veteran: Marine Corporal Shadequa Hampton, October 2009 – October 2014. The slang meaning of the word “ratchet” began as an insult, predominately directed toward African-American woman. It derives from the urban community, and with the help of music artists using it in hip-hop, it was brought to prominence. Its evolution in recent years, though,…
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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder : When Realization Hits
Featured Veteran: Marine Corporal Manuel Aulov, June 1998 – June 2002. It was a regular Tuesday morning. Manuel Aulov was working on some files, when all of sudden the floor and walls started trembling. Naturally he thought it was an earthquake. He asked his supervisor if that was common in these parts. His supervisor awkwardly…
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My Memorial Day Weekend With Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors (TAPS)
Featured Veteran: Army Sergeant Naslie Frenes, June 2014 – Present. This past Memorial Day weekend, many families gathered around the barbecue pit firing up steaks and burgers or soaking up the sun at the beach enjoying the beautiful weather. For others, this holiday is a remembrance for the brave men and woman who have sacrificed…
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#MeToo And Weinstein: A Veterans Thoughts
Featured Veteran: Personnelman Seaman Lisa Spencer of the United States Navy, July 1989 – July 1993. In light of Harvey Weinstein’s year-long legal battle stemming from accusations of sexual assault, Lisa Spencer wanted to chime in with her personal opinions and experience on the matter. The media has been focused on former film mogul Harvey…
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Garifuna Veterans Helping To Identify Garifunas in 2020 Census
Featured Veteran: Hospital Corpsman Second Class Edson Arzu of the United States Navy, July 2001 – April 2008. Arzu is the President of Garifuna Veterans of America (GVOA). GVOA started as a way of acknowledging and chronicling the achievements of Garifuna service members. Since it is difficult to categorize the Garifuna service members in military documents through current ethical and…
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Veteran Of The Week: The Man Of Opportunity
It is with great pleasure to introduce this week’s Veteran of the Week: Specialist Joshuah Chrisman of the United States Army. Joshuah was born in Oklahoma but raised in Georgia, just south of Atlanta. He currently works at American Corporate Partners (ACP), has a beautiful family and a bright future in front of him. Joshuah…
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The Motivator
This week’s featured Veteran is Angel Rondon, United States Marine Corps (USMC). He is currently a resident at Saint Barnabas Hospital Rehabilitation Center; recovering from a leg injury. Last month I called Devil Dog USA Incorporated Chief Operations Officer, Debbie Powers, to ask how our friend was doing. Unfortunately the conversation was one of concern…