...What does Veterans Day mean to you? Maybe you think of it as just a half day off of school, but really it is a lot more than that. Veterans day is a day to honor the people who fought for freedom. The America I believe in is everyone getting an education. Can you imagine if you could not go to school because of your culture, gender, or race? I am lucky to live where I do because everyone is welcome to go to school and get an education. The veterans fought for us to all be able to go to school. The America I believe in is brave/strong, because the military fights for us to be safe and free. In some places in the world, getting an education is rare. In Mogadishu, Somalia, 36% of girls go to school. It’s very unfair how some countries do not...
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...Re-entry back into civilian life Prepared by John Smith Submitted to Jenny Smith, Ph.D. March 11, 2014 Memo Date: | March 12, 2014 | To: | Jenny Smith | From: | John Smith | Re: | A study of veterans re-entry back into civilian life | | | I’m transmitting this report for your review, which was prepared to determine the importance of re-entry back into civilian life, and how this information can have a big impact on our veterans’ livelihood. This study focuses on VA support, VA counseling, and VA rehabilitation. I have looked in all three scenarios to better understand its importance in our veterans, our society, and our well-being as a whole. This report provides necessary actions to take so our veterans can have a positive future, and progress as they return from line of duty. These actions will significantly improve our society likelihood to make better decisions about our veteran’s future. Taking accountability and acknowledging our own role in an encounter with a veteran will immediately get a handgrip and correct our situations for the future. If you have a question or comment, please feel free to contact me at (248) 248-1248. CONTENTS EXECTUTIVE SUMMARY ……………………………………………………………………………………. 1 INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2 RE-ENTRY BACK INTO CIVILIAN LIFE ………………………………………………………………….. 2 Description of the findings ……………………………………………………………………. 2 Summary of findings …………………………………………………………………………….. 3 BODY...
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...hits your funny bone, except all over his body. The Navy veteran from Fort White, Florida was out cold for six days and presumed dead at least once after the blast in May 2004. He woke up six days later in the Bethesda Naval Hospital, about 6,000 miles from where he was assigned in Iraq, he said. His wife, Diana Herrick, told him his left leg had been amputated and that pieces of shrapnel had lodged in his lungs and neck, damaging his spinal cord and leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. And out of his 42 comrades, 33 had been wounded and five killed. As Herrick struggled through a painful recovery, Diana said she lived in Fisher Houses, homes near major military and Veterans Affairs medical centers that provide free lodging to the families of veterans and wounded military members who are being treated. The Fisher House not only saved the couple thousands of dollars in transportation and housing costs but also provided a support system for Diana from families who knew exactly what she was going through, she said. Without Diana close by, Peter said he wouldn't have made it. After serving for nearly 18 years in the military, I can personally attest to the value and effectiveness of Fisher House. I’d like to encourage you to become involved, by donating what you can- be it time, money, frequent flier miles, hotel points, or even gardening supplies and household goods. (Transition: Let’s look at the overall importance of Fisher House and the need for...
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...College’s first Veterans Day ceremony. The project included collaboration with the college’s choir and fine arts department, Alabama Aviation Center director who donated four airplane noses, local radio host and personality who narrated the event, Enterprise High School JROTC who presented the colors, and local U.S. Army surplus store owner who provided uniforms and artifacts. Showcased in the event were reproductions I had created of historic military aviation artwork which veterans signed to create a lasting memorial. The purpose of the Veterans Day project was two-fold. I wanted to share with my community the inspiring perspective of America’s wars as told by military aircraft nose art and take them on a walk through history. At the same time, I wanted to use the...
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...1st Graded Response Doruk Arkis Sticks The short story ” Sticks “ ( Tenth of December by George Saunders, pg. 29 ) talks about an old veteran who expresses his feelings by decorating a pole on important or life changing events. His family and people around him finds his acts strange but he doesn’t stop because what he is doing is the meaning of his life. George Saunders’ short story addresses that people can choose symbolic ways to express their feelings. ( How does George Saunders’ short story addresses that people can choose symbolic ways to express their feelings? ) In his short story, George Saunders’ addresses that people can choose symbolic ways to express their feelings by giving real life examples from the story’s main character, veteran father of the family. He sees the pole as his expression of his feelings. He decorates it on veteran days, people’s death, basically, on every important events. The medals he hangs on the pole, shows us that he is a veteran and it is known that veterans are usually have hard time expressing their emotions or feelings. This is why he chooses a “ different “ way of expressing his feelings and emotions. Narrator says, “The pole was Dad’s one concession to glee.” ( pg 29 “ Sticks”, Tenth of December) which tells us the importance of this pole to the Father. When he died, his children sold the house to a young couple and they threw the pole away. One’s most important or valuable thing might not have any meaning for...
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...each of the veterans’ faces, all my apprehension vanished. The attitude of spite I had for writing dissipated as I came to fully understand that my ability to read and write had opened doors for me to learn more about my great grandfather’s life, bring joy to the members of the VFW,...
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...competitions: Men’s Women’s, and Co-ed groups, which are composed of many Greek, Academic, Religious, and other UT organizations. The University of Toledo takes much pride in these events, raising awareness and donations toward a worthy cause. Current sponsors of Songfest include Blue Key National Honor Fraternity and Mortar Board National Honor Society, both of which hold their recognition and tapping ceremonies during the event. Each organization participating in Songfest was challenged to come up with a fundraising goal to go above and beyond what they raised last year supporting children diagnosed with terminal cancer, which was a grand total of $25,000. According to Joy T. Bennett’s journal article Stepping Up, Joy deliberates the importance of fundraising in sororities and fraternities toward their philanthropy, providing money to improve the lives of many people and ensuring that non-profit organizations are still able to exist. She states, “Life is a gist, and it offers us privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.” After interviewing Taylor, a member of Alpha Omicron Pi, she indicated that...
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...Cultural Competency among Our Heroes Dana Smith NUR 531 June 22, 2015 Instructor: Donna Rose Cultural Competency Among Our Heroes Fear of the unknown. We as a people have the propensity to respond based on our fears due to lack of knowledge or information. We must realize that the effect of any given action (or lack thereof) does not change because we do not know. For example, if we never read the warning on a package of cigarettes and never had anyone to tell us that smoking cigarettes will lead to cancer, it does not stop cancer from taking root. Let’s say that we don’t watch the news and we are not internet surfers to know what’s going on around us and a comet is headed towards the earth. The earth is about to be destroyed. Our not knowing is not going to turn the comet in another direction nor stop it from coming and destroying planet earth. We will simply die, not knowing what or how it happened. So not knowing or being aware can cost a person to lose on a small scale and on a large scale (with the larger being your very life). Not knowing can be a roadblock to learning and intelligence. Being smart, competent and on top of your game leads to success in any given area. Incompetence or ignorance can lead to failure, death, poverty, and all kinds of damage spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and socially (in relationships). Some people think of incompetence as stupidity, or simply not caring about a particular thing. Many use...
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...Population of U.S Veterans The population of US veterans is increasing because of all the conflicts in the past 15 years that the United States of America have been involved in. We are looking at staggering influxes of both men, women, and persons of different sexual orientations that have been wounded or received a disability when transitioning from military active duty to civilian life. According to, Bollinger, M. J., Schmidt, S., Pugh, J. A., Parsons, H. M., Copeland, L. A., & Pugh, M. J. (2015), “Between 2002 and 2011, more than 4.6 million US service members were deployed to support Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation New Dawn (OND) (OEF/OIF/OND)” (p. 1). Therefore, the rights of the veterans...
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...Epidemiology: Hepatitis C in the Veteran Population NUR / 408 July 7, 2014 Deborah Nallo Introduction Hepatitis C (HCV) is highly prevalent within the Veteran population. HCV is a major public health concern because of the debilitating effects associated with the virus. HCV results in increased mortality and morbidity rates resulting from the acute and chronic effects of the virus. The most common transmission of HCV occurs through injection drug use, injuries resulting from needle sticks and the lack of infection control in healthcare facilities. The transmission of HCV can also occur through sexual contact between individuals who have the human immunodeficiency virus, and HCV virus, tattoos that were not professionally done and HCV infected mothers who have transmitted the virus to their newborn babies. The hepatitis C virus is the most common blood-borne virus in the United States. An estimated 3.2 million people in the United States have chronic hepatitis C. Most are unaware of their infection. Each year, about 17,000 Americans become infected with hepatitis C ("Centers for Disease Control and Prevention", n.d.). The veteran population has a higher rate of HCV exposure and infection when compared to the general population. Many of the individuals who are infected with the HCV virus are unaware of their infection and therefore they do not receive the necessary treatment. Individuals with HCV are at increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinomas and other...
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...The importance of remembering those who serve(d) our country On november 11th of every year Canada as a whole dedicates that one day to remember those who served and have fallen in combat in the name of Canada. It is especially important to remember those who served in the first world war, the second world war and the Korean war. If they had not been there or succeeded the world would have looked very different politically and socially. It is also important to remember the peace keeping missions Canadian troops have carried out for not our own freedom but someone else's freedom such as the missions into Bosnia and Croatia. Those missions helped establish peace in the world rather than escalating into a bigger war. The people whom we remember gave their time and usually life for freedom so that there could be a better tomorrow for not only Canadians but the world. Remembrance day is a time where we reflect about the courage it took for the veterans to do what they did. When I hear their stories I am always touched. * * * My absence at the veterans day congregation that took part at school is not me showing contempt or disrespect towards people who lost their lives and fought in world war 2. One of my great grandfathers served and died in world war 2, my other great grand father spent time in a german Prisoner of War camp and my grandparents on one side were tortured by the japanese troop. All my grand parents were affected by World War two. I took...
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...constantly changing because of the influence of the rapidly changing internal and external factors on the decision maker. To conceptualize critical thinking, look at it as an active process of critical and creative inquiry, an active cognitive approach, and rational assessment of information. This process is, “Based on an understanding and awareness of logical analysis that permit a rational evaluation of arguments” (Sanders & Wiseman, 1994, para. 4). Knowing that decision-making is an ever changing process, with a multitude of influencing factors, and critical thinking is a process influenced by reasoning and logical evaluation of facts, circumstances, and events. Applying the critical thinking process to the decisions made every day will improve, clarify, and target the decisions made to the problem or issue, ultimately improving the ability to make better decisions, communicate in a clear coherent manner, and identify areas of weakness in the decision and thinking processes. Failing to implement critical thinking during the decision-making process, leads to escalation of problems that seem to be insignificant at first but then expand, growing out of context and transforming into a very large problem later. Failure to think critically leads to hasty irrational...
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...American poet and writer, Eve Merriam, said, “I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, ‘Mother, what was war?’” This ideal has yet to be realized, and our future in foreign conflict is uncertain. The 20th and 21st centuries have been littered with conflict and many of our brave patriots have sacrificed much for our nation’s ideals. When World War I subsided in 1918, and President Woodrow Wilson, in 1919, proclaimed a day to be dedicated to world peace - Armistice Day. World War I was “the war to end all wars,” then World War II came along, and the Korean Conflict. In 1954, a popular idea gained notoriety - that Armistice Day be changed to Veterans Day to recognize all service members. Vietnam veterans, unfortunately, received less than a warm embrace from their motherland. However, over the passing decades America has learned many valuable lessons in revering these special men and women. Maya Angelou, another American writer and poet, spoke of this importance when she said, “How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!” It is worthy of note that 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean Conflict. As our nation draws nigh the end of our conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, let us always remember those who serve our nation and risk everything to ensure its safety. May we hope as Oliver Wendell Holmes did in his wise rhyme, “Lord, bid war’s trumpet cease. Fold the whole earth in peace.” George Washington said in his first...
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...The Issues Arising From the Department of Veteran Affairs Victor N. Ijoma Texas Southern University Abstract The issue of veteran’s affairs is a very important aspect to who we are as a nation. There are thousands of men and women who put on uniforms to go and defend our rights thousands of miles away, they have fought to make our dreams of living free and equal a reality and I believe we owe them the least of caring for them when they return home. The situation currently going on in the Department of Veterans Affairs is a nightmare, veterans being denied care, not being able to receive adequate support when they come home is a national disgrace to us. The effect of not being able to attend to the need of our veterans is a very dangerous trend, and unless we take the matter as an emergency situation, the very strength of our armed forces will start to lose its glory. The most important means of making sure we are taking care of our veterans is by looking into the laws and policy that currently govern the department so as to find a more responsible approach to making these laws and policy’s even better. The veterans Affairs being the second largest department in the federal government, it is crucial to have a budget big enough to be able to sustain old working programs and implement new programs in order to help give our veterans the very best care they have earned and desire. Department of Veterans Affairs As early as 1636 when the pilgrims of Plymouth Colony were...
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...obstacles to overcome both physical and mental. Most soldiers are not aware of a certain condition that they might have developed while deployed in a war zone. This condition is called Traumatic Brain Injury, also known as TBI. It is an injury that is not found on the outside of the body but rather internal, therefore it is called the Unseen Wound. Even though it’s unseen, TBI is real and affects a large percentage of veterans returning from war and test results show that an average of 46 percent of soldiers have TBI. Traumatic brain injury, the signature wound of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, is doubly cruel: it leaves many victims emotionally shattered and cognitively crippled. But because mild and moderate brain injuries do not show up on CT or other imaging devices, doctors and even family members are often skeptical that any real damage exists. TBI is real and affects a large percentage of veterans returning from war. “Consistent with the designation of TBI as one of the signature injuries of the war theaters in Iraq and Afghanistan, 46% of the returning veterans recruited for this project screened positive for a deployment-related TBI” (Morissette, Woodward, & Kimbrel, Meyer, Kruse, 2011, p. 346). I have deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan and have sustained injuries in result of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s) and mortar attacks. Shortly after returning home, my family and close friends noticed that I was no longer the same person. Even though my family...
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