National Veterans Foundation

Final Report

Here is the Final Report and Acknowledgements regarding the GRUEL-A-THON: Dan Hanson's solo, unsupported attempt to bicycle 1000 Miles in 5 Days for the National Veterans Foundation. I am writing this to includes coverage of the remainder of the LAST DAY, after my 5:30 pm Report was phoned in from the road to the Beautiful Laurie Casserly, GRUEL-A-THON Gal and Staff Reporter.

Weather: Beautiful, partly cloudy day. Cooler than usual temperatures. Wind finally died off.

Tire/Tube Flats: One after dark. (TOTAL Tire/Tube Flats: Three.)

People or Events of Interest: At about 11:30 pm, I became too tired to ride through the night. Despite having chugged several "energy drink" products, I began to fall asleep on the bike. I stopped under a sheltered, lit entryway of church and set an alarm to wake soon enough to complete the remaining 70 miles. At 12:45 pm, I was awakened by a local Police Officer responding to a call of a "suspicious character". The Police Officer's disposition eventually became friendly and then he had many questions about the gear needed to bicycle 1,000 miles in 5 days. At 2:15 am, I began riding again but could only achieve a top speed of about 9 mph and began to shiver continuously in the cool night temperatures. At 4:15 am, I had to stop and crawl into my sleeping bag to wait for the warmer temperatures that sunrise brings. At 6:00 am, it was warm enough for me to begin riding without shivering. With about 50 miles to go in the daylight, I found that I only had enough left in me to ride an average of about 10 mph.

Albertson's Supermarkets, working with Hollywood Worksource Center, are seeking fulltime Loss Prevention Specialists for their Southern California stores.  There are openings in the following areas:

The Southwest Montana Veterans Memorial is dedicated to all those brave men and women who have served their country with honor in times of war and peace.

It is a tribute to all those American heros who fought and died to protect these UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

The National Veterans Foundation would like to honor one of our fallen comrades and street warriors. Steve Clark was the most caring, charismatic, and outgoing individual in the office. His vibrant personality made every day go by with ease. Steve had been on the Homeless Outreach Street Team for seven months. During that time the street people that he dealt with weekly, came to love him because they could sense his genuine sympathy. Without a moment of hesitation Steve would wake up at two in the morning to help a veteran in need. He had a knack of saying the right thing at the right time to alleviate the tension in any room and bring a smile to everyone’s face. We’ll remember Steve for the non-judgmental character he met the world with: he would take a phone call from anybody, anywhere, to help out in whatever way he could. He always reminded us how good he felt giving back to the community and lending a helping hand. There can be no question that Steve made a positive impact on the veteran population. Measuring the scope of what he accomplished in a short time would be difficult if not impossible. All of us at the NVF pledge to honor his legacy by carrying on the work he loved so passionately. We love you Steve. You will not be forgotten. A memorial page can be found at http://stevieclark.com

By ERIN McCLAM, AP National Writer
Sun Jan 20, 11:16 AM ET

LEEDS, Mass. - Peter Mohan traces the path from the Iraqi battlefield to this lifeless conference room, where he sits in a kilt and a Camp Kill Yourself T-shirt and calmly describes how he became a sad cliche: a homeless veteran.

There was a happy homecoming, but then an accident — car crash, broken collarbone. And then a move east, close to his wife's new job but away from his best friends.

And then self-destruction: He would gun his motorcycle to 100 mph and try to stand on the seat. He would wait for his wife to leave in the morning, draw the blinds and open up whatever bottle of booze was closest.

Read More ...

Veterans' Advocates Say Ignoring Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Is A Military-Wide Problem
CBS Evening News With Katie Couric
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2007

Army Spc. Shawn Saunders was proud of his first two tours in Iraq. But midway through his third tour - he snapped.

"If I hear loud noises, I get, I'm real, real jumpy,” Saunders told CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier. “I get paranoid."

"Distraught, lost, confused..." is how Saunders’ father characterizes his behavior.

His parents say his breaking point was watching his best friend die while guarding a checkpoint.

Read More ...

In February of this year, Murphy was sentenced to 90 days for refusing to use his combat related VA disability compensation and Social Security Disability money to pay court ordered alimony. Circuit Court Judge, James M. Batzer sentenced Murphy to 90 days in the Manistee County Jail on contempt of court charges. Murphy was lead away from the court house in handcuffs like a common criminal.

Dear Friends:

Today, as our nation honors all who have worn the proud uniform of our armed forces, the NVF’s toll-free “Lifeline” call center is being inundated with a growing number of requests for support and assistance---more than 200 per week, and increasingly, from those returning from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The NVF is poised to meet this rising wave of need, but to do that, we need your help to reach our $25,000 Veterans Day Fundraising goal.

CLICK HERE TO CONTRIBUTE!

As many of you know, this past July, we launched an needed expansion of our toll-free “Lifeline”---the only non-profit service of its kind for all veterans and their families. We’ve expanded our hours to seven days a week, more than doubled our staff of trained veteran operators, re-designed our interactive website, and launched a national outreach program that is getting our Lifeline number (888-777-4443) in the hands of more veterans and families than ever before---by web, radio, tv, on the street, and everywhere inbetween.

Salin Ebrahamian

11/11/2007

They ride in the humvees or walk patrolling the streets in Iraq or Afghanistan. They have less than a second to determine if the man, the woman, the child standing in their path is a civilian or a human bomb. They have less than a second to decide between life or death… if they are wrong then they either kill an innocent civilian or their own fellow soldier. Having the power to hold the life of an individual in your hands is not a human quality, it is playing God. These soldiers, however, are not playing. This power over life and death does not come without its own heavy burden; they know all too well they are not Gods. They have to live with that decision for the rest of their mortal lives. These young men and women of our military, when in Iraq or Afghanistan, are given a mission, and they do what is necessary to complete the mission. They fight, some die to complete their mission. They kill to live; they kill so they won’t bury another brother or sister. In the battlefield, when bullets and bombs are ripping through the air, there is no politics, there is no right or wrong- there is only one truth, for one to live another must die. They carry the power of life and death over there.

USA Today Article

WASHINGTON (AP) — Veterans make up one in four homeless people in the United States, though they are only 11% of the general adult population, according to a report to be released Thursday.

And homelessness is not just a problem among middle-age and elderly veterans. Younger veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are trickling into shelters and soup kitchens seeking services, treatment or help with finding a job.

The Veterans Affairs Department has identified 1,500 homeless veterans from the current wars and says 400 of them have participated in its programs specifically targeting homelessness.

Read more ...