Retired Army Lt. Col. Jason Roncoroni joins me on Veteranology to talk about the non-profit Stop Soldier Suicide. Jason joined the organization last year as serves as their executive director. Stop Soldier Suicides takes a holistic approach to helping veterans battling anxiety, PTS, and suicidal thoughts.
Through a comprehensive communication plan and supporting caseworker network the veterans they serve are contacted on a regular basis to ensure their safety, well-being, and personal growth. Their goal is an amazing one: To not exist in 10 years or less, because the mission of finding the best solution to the veteran suicide rate has been found.
Jason also shares his personal story and discusses in detail the anxiety and depression he felt leave the service and his path to healthy and fulfilling life.
If you are, or know, a veteran in need of assistance you can call them at 1-844-889-5610
Links from the show:
Book: What it is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes
Book: The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
Book: Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer
Links from the Intro:
Inkfidel: www.inkfidel.com
Don't forget to use coupon code Veteranology at checkout for 10% off your order!
Veteranology survey: http://goo.gl/forms/s79vY9BBGJ
I get on the mic to speak with Dr. Eric Wright, PhD, PMP, and MPM. Eric is a navy veteran who eats, sleeps, and breathes project management. He and his partner, retired Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant Tim Dalhouse have created one of the most comprehensive programs for veterans looking to pursue a career leading projects and people in the civilian sector, Vets2PM.
Vets2PM's mission is to help military veterans become project managers by inspiring them about the incredible value of their military experience to the lucrative field of project management, training them how to manage civilian projects and earn professional certifications, and preparing them to connect with employers who value their experience and expertise.
Logistics, Intelligence, Admin, and...Combat Arms. If you've planned, executed, or briefed missions in the military than you probably have what it takes to get your Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
Links from the show:
Project Activities explanation for the PMI application
Links from the Intro:
Inkfidel: www.inkfidel.com
Don't forget to use coupon code Veteranology at checkout for 10% off your order!
Veteranology survey: http://goo.gl/forms/s79vY9BBGJ
Former Navy Corpsman (Greenside) David Shandera and I discuss his transition from the medical side of the military into the civilian medical field. David lays out his advice for other veterans wanting to do the same. He also gives specific advice for all veterans leaving the service on how to stay healthy and keep a positive outlook on life outside the military.
We also discuss the challenge and prestige of being a 19 year old Navy Corpsman with the responsibility of keeping all those around you healthy and safe, some of the negative situations that can cause a veteran to want to leave the military, and the initial pitfalls a veteran can face during their first year out of the service.
Show links:
Inkfidel: www.inkfidel.com
Don't forget to use coupon code Veteranology at checkout for 10% off your order!
Veteranology survey: http://goo.gl/forms/s79vY9BBGJ
Episode 10! Kenneth Elliott is a Marine Corps veteran, serving as a machine gunner for the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines Regiment from 2005 to 2009. He served two tours, first to Iraq and then to Afghanistan.
Kenneth is currently a police detective for the Houston, TX police department, assigned to murder investigations. He has been a police officer for 5 years and has found great fulfillment in the line of duty. During the episode we talk about the following and more:
-The difficulties he faced and overcame as a white cop in an urban neighborhood with a large minority population.
-The struggles of being a great Marine waiting to EAS and try and prepare for the civilian world.
-His befriending of a WW2 Marine veteran who landed at and helped take Iwo Jima.
-The efforts he and his partner took to help a homeless veteran reconnect with his distant family, get an ID and his birth certificate, and finally get VA support and a home.
-His important advice for young marines, veterans leaving the service, and those wishing to pursue a career in law enforcement.
I am incredibly proud to call this man my brother. You will always find him doing the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason.
Show links:
The story about him befriend the WW2 Marine
Inkfidel: www.inkfidel.com
Don't forget to use coupon code Veteranology at checkout for 10% off your order!
Veteranology survey: http://goo.gl/forms/s79vY9BBGJ
In this episode I sit down with Pete Bell. Pete Bell is a former Cavalry Scout who served with both the 82nd Airborne Division and 173rd Airborne Brigade. After leaving active duty in 2011 he returned to school completing his degree in Graphic Design with minors in Marketing and Art History. He has designed both the 2013 official Army Ten-Miler race tees and the 2015 IAVA (Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America) Veteran's Day Parade hoodies. He is the CEO of the military apparel lifestyle brand, Inkfidel, which he founded in 2013. He currently lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, Tristan and their three children.
Show links:
Inkfidel: www.inkfidel.com
Don't forget to use coupon code Veteranology at checkout for 10% off your order!
Veteranology survey: http://goo.gl/forms/s79vY9BBGJ
Norman Goetz is a Marine Corps veteran and current Network Administrator for the city of Rock Island, IL. He served from 2004 to 2009 as a Special Intelligence System Administrator. He deployed to Fallujah, Iraq with the 5th Marines Regiment and then spent his last few years working for Headquarters Marine Corps within the Pentagon.
In this episode Norman and I discuss his deployment to Iraq, what is was like working at the Pentagon as a young enlisted marine, the uncertainty he walked into leaving the service during the 2009 housing crisis, and much more.
Dr. Craig J. Bryan, PsyD, ABPP, is a board-certified clinical psychologist and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Utah. Dr. Bryan received his PsyD in clinical psychology Baylor University, and completed his clinical psychology residency at the Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
He served four years in the Air Force on active duty as the Chief of Primary Care Psychology Services and Suicide Prevention Program Manager at Lackland AFB, and deployed to Iraq in 2009 as the Clinical Director of the Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic located at Joint Base Balad (LSA Anaconda), Iraq. Dr. Bryan currently researchers suicide, psychological health, and resiliency among military personnel and veterans, and oversees two randomized controlled trials totaling approximately $3M testing interventions for suicidal military personnel at Fort Carson, Colorado. He also serves as the lead risk management consultant for the $25 million STRONG STAR Research Consortium investigating treatments for combat-related PTSD among military personnel.
Dr. Bryan is a nationally-recognized expert on military suicide, and serves as a consultant to the Department of Defense for psychological health promotion initiatives and suicide prevention. He regularly provides training to clinicians and medical professionals about managing suicidal patients, and has over 120 publications and scientific presentations in the areas of suicide and military mental health, including the book Managing Suicide Risk in Primary Care.
In this episode Dr. Bryan and I discuss the issue of veteran suicides. Dr. Bryan helps answer the following questions asked by my fellow veterans:
Jordan Meek and I met at the Marine Corps School of Infantry. He graduated on went on to serve with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines. He served two tours in Iraq within the city of Ramadi. He left active duty in 2008 and moved home to Iowa.
In Iowa Jordan went to college for communication technology and eventually found himself working for Union Pacific where he has been for the past 5 years. Now he raising a family and building a great a future.
In this episode we discuss:
The funny things that happen in bootcamp.
The city of Ramadi and the mission Jordan supported there.
Jordan's career growth and why he chose to get into communications.
The hole left above Jordan's bunk by a dud mortar round.
The importance of reaching out to fellow servicemembers for help and to find out how they are doing as well.
Russell Davies wanted to give other veterans the same healing and fulfillment he felt out in his kayak navigating rapids in the wilderness. With that goal in mind he created PTSD, or Professional Transformation with Sports Development. PTSD is a non-profit aimed at helping veterans deal with depression and intervening with veterans at risk of suicide.
In this episode Russell and I discuss his deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, his transition out of the Army, his discovery of the soothing yet dangerous world of kayaking wilderness rapids, and the creation of the organization PTSD.
There is also a portion of this show where we discuss the filler word veterans are known to use, the F-Bomb. We drop a few but it's all in good fun and to point out the problem we face when trying to find new conversation filler words like "um" and "uh."
Major AJ Scotti and I get on Veteranology to discuss his transition out of active duty over to the reserve side of the Marine Corps. While continuing to serve he co-founded GreenCorps International with another marine and is in the process of combating veteran homelessness by providing afford housing from a unique angle.
AJ also goes in-depth on the most important thing the Marine Corps taught him about leadership and how Marines and other service-members continue to be leaders in the top business around the country.
In this episode I have the honor of interviewing Dustin Batson, a Marine Corps veteran, my former point man, entrepreneur and business owner. The West End Elixir Company opened its doors on September 10th of this year and business has been overwhelmingly good for Batson. With half of his staff being veterans this should come at no surprise.
Episode three contains too many nuggets of wisdom to put them all into the show notes. Here are a few parts to listen for:
Using the reserves as a stepping stone out of the military. (Throughout)
2nd Battalion, 7th Marines leading the way in Afghanistan. (6:50 mark)
The biggest challenge he faced moving into the civilian world. (15:50)
His rise through the bar ranks and leadership as a bar's general manager. (19:30)
He explains the fear and liberation of starting his own business. (28:32)
His future plans for success and where he is taking his business. (41:06)
You can find the West End Elixir Company website here. There was also a recent news article about Batson and his bar. Read it here to see how he is helping veterans start new jobs as bartenders.
In this episode I sit down with "Raz", a Marine Corps veteran I served with in 2/7 Weapons Company. Raz left the Marine Corps in 2008 and started on a 7 year journey that would eventually see him working construction, discovering his true passion for art, and eventually heading to San Fransisco to attend the Academy of Art University. He is now a graphic designer and freelance illustrator/designer living mere feet from the beach.
He started Create Art, his brand and business, and has sold clothing and art pieces here in the US and internationally in Germany, France, and the UK. If you would like to see what Create Art has to offer the website is www.cr8art.com and you can also find Create Art on Instagram under the name @_createart_
Quote from the show: "You finally get to the point where life is hard not because you're struggling, but because you're choosing to do something difficult."
I interview Ryan and Darline Warner, two Marine veterans who met in their Transition Assistance Program and are now happily married with two kids. They lift together, cook for each other, and both flourishing in their chosen careers.
Here are just a few of the topics we discuss:
What it was like during transition, both while exiting the service and the first few months after?
What can be done to help young veterans have a fulfilling transition into the civilian world?
When do you finally realize you are living a lifestyle you actually want and not just struggling through.
The non-profit mentioned in the podcast: Lift for the 22. #LiftForThe22 is a military support network designed to use fitness as a tool to combat PTSD and veteran suicides. Their goal is to have a gym membership for every veteran.
You can check out Lift for the 22 at http://www.facebook.com/LiftForThe22