Carry On

Thank you to all of you who listen and follow Carry On and Nation's Finest. We wish you a happy Thanksgiving with your family and loved ones. Have a great weekend!

J.R. Smith is the Vice President/COO of The Veteran’s Ranch and his wife is the President/CEO. The Veteran’s Ranch is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit veteran horse retreat located in Lakeland, FL whose mission is to “help those individuals lay down their heavy coat of burden, leave it there and move forward.” The ranch pairs horses with veterans to help them in their healing journey through basic caregiving, trail rides, and healing workshops. They also assist service members and veterans with basic needs such as gas and electric, high-speed internet, television, health care, etc. J.R. helped found The Veterans Ranch in 2017 so veterans and their families can get the assistance they need, lay down their heavy coat of burden, and walk forward as a new and improved version of themselves.

This special episode of Carry On spotlights the work Nation's Finest is doing on Veterans Day. We've partnered with Raley's supermarket chain to help veterans find meaningful employment. Don't take our word for it, listen to the calls we took from our proud Nation's Finest team in the field!

Today, we talk about the transition from military to civilian life… Moving from homelessness and suicide prevention, to talking about how veterans can live their best lives working for what they truly desire. Chris Albert shares how.

Have you ever heard of veterans playing video games as a means to stay connected with friends and family, or as a coping mechanism? It turns out, that's a real thing! Trevor Thomson, assistant site director at Nation's Finest - Santa Rosa joins us to explain more about how gaming can be more than just a hobby.

Vincent "Rocco" Vargas joins us in today's episode to talk about overcoming the difficulty of military transition, substance abuse, and survivors guilt. 

As we approach National Veteran Small Business Week, Scott Jensen, Executive Director of the National Veteran Small Business Coalition provides advice for veterans thinking about starting a business. Having started his own small business after retiring from the Marine Corps, Jensen shares his three keys to success in business ownership. 

Amanda Huffman joins us today to talk about her experience serving in combat and her transition to life as a military spouse while maintaining her own veteran identity.

In this week's episode of "Carry On" Melissa Ferrari and Wylie Mandeville discuss Nation's Finest Mobile Service Units and how they help veterans.

Stephen Hernandez, site director for Nation's Finest in Sacramento talks with us today about what it was like to serve during and after the Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) policy. He also shares valuable information about potential upgrades to discharge status for veterans who were separated from service based on their sexual orientation.