VA News Podcast

Army Veteran David Muir is the Senior Vice President of the Veterans Staffing Network, a social enterprise project of Easterseals DC, MD and VA.

Muir was sold on joining the Army National Guard the moment his friend’s sergeant showed him a video of soldiers rappelling out of helicopters. He was just 17-years old when he joined the Virginia Army National Guard through the Split Training Option program in 1989. He served as an infantryman and M-60 gunner while studying to be a teacher.

Following his service, Muir worked in staffing and went to a Department of Labor Transition Assistance Program (TAP) Employment Workshop in 2009, where he discovered that the program needed updating. In 2011, he won the bid to revamp the TAP curriculum.

After he finished the TAP redesign, Muir joined a nonprofit organization named Easterseals. The organization was looking for someone to start a new program called the Veterans Staffing Network.

The Veterans Staffing Network was created to catch the people who fell through the cracks of other programs. Because it is a nonprofit, the organization offers courses and coaching that help build job seeking skills at no cost to the participant.

In this episode, Muir discusses:

• His journey from infantryman to life skills teacher.
• America’s need for better job search skills.
• Civilian versus Veteran perspectives on life.
• How the Veteran Staffing Network empowers Veterans and their families to get their own jobs.
• Additional Veteran programs within Easterseals.

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week:

• Marine Corps Veteran Kevin Elder

Additional Links:

• Find an Easterseals near you
• Veteran Staffing Network in U.S. Veterans Magazine
• David Muir on effective interview structure to hire Veterans
• Homefront: Easterseals opens doors for Veterans

This is not your typical episode of Borne the Battle. It’s a Halloween Special with returning guest and Navy Veteran, Jennifer Marshall. Marshall is an actress and a trained private investigator. In “Mysteries Decoded,” an ongoing paranormal series on the CW television network, she gets to put those skills to work on paranormal activity, like vampires, Bigfoot, Area 51, The Mothman and many others.

In the podcast, Marshall shares some of her theories on Bigfoot, based on her interviews with academics and observations while spending time in British Columbia.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MYSTERIES DECODED

Marshall switches to talking about temporarily shutting the show down, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and how being flexible in switching to Zoom interviews allowed her team to be creative in making episode updates.

Later, she shares her personal investigations into Area 51, as well as other alien evidence that marries up to new revelations from the government, in reference to recently confirmed naval UAP (AKA UFO) footage.

Marshall then reveals her laundry list of dream mystery investigations, including other paranormal mysteries over international waters; the Australian Bigfoot, Yowie; a Titanic conspiracy, and the haunted Waverly Sanitarium in the United Kingdom. Eventually, she would like produce a true crime program that delves into military true crime cases and mysteries.

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Day:

• Navy Veteran Hildreth Walker Jr.

Additional Links: 

• jennifermarshall.com
• VA, Blue Star Families to support Veterans impacted by COVID-19
• VA creates National Women Veterans Oncology System of Excellence in fight against breast cancer
• Formation of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
• Find a flu shot VA location or in-network community care provider.

Doctors Molly Klote and Chad Kessler join this bonus episode of Borne the Battle to discuss the various ways VA is helping with the national effort to combat COVID-19. The two doctors are fighting it in very different, but equally important ways.

Dr. Klote, VA’s director of Office Research Protections, Policy, and Education, oversees all the research VA conducts, including many of the vaccine trials for COVID-19. She goes into specifics on the following topics:

• In what ways VA is helping with developing a vaccine
• Types of treatments the public might expect to be used to treat COVID-19
• What happens when a vaccine is approved by the FDA

Dr. Klote also calls for anyone able to participate in a COVID-19 clinical trial to think about signing up. She particularly encourages Black and Hispanic populations to volunteer. A strong minority turnout to vaccine trials ensures the vaccine gets the broadest exposure possible, increasing the likelihood that a finalized product can be successfully used among all groups of people to treat COVID-19.

Dr. Kessler fights against COVID-19 through the emergency department. As VA’s national director for Emergency Care, he oversees 141 emergency departments and urgent care centers. He goes in depth about the successful procedure emergency departments adopted to sort COVID-19 patients and mitigate the possibility of transmission.

During the earlier months of the pandemic, Dr. Kessler noticed VA medical centers across the country needed to quickly communicate with one another about successful treatments and therapeutics.

He solved the communication problem in a unique way. He began hosting livestreams in a series he called COVID in 20. The series was a resounding success among frontline workers and medical staff. Dr. Kessler also talked about the different strategies he used to add a bit of fun and humanity to his livestreams because he knew how stressed frontline workers were.

Though coming from different parts of the pandemic battle, the two doctors stressed the importance of getting a flu shot. In the episode, they explain how a flu shot would not only protect the recipient, but also help them along with their COVID-19 work.

Additional Links:

• Research is always voluntary. The Army will never force anyone to participate.
• More reading on the steps researchers must take to protect clinical trial volunteers.
• VA’s digital COVID-19 screening tool to streamline Veteran access to medical care.

This week's Borne the Battle features Air Force Veteran David Tenenbaum, the creator of Honor Media and Heroes Linked.

From a young age, Tenenbaum wanted to help others in need. Inspired by his father, a Holocaust survivor liberated by US forces, he grew up with the stories of seeing good people standing against great injustice. Like the men who freed his father, he wanted to follow in their footsteps, to do good for others.

His journey began in 2001, at Officer Candidate School a month before 9/11.

Tenenbaum served in the Air Force for six years as an Aircraft Instructor Navigator, leading stateside and overseas operations for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft. He left the service during a downsizing period to begin a new journey, but the Great Recession made it a rough transition.

Moving to Los Angeles, Tenenbaum pursued a new profession direction: media production. He created Honor Media, a nonprofit that supports other Veteran nonprofits with media production, distribution, photography and social media support. He is also the director of Heroes Linked, an online platform that pairs Veterans with mentors to help them get to the next step in their post-military journey.

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week:

• Navy Veteran Barton "Buddy" Kessler

Additional Links:

• Borne the Battle #204: Air Force Veteran Blake Stilwell, Military.com Staff Writer
• VA resumes in-person benefits services halted by the COVID-19 response
• VA awards contract for Region 5 of Community Care Network to increase Veteran access to health care in Alaska
• VA dedicates Cheyenne National Cemetery in Wyoming
• Federal electronic health record connects with more community partners 

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men experience intimate partner violence (IPV) during their lifetime. Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries are at an even greater risk for IPV. Yet, both victims and perpetrators of IPV oftentimes don't seek help. They are instead motivated by feelings of shame, guilt, embarrassment, or fear to keep quiet and accept the violence around them.

Dr. LeAnn Bruce, National Program Manager for the Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program (IPVAP), joins this week’s episode of Borne the Battle to share why no one should ever feel ashamed to seek IPV support and describes what services VA offers to help Veterans in need. Among the issues Dr. Bruce discussed include:

• What IPV means
• The many forms IPV can take
• Where to get immediate IPV help

With COVID-19 and natural disasters disrupting lives across the country, promoting IPV awareness will be more crucial than ever during this October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Moments of crisis or long periods of isolation can amplify violence in relationship conflicts or abusive situations. IPVAP coordinators remain ready at every VA Medical Center to guide any Veteran or their partner in the right direction.

VHA also encourages everyone to make the White Ribbon VA Pledge to stop violence against others. In acknowledging the ways violence and harassment can manifest, the world can become a safer place for everyone.

If in need of 24/7 support, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233 (SAFE) or TTY 1−800−787−3224.

Additional Links:

• VA is ready to help women Veterans during COVID-19
• Intimate partner violence associated with women Veterans’ experience of housing instability
• How lockdowns due to COVID-19 can cause a spike in IPV

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week:

• Army Veteran Randall Shughart

Additional Links:

• VA is ready to help women Veterans during COVID-19
• Intimate partner violence associated with women Veterans’ experience of housing instability
• How lockdowns due to COVID-19 can cause a spike in IPV

This week’s Borne the Battle features Marine Veteran Stephen Kupryk, also known as the WWE Smackdown superstar and Forgotten Sons member, Steve Cutler. In this episode, Kupryk talks about how his participation in high school athletics and the influence of 9/11 took him down a road which would ultimately land him in the country’s premier wrestling promotion.

As a Marine infantryman, Kupryk was assigned to the Second Battalion, Eighth Marine Regiment and deployed twice to Helmand province in Afghanistan. He talks about finding inspiration and thanking those who mentored him while serving from 2007 through 2011.

Kupryk spoke of using VA's GI Bill benefits to attend Rowan University, where a chance encounter with a WWE contact at a local bar would set him upon a career of WWE superstardom, including the early days when he trained at the Monster Factory Wrestling School before being called up in 2013 to the WWE’s NXT division. He also talks about forming the The Forgotten Sons, which Stephen takes a nuanced approach to by using military symbolism and his experiences to flesh out his character's role and persona.

The team attained instant success and it helped Kupryk break into the SmackDown roster with a win over the then-Smackdown tag-team champions, The New Day.

Kupryk also shares his enthusiasm behind WWE’s collaboration with Hire Heroes USA, an organization which aims to help Veterans and their families secure lifelong careers. As for his return to the ring, everyone stand by - targets will appear. 

This week's Borne the Battle features Army Veteran Erika Land, who shares the story of how she changed her suicide letter into “War Song.”

Before 9/11, Erika joined the Army as a pharmacy technician. Her job was to dispense medications in the emergency department. At work, she experienced pain, sorrow, anger, anxiety, depression and helplessness. After leaving service, she believed the only way out from feeling those emotions was to take her life – until she found poetry.

VA’s Art Therapy Program allowed Land to express herself. She wrote about the trials and tribulations she experienced while being deployed to Iraq. But in Poetry, Land felt she could speak from the soul, to express to others on the same path that they, too, could find healing. "Poetry is the window into the soul and a reflection of life," she says, in the podcast.

After service is when Land realized she wasn't alone. As she found poetry, she found passion for life and began touring and making arrangements for theaters and venues to market her shows. On Borne the Battle, she talks about how her performances not only allowed her to heal, but how it enabled her to connect with others to answer the deep questions she never asked herself.

PTSD Hotline Phone Number

855-698-4677

National Suicide Prevention Hotline Phone Number

1-800-273-8255

#BtBattle Veteran of the Week:

• Marine Veteran Cecil "Steve" Stibbens

Additional Links

• Helping Veterans and Their Families Make it Back to Better.
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
• VA offers debt relief to Veterans impacted by natural disasters

For many Veterans, readjusting to civilian life after leaving the military can be difficult. That's what Aaron Quinonez found when he left the Marine Corps, as he soon faced divorce, homelessness and the inability to secure a long-term job. Over time, his mental health steadily deteriorated as PTSD ravaged his mind. For Quinonez, life seemed to always get worse, and on one July 4th afternoon, he parked in an empty lot, pulled out his SIG Sauer and prepared to end his life.

In this week’s episode of Borne the Battle, Quinonez shares his journey from being on the brink of committing suicide to becoming an entrepreneur, sharing how he developed new programs and technologies to help Veterans suffering from PTSD and suicidal thoughts.

Quinonez credits his faith as the reason for much of his climbing back up, out of despair. He talks about attending church and being surrounded by supportive people who embraced him. He felt called to help, and was encouraged by church-mates, to build housing for a family in Mexico. Quinonez was so inspired by the experience that he founded the organization, Q Missions, to bring Veterans together to construct buildings around the world.

Quinonez also describes the arduous journey he took to launch his most recent project, Operation Pop Smoke, a mobile app which aims to prevent Veteran suicide. The app also brings a sense of military camaraderie to those who've transitioned into civilian life.

In 2019, VA reported an average of 17 Veterans die from suicide each day. Borne the Battle (BtB) stands by Veterans grappling with mental health challenges. As part of this September’s Suicide Prevention Month, BtB hopes Quinonez’s story sparks a conversation that inspires people to support Veterans suffering from emotional distress.

#BtBattle Veteran of the Week:

• Army Veteran Duane France

Additional Links:

• VA assistance with the transition to civilian life during COVID-19
• VA resources for Veterans in a mental health crisis
• Recognize the warning signs that indicate risk of self-harm
• VA’s REACH campaign to save Veteran lives
• VA notifies Veterans of compromised personal information
• VA awards $1.3 million to support Veterans at elevated risk of suicide from experiencing or being at risk of homelessness 
• VA expands Veteran access to telehealth with iPad services

This week's episode of Borne the Battle is a Benefits Breakdown on the VA Debt Management Center (DMC). It features DMC's National Finance Director Joe Schimitt and DMC Director of Operations Jason Hoge. Schmitt and Hoge explain how the DMC helps Veterans with financial relief, how the debt repayment process works, and how the DMC actually assists Veterans by helping to improve their financial planning.

Schmitt and Hoge explain the DMC mission, how it guides Veterans' debt repayments, and some recent changes. Those changes include:

• Technology updates.
• An oath for employees must take to serve the Veterans in their care.
• Required 13.5 week debt counselors training.

Schimitt, a former Marine, advocates for “compassionate service.” That mission not only comes from his military service, but also from a personal history of having to repay medical debt. His son was diagnosed with Craniosynostosis. The needed surgery, cranial vault remodeling, corrected his son's head shape, enabling the brain, skull, and head to grow. But the treatment put him in serious debt, and one that helps him empathize with those in similar binds.

DMC UPDATES

Due to the pandemic, Hurricane Laura and the recent wildfires there have recent changes to DMC's operations, including financial relief options:

• VA has suspended all actions on Veteran debts under the jurisdiction of the Treasury Department.
• VA has suspended collection action and repayment terms on existing VA debts, as the Veteran prefers.

For benefit-based debts, Veterans can contact the VA Debt Management Center at 1-800-827-0648 to make debt repayment arrangements.

For health care debts, Veterans can contact the Health Resource Center at 1-888-827-4817 to make debt repayment arrangements.

For more info on the DMC, visit https://www.va.gov/debtman/.

#BtBattle Veteran of the Week:

• Navy Veteran Louis G. Palmer

Additional Links:

• VA’s digital COVID-19 screening for Veterans, employees, aids in low infection rate
• VA’s Board of Veterans’ Appeals reaches appeal decisions goal early
• VA announces new clinical trial for Veterans with COVID-19
• VA dedicates Acadia National Cemetery in Maine
• VA offers electronic virtual assistant for Veterans
• VA offers electronic virtual assistant for Veterans to connect faster with counselors 
• During Suicide Prevention Month VA encourages supporters to “Be There” for Veterans and help connect them with resources
• Forbes ranks VA as one of the best employers in 17 states

This week's episode of Borne the Battle features Army Veteran Tony Temerario, who was also a 9/11 responder and a current AT&T executive.

Temerario's parents were both WWII Navy combat Veterans. They served in the Pacific and in Operation Neptune during the Normandy D-Day Invasion in 1944. Temerario grew up in the Washington, D.C., area and was so influenced by service that he joined the military, too. In the podcast, he talks candidly about his experiences in the military and on scene at the Pentagon after 9/11, including re-establishing communication networks for first responders and, later that night, the emotions of seeing the flag draped over the side of the Pentagon walls.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE STORY OF GETTING THE 2ND FLAG DELIVERED TO THE PENTAGON

It wasn't long after the attacks that Temerario deployed with his Army National Guard Special Forces Unit. His actions at the Pentagon and overseas earned him several Army and civilian honors, including an Army Meritorious Service Medal and three State of Maryland General Assembly Official Citations for Honor, Valor, and Bravery.

Now, Temerario is the Director/Client Executive for AT&T’s Mobility IoT platform. A result of the challenges he experienced on 9/11 at the Pentagon led to the creation of FirstNet, a public-private partnership with AT&T. FirstNet was developed as a nationwide, low-band frequency network that prioritizes voice and data to first responder networks. It offers priority connectivity for emergency voice and data services during catastrophic events without interference or blockage.

Outside of work, Temerario is an ambassador for Carry The Load, which "provides an active way for Americans to connect with the sacrifices made daily by military Veterans, active service members, first responders and their families." As a Carry the Load ambassador, he is also an active member in its Patriot Program, Carry The Flag, which aims to inspire patriotism to a new generation of kids.

#BtBattle Veteran of the Week:

• Army Veteran Rick Rescorla

Additional Links:

• Borne The Battle #162: Air Force Veteran John Baxter, 9/11 responder
 • Borne The Battle 143: Stephen Holley – Navy SEAL Veteran, Naval Academy Quarterback, Carry The Load Co-founder and CEO
 • Borne The Battle #161: Marine Veteran Todd Boeding, Carry the Load
 • Borne the Battle #186: Hallie Johnston, Black Hawk Pilot, Carry the Load Board Member
 • VA partnering with Carry The Load to Honor Fallen Heroes