VA News Podcast

Today we bring you a Storytellers alum Phil Klay. Klay’s New York Times-bestselling short story collection won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2014. His book  Redeployment also received the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s James Webb award for fiction. He spoke at Storytellers in 2014 and our discussion with him gets into the art of storytelling, and the benefits of expressing yourself through words, whether or not you end up delivering or publishing them.

Covered in Episode 58:

• Got Your 6 StorytellersX events
• Interview with Marine Veteran Phil Klay
  • Why he joined the Marine Corps
  • Deploying to Iraq
  • Deciding to separate from the military and his transition
  • The value and power of storytelling
  • His routine for writing
  • His recommended books from Veteran authors
• #VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Charles Norman Shay

Sebastian Junger, award winning journalist and author of "Tribe," is the first non-Veteran who isn't the Secretary, to be on the podcast. I believe he makes a great fit with his experience in conflict zones and his longtime relationship with the military community. Junger is going to share his thoughts on storytelling and the importance of sharing your military experience with your community.

The newly branded podcast is here! Borne the Battle is the same great content but simply under a different name. This first episode is an introduction to a new program we'll be publishing in this feed called Benefits Breakdown. Each Monday, I will focus on one resource, office, or benefits at VA that Veterans should be aware of and better understand.

Today's topic is Explore.VA.gov. Learn how to use the site, the Benefits Navigator, and other elements on the web page. Be sure to share with a Veteran!

When we first launched the podcast, initial response questioned whether or not our audience would hear from Veterans that have had trouble with VA. A few of my guests in the past have alluded to challenges with VA health care, but I wanted to to dig a little deeper and talk with someone that has a wide range of experiences with VA. Kevin Leverence and I have known each other for a few years after he first appeared on my podcast 1, 2, Many: Veteran Suicide. I followed up with him earlier this year asking if he'd be willing to share his experiences on This Week at VA and he generously agreed. Kevin did not have a good introduction to VA and it took a few frustrating iterations before he finally broke through some sticking points and found the help he was looking for. Kevin is going to share stories from joining the military and his military service, his transition out of the Marine Corps, frustrations with VA, and finally getting the care he needed. Lots of great talk about patient advocates, Vet Centers, different types of therapy, and much more.

Covered in Episode 55:

• How to follow us during next week's events
• Interview with Marine Veteran Kevin Leverence
  • Why he joined the military
  • A story from his time in
  • His transition out and the challenges he faced
  • The day that first turned him off of VA
  • The value in patient advocates
  • How Vet Centers are great resources for Veterans
  • Types of therapy he has used
  • Getting comfortable with VA and getting the care he needs
• Finding your patient advocate
• #VeteranOfTheDay Navy Veteran Tony Roberti

A couple weeks ago we published a special episode with the Center for Minority Veterans to feature a panel that was originally scheduled for the Women Veterans Summit. One panel member was missing from that episode, so I brought Melissa Castillo on to interview her as our featured guest. Melissa talks to us about her military service, working for VA, and her experience as a woman minority Veteran.

About Melissa Castillo:

Ms. Melissa Castillo enlisted in the US Navy. She completed basic training and Torpedoman’s Mate “A” School at the Naval Air Station, Orlando, FL. Her duty station included on board the USS Simon Lake (AS-33) in La Maddalena, Sardinia, Italy; Naval Submarine Base, New London, CT; and Naval Operational Support Center, San Antonio, TX.

Ms. Castillo has over 10 years of experience in VA benefits. She is accredited by Texas Veterans Commission and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) as a Veterans Service Officer.

Covered in Episode 53:

• • Call 855-QUIT-VET to get a plan to quit smoking
  • Interview Navy Veteran Melissa Castillo  
    • Why she joined the Navy
    • Her decision to get out
    • Her experience as a Hispanic woman Veteran
    • Her work as a Veterans Service Officer in Dallas County
  • Center for Minority Veterans
  • #VeteranOfTheDay Philiip Iyotte

One great thing about podcasting is the ability to think, "hey, I want to talk to that person," and then taking action to make it happen. When I learned that Steelers offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva is a former Army Ranger, I knew I wanted to talk with him. Al was nice enough to make time for This Week at VA and spoke to us about his experience in the military, transitioning to the NFL, and being a Veteran in a high-exposure arena.

About Alejandro:

Alejandro attended SHAPE American High School (Casteau, Belgium) and after graduating from West Point, he spent 2010-13 serving as an Army officer and served three tours in Afghanistan. He earned numerous honors for his service, including the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, the Ranger Tab, the Parachutist Badge, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Combat Infantryman’s Badge and Expert Infantryman’s Badge. He is the son of Ignacio and Mati Villanuev. His father was a Lieutenant Commander in the Spanish Navy and also worked for NATO throughout Europe.

Covered in Episode 53:

• Where to find the VA podcast
• Interview Army Veteran Alejandro Villanueva  
  • His decision to attend West Point
  • A story from his deployments
  • Transitioning from military to NFL
  • How he almost didn't get signed
  • Comparing an NFL team to a military unit
  • Being a military Veteran in the high-exposure NFL
• Volunteering at VA
• #VeteranOfTheDay Coast Guard Veteran Donald Dewar

The  2017 National Women Veterans Summit put on by VA's Center for Women Veterans (CWV) was cut short due to Hurricane Harvey. The CWV has been developing ways to deliver information from the summit and I've collaborated with them to produce a podcast, with support of the Center for Minority Veterans, on minority women Veterans. Barbara Ward, the Director for CMV, lead a panel with Teresita Smith, Juanita Mullen, and Ginger Miller. They discuss

About Center for Minority Veterans:

The Center for Minority Veterans is the Department of Veterans Affairs model for inter-and intra-agency co-operation, to ensure all veterans receive equal service regardless of race, origin, religion, or gender. We are process improvement-oriented and both internal and external customer-centric. We assist VA in executing its mission in the most equitable, efficient and humane way possible. Dignity and an acceptable quality of life are the products we seek to deliver to ALL veterans no matter what their circumstance. We will grace our mission execution with gratitude to the men and women we now serve who in turn served our Nation so well.

Covered in Episode 52: 

• Health Care for re-entry Veterans
• Panel discussion with four minority women Veterans  
  • His decision to attend West Point
  • A story from his experience in the Army
  • Comparing developing young players to mentoring soldiers
  • How military service made him a better coach
  • Transitioning from military life to coaching life
• Center for Minority Veterans
• #VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Clay Coffey

I've published more than 500 podcast episodes in my podcast career. A couple times a year, there's usually an exciting interview, one that feels like a badge of honor. This week's episode of This Week at VA features the epitome of those interviews. Thanks to a colleague and the great folks at Duke, I had the opportunity to interview Mike Krzyzewski, coach of the men's basketball team at Duke University. As many of you know, Coach K has won multiple NCAA championship titles and is considered a legend in the sport. What many people may not know, is that he is a West Point graduate and a former Army officer. Coach K talks to us about his decision to go to West Point, transitioning from military to college coaching, developing young players, and his experience in the Army.

About Coach Mike Krzyzewski (before his career at Duke):

Coach K's disciplined, mentally tough teams can be seen as an extension of his own upbringing. Krzyzewski went to West Point and enrolled in the U.S. Military Academy to receive a quality education, play basketball and become an officer in the Army. From 1969-74, Krzyzewski served his country, directing service teams for three years and serving a two-year stint as head coach at the U.S. Military Academy Prep School in Belvoir, Va. In 1974, he resigned from the Army having attained the rank of Captain. When Coach K was just 26, Knight, his former coach at Army, offered him a graduate assistant-ship at Indiana University. That 1975 squad posted an 18-0 mark in the Big Ten and a 31-1 overall record. Prior to his arrival at Duke in 1980, Krzyzewski spent five years building the program at his alma mater in West Point. He led the Cadets to one NIT berth, one ECAC playoff appearance and an overall record of 73-59.

Covered in Episode 51:

• Nominating a #VeteranOfTheDay
• Interview with Navy Veteran Kevin Quarles  
  • His decision to attend West Point
  • A story from his experience in the Army
  • Comparing developing young players to mentoring soldiers
  • How military service made him a better coach
  • Transitioning from military life to coaching life
• VA Adaptive Sports
• #VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Francis Brown Wai

I knew I wanted to do something unique or cool for episode number 50. I've decided to flip the microphone and let someone else ask me the questions I typically ask my guests. My colleague Melissa Heintz stepped in to host and asked me about my service in the Marine Corps, my transition into civilian life, working with podcasts, and working at VA.

About Tim:

Timothy has been a member of VA’s Digital Media Engagement team since April 2016. His scope includes blog writing, video production, and launching VA’s first ever podcast. He graduated from American University’s School of Communications in 2016 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Tim is a Marine Corps Veteran having served as a Marine Security Guard and was posted at embassies in Algiers, Algeria; Moscow, Russia; and Lima, Peru.

Covered in Episode 50:

• Rory Cooper wins a 2017 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal
• Interview with Marine Veteran Timothy Lawson  
  • Tim's decision to join the Marines
  • His time as a Marine Security Guard
  • His decision to get out and the challenges he faced
  • Getting into podcasting and working at VA
• Vet Centers
• #VeteranOfTheDay Navy Veteran John O. Adams

The wonderful people over at Got Your 6 emailed me one day asking if I wanted to do a round table podcast talking about the Forever GI Bill. I was in right away. The Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 AKA the Forever GI Bill works to improve education benefits for Veterans, their dependents, and their survivors. On the panel we have Ashlynne Haycock from TAPS, Lauren Augustine from Got Your 6, and William Hubbard from SVA. The three of them are going to tell me all about the development and execution of this bill.

Covered in Episode 49:

• This week's social media events for Suicide Prevention Month
• Round table discussion with Ashlynne Haycock, Lauren Augustine, and Will Hubbard  
  • Why the Forever GI Bill is valuable
  • What it does for Veterans
  • Each of their roles in getting it passed
  • Their experience collaborating with Capitol Hill
  • When and how the bill will be implemented
• Education Call Center
• #VeteranOfTheDay Air Force Veteran Beck H. Gee