VA News Podcast

Original Air Date - 9/25/2019

2019 marks the 40th Anniversary of  VA's Vet Centers. They started as outreach for Vietnam Veterans who did not utilize the VA as much as WWII Veterans.

This week’s interview is Pennsylvania National Guard Veteran Michael Fisher who is the Senior Readjustment Counselor. He leads and has direct oversight of over 300 Vet Centers, 80  Mobile Vet Centers and the  Vet Center Call Center. We broke it all down - how vet centers started, their differences between them and VA Medical Centers, their services and who is eligible. 

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week: 

• Army Veteran Bernadette Agnes Payla Miller

Original Air Date -7/27/2021

This week's episode of Borne the Battle features one of its largest panels to date, as representatives from VA and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) break down the details of the Alaska Native Veterans Program of 2019. 

This episode features:

• Program manager Paul Krabacher (BLM).
• Acting Chief, Adjudication Services Section, Native Allotment Lead Candy Grimes (BLM).
• Land Transfer Resolution Specialist and Acting Native Liasion Ralph Eluska (BLM).
• Deputy Communications Director and Marine Corps Veteran Eric Tausch (BLM).
• Tribal Government Relations Specialist for the Continental/Midwest/North Atlantic Regions and Marine Corps Veteran Peter Vicaire (VA).

The Alaska Native Veterans Program of 2019 allows Alaska Native Veterans who served in the Vietnam era, or an heir of theirs, to claim between 2.5 and 160 acres of land in Alaska. The BLM website hosts information about the program, including contact information, proposed rules for the program, a link to available lands, answers to frequently asked questions, and video from virtual public meetings about the program.

How to Ensure You Receive your Application

Potentially eligible Veterans should update their contact information with the Bureau of Indian Affairs' (BIA) Realty Tribal Service Provider and with BLM.

• BIA Enrollment Verification: (907) 271-4506
• BIA Realty: (800) 645-8465
• BLM Native Allotment Section: (907) 271-5998

Potentially eligible Veterans should also request a copy of their DD-214 from the Alaska Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, US Department of Veteran Affairs. Your local VA office or Veteran Service Organization can provide assistance.

How to Ensure the Program Works for You

Potentially eligible Veterans can coordinate a personal representative appointed by an Alaska State Court, or contact the Alaska Legal Services Corporation, for help coordinating a personal representative.

Potentially eligible Veterans should also read the draft proposed rules for the program. There is a 30-day window for public commenting that ends on August 10, 2020.

Use the interactive map of available lands for the program from the BLM website. You can claim and save a plot selection as a .pdf and turn it in with your claim. The map will be updated regularly as more lands become available and allotments are made. (This is an image of the interactive map; please click the link to go to the BLM website to use the interactive map.)

Help Spread the Word

VA, BLM and BIA need every Veteran’s help to spread the word about the program. In order to reach the estimated 2,200 eligible Veterans or their heirs, the program needs its contact information to be as up-to-date as possible. Veterans and non-Veterans can use this PDF flyer to spread the news and ensure that every Alaska Native Veteran who has earned their land will receive it.

BtBattle Veteran of the Week:

• Army Veteran Jefferson E. Keel

Originally Aired - 11/20/2019:

Native American Vietnam Veteran Robert Primeaux shared his journey from a Lakota reservation to the Army, to Hollywood.

As a young man, Primeaux was eager to get off the reservation and see the world. To leave, he decided to join the Army. He trained in Fort Lewis and Fort Knox before joining the 101st Airborne Division and sent off to Vietnam.

In 1972, Primeaux returned to the United States. His younger brother had been killed in a car accident, leaving Primeaux as the sole male survivor of his family.

However, he did not stay in the Army long. A car accident of his own put him in a coma for three weeks. After he recovered, he was discharged.

Primeaux then lived on his grandmother’s ranch while he recovered from his injuries. To help with his recovery, he began to self-rehab by working with the horses on the ranch. His love for horses gave him the opportunity to go to school through a rodeo scholarship from the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA).

Between school and living on his family ranch, Primeaux met Michael Apted on the set of Thunderheart in South Dakota. Through this meeting, he landed a stunt role on Thunderheart and become eligible for access to the Union of the Screen Actors Guild.

Later, Robert moved to LA to begin his film career where he landed roles in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and a more prominent role in Rough Riders. This role as Indian Bob was special to Primeaux because the director John Milius specifically created it with him in mind.

Recently, Robert has been advocating for fallen service-members to be enshrines in the NFL Hall of Fame.

Throughout his life, through thick and thin, Primeaux credited the Four Cardinal Lakota Virtues for helping him recover from the Vietnam War and his car accident.

From childhood, Lakota Warriors were taught these four virtues. Primeaux stated that warriors who were taught the true meaning of these virtues learn to treat their Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week:

• Army Air Corps Veteran Gus Palmer Sr. 

When Marine Corps Veteran Kelly Murphy began an Instagram account to document his workouts, he never dreamed that it would lead him to becoming the winner of CBS’ "Tough as Nails" competition show. He left the set $200,000 dollars richer and the owner of a brand-new Ford F-150.

In this week’s episode of Borne the Battle, Murphy talks about life in the Marines, helping student Veterans find their place in civilian life and winning season one of the CBS competition show Tough as Nails.

Murphy also works for the University of Central Missouri. He helps with outreach and recruitment for the university as well as mentors and helps student Veterans with their transition to civilian life.

Murphy reflects on his own difficulties with transitioning to civilian life and advises Veterans currently separating from the military: “Go find your tribe to hang out with; go find your fellow Veterans, because it’ll help you.”

Though he is retired from the Marine Corps, Murphy continues to maintain his physical strength and fitness. When the Instagram account he created to document his workouts gained a following, he was approached by the casting director of Tough as Nails. Of his time on the show, Murphy says: “It brought me back… to my Marine Corps days. The show kind of made me feel like my old self again.”

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week: 

• Marine Veteran Gregory “Pappy” Boyington

Additional Links:

• Murphy’s Tough as Nails Bio
• GI Bill Benefits Information

If there is anyone who knows what it means to be a warrior, it is Air Force Veteran D.J. Eagle Bear Vanas. D.J. Vanas travels around the country speaking at conventions packed with audience members, giving motivational presentations that teach people how to find their unique warrior spirit.

You might be wondering, what exactly is the warrior spirit? Tribal nations, Fortune 500 companies, the military, and even the White House on two occasions have hired Vanas to answer that question. This episode of Borne the Battle offers the opportunity to hear him describe what exactly it means to embody the warrior spirit.

Modern American culture often over romanticizes the warrior role and makes it out to be something unrealistic. Vanas brings the term back down to earth and emphasizes the beauty of imperfection, especially the warrior’s ability to learn and grow from mistakes.

Leading by example, in this episode of Borne the Battle, Vanas talks about his life’s highs and lows:

• The life changing moment he learned of his appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy
• Struggling to learn how to take responsibility when starting out in the Academy
• Serving as the Academy’s youngest Chief of Minority Enrollment
• Grappling with managing his military duties while also building up his speaking business
• Developing a network and building the momentum he needed to reach the professional height he is at today

Vanas sympathizes with the challenges that many face when leaving the military. Part of embodying the warrior spirit entails being flexible and leveraging the many skills we honed while in the military to build our new tribe, and then using those skills to make our communities a better and brighter place.

To learn more about the warrior spirit, PBS hosted a program featuring Vanas teaching audiences how to tap into their slumbering warrior spirit.

Being a warrior does not mean facing life’s struggles alone. It is okay to feel overwhelmed and it is okay to not always know the answer. We might not be bulletproof, but as Vanas argues, being a warrior means rising over and over again and to keep moving forward one step at a time.

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week:

• Army Veteran Dennis Wolfe.

Additional Links:

• Check out our interview with fellow Lakota Warrior Billy Mills, a Marine Corps Veteran and 1964 Olympic Gold Medalist. His path to Olympic Gold was never certain but he certainly never quit.
• Lakota Warrior and Vietnam Veteran Dr. Robert Primeaux bounced back after suffering a terrible car accident while serving. He kept moving forward and achieved his dream of being an actor.
• VA expands offering of COVID-19 booster vaccines
• VA extends presumptive period for Persian Gulf War Veterans

At first glance, Tim Davis was not an ideal candidate for the Marine Corps. Although he had wanted to join the Marines since grade school, Davis was unathletic, overweight and had a shoulder problem that would require surgery before he could qualify for service.

“I was a big nerd,” Davis laughed. “I was functionally fat in the Marine Corps.”

Davis was sworn into the Marines a week before the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Over the course of a 15-year career in the Corps, he deployed nine times, engaged in anti-terrorism operations in Southeast Asia, and collaborated with military forces from around the world.

Today, Davis is working toward a doctorate in adult education and teaches ethics to the next generation of Marine Corps leaders. He’s also a minor internet celebrity, having appeared in a couple of Marine memes that went viral.

In this week's episode of Borne the Battle, Tim Davis talks about the life lessons he learned in the Corps, making the transition from soldier to civilian, how his experiences in the military helped him prepare for a career as a teacher, and the difference between teaching adults and children. He also discusses the benefits of studying jiu-jitsu and how it helps to heal both body and mind.

How does he do it? “Remain calm,” Davis said. “Find the humor in the situation.”

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week:

• Marine Veteran John Reyes

Additional Links: 

• Veterans Jiu-Jitsu
• VA prepares to get ahead of surge in backlogged claims 
• VA stands up commission to recommend new Veterans Health Administration Under Secretary 

This week's Borne the Battle – a benefits breakdown – features VA Mobile Mental Health Apps, which provides free tools and information to support and help Veterans manage PTSD-related symptoms and stress, learn mindfulness practices, aim to reduce suicide risk and strengthen parenting skills. The apps were designed to meet the needs of Veterans; they are free, easy to download, and are available via VA App Store, Google Play and Apple App Store.

According to the 2021 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, some hopeful data shows that 399 fewer Veterans died from suicide in 2019 than in 2018, reflecting the lowest raw count of Veteran suicides since 2007.

Navy and OIF Veteran Tim Avery, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist and readjustment counselor at the Peninsula Vet Center. These statistics are the reason why Avery’s work is so vital. In this episode of Borne the Battle, Avery answers these questions and more:

• How are the apps developed?
• How can Veterans access these apps via VA App Store/Google Play/App Store?
• How have these apps helped Veterans?
• What training is required to use these apps effectively?

The VA Mobile Mental Health Apps are available to and beneficial for all family members of Veterans as well. Avery delves into how apps such as Couples Coach and PTSD Family Coach provide a great source of information that can help enhance communication and improve relationships.

Having access to effective mental health care resources is important to improving quality of life after service. If you are a Veteran or know a Veteran who is experiencing a mental health crisis, call VA’s Veterans Crisis Line for immediate assistance. People like Avery are working for and alongside VA, and are committed to providing mental health care for all Veterans and their families, 24/7, and are ready to help at a moment’s notice.

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week:

• Navy Veteran Michael Edwin Thornton

Additional Links:

• Borne the Battle #247: Irreverent Warriors
• VA Mobile Mental Health Apps Playlist
• National Center for PTSD Apps
• Digital Safety Plan YouTube introduction
• Vet Centers (Readjustment Counselling Services)
• Tech into Care site
• Millions in adaptive sports grants help disabled Veterans with rehabilitation goals 
• VA improves quality of care for Veterans diagnosed with ALS

When Bill Czopek decided to transfer to the Naval Academy, he knew that he wanted the structure and support of a military career. Through persistence and dedication, he was accepted. Little did he know, that experience would lead him to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

In this week’s episode of Borne the Battle, Special Agent Bill Czopek discusses his time in the Navy, his experience in the DEA, and some things Veterans should be concerned about when it comes to counterfeit pills and the illegal drug trade.

In the Navy, Czopek served as a Surface Warfare Officer. He became a “jack of all trades” and learned versatility in this role. His first-ever “drug bust” happened off the coast of North Africa, where his ship intercepted a dhow (fishing boat) smuggling two tons of hashish.

After his service, Czopeck turned his eyes toward serving his country in a civilian role, today as a DEA officer, and and he talks the state of drug trafficking in America, including:

• DEA foreign offices
• Counterfeit pills
• The drug trafficking supply chain
• Online drug sales
• How Veterans and other citizens can protect themselves from the effects of drug trafficking

He also gives advice for other Veterans planning on applying to federal agencies after their service.

Want to know more about counterfeit pills, an issue that directly affects Veterans receiving medical care? Among other details in the podcast, Czopeck shared:

• Counterfeit pills containing fentanyl can look exactly like legitimate prescription pills.
• According to the DEA, the number of counterfeit pills in circulation has increased 430% since 2019.
• According to the FDA, consumers should ensure their pill and drug packing look normal before taking any medication.

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week:

• Army and Air Force Veteran William Bonelli 

Additional Links

• https://www.dea.gov/ep/360-strategy
• https://www.dea.gov/alert/sharp-increase-fake-prescription-pills-containing-fentanyl-and-meth
• VA resumes overpayment notifications, medical copayment collections while continuing to offer Veterans expansive debt relief options 
• Veterans Legacy Memorial expands to include VA-grant funded state, territorial and tribal Veterans cemeteries
• VA embarks on process to design new model to deliver seamless integrated care

In 1945, warehouses in Birmingham, England, were brimming with unsent postal mail intended for U.S. soldiers at the frontlines. At the same time, African American organizations pressed the War Department to create more opportunities for African American Women’s Army Corps members to serve. Tackling two issues at once, the War Department started recruiting African American women and formed the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. The job was expected to take six months. The "Six Triple Eight" did it in three.

Retired Air Force Major Fannie Griffin McClendon was one of these women to take up the monumental task of ensuring soldiers on the frontlines received mail sent to them by their loved ones, regardless of rain, sleet, “buzz bombs,” racism, and sexism. Indeed, throughout her time in the 6888th Battalion and later as a commander with Strategic Air Command, she faced and overcame many instances of racism and sexism thrown at her. This ranged from men who refused to serve under her because she was a woman. Focusing on her vital duties to the country, McClendon knocked down barriers and shattered glass ceilings at every corner of her military career.

Even as a centenarian, McClendon remembered stories from her days in the military like the back of her hand. Stories she discussed in this episode of Borne the Battle include:

• What life was like for her while serving abroad in Europe during WWII
• The casualties the 6888th suffered while in France
• Becoming a commander in the Air Force

Surrounded by the stench and sight of death, soldiers on the frontlines depended on members of the 6888th, like McClendon, to deliver them letters written by their loved ones back home. Despite the importance of their role, the 6888th, like many other segregated units from WWII, received little recognition after the war.

The 6888th only recently started gaining popular recognition, with a documentary on it released in 2019.

In 2021, the Senate passed the “Six Triple Eight” Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021, an act awarding congressional gold medals to members of the 6888th for their “pioneering military service, devotion to duty, and contributions to the morale of personnel stationed in the European theater.”

While formal recognition for her service was long overdue, McClendon seemed not to mind too much. Rather, she focused on the many opportunities the military gave her and the spectacular life it allowed her to live.

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week: 

• Marine Veteran Zane Jones

Additional Links:

• Even at the age of 100, McClendon went out of her way to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Click here to learn how you can get vaccinated through the VA.
• To read more about the 6888th Veterans, check out the 6888th’s website.
• practical resources for transitioning service members 
• VA stands ready to offer COVID-19 booster vaccines
• VA request for information on proposed rule change published in Federal Register on character of discharge 
• VA, National Support Network teach Veterans how to fight cybercrime

If you know of Black Rifle Coffee Company or watch Mayans MC on FX, you may already know this week’s Borne the Battle guest – Army Veteran, entrepreneur, actor and overall entertainer Vincent Vargas.

It was a windy road that led him to this point in his life. Too many wild parties got him kicked out of college and ended his childhood dream of playing professional baseball. At 20, as a young father who was no longer playing ball or attending school, Vargas felt like a disappointment to his family.

In 2003, during the invasion of Baghdad at the outbreak of the Iraq War, Vargas watched a televised newscast in which a Marine helped to topple a statue of dictator Saddam Hussein. News reporters interviewed the Marine’s family, who emotionally expressed their pride in his service.

The next day, Vargas went to a military recruiting office to enlist. He later served in both Iraq and Afghanistan as an Army Ranger, became a drill sergeant, and after serving, even joined the U.S. Border Patrol.

In this week's episode of Borne the Battle, Vincent Vargas discusses his many transitions between sports, military and civilian lives, getting into acting, his time on the Drinkin' Bros podcast, and the founding of Beteran, his Veteran-focused clothing line that emphasizes empowerment and positivity rather than the prevailing Veteran narratives of depression, alcoholism, and suicide.

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week: 

• Army Veteran Ricardo Barraza

Also Mentioned in this Episode:

• https://vincentroccovargas.com/
• VETSmile pilot program to improve affordable dental care access for Veterans
• Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers to provide an additional year for eligibility and reassessment of certain participants