VA News Podcast

Robinson entered the film industry with little more than his Marine Corp background and a drive to succeed. However, he leveraged his experiences, formed connections and learned the Hollywood lingo to land gigs working on some of the biggest films of his time. 

His success even allowed him to eventually tour with the likes of Whitney Houston, Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson. Overall, with perseverance, some help from his 1956 Corvette, and some luck, Robinson went far in the world of film. 

This week we revisit the very first interview on Borne the Battle FKA "This Week at VA" - Marine Veteran and Retired professional soccer player, Haley Carter.

Denise Jelinski-Hall felt stuck in her small hometown of Little Falls, Minnesota, so she created a new future for herself by joining the Air Force. Years, later, Jelinski-Hall became the highest-ranking enlisted female in United States military history.

On this episode of Borne the Battle, Air National Guard Veteran Denise Jelinski-Halldiscusses her selection as Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, the changing roles of women in the military, and how “gray-area service members” are still entitled to VA benefits.

Jelinski-Hall found her calling with the Air Force but decided to transfer to the Air National Guard after marrying an active-duty Marine. She served three years in the California Air National Guard before transferring to Hawaii. Jelinski-Hall’s 28-year career included 12 years of active service, leadership of the Hawaii National Guard, and a position in the Pentagon advising the Chief of the National Guard Bureau.

In addition to her military service, Jelinski-Hall volunteers with United Through Reading and the Military Child Education Coalition. United Through Reading connects military families through recorded stories. Family members can record themselves reading and the recordings provide story time with that absent family member. Jelinski-Hall served on the board of the Military Child Education Coalition, an organization that supports the schooling of military children through mentorship and other supportive resources.

Jelinski-Hall is currently a military advisor for Veterans United Home Loans, where she educates Veterans about VA home loans and home ownership. She also wrote an autobiography, "From the Prairie to the Pentagon," and contributed to the leadership book "Breaching the Summit," alongside five other former Senior Enlisted Advisors.

In this episode, Jelinski-Hall discusses writing her autobiography, how to respectfully not take 'no' for an answer, and other leadership and life tips.

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week:

• Army Veteran Pedro Munoz

Mentioned in this episode:

• Borne the Battle #187: Darlene Iskra, Groundbreaker
• Borne the Battle #150: Benefits Breakdown – 75th Anniversary of the VA Home Loan Program
• Borne the Battle #240: Benefits Breakdown – Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan (IRRRL)
• The Summit 6
• United Through Reading offer free books and mobile app for Veterans, military – VAntage Point
• VA Secretary Denis McDonough statement on department’s extension of moratoriums on foreclosures and evictions, as well as new mortgage repayment assistance to help stabilize vulnerable households 
• VA expands “PRIDE In All Who Served” program for LGBTQ+ Veterans

This week’s episode of Borne the Battle features Air Force Veteran Marti Moore, who discusses her military career and she became group vice president of technology implementation at Spectrum Charter Communications. Moore served 11 years in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve as a systems engineering chief, and developed software for satellite tracking systems at Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado.

In 1995, Moore transitioned to civilian life. She discusses how she was recruited to work in technology through an officer recruiting program at Peterson Air Force Base and how her leadership experience in the military helped her succeed. Moore held various management positions in the media and telecommunications industries, including vice president of technology at Media News Group, and worked as a reservist at the Pentagon. In 2010, she became the vice president of Web Strategy and Customer Experience at Spectrum Charter. She currently leads an agile transformation team with the Engineering and Technology Department as the group vice president of Technology Implementation. Moore talks about how the entertainment experience is changing and how Spectrum is combatting Artificial Intelligence hacking programs.

Additionally, Moore talks about leading the Spectrum Veterans Business Resource Group (BRG) in 2019 as co-chair at Charter, and also talks about the history and mission of BRG. The Veterans BRG serves to help Veterans successfully transition to civilian life, grow their careers, and help businesses become successful. The Veterans group now has over 1,000 employees. Finally, she delves into how BRG offers employees who are also Veterans the opportunity to partake in mentorship, support and professional growth programs.

In this episode, Moore discusses…

• Her definition of true leadership.
• How Hiring Our Heroes helps Veterans secure civilian jobs.
• The valued skills that Veterans bring to the civilian workforce.
• Why Veterans should apply to Spectrum Charter.

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week:

• Army Veteran Francis Cunningham

Additional Links:

• Borne the Battle #207: Marine Recon Veteran Alex Calfee, Co-Founder of OpLign.
• Borne the Battle #218: David Muir, Easterseals’ Veteran Staffing Network.
• Borne the Battle #198: Marine Corps Veteran Beau Higgins, Amazon Military Affairs.
• https://jobs.spectrum.com/military-recruiting-programs.
• https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/hiring-our-heroes/.
• Charter’s Continued Commitment to Military Veterans.
• VA responds with record number of Fourth Mission assignments to assist America during pandemic.

This week’s episode of Borne the Battle features Texas Army National Guard Veteran Cindy McNally and Marine Corps Veteran Nate McDonald, the president and vice president of Irreverent Warriors. McNally and McDonald discuss Irreverent Warriors’ mission to improve mental health and prevent Veteran suicide worldwide by providing a space to build camaraderie at their Silkie Hike events.

McNally is the CEO and president of Irreverent Warriors. She and her family suffered the tragic and unexpected loss of her husband and Marine Corps Veteran, Rand, who took his own life after years of internal struggle. McNally has three children, two of whom followed their parents’ paths to military careers.

McDonald is the COO and vice president of Irreverent Warriors. He served as an intelligence operative for Special Projects, often jumping from team to team and deploying with a variety of units. Because he suffered multiple TBIs during his service, he chose to leave the military when his ability to perform in the field came into question.

McDonald then worked as a consultant with various US government and military organizations. He lost many comrades due to mental health issues, so when the opportunity to help arose, he joined Irreverent Warriors to positively impact the lives of other service men and women.

One of the greatest contributors to Veteran suicide is isolation, something that Irreverent Warriors seeks to combat by bringing Veterans together. Camaraderie is vital to soldiers during their service, and Irreverent Warriors aims to build it in the Veteran community. The Silkie Hikes are only open to Veterans and active-duty service members and happen across the country. This year, the organization is expanding internationally to recognize that Veteran suicide is not unique to the United States but is a worldwide issue.

McNally and McDonald discuss how they found and joined the organization, gained their leadership roles, ways in which VA can help to combat Veteran suicide, and the stunning impact of Irreverent Warriors on Veterans across the nation.

High military aptitude test scores and high school curiosity earned Jonathan Kingham a place in the Navy that started him on the path toward a career as a singer-songwriter. On this episode of Borne the Battle, Kingham discusses how the Navy helped him enter the Seattle music scene, the evolution and future of the music industry, and how singers and songwriters make a living from music.

A high school friend convinced Kingham to skip class and take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test, starting him on a search for the right branch of the military. He entered basic training on Christmas Eve and progressed to machinist and nuclear power schools before being assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln.

As a trained pianist, Kingham had to find a more portable alternative to bring on the ship, so he bought himself the guitar that would eventually accompany him to his first performances at open mic nights in San Francisco.

After San Francisco, the Navy took Kingham to Seattle, where he started performing regularly and landed his first paid gigs. He inquired about performing as an opening act for David Wilcox at a music club, The Backstage. His curiosity paid off, and he began to open for a mix of acts after his successful performance with Wilcox. In 2010, Toad the Wet Sprocketasked him to join as a touring member, leading to Kingham playing over 700 live shows with the band.

Kingham is also a writer for Operation Song, a Nashville-based nonprofit that helps Veterans, soldiers and their families process and transform their experiences into music. Operation Song pairs Veterans with songwriters who help put their stories into words and music.

In this episode, Kingham also discusses COVID’s impact on the music industry, the benefits and downfalls of streaming music, and how musical success doesn’t have to mean being a superstar.

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week:

• Navy Veteran Harvey Milk

Mentioned in this episode:

• Borne the Battle #199: Army Veteran Josh Strickland, Lead Singer of the Bayou Bandits
• Borne the Battle #153: Perry Firoz – Air Force Veteran, CEO Epic Music LA, Analytical Scientist
• Why we stop discovering music around age 30 – Business Insider
• Operation Song Archives – VAntage Point Blogs
• Breathe by Clifton Pierce and Jonathan Kingham – Operation Song
• Mobius delivers first of 50 IBots to VA to determine how machines may help Veterans 
• VA's Rapid Naloxone Initiative provides free Opioid Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution to Veteran patients

Air Force Veteran Josh Seefried grew up knowing he wanted to serve in the Air Force. It started when his parents sent him to Space Camp in fifth grade, offering him the experience of a lifetime. The next summer, he participated in Aviation Challenge, getting the chance to fly and engage in aerial combat through a simulator. In seventh grade, he petitioned his congressman to get him into a shadow cadet program at the U.S. Air Force Academy, a program reserved only for high school students.

After high school, the Air Force Academy officially admitted Seefried as a student and he could not be happier. Yet, his enchantment with the Air Force – and the military more generally – soon turned into trauma. Seefried was gay and was blackmailed and exposed while serving under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

In this episode of Borne the Battle, Seefried shares his life’s story, from being blackmailed and outed as gay to becoming one of the nation’s foremost advocates for LGBT active-duty service members. He discusses:

• When one of his academy teachers found out he was gay and blackmailed him for favors
• Being outed as gay
• How his superiors treated him when investigating his blackmail case
• Using social media to stake out a space for LGBT members of the military to communicate
• How he helped fellow service members come out after Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was repealed

An early part of Seefried’s strategy to change the military’s culture for its LGBT members included the novel use of social media. At a time when social media platforms like Facebook were still new, Seefried formed online groups that connected thousands of LGBT service members.

Seefried regularly appeared on major broadcasting networks under the pseudonym “JD Smith,” advocating for the LGBT military community. But after President Obama signed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, Seefried publicly came out.

After years of LGBT advocacy, Seefried left a lasting mark on the military. He entered the Air Force with high hopes and left it a place that he could feel proud of having been a part of.

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week:

• Army Veteran Melissa Margain

Additional Links:

• Seefried published Our Time: Breaking the Silence of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell in 2012, a book assembling the voices of men and women who served under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
• VA recognizes the existing diversity inherent to its population, including the LGBT community. That is why it offers service members targeted benefits designed for those connected with the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
• VA Patient Care Services provides a range of healthcare services that the LGBT Veteran community can take advantage of.
• VA schedules stakeholder listening sessions to guide future of VA health care
• Seefried published Our Time: Breaking the Silence of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell in 2012, a book assembling the voices of men and women who served under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
• VA recognizes the existing diversity inherent to its population, including the LGBT community. That is why it offers service members targeted benefits designed for those connected with the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
• VA Patient Care Services provides a range of healthcare services that the LGBT Veteran community can take advantage of.
• VA schedules stakeholder listening sessions to guide future of VA health care

This week’s Borne the Battle features Army Veteran Gavin McIlvenna, who talks about the selection process of becoming and walking as a tomb guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; he then shares about his own mentors, how he founded the Society of the Honor Guard, shares crazy guard stories and the process of disinterring a Veteran at the tomb.

Roughly 130,000 visitors toured Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day pre-COVID. This year may be different, but it is still an important occasion for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Memorial Day seeks to honor those who have fallen while serving our country, and the Unknown Soldiers are no different.

On November 11, 2021, Arlington National Cemetery will be commemorating the centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The centennial is not only a day to celebrate and remember the burial of the World War One’s Unknown Soldier but to reflect on what the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier means to the nation.

McIlvenna breaks down the history of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and how the tomb doesn’t represent just one conflict; it represents all conflicts, the significance and purpose behind the upcoming events for centennial and where Americans can find information on these events and projects.

Lastly, McIIvenna talks about the first VA facility to have a never forget me garden, why every American should visit the tomb, and how communities can get involved in the centennial and learn about a unique part of its history and why the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is important to so many gold star families and Veterans.

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week:

• The Veteran in your life that is no longer with you. 

Additional links:

• VA to readjudicate Veteran and survivor claims for possible herbicide exposure
• VA expands COVID-19 vaccinations to adolescents under SAVE LIVES Act
• https://www.legion.org/yourwords/personal-experiences/248893/tomb-unknown-soldier
• Commemorating the Centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, DAR Members and Chapters Encouraged to Plan Now for 2021 Observance
• What you need to know about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
• Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Marks 100 Years

VA announced today two major decisions related to presumptive conditions associated with Agent Orange and particulate matter exposures during military service in Southwest Asia.

Agent Orange

VA will begin implementing provisions of the William M. Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116-283), adding three conditions to the list of those presumptively associated with exposure to herbicide agents, more commonly known as Agent Orange. Those conditions are bladder cancer, hypothyroidism and Parkinsonism.

“Many of our Nation’s Veterans have waited a long time for these benefits,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough. “VA will not make them wait any longer. This is absolutely the right thing to do for Veterans and their families.”

VA will apply the provisions of court orders related to Nehmer v. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which may result in an earlier date for entitlement to benefits for Veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Vietnam War era Veterans and their survivors who previously filed and were denied benefits for one of these three new presumptive conditions will have their cases automatically reviewed without the need to refile a claim. VA will send letters to impacted Veterans and survivors.

Particulate Matter Exposures

The Secretary recently concluded the first iteration of a newly formed internal VA process to review scientific evidence to support rulemaking, resulting in the recommendation to consider creation of new presumptions of service connection for respiratory conditions based on VA’s evaluation of a National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine report and other evidence. VA’s review supports initiation of rulemaking to address the role that particulate matter pollution plays in generating chronic respiratory conditions, which may include asthma, rhinitis and sinusitis for Veterans who served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War and/or after September 19, 2001, or in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan during the Persian Gulf War.

“VA is establishing a holistic approach to determining toxic exposure presumption going forward. We are moving out smartly in initiating action to consider these and other potential new presumptions, grounded in science and in keeping with my authority as Secretary of VA,” said Secretary McDonough.

VA is initiating rulemaking to consider adding respiratory conditions, which may include asthma, sinusitis and rhinitis, to the list of chronic disabilities based on an association with military service in Southwest Asia, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan during the covered periods of conflict. VA will conduct broad outreach efforts to reach impacted Veterans and it encourages them to participate in the rulemaking process.

For more information, visit our website at Airborne Hazards and Burn Pit Exposures – Public Health.

With Memorial Day 2021 approaching, VA’s National Cemetery Administration wants to remind people that the Veterans Legacy Memorial, or VLM, website is available as a resource to help pay tribute to Veterans who have passed away. VLM is a public online database memorializing the over 3.7 million Veterans interred in VA national cemeteries. With COVID-19 still present, VLM is an excellent way for people to honor our nation’s Veterans at the comfort of their own home.

Click here for VLM’s website: http://www.va.gov/remember.

In this episode of Borne the Battle, Air Force Veteran and Digital Services Officer for the National Cemetery Administration James LaPaglia talks about why he loves doing his job. He delves into the enhanced features that NCA staff plan to make available on VLM by Memorial Day. Features they plan to reopen include allowing users to submit:

• Photographs
• Historical documents
• Biographical information

VLM will also continue to allow users to leave a tribute on a Veteran’s page. Through a tribute, users can post a thoughtful message for future viewers to read.

And as per usual VLM practice, all submitted content will be reviewed by administrators before being posted. This ensures that all submissions comply with VLM standards and maintains the spirit of the website.

Users can also expect to see a “follow” feature come Memorial Day. With this, users can follow a Veteran’s page and get automatic email updates when new content appears on their profile.

Committed to making sure that no Veteran’s story goes unrecognized, NCA future plans include expanding the VLM database to include Veterans interred at state and tribal VA cemeteries, those managed by the military, private ones and many more.

With online platforms making it easier to honor our nation’s Veterans, LaPaglia said he hopes that this website becomes a place friends, families and strangers can use to share and preserve the stories and memories of those who served our country.

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week:

• Army Veteran Peter Conover Hains (Civil War Veteran who served in WWI)

Additional Links:

• If you have questions regarding VLM, click here to read their FAQ. You can also find VLM Customer Support’s phone and email here.
• VA national cemeteries are allowing visitors but require adherence to safety measures. Click here to learn more.
• Memorial Day 2020 ceremonies were not open to the public because of COVID-19 concerns. However, ceremonies were all available virtually and recordings are available here.
• For eligibility requirements to be buried at a VA national cemetery, click here for more information.
• VA to readjudicate Veteran and survivor claims for possible herbicide exposure