MOAA Professional Series
Former Marine Corps Reserve Staff Sgt. Todd Bowers: … I did four tours [in the Marine Corps Reserve]. … In between my tours, I was serving as a veterans’ advocate for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. What better job for someone serving in the military? You’re seeing the resourc- es that are available [and] making sure to focus on yourself. But I was not. … If I knew all of these resources were avail- able, why did it take me until [August 2011] to finally set foot into the VA? … It took a very long time for me to really soak these things in and understand that while I’m so busy doing what the military did a great job teaching me, which is taking care of others, I wasn’t taking care of myself. … So even though now I wear a tie [for work], I’m
still a veteran reintegrating. … [Helping veterans reintegrate] is not a job DoD and
the VA can handle on their own. … It is the community- level organizations that are able to reach out to these folks as they reintegrate and become civilians. They are the ones who will be able to communicate and
say, “Are you stepping into the VA? Are you having difficul- ties with housing? [The] VA has programs for that.” That communication is going to be critical to move forward, and I have to applaud the VA right now because they’ve made some amazing steps in doing their outreach for the younger generation of servicemembers. They’re on Facebook. They’re on Twitter. They’re on multiple levels of social media really doing the best that they can from the mothership here in Washington, D.C., to reach out to these veterans in the places where they are, which is online. McFarland: … Now we’re going to turn to Nicole Keesee. Nicole M. Keesee, licensed clinical social worker: … In the military, you foster teamwork and interdependence. … We go from being an “I” to a “we.” And when we transi- tion back to the civilian sector, going from that “we” to an “I” has incredible psychological ramifications. … So what are the challenges we face? It’s difficult for the military to provide community support, especially if you’re outside an installation. … There are fewer clearer pathways to assistance and information. … Military and veteran policies and benefits [are constantly changing]. … In order to successfully transition, servicemembers
have to have a strong sense of community. They have to have meaningful employment, they have to have a strong healthy sense of self, and they have to have sup- port. … Isolation is a killer. Everybody needs a readjustment plan. Why aren’t we
providing transitioning servicemembers readjustment planning? … All too often servicemembers are told go to the VA. “Where is the VA in my community? And when I get to the VA, where do I go?” As good as it is, we still need to do better regarding navigation of these systems.
Forum Agenda
Kickoff Addresses: Dr. John Nagl, president, Center for a New American Security; and The Honorable Terrie L. Suit, Virginia secretary of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security
Community Reintegration: The Challenges Back Home Maj. Gen. James A. Adkins, ARNG, adjutant gen- eral, Maryland National Guard; former Marine Corps Reserve Staff Sgt. Todd Bowers, Iraq War veteran; Dr. David Brown, clinical psychologist and clinical subject-matter expert in suicide prevention, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Readiness; Nicole M. Keesee, team leader, Vet Center, Little Rock, Ark., office; Lt. Col. Rodney Lewis, USAF, Joining Forces, The White House, Office of the First Lady; Tech. Sgt. Tom Marcum, USAF-Ret., and April Marcum, wounded warrior and caregiver, respectively; and Kathleen Troia “K.T.” McFarland (moderator), national security analyst and host of DEFCON 3, FOX News.
Luncheon Keynote Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff
Deployment to Employment: Are We Really Committed to Hiring Wounded Warriors? Capt. Chris Ayres, USMC-Ret., wounded veteran and Operation Impact hire, Northrop Grumman; Paul Cofoni, president and CEO, CACI Inc.; Ismael “Junior” Ortiz, deputy assistant secretary, Veterans’ Employment and Training Services, Department of Labor; Brig. Gen. Gary Profit, USA-Ret., senior director of Military Programs, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.; Lt. Col. Kevin Schmiegel, USMC-Ret., vice president, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and Barbara Starr (moderator), Pentagon correspondent, CNN.
Closing Keynote The Honorable Allison A. Hickey, under secretary for Benefits, Department of Veterans Affairs
Remarks by U.S. Naval Institute and MOAA
ON THE WEB Didn’t get to attend the 2011 Defense Forum Washington? Visit
www.moaa.org/dfw for an event recap, a video of event highlights, the complete transcript, and more.
DECEMBER 2011 MILITARY OFFICER 69
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