Veterans Getting and Staying Connected: Enrich Your Life, Improve Your Health

Staying connected is beneficial to your health and relationships, which is no surprise.  But often, we tend to isolate ourselves when we need to stay connected the most, see these sites for more information on why staying connected and involved can improve your life:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/feeling-it/201208/connect-thrive or
http://www.liveyourlifewell.org/go/live-your-life-well/others

So find comfortable ways to stay in touch with family and friends, with your military family, and with others in your community or hometown.  In groups or one-to-one, in-person or online or via phone - stay in touch, please.

Not sure what’s going on in your community?  Get connected through your area’s Facebook or webpages to find out about current events.  Here’s a sampling of local Facebook links to get you started, if you "like" your area's page or sign up for notifications, you'll receive updates easily:
https://www.facebook.com/CityOfCottonwoodAZ?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/FlagstaffArizona
https://www.facebook.com/pages/City-of-Prescott-Official/151806309501
https://www.facebook.com/ClarkdaleAZ
https://www.facebook.com/PrescottValley

Want to get connected with other Veterans and the military community?  Not only can you stay current on your friends and current issues: It can be a life-saver.  Check this tip sheet out at: https://fb-public.app.box.com/s/tgfyqw7936fyzubjaujr

Female Veterans Resources, Pink Heals Event, Women Aging in Place, Charity Scams Target Veteran-Support

Resources for Female Veterans: Here are some great links for your bookmarking pleasure –

• U.S. Department of Labor has statistics and resources for women veteran job-seekers: http://www.dol.gov/vets/womenveterans/
• VA Center for Women Veterans has news and resources: http://www.va.gov/womenvet/ and the VA Healthcare site: http://www.womenshealth.va.gov/ 
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has a blog with helpful information and resources for mental healthcare.  Here’s a sample post featuring a female Veteran’s story about recovering from PTSD: http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Womens_Issues It has some eye-opening facts: Did you know that female Veterans have double the risk of developing PTSD than their male counterparts?

Local Event: If you’ve ever had a friend with a serious illness like cancer, perhaps you’ve wanted to find a way to help them – well that’s how the Pink Heals Tour got started.  Read more about the national organization at: http://pinkfiretrucks.org/ and consider attending, volunteering, or donating to the Northern Arizona event to benefit Verde Valley Pink Heals on August 10 at Windmill Park in Cornville – see their Facebook site for more info at: https://www.facebook.com/VerdeValleyPinkHeals

Aging in Place means being able to stay in your home, with help, as you age and your abilities change as far as things like cleaning, cooking, or other daily living activities.  Here’s an interesting article about the gender gap in seniors and how to get the support you or a loved one may need as they age: http://aginginplace.com/women-living-longer-and-aging-in-place/

Charitable Scams Target Veterans and Supporters: Here’s a very well-written article about the importance of double-checking before your donate (and never over the phone): http://www.reviewjournal.com/columns-blogs/jane-ann-morrison/corrupt-charities-help-veterans-name-only

Military Cats, ILMKA, Reservists Fight for Jobs Alone, Wheelchair Games Begin

Photo of Pfc. Hammer from wartime cats article below.

Finally, a chance to tout the military records of cats for our cat-lovers out there: http://www.buzzfeed.com/robbiecouch/check-out-these-incredible-wartime-cats-aw4q

And while we’re on the cat theme, here is a nice cat story about a Navy Veteran who was surprised to learn his new best friend was feline, at: http://blog.petsforpatriots.org/navy-veteran-and-dog-lover-becomes-a-cat-guy/  You’ll have to read it to figure out what the ILMKA is :)

After deployments, Reservists face fight for jobs that were promised to be held (but weren't), all on their own, despite legal protections: http://www.ibtimes.com/special-report-returning-war-terror-military-veterans-find-promised-jobs-are-gone-despite-laws-no#

They’ve BEGUN – if you want to get inspired about the PVA-VA sponsored Wheelchair Games going on in Tampa this week, here’s a great video: http://youtu.be/RqW8_mOkzqk

and you can see more current events going on at SpeedyTV at: http://www.pva.org/site/c.ajIRK9NJLcJ2E/b.8296443/k.293/Paralyzed_Veterans_of_America_Speedy_Media.htm

Got Your Six Video, Veterans' Life-Saving Smartphone App, Tucson Homeless Veterans Initiative, California Workers to Help VA Backlog, American Legion Career Site

Today’s Video is the latest from Got Your Six, at: http://youtu.be/N-gpv01OCiw It’s the facts about our Veterans – please share this widely and often.

At a friend’s funeral, a life-saving idea was born: Marine Veteran, Jacob Wood, created a smartphone app to connect Veterans to each other, see more at: http://www.stripes.com/news/app-links-struggling-veterans

To learn more about a federal grant received for the Veterans’ Homelessness initiative in Tucson, see: http://youtu.be/699xvhAto28

California steps up to the plate to help relieve the backlog of VA disability benefit claims in the state, where one of the three VA regional offices has a 629 day waiting time (291 days longer than the national average.)  California will assign 12-member teams of state workers to review cases at each of the three VA offices, see: http://www.armytimes.com/article/20130709/BENEFITS04/307090032/Calif-hiring-state-workers-help-VA-claims

The American Legion provides a cornucopia of Veterans’ career and networking sites at: http://www.legion.org/careers/resources  This site includes links to many other resources, including those for career fairs, tips for job seekers, and help for homeless Veterans.

National Veterans Wheelchair Games #NVWC, Unconditional Love Heals, Veterans Unemployment Rate Cut in Half, Redesigning Homes for Injured Veterans

Photo from the 2013 NVWG site

The 2013 National Veterans Wheelchair Games will begin July 13 in Tampa, FL, co-sponsored by the PVA and the VA.  First time OIF/OEF/OND participants in the games may be eligible for a grant to defray costs of travel.  For the latest information on the competition and the 18 sports included, check out this website: http://www.pva.org/site/c.ajIRK9NJLcJ2E/b.8717115/k.7F15/2013_National_Veterans_Wheelchair_Games_Updates.htm

It’s time for another therapeutic dose of good news from our friends at Pets for Patriots at: http://blog.petsforpatriots.org/veteran-of-wwii-and-korea-is-hero-to-shelter-dog/  The unconditional love from and to an animal helps heal wounded hearts.

Veterans unemployment rates have been cut in half (down to 7.2%), but there’s still room for improvement.  Thanks to multiple employment efforts, like Hiring our Heroes job fairs, many post-9/11 veterans have connected with high quality employers, see more at: http://money.cnn.com/2013/07/08/pf/veterans-jobs/index.html

Here’s an interesting article about rethinking home design: in this case, designing for soldiers with amputations and paralysis that create needs in their living space.  It’s easy to see how these universal designs will benefit many more people with various disabilities in the future.  See more at: http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681128/a-new-generation-of-smart-homes-designed-for-americas-wounded-veterans#1

In Memoriam

Riderless horses at the Prescott Frontiers Day parade honored the Granite Mountain Hotshots;
photos from their Facebook site shown below.

Yavapai College has created a scholarship fund to benefit the children and spouses of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, many of whom were YC students and graduates, who lost their lives on June 30.  People can donate to the scholarship fund online at http://www.yc.edu/hotshots, by calling the Yavapai College Foundation at 928-776-2025 or by mailing a donation to Yavapai College Foundation, 1100 E. Sheldon St., Prescott, AZ 86301.

For more about these heroes, see: https://www.facebook.com/PrescottGraniteMountainHotshots

The 100 Club, a non-profit organization supporting families of fallen officers, has a very moving tribute to all law enforcement and emergency personnel who have lost their lives in Arizona since 1865, long before Arizona became a state.  See their biographies at: http://www.100club.org/web/100CLUB/Remembering_the_Fallen/Roll_Call_of_Heroes/100CLUB/Remembering/RollCall.aspx

Heartache

The VUB family offers heartfelt condolences to the families of the Granite Mountain Hotshot team and the surviving members of the Prescott Fire Department who mourn their loss, and to all the victims of the Yarnell Hill Fire.  If you wish to help, here are links to two of the many aide organizations:

www.100club.org/web/100Club
www1.usw.salvationarmy.org/usw/www_usw_southwest.nsf

Nineteen heroes raced off to fight the fire,
Ran through the flames,
And straight to Heaven’s gate.
You will never be forgotten,
Nor the sacrifices of your families,
Who will carry you in their hearts
Until you meet again.