During his campaign, Donald Trump has established himself as a champion of veterans. In fact, much of his policy deals with veteran support and VA reform. On Sept. 15, the Republican frontrunner delivered his first speech relating to national security.
With the decommissioned battleship USS Iowa as his backdrop in LA, Trump gave a less than 15-minute speech where he briefly touched on topics like immigration reform, military policy and veterans affairs.
"We're going to make our military so big, so strong and so great, so powerful that we're never going to have to use it," Trump told the crowd. "We're going to have a president who is respected by Putin, respected by Iran."
The Huffington Post reported that Trump won the support of veterans' advocacy group Veterans for a Strong America just before the speech. The group also sponsored Tuesday's gathering, and while many anticipated the day's address would focus more on veterans issues, the majority of the real estate tycoon's speech was dedicated to immigration reform.
However, Trump did express his displeasure with the quality of veteran health care and current foreign policy. The candidate's next engagement was the GOP debate on Sept. 16.
Honor Flight is a nonprofit program that flies veterans who served in World War II to Washington, D.C., to see the monuments and receive gratitude. This program has gotten almost 100,000 WWII veterans to participate. In fact, it is so dedicated to making sure all WWII veterans have the opportunity to experience Washington, D.C., the program is willing to do whatever it takes to let the veterans know they are appreciated. Such was the case with Richard Jowders.
The New Hampshire native served as a Private First Class in the Army. Unfortunately, health risks prevented Jowders from participating in the Honor Flight. Sheila Peters, a VA volunteer close to Jowders, decided to bring the experience to him. Peters arranged for the veteran to get the same experience without the flight to D.C. WMUR-9 News reported that Jowders was able to watch the film all Honor Flight participants see, to get the same apparel and receive a mail call with well wishes from loved ones.
"I can't thank them enough," Jowders told WMUR-9 News. "I probably can't even sleep tonight. I'll think about it all night."
Fellow veterans who were there with Jowders and who had experienced the Honor Flight said the event was as close to the real thing as it could be.
The Department of Veterans Affairs reported that female former servicemembers make up nearly 9 percent of veterans living in the U.S. That percentage equals roughly 2 million women. ABC Action News-30 said that many of these women feel left out of veterans services because of their gender.
"If you look at the growing segment, women veterans represent the fastest growing segment of U.S. veterans," Cenethea Lofbom of the Department of Veterans Affairs told ABC Action News-30. "So there are going to be unique needs that sometimes cannot be addressed as a whole."
Women Veterans Stand Up is an event where female veterans can come together for support and to learn about the different opportunities available to them in life after service. On Sept. 14, the VFW Post in West Central Fresno, California, hosted this event for the second year in a row.
Many local vendors came to support the female veterans. The women had the option to learn about health care and even had access to day spa services. The Stand Up also served as a networking event for women veterans interested in pursuing civilian careers.
The events of the Women Veterans Stand Up will continue throughout the week.
At 89 years old, most people spend their birthdays quietly, surrounded by family and friends. Al "Abby" Ramirez chose to do things a little differently. The former World War II Navy machine gunner and Korean War Army veteran took his 104th skydive from 13,000 feet in the air.
According to the Lompoc Record, Ramirez spent time as an airborne school instructor at Fort Campbell on the Tennessee-Kentucky border before he retired from military service. When Ramirez heard about the four Marines and the Navy sailor who were killed in the Chattanooga, Tennessee, shooting on July 16, he was devastated. He dedicated his birthday jump to the fallen heroes' memories and to the memory of Robin Ballachey, a former skydiving instructor with whom Ramirez was friends.
"Obviously, there was lots of sky diving during World War II, so it's kind of significant that he used his sky dive to jump out and dedicate it to Robin [Ballachey] and the four Marines that died in Tennessee, especially with him being 89," David Hughes, owner of Sky Dive Santa Barbara, told the Lompoc Record. "It's kind of cool what he did."
Ramirez said this latest jump would be his last, but close friends told the news source that he was known for changing his mind.
When California native John Kerr was 19 years old, he was drafted to serve his country in the Vietnam War. Like many of the veterans from that era, Kerr experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and had difficulty reintegrating with civilian society. However, when Kerr was in Vietnam, he tried wine for the first time. While he was underage at the time, Kerr became a connoisseur of wine.
Upon his return to the U.S., Kerr pursued winemaking as a hobby to distract himself from the PTSD. The Lompoc Record reported that Kerr has worked as a winemaker for such wineries as Foley Estates Vineyard and Winery and Byron Winery in California. The Vietnam veteran decided to share his passion with other veterans. Kerr told the news source that veterans are often distrusting of civilians and other nonmilitary personnel, so he felt it was his duty as a veteran to help others like him.
That is why he created the John W. Kerr II Veteran's Scholarship for former servicemembers or their children who are interested in studying winemaking. Since its founding three years ago, the scholarship has given $3,000 to future winemakers. The scholarship is set up to continue even after Kerr passes away, but the veteran does not want any special recognition for his generosity.
"It's another way of giving back," he told The Lompoc Record.
Deployment is part of every servicemember's contract. It does not always mean that he or she will be placed in danger, but it does mean that the servicemember will be apart from his or her family for a time. Though deployment is undoubtedly a challenge, there are steps you can take to make the time easier for your family.
1. Communicate
This is the most effective way to make deployment less stressful for you and your family. They will likely want to know where you will be stationed, how they can communicate with you and how long you will be gone. Be sure to stay as informed as possible so you can share unclassified information with your loved ones. The more they know, the less they have to worry about.
2. Plan
Will you need to sell things before you leave? Should your family move to a smaller house while you are overseas? These are just a couple of the questions you should consider before you leave. You will also need to set up a convenient time to talk with your loved ones while you are gone. Planning can help take some of the stress out of your deployment.
3. Prepare your finances
You do not want to leave your loved ones with a frustrating financial situation. Alert your financial institutions of your deployment. Also, plan out a monthly budget and discuss a bill payment schedule. Some financial institutions and loan providers offer leniency for military servicemembers, so be sure to inquire about them.
4. Arrange for child care or elder care
If you have children, it is smart to arrange child care before you leave for deployment. This is especially important if your spouse will be working while you are gone. It can save your spouse hassle later on. Additionally, if you have elderly loved ones whom you look after, you will need to plan for their care during your deployment.
5. Have an emergency plan
Just like life, deployment can be unpredictable. Having an emergency plan in place can alleviate stress when situations like illness, injury, loss of communication and others are tossed at you.
6. Make memories
The weeks before deployment are likely going to be busy and hectic, but take some time to de-stress. Have a few family meals and take a short trip you have been planning for a while. The memories will help your loved ones when they start to miss you, and they will likely carry you through some of the lonely moments in your deployment. Check for places that offer military discounts so you can save money while you enjoy yourself.
While deployment will most likely be difficult for you and your family and could present you with unforeseen challenges, the above steps are just a few of the many that can help make it less stressful. Preparation and planning for life's unpredictability and having a plan can make deployment a little easier for you and your loved ones.
When servicemembers enter life after service, it can be a frustrating time of adjustment. Veterans who are used to strict regimens and busy schedules may find it difficult to adjust to a civilian lifestyle. In fact, Jacksonville.com reported that 42 percent of veterans have difficulty with the switch.
Former servicemembers may seek military-esque programs to which they can commit their time and still feel like they are serving their communities. Many crave service programs where they can experience the camaraderie and structure of the service. The Mission Continues is an organization that was founded to give veterans that exact opportunity.
"[Mission Continues] helps veterans reconnect and have a sense of purpose in the community as well as helps them reconnect on a social level," Laura L'Esperance, a spokeswoman for the organization, told Jacksonville.com.
Veterans are grouped in "Service Platoons" and sent to work with local nonprofits or community service organizations. They may assist with projects like building houses, cleaning up roadsides or mentoring youth.
With 5,000 veteran members across the country, The Mission Continues is growing in popularly. Participants range in age from their early 20s to late 70s. The program has completed 169 missions nationwide so far and hopes to complete many more.
Despite rainy weather, the Smyrna Rotary Club of Smyrna, Tennessee, held its 13th annual Wings of Freedom Fish Fry on Sept. 12. According to Daily Journal News, the proceeds from the event were donated to local chapters of the Boys and Girls Club, Habitat for Humanity and Meals on Wheels. With over 1,500 attendees, the Smyrna Rotary Club surpassed its fundraising goals.
"It gets larger every year, we raised $100,000 last year, and this year our goal was $110,000," Mike Waller, head organizer for the Smyrna Rotary Club's annual fish fry, told Daily Journal News. "And the best part of it is, we turn around and give it back to the community."
Since the first Wings of Freedom Fish Fry was held the day after 9/11, the event has always had a patriotic theme. This year's fish fry was focused on Vietnam veterans. April marked the 40th anniversary of the Vietnam War's end, so it was only fitting to honor veterans of that war. The veterans who attended the event told the news source that they felt excluded when they returned from combat, and they were grateful to finally have their service recognized.
The Smyrna Rotary Club plans to hold the Wings of Freedom Fish Fry again next year but has not released a date.
Most people use their days off for relaxation, but one man in Lutz, Florida, uses his day off to clean the headstones of veterans. Andrew Lumish, a Lutz native, spends the one day a week he has off from his carpet cleaning job to give back to the former servicemembers in his community. Lumish's job gives him access to plenty of cleaning supplies that he uses to remove the dirt and grime from granite, marble and other headstone materials. He has even researched methods that will prevent damage to the stones.
"It's something that I feel I should do to give them the proper respect for fighting for our country," Lumish told ABC Action News. "And they may not [have] any family still living. These aren't just stones sitting in a cemetery in Florida. These are real people. I think about their lives."
As a self-proclaimed history buff, Lumish admits that he sometimes does research on the names of veterans who fought in the Civil War to find out more about the people whose stones he is cleaning.
Lumish has been doing the cleaning anonymously for two-and-a-half years, according to ABC Action News, and he plans to continue as long as cemeteries will allow him.
Last year on Sept. 10, the opening ceremonies for Prince Harry's inaugural Invictus Games were taking place. The games, which got their name from William Ernest Henley's poem about overcoming adversity, were the first of their kind. The prince, who has also served in the military, invited veterans from countries around the world to participate in a four-day sporting competition. According to the event's website, over 400 disabled athletes from 13 countries traveled to London to prove their unconquered spirit.
Many of the veterans who participated in the games had positive things to say.
"Being in the military is like being a professional athlete," Sgt. Major (Retired) Christopher Self told People magazine. "Through competitions like the Warrior Games or Invictus, it gives a chance to show, 'Yes, I've been injured, but I'm still able to do these things physically and compete on a level playing field.'"
Self and the other competitors showed their skills in events including swimming, volleyball and weightlifting. A year later, the impact of Prince Harry's games is still strong with many of its competitors and spectators. In fact, the 2014 games were so successful that the prince announced that the games would return for a second event in 2016. The 2016 Invictus Games are scheduled for May 8-12 in Orlando, Florida.