If you think your transition out of the military is big...
Veteranology
We're back! Deavon and I go right into discussing our recent life changes that led to us being off the air and how they led us to recording yet again. We dive into the idea that our transition out of the military was almost a decade ago at this point and looking back it seems less of a challenge than our more recent ones. The conversation is pretty freeform, but should be enjoyable!
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Friday Formation - My Journey in Texas Helping After Hurricane Harvey
Veteranology
A little late in sharing this story, but I'm happy I got to tell it. I got to serve next to amazing Americans who all on their own volition drove and flew down to Texas to help in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. I'm truly honored that I got to join the teams from and in bringing aid to the Beaumont, TX area. Deavon runs the interview on this one, and we cover: What led up to my decision to drive down to Texas with no idea where I was going, and how I got somewhere I could be effective. The efforts and victories of the Mountain Primal crew and the team from Merging Vets with...
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Friday Formation - Enlistment Nostalgia, Humanizing Leaders, and Post Service Isolation
Veteranology
What it says on the tin, plus tangents.
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Nate Boyer & Denver Morris - Merging Vets with Players
Veteranology
In this episode I'm joined by two veterans: 1) Nate Boyer, a US Army veteran and Special Forces soldier followed a path through football, playing for the Texas Longhorns and then a single pre-season game with the Seattle Seahawks, and 2) Denver Morris, a fellow Marine infantry veteran from 2/7 and Program Coordinator for the Los Angeles branch of Merging Vets with Players (MVP). Nate, along with his co-founder , started MVP with a mission "designed to address challenges that many combat veterans and professional athletes face when transitioning their service/professional life...
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Veteranology 33 - Interview with Dan Helmer
Veteranology
Our guest today is Army veteran Dan Helmer. Dan began his Army career at West Point and after receiving his commission was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division, 1st Battalion 68th Armor Regiment, right after they had just invaded Iraq. A lot of his service story will come up early in the interview so I don’t want to spoil anything, but I do want to highlight that he was instrumental in creating the Counter Insurgency Academy that would then change our strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dan is now living in Virginia, where he continued his service in the Army reserves, and...
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Medal of Honor Monday #2 - Colonel William E. Barber
Veteranology
Weekly Medal of Honor Citation Readings
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Veteranology Interview #27 - Jeff Fowler
Veteranology
Today’s guest is Jeff Fowler, a Marine veteran, machine gunner, and former squad leader from 2/7 Weapons Company. Jeff wanted to share some valuable insights on our VA education benefits with the Veteranology audience, as well as speak about his own challenges and triumphs after leaving the Marine Corps for a new path. Jeff currently works for the Social Security Administration and has found it to be an incredibly rewarding career. We cover using your Voc. Rehab and GI Bill benefits to their full potentional, what it's like to hike the Appalachian Trail, and the mindset shift a veteran...
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Medal of Honor Monday #1 - Capt. Ed Freeman
Veteranology
We are proud to announce our newest weekly segment here at Veteranology, Medal of Honor Monday. We will work to read one citation each week to not just inspire you to charge your own hills but to make sure these stories or heroism and duty continue to be heard.
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Friday Formation - Father's Day Edition
Veteranology
Deavon and Jay form up in the studio and discuss Father's Day and what it means to them. Deavon shares his memories of becoming a father, 10 days after his EAS date. Going even further Deavon gives us his take on being both a father and a step-father, along with what it's like sharing a house with the 5 women he cares about most. Deavon and Jay end the episode with sharing stories about the dads who raised them and the positive effects those men still have on their lives. -------------------------- We'd love to hear your own thoughts about Father's Day! Please leave us a...
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Friday Formation#1 - Memorial Day '17
Veteranology
Today's episode marks Veteranology's first Friday Formation, where Marine Veteran Deavon Black and I break down topics that affect veterans, and share our own stories in dealing with those topics and specific situations. This is our Memorial Day '17 episode and we went into it with a few topics we were hoping to hit, mainly our person relationships with Memorial Day itself. We end up discussing how Memorial Day has affected us throughout the years since leaving the service, our own healing journeys, and a "healthier" alternative to approaching Memorial Day when discussing it with...
info_outlineIn episode 25 I'm joined in the studio by Duane France, a retired Sgt. 1st Class who has built a career as a mental health professional after leaving the service. Duane has continued to serve the veteran community in a myriad of ways. He's currently a mental health professional working at a private practice in Colorado Springs. Second, he's the Director of Veteran Services at The Family Care Center where he specializes in caring for veterans and their families. Third, he manages a program that provides counseling to his local veteran court. Finally, he writes the Headspace and Timing blog featured on VeteranMentalHealth.com.
In part 1, Duane and I discuss is time in service and how that experience pushed him towards a career in mental health counseling, while touching on the following topics:
- The challenges that a serviceman can face when joining the military during wartime and how that can affect the course of their career and their perspective of what it means to serve, especially as their branch transitions to "peace-time" service.
- How the constant high-speed training and deployment schedule can affect a transitioning veteran leaving the military.
- How much I sucked at garrison life.
- How we love going 0 to 60, but we're horrible at going from 60 to 0.
- The importance of being flexible and open to several possibilities when planning for your future career and lifestyle
- How your sense of self shifts during the transition into civilian life.
There's a lot of great storytelling in Part 1 and Part 2. I hope you enjoy!
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