Front & Center: Military Talk Radio
Show No. 66, June 17, 2012
Click here to listen to show.
Guests this week:
* Tom Mitchell, communications director for the Veterans Village of San Diego. July 13-15 will mark the 25th annual anniversary Stand Down in San Diego.
* Jon Nachison, a Vietnam era vet and co-founder of the San Diego Stand Down. The annual event for homeless veterans celebrates its 25th anniversary next month July 13-15 and has spawned hundreds of others across the country.
He is also Chief of Psychology at Bayview and Paradise Valley Hospitals and the former clinical director at Veterans Village of San Diego.
* Marine Master Sgt. Duane Patton and Pat Russell. Patton is one of the first three combat veterans to graduate from the San Diego Veterans Treatment Court. Pat Russell is an Army special forces veteran and Patton?s mentor in the court program.
SEGMENT I:
Happy Father?s Day and welcome to Front & Center: Military Talk Radio: One-stop shopping for defense news and information across Southern California and United States.
Glad to have you here. I?m your host Rick Rogers.
Kicking off the show a run down stories making headlines this week including a national poll on public attitudes on Iraq and Afghanistan vets ? there is both good news and bad news here ? and hear about rather unique contest won by a Camp Pendleton couple that might just bring many happy returns.
Then in about 15 minutes an interview with Tom Mitchell from the Veteran Village of San Diego. The good folks at the VVSD are putting on the 25th Stand Down next month and could use your help.
Joining us will Jon Nachison ? Doctor Jon as he is lovingly known throughout the veterans? community. He co-founded Stand Down 25 years ago. He?s been featured on 60 Minutes and has earned just about every accolade possible for his work with homeless veterans.
Pause
A little later in the show exclusive interviews I?ve been trying to line up for months: Marine Master Sgt. Duane Patton and Pat Russell will talk about a court program that?s saving veterans from a downward spiral of substance abuse and prison right here in San Diego County.
Combat Marine Master Sgt. Patton fought his way back from the brink of suicide and Pat Russell helped him get his life back through the Veterans Treatment Review Calendar that is doing great work largely under the radar.
Master Sgt. Patton?s story is important because it not only tells the story of one combat veteran, but it also offers insight into what tens of thousands of other veterans nationwide are going through.
Some 100 vets a week ? a week ? are landing in jails in San Diego County. That is an amazing figure.
So, a great show is coming your way. Hope you can stay for the fastest hour in radio.
But if you can?t, podcasts of the show are ready when you are at www.defensetracker.com.
Today?s Front & Center is episode No. 66.
Now, let?s take a look at some stories making headlines this week on the Morning Report.
The Morning Report is brought to you by the law offices Haytham Farj, a nationally recognized attorney specializing in military and veterans? law.
For the uninitiated, let me tell you what happens if the Marine Corps or any branch of the military intends to charge you. First they?ll drag you in and start asking you questions, but they won?t tell you you?ll be charged because if they do they have to read you your rights and ask if you want a lawyer. They don?t want to do that. Once they get around to charging you, you?ll get a green as grass military attorney, usually a new captain, who needs directions to find the courtroom. While the prosecution sends in a seasoned major who has more time before a jury than your captain has military service.
Is this really what you want when you career and freedom are on the line?
I hope not, unless you enjoy the prospect of spending you time in the brig.
What you need is a tough, aggressive and talented attorney fighting for on your career and freedom, you need Haytham Faraj.
Visit his website at http://www.farajlaw.com/ or call him at 619-752-3950.
* Another tough week for Northrop Grumman?s drone program here in San Diego.
A Global Hawk drone developed at Northrop Grumman?s San Diego facility crashed and burned Monday in rural Maryland.
The aircraft was being used as a surveillance demonstrator when is crashed and burned in a swamp east of Naval Air Station Patuxent River. The drone cost an estimated $120 million.
This is the second hiccup for Northrop Grumman-built drones in little more than a month.
Back in April the Navy grounded a fleet of Fire Scout helicopter drones after two crashed overseas within a week.
* A private foundation will unveil a $100 million plan this week to build treatment centers for brain injuries and psychological disorders at nine bases across the country.
The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, has already raised $25 million and will begin building centers at Fort Belvoir in Virginia and Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
About one in five service members return from deployments with traumatic brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder.
When completed, the centers will represent the largest privately financed construction project ever for the Pentagon.
The military will staff and operate all the facilities.
Besides Fort Belvoir and Camp Lejeune, the military has approved centers at six Army posts: Fort Campbell in Kentucky, Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Forts Hood and Bliss in Texas, Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington and Fort Carson in Colorado. The fund is working with the Pentagon to add one more site.
In my humble opinion, Camp Pendleton or some place in San Diego County would be a great location.
* Civilians see Iraq and Afghanistan veterans as ?valuable civic assets? but also believe that most are poorly educated and suffer from post-traumatic stress, according a report commissioned by the The Mission Continues.
The nationwide survey was designed to gauge civilian perceptions of America?s newest generation of returning veterans.
Researchers found there is a great deal of respect for those whose served, but also confusion over their backgrounds and long-term health prospects.
The survey, which polled 800 people, found that 86 percent saw Iraq and Afghanistan veterans as valuable figures in society, on par with doctors and firefighters (politicians came in at 11 percent, celebrities at 5 percent). Two-thirds of the respondents believe that those veterans? skills and leadership can help improve their community.
But 53 percent said opined that the majority of veterans returning from Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from PTS ? most experts say that the real number is about 20 percent ? and 44 percent of those polled believe that those veterans are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol than non-veterans.
VA studies have shown slightly higher rates, but not a dramatic difference.
They also viewed younger veterans as hard workers but likely without a college-level education, even after they leave the military. In the survey, 58 percent of civilians believe that veterans benefits are ?less than adequate? and 54 percent agreed with the statement ?the country is not doing a good job assisting Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.?
* Plans are in the works to add thousands of Marines to bases in Okinawa and thereby swell their ranks to levels not seen since Cold War.
About 4,000 more Marines are expected to rotate into Okinawa in the coming months.
No word yet on where the additional Marines will come from.
This story is interesting because just in April the United States and Japan decided to cut American troops in Okinawa to just 10,000. The out is that no timetable for reaching that lower troop number was specified in the agreement.
* Congressional inaction on the debt crisis might trigger higher prices at base grocery stores. The government appropriates $1.3 billion a year for commissaries. But that might all change with the looming cutbacks.
The Congressional Budget Office issued a report last year outing consolidating the commissary system and the three military exchange services into a single base resale operation.
The CBO plan is to phase out all taxpayer support of commissaries by allowing grocery prices to rise and then pay active duty military families an annual grocery allowance of $400.
Retirees and other store patrons would be out of luck.
* An Army doctor who spent his career studying the malaria drug mefloquine, also known as Lariam, has asked Congress to fund research on brain injuries he says can be caused by the medication.
Maj. Remington Nevin told a Senate committee that the government should fund mefloquine research to investigate health issues related to mefloquine.
* So in April President Obama signed something called ?Principles of Excellence,? which are a series of measures designed to ban deceptive marketing and recruiting by schools and require schools to disclose cost and quality information to prospective students.
That?s great. Should have been done before.
Here?s the problem: The Veterans Affairs Department isn?t sure what is all means as the June 30 deadline for schools to sign on to the program.
So far the outreach on this has not gone well.
The VA scheduled two webinars on the subject that schools were invited to attend, but each session exceeded its maximum capacity of 1,000 viewers, locking out some participants.
* An Air Force CV-22 Osprey crashed Wednesday during a routine training mission north of Navarre, Florida, injuring five crew members.
The cause of the accident is under investigation, she said.
* This week a town meeting was held in San Diego where Pentagon spending cuts were predictably panned.
Rep. Duncan Hunter was joined by Virginia Republican Rep. Randy Forbes, chairman of the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee. They told an audience of about 100 people that if all the cuts go through the armed services could lose up to 200,000 troops.
Hunter stressed that his job now is to help bring attention to the looming cuts.
The San Diego Military Advisory Council estimates that defense spending in San Diego County for all the defense contractors, more than 100,000 sailors and Marines and their bases accounts for more than $30 billion in annual spending and 354,000 jobs.
* There are contests for just about everything these days, but this next story might break new ground. A Camp Pendleton couple recently won one free in vitro fertilization cycle.
That?s right. You heard me correctly, a Camp Pendleton couple won a free in vitro fertilization cycle
Las Vegas-based Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine named Jimmy and Emily Heaton the winners of its national contest.
The couple submitted a poignant YouTube video as part of the competition.
Best of luck to the Heatons.
Music Bumper
The Morning Report was sponsored by the law offices of Haytham Farj, a nationally recognized attorney specializing in military and veterans? law.
If your military career is on the line, you need Haytham Faraj on your side.
Visit his website at http://www.farajlaw.com/ or call him at 619-752-3950.
Time to take a quick break, but stay tuned to Front & Center. Coming up interviews with Tom Mitchell from the Veterans Village of San Diego. The VVSD is putting on the 25th edition of Stand Down next month.
Also joining me will be Jon Nachison, co-founder of the first Stand Down and a fixture in the veterans? community for decades.
You are listening to Front & Center: Military Talk Radio, the right news right now for our vets, troops and dependents.
And starting soon, military contracting issues and financial news will be added to the show.
This is Front & Center: Military Talk Radio with Rick Rogers.
1st Commercial Break
Segment II
Welcome back to Front & Center: Military Talk Radio with Rick Rogers.
Heard Sundays 11 to noon and Saturdays midnight to 1 a.m. here at the home of military in San Diego and Southern California KCBQ AM 1170.
Also aired Mondays, 5 to 6 p.m., on Palomar College?s KKSM AM 1320.
Podcasts and the best military and veteran are at www.DefenseTracker.com.
I post daily to Defensetracker.com. All you need do to keep up with the latest defense news is to click on the RSS button.
Pause
Next month, July 13-15, the Veterans Village of San Diego in conjunction with the VA will hold the 25th annual Stand Down for homeless veterans in San Diego.
A group of veterans in San Diego started Stand Down in 1988.?Now there are about 200 across the country. Stand Downs have helped more than 200,000 veterans and their family members over the years.
Joining me now to talk about this year?s Stand Down is Tom Mitchell, a spokesman for the Veterans Village of San Diego. The VVSD plays a huge role in putting on Stand Down every year.
Also joining me is Jon Nachison, co-founder of the Stand Down back in 1988. He is chief of psychology at Bayview and Paradise Valley Hospital and is a nationally recognized for his work with homeless veterans.
Gentlemen, welcome to the show.
* Let?s start with you Tom Mitchell. Tell our listeners a little about Stand Down. Where is it and who can take part?
* What types of services will be available? People might be surprised to know that a San Diego Superior Court judge will be on hand to take care of outstanding minor offenses the veterans might have been involved in.
* If someone wants to volunteer or donate either funds or material goods, how would they go about it? Who and what are you looking for? What are some good POCs for our listeners?
* Last year I think about 1,000 homeless veterans attended the three-day event. Any idea what this year?s attendance might be like considering the continued tough economy and how expensive housing is in San Diego?
* Jon Nachison, what do you recall from the first Stand Down? How many veterans attended in 1988 and what was it like?
* Besides more people attending and more organizations becoming involved, what else has changed?
When I attended Stand Down last year I noticed more female vets and children than I expected.
* To both of you, is there a demographic shift taking place? Are there more women and children attending at Stand Down than in the past?
* Tom Mitchell, I know there have been a lot of upgrades at the VVSD in recent years. What are three high-priority areas that the VVSD is concentrating on in the coming years?
* A few years ago, VA Sec. Eric Shinseki announced the goal to end homelessness among veterans in 5 years. But I have heard concerns that the necessary services weren?t in place to deal with their concurrent issues, such as substance abuse and mental health. Is this changing?
* In December 2010 I wrote a story in which Phil Landis, the chief executive officer of the Veterans Village of San Diego, said that he?d witnessed a six-fold increase in young, homeless veterans in the last two years, and many of them are struggling with addiction to prescription medications.
* Is disturbing trend continuing?
* Tom Mitchell, this is the 25th anniversary of Stand Down. In some ways I would bet that the VVSD would like to work itself out of a job putting this on. Do you see this happening?
* Jon Nachison, you helped start Stand Down 25 years ago. Can you see the day when there is no longer a demand for Stand Down?
Time to take a quick break, but stay tuned to Front & Center. Coming up the inspiring story of combat veteran Marine Master Sgt. Duane Patton, one of the first-ever graduates of the San Diego Veterans Treatment Court.
And joining him will be Pat Russell, a combat vet from Vietnam who mentored Master Sgt. Patton in this hugely important program not only here in San Diego but across the nation. Learn about it first here.
You are listening to Front & Center: Military Talk Radio, the leader in news and information for our vets, troops and dependents.
And starting soon, I?ll be adding military contracting issues and financial news to the show.
You are listening to Front & Center: Military Talk Radio with Rick Rogers.
2nd Commercial Break
Segment III
Welcome back to Front & Center: Military Talk Radio with Rick Rogers.
Heard Sundays 11 to noon and Saturdays midnight to 1 a.m. here on KCBQ AM 1170.
And also on Mondays, 5 to 6 p.m., on Palomar College?s KKSM AM 1320.
Podcasts of this show and the best military and veteran news are at www.DefenseTracker.com.
Pause
By mid-October of 2010 Master Sgt. Duane Patton had hit rock bottom. That?s when he was involved in an incident involving alcohol, domestic violence, a suicide attempt that included the discharge of a pistol.
The incident sent the 18-year Marine to San Diego County jail for 5 months and very nearly resulted in his administrative separation from the Marine Corps with no benefits and a discharge that would have haunted him for the rest of his life.
All this despite the fact that Master Sgt. Patton had repeatedly asked for help to deal with his Post Traumatic Stress and had been repeatedly misdiagnosed by military doctors for three years.
Fast forward to May 2012. Master Sgt. Patton is one of first three combat veterans to complete San Diego County?s Veterans Treatment Review Calendar, more commonly referred to as Veterans Treatment Court.
Since October 2010 he?s graduated the military substance abuse and post-traumatic distress programs, and Marine Corps had agreed to allow him to be medically retire and thus keep his pension and future medical benefits.
Master Sgt. Patton?s story is important because it not only tells the story of one combat veteran, but also illuminates what tens of thousands of veterans across the country are going through.
Joining us is Pat Russell, Master Sgt. Patton?s mentor in the veterans court program. Pat Russell spent than 30 years in law enforcement and retired as a Supervising Criminal Investigator for the District Attorney?s Office in San Diego.
You should also know that Pat Russell is a combat veteran in Vietnam. And, yes, this is the same Pat Russell who is the boxing referee and a member of the California Boxing Hall of Fame as a referee and fight judge.
Gentlemen, welcome to Front & Center: Military Talk Radio.
* Master Sgt. Patton, what ran through your head as I briefly highlighted the odyssey you have been through in the last couple years?
* I mentioned in the intro that you are not the only Marine or veteran who has had difficulty adjusting to civilian life after seeing combat in or Iraq or Afghanistan. Some 100 vets each week are booked into Diego County jails, often for drunk driving and domestic abuse.
Explain to our listeners some of the struggles vets have after seeing war.
* What don?t people understand that should about returning veterans?
Next week in Washington, D.C., a DOD conference will be held in no small part because a recent story reported that 154 active duty troops have killed themselves in the first 155 days of this year.
* Some people can?t fathom what why so many veterans are taking their own lives. But back in October 2010 you were very close to doing just that. Can you explain the emotional turmoil that you and so many others have endured that ending it all would seem the only solution?
* Looking back and learning from that time, what advice do you have for not only veterans in a tough spot in their lives, but also the family members around them?
So you entered San Diego County?s Veterans Treatment Review Calendar ? which is the name of the veterans court in San Diego. San Diego Superior Court Judge Roger Krauel is the presiding judge.
* Pat Russell, how did come to join the mentoring program? Having been involved in prosecuting cases for decades, what led you to kind of jump to the other side, if you will?
* What did you see in Master Sgt. Patton? Was there an instant bond from your combat time served in Vietnam or was it more complicated than that?
* What does mentoring involve and did it cause you to reexamine anything from your combat past?
* What enabled this relationship between a Marine facing some significant charges and a former investigator for the San Diego District Attorney?s office to work?
* Master Sgt. Patton, did you look at this as your last chance? And how willing were you to enter the veterans? court in the firs place? There are far more stringent probation requirement placed on you than if you would have opted out.
* Pat Russell, what were the demands on you as a mentor? You are a world-class boxing referee traveling around the world doing matches and you have a family to boot. What did you think the mentoring would be and what did it turn out to be?
* If someone is interested in mentoring someone, what should they know? Who can they call?
* Pat Russell, what was it like to watch Master Sgt. Patton stand in front of everyone and graduate from veterans treatment court?
Thank you both for being here.
Pause
That does it for another edition of Front & Center: Military Talk Radio with me Rick Rogers.
Want to thank my guests Tom Mitchell, Jon Nachison, Marine Master Sgt. Duane Patton and Pat Russell.
Hope you enjoyed today?s show. Podcasts of today?s broadcast should be up in a matter of hours.
Please join me next Sunday 11 to noon on KCBQ AM 1170 as we talk about military and veterans? issues that matter right here, right now in San Diego County, Southern California and across the country.
Don?t forget to check out the website at www.defensetracker.com.
Enjoy the rest of your Father?s Day and see you on the beach.
bengals vs texans nfl playoffs cincinnati bengals bengals the stand josh mcdaniels cotton bowl
No comments:
Post a Comment