DalyDose of Veterans Intel

22/05/2025

Have you seen Warfare Movie?

It's well worth the hype.

11/04/2025

ATTN Veterans. The The New York Times is looking for your input about the VA.

The New York Times is covering the different ways the V.A.’s health system is changing under President Trump. We want to know if you, or someone you know, have been affected.

26/03/2025

This past Friday was the 3rd Stroke-aversary. I made a video last year for the 2nd year of survival. That in attaching here.

I want to highlight a few things:

1. While the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has their issues, I credit the care I received with either saving my life, or at the very least, protecting my quality of life.

2. Two members of the Legion Family were infinitely important. You'll see and hear more about them in the video, but Mary Jo Andretti Dial recognized what was going on, while I was talking to her on the phone and she forced me into action when I was going to...take a nap and sleep it off. Jennifer Campbell was the person we called, because Mary Jo is in Indianapolis. Jennifer was on a Runyon Canyon hike and literally ran down the mountain to fetch me and get me to the VA. These two women are part of my family now, like it or not. 😉

3. I love to praise the local Legion Posts for jumping into action when needed. I broke the number of visitor rules just about every day that I was in there. Melissa Card got me home and we also ate the first non-hospital I had in almost two weeks.

Part of the reason that I'm so passionate about advocacy is the treatment I received and the people who supported.

I will always aggressively try to make the VA and The American Legion better, even when they resist and tire of me. 😂 Both organizations and the people in them deserve people to care. When I see the advocacy of my friends Courtney Steffen and Liz Hartman , I'm so proud that they are colleagues and really close friends.

So, when I hear the struggles that people have with the VA, I always take those as examples of things that need attention. I will never hear that and think that the VA health system should cease to exist. It's too important to .

When I hear people complain about veterans groups, I hear them, but again, they are too important to the veteran quality of life, even when they kind of need to be saved from themselves.

The mass firings, fire me up. I just believe more thoughtful analysis needs to happen before the chaotic destruction of people's lives and services. I win always use my voice. That freedom is free on all levels.

Let's prevent an organizational stroke by reducing the collective stress and slowing the mass movement of people creating clogs in the system.

Questions:

1. Are there any other stroke survivors in my circle here?
2. What good/great stories does anyone have about the VA? I'm not interested in "the full picture" today. I'm interested in highlighting "the full potential".

15/03/2025

Our beautiful hosted the Area level today. The past two weeks we've held the local and district contests. This week's winner go to Department (State) level for a chance to complete at National!

Oratorical Contest has two pieces to the competition.

1. A prepared speech on any aspect of the Constitution that the highschool contestant chooses.

2. A speech given after 5 minutes to prepare, on a topic drawn at the competition, from the amendments.

All of these kids were very impressive and I predict huge things from them in the future.

15/03/2025

Executive Committee member of preparing for a volunteer day tomorrow, Sunday 3/15.

The who approved the grant for these native and freight resistant plants will be there to document the occasion.

For more information :

https://www.hollywoodpost43.org/calendar #!event/2025/3/16/-volunteers-needed-post-43-landscaping-project

26/02/2025

13/12/2024

What are you doing for game? We are planning a viewing party at American Legion Post 43 - Hollywood, CA but that's not all:

11:30 Doors Open
12:00 Game Starts
After the game, there will be comedy
8:00 Hollywood Christmas Parade Viewing

Don't forget to bring unwrapped toys for Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.

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U.S. Army U.S. Navy U.S. Marine Corps United States Space Force United States Air Force U.S. Coast Guard

The American Legion
The American Legion, Department of California

09/12/2024

We had a pretty great day at Hollywood American Legion Post 43 on Sunday. It was busy all day and yet I found some alone space in our Trophy Room. I took this picture by windows posessing infinite lumens from the lone star in our Milky Way Galaxy.

I felt inspired BY the light, to BE the light. I want to increase my advocacy for and service those who have served. I don't care about your gender, race, sexual orientation, or any other subcategory of VETERAN, that people want to use. I'm even getting over my bias against veterans who are also Buckeyes.

My friend Courtney likes to remind me that veterans are a shrinking part of the population. We can ill afford to subdivide and must band together.

I am preparing to get back to recording. I'm hopeful that you'll follow along and we can enact change is organizations and betterment in our singular veteran community. I am amping up my Veteran Community Hero program.

Unlike the mighty sun, we don't have to be the lone source of light. Will you join me now so we have illuminating momentum as we enter 2025?

21/11/2024

If you haven't noticed, I haven't been putting animated face and opinions on video as of late. A lot has been going on. including losing the receiver and one transmitter of my RØDE Microphones Wireless Go 2 mic system. I hate unexpected expenses, but I hate crappy audio even more. I finally replaced the mic system and then I had a bad cough that still affects my voice. If you've talked to me recently you've heard it be scratchy and just not...me.

I can't give advice on vocal chords, but I can on making videos. Learn to value good audio AT LEAST as much as video quality. I readily recommend RODE.

I tell stories important to the military and veteran community and what I say is more important than how I look. I do a lot of editing to make the video look good, but I wonder how many people only listen to the audio.

I will be recording soon with episodes like:
* Ad Hominem
* What's Going on with N***s and an American Legion Post Fighting Them
* Making Use of the Legion Resolution Process to influence Change
" Veterans as Community Heroes

Semper Fidelis

____________________

08/10/2024

Sometimes, I have the opportunity to spend cash on something "frivolous". I call it a perk of not having kids.

Last week was one of those opportunities and my actions were disappointing. Younger JD is ashamed of me and I can't blame me.

Instead of a fun purchase, I bought a countertop reverse osmosis water purification device. I called everyone's friend Courtney Steffen. I needed to get this off my chest and she did get a few chuckles in at my expense.

She also made me think. Courtney is a VSO legend. Her work and the current focus on toxic exposure sent my brain to Camp Lejeune's water issues, which I always wrote off as "before my time".

So, I opened up Pandora's (search engine) Box and re-discovered that the issue is more widespread and more current (unintended water pun).

From the Military Times December 14, 2022:

"An internal Defense Department study completed this year found that the drinking water at 24 installations exposes about 175,000 service members a year to dangerous levels of chemicals linked to cancer and other illnesses."

24? That's concerning, right? But wait...there's more!

"“The DoD’s analysis also did not include service members’ drinking water purchased from local water utilities or from privatized on-base water systems, which may also have been contaminated with the chemicals,” according to an EWG release."

Still, that's just around 24 bases, right? Wrong.

"All told, the Pentagon is aware of nearly 700 bases with some level of contamination, according to its own task force studying the issue."

Um...beer over cereal is starting to sound like the healthy choice.

The above clearly illustrates that if you served, it would behoove you to investigate if any of your bases in the US or abroad are on the list.

I haven't had the courage to even look up water issues with city water, but I know the story deserves a good October reading in a moonlit pumpkin patch.

With all of the environmental hazards that we face just living in this world, water is an important internal cleansing tool. I highly recommend a purification device. I don't mean a filter like Britta that makes the water taste cleaner; I mean a Reverse Osmosis system, which is the purest purifying process that I'm aware of.

So, if this doesn't scream paranoia to you, treat yourself! I even made a video to entice you.

I'm also enjoying savings from not contributing to the throw away plastics if bottled water. So those are other wins here.

This just keeps proving to be more of a mature choice. I'm not sure what's wrong with me.

Cheers and Semper Fi

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U.S. Marine Corps U.S. Army U.S. Navy United States Air Force United States Space Force U.S. Coast Guard Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs California Department of Veterans Affairs Los Angeles County Department of Military & Veterans Affairs AMVETS National Headquarters The American Legion National Headquarters Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW DAV The Marine Corps League The American Legion, Department of California