DalyDose of Veterans Intel

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

01/10/2024

At first I was afraid, I was petri... 🤔 wait that's not it.

At first, I was disappointed, but then that morphed into disbelief, finally settling into disgust and anger. The VA should be the standard of protecting privacy, thus the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs needs to fire all of these identified individuals.

The good news is that no matter how you feel about either of these VP candidates, they both now have a perspective that works in our favor. They both use and trust the VA and a group of VA employees violated that trust. If nothing else, you will have an ally on veteran issues and the VA.

While I have the attention of Mr. and Mr. , I'd like to drop another security issue. When I'm at the VA, they love to repeatedly interrogate me about my personally identifiable information. Of course, "it's for my own security". OK, how does making me announce my birthday, address and sometimes my full SSN at a window with an audience of other patients behind me, for my security? It doesn't. I'd argue that it does the opposite.

I've started refusing to give anything other than my last name and last four, and I'll had em my VA ID card if that's not enough. I feel like prisoners of war are required by their captures to give less information than veterans by our VA caregivers. Strange.

When I went for my most recent x-rays on my ankle and they started asking me what I call the "inquiry bundle", I said "do you really think that someone has my last name and last four, with an appointment on this day and time, at this location, requiring the same x-ray?". Then...they got the x-ray order for the wrong ankle. 🙄

Worry about y'all's job and I'll take care of what's for my own .

I hope these two candidates can at least share a concern for improved treatment of their fellow brothers and sisters in arms. It's not a red or blue heart. It's a purple heart and I believe we need a bi-partisan purple perspective on veteran issues

U.S. Marine Corps The Marine Corps League U.S. Army U.S. Navy United States Air Force
United States Space Force U.S. Coast Guard Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW The American Legion National Headquarters DAV AMVETS National Headquarters California Department of Veterans Affairs @

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees improperly accessed the medical files of vice presidential candidates Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, with a Justice Department inv…

23/09/2024

ACCOUNTABLE
adjective
1. subject to the obligation to report, explain, or justify something; responsible; answerable.
2. capable of being explained; explicable; explainable.

* Source: Dictionary(dot)com

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Can we normalize using words ONLY when having the faintest idea what they mean? It's just another example of soapboxing on the Internet while using words in an attempt to gain credibility.

EXAMPLE: During this whole VA Budgetary Shortfall situation, no matter what happens people keep saying some form of the phrase "they need to be held accountable". I submit that words mean things and the very fact that you know about the screw-up proves some level of accountability. They are being grilled by Congress, having to answer questions. That's taking an accounting of the situation and assessing the cause(s) of the issue.

People actually LOSE their jobs and there's still an outcry for them to be "held accountable". Oh, I capitalized LOSE because many of the people who misuse "accountability" will also spell that word as "loose", because they don't have a...wait for it...a tight grasp of the English language.

Have you ever had an accountability buddy for a goal you have in your life. Their role is really to call you out. If you eat the entire cheesecake, they should scold you a bit, but they do not burn you at the stake. In the military world, a leader can be lambasted in the press, fired from their job and we have folks that demand accountability. I believe the concept they are looking for is punishment. Should those who didn't accurately predict the response to the PACT ACT be shot on live TV? Would that be enough?

There is a bigger abuse of language than the VA, but it really got to me when many of us were working so hard to make sure that our disabled veterans weren't going to have to go through not getting paid. Folks went right to the "accountability" script and attempted to derail the advocacy attempts and that was disappointing, to put it mildly.

Watching officials get publicly interrogated by Congress + the legislation building in more reporting and communication = being held accountable.

So instead of crutching on a word that is misunderstood or at best, vague, I'm pleading for people to say what they mean. Please trade in the buzzword and say what you think should be happening as a consequence.

17/09/2024

legion.org/action

* Your mission is clear.
* Your focus on the issue at hand is needed.
* OUR chance to step up, be heard, and save the day is upon us.

How will we respond?

Mission: VA Budget Shortfall threatening VA Disability Compensation payment.

Deadline 9/20. Impact 10/1. Let's go!!!

11/09/2024

If you know me, you'll know why this was a must buy!! 😀

18/08/2024

These are my everyday carry tools.

15/08/2024

Warning - I might be a little feisty. I'm on the 10th day here without Internet. I wanted to make an unhinged video on the following topic and I still might, but this is something that I need to get out and no tech issue is going to stop it.

The issue is that there is a VA shortfall of $3 billion that is directly related to disability benefits compensation and education benefits. There is a bigger budget shortfall, but this is the most pressing portion.

The drama includes a September 20 deadline that if missed, likely means that October payments will not be paid. The Senate went on recess and will return on the 9th. 11 days is not a lot of time to push a bill like this.

VETERANS who depend on these payments to live, may not get paid. They won't be able to pay rent or buy food. In short, this could create what I call "overwhelm moments" that put the lives of our fellow vets in danger.

The politicians seem to think that they are punishing the VA by demanding answers to the how and why we got here questions before voting. In my mind there are 2 phases to this:

1. Make sure that the payments get out on time.

2. After the payments get out, then do your hearings and investigations to figure out how we never repeat this massive failure.

Let me take a breath here, because while politicians are disappointing, I'm seething with anger at our Veteran Service Organizations. I'm particularly looking at The American Legion National Headquarters, Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW, and DAV.

I'm hearing NOTHING from any of the above. This is the exact lane of the Big Three that we need them to occupy. Step up, Big Three.

Do we just use words or are we serious about veteran homelessness, veteran food insecurity, and veteran su***de? This sort of financial stress can and will cause the above mentioned "overwhelm moment" in many. There is a distinct possibility that we will needlessly lose people to this avoidable situation.

I hope someone from each of these orgs is going to comment and tell us all that they have been working behind the scenes. It would be heartbreaking for the situation to be as it seems; that they are simply standing by.

Where is the outrage? Where is the VoterVoice, so we can flood the politicians' emails to welcome them back from their paid vacations? Where is the great legislative might and influence that we hear about.

We need emergent action to stave off this impending crisis.

This action needs to have the volume of the community behind it. I don't think that I'm engaged in hyperbole when I say that this is a life saving mission.

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Senate GOP, U.S. Senate Democrats, The American Legion, Department of California, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, 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, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) - U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Los Angeles County Department of Military & Veterans Affairs, California Department of Veterans Affairs

Military.com Military Times Stars and Stripes, The Hill, Task & Purpose,

Congress failed to pass legislation before leaving town to address a roughly $3 billion budget shortfall for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as officials warn millions of veterans’ b…

29/07/2024

The picture of me is only there because the scuttlebutt says showing yourself helps the algorithm. I hope the algo liked the red tint of a new light that I bought.

Speaking of tech gadgets, that USB-C hub was recently a hero.

See, the mission was simple and a plan was in place. We know how plans go right?

I was putting together a banquet show. The big tech (screens, projectors, speakers), supplied by Ray Flores. The presentation featured 3 videos produced by Judy Leonardi and myself. This is the only live audience that will see these Oscar worthy masterpieces. Nope, never went to DINFOS.

This is all in preparation for the state championships for The American Legion, Department of California .

Ray and I both tried to connect our computers to the speakers that are Bluetooth, but neither of us could do it. Both of our phones had no problem, though. Strange.

Time was flying and I stepped away from that problem to finish the presentation on the computer. Eventually though, we had to face this scenario. Nothing was working.

Judy was nervous and resigned that we please just put anything on screen. Ray transformed himself in a movie character. What he said was "is there anything outside of the box that we can try? Anything. Try to think out of the box". What that Marine in me heard was "Did you forget who the F you are? You effin got this, you hard charging A/V mo'fo! Semper Wi-Fi!"

That's all I needed to kick in that ole Marine Corps mindset of: Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.

SitRep
* The phone is the only device connecting to the Bluetooth speakers
* The slides are on the computer
* The computer can connect to the projector.
* Hard wiring to speakers is out b/c we didn't have 1/4 mic cables to fit into the input.

Discovery in Tool Audit
Found this USB-C that I've used w/ my computer before, but never a phone

Improvising & Adapting in progress.

1. PowerPoint saved and packaged and QuickShared to phone.
2. Plugged USB-C hub into phone.
3. Plugged power into hub. Works!!
4. Plugged HDMI from projector into the HDMI port on the hub. After a wee bit of uncertainty, it worked.
5. I was learning on the fly, controlling the on a phone screen while trying to keep all of the field solutions operating.

Issues...OVERCAME!

After Action

* The fear of failure from giving up should always be stronger than the fear of failure trying to figure it out.

* Take any encouragement as "Dont forget who the F you are!", or words to that effect.

* Let that vibe spark the Improvise/Adapt/Overcome inside of you.

Just in case you were enthralled in the action movie that is my life, let me repeat...

Semper Wi-Fi!
This was an example of , solving problems in the civilian . Hire

U.S. Marine Corps U.S. Army U.S. Navy United States Air Force United States Space Force U.S. Coast Guard The American Legion, Department of California California Department of Veterans Affairs U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs AMVETS National Headquarters Los Angeles County Military & Veterans Affairs The American Legion National Headquarters DAV Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW Student Veterans of America Team Red, White & Blue Team Rubicon Veterans Beer Club Veterans in Media & Entertainment

07/07/2024

One thing I love about smart watches is that you can change and customize the watch faces. You can't do that with a Rolex, which is why I don't have one. The only reason. 😳

On this American birthday weekend, I've been rocking these two designs on my Galaxy Watch.

The Mer'ca display plus the watch, adds up and tells me...

IT'S TIME, AMERICA!

It's time that we started acting like these are United States.

It's time to get back to healthy debate, without the snark, drama and insults.

It's time to know the opposition's point of view, so much that you can verbalize their argument and find your opposition through logic vs anger.

It's time to stop infusing partisan bickering into....everything. No, the bad ref who is bad reffing didn't necessarily vote for the person you dislike and no, you're not clever for saying so in the comments, on the Internet.

It's time to realize that no one is swayed by being attacked online.

It's time that we start advocating FOR issues and candidates harder that we do AGAINST.

It's time that we get back to discourse and debate with our neighbors, friends, and family.

It's time that we vacate the echo chambers and listen to more than what we think is universally correct.

It's time that we come together in this epidemic of loneliness, depression and hopelessness that is fueled by toxic hyperbole.

It's time to realize that no matter how much you think that you're right for the right reasons, someone else who completely disagrees with your political stances, also thinks that they are right for all of the right reasons.

It's time to stop dehumanizing our fellow citizens and it's time to start communicating with them.

It's not time for knee jerk "yeah, but they" reactions, that aren't productive and don't even serve the advancement of your agenda. You only get the endorphin of an Internet "gotcha" insult. Which, by the way encourages your opposition to double down, so your snarky victory is also a strategic loss.

Yeah, it's time we return to being UNITED in all these STATES, in and OF AMERICA, even if, and maybe especially if, we disagree.

IT.
IS.
TIME.

04/07/2024

Happy birthday, . I have a wish for our country and I hope we can UNITE to create a better STATE of being.

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DAV U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs The American Legion National Headquarters Student Veterans of America Veterans Beer Club Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW Veterans in Media & Entertainment Team Red, White & Blue AMVETS National Headquarters Team Rubicon The American Legion, Department of California Los Angeles County Military & Veterans Affairs California Department of Veterans Affairs U.S. Marine Corps U.S. Army U.S. Navy U.S. Coast Guard United States Space Force United States Air Force

02/07/2024

In the Compass Trailhawk with my trusty duck. Yes it's a and . ❤️ .23

02/07/2024

Convention floor at Dept of California Convention.

02/07/2024

VIP parking at !

21/06/2024

It's R.E.D. Friday! Please Remember Everyone Deployed! if you're wearing red today, shiw it off!!

It's also the FriDALY BRIEFing with news you can use! Today, it's 3 minutes of HiHello, Inc., the networking, digital business card and contact management app that I'll be using this "Legion Convention Season". Should you use it? Watch and find out.

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The American Legion, The American Legion, Department of California, Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW DAV, AMVETS National Headquarters, Student Veterans of America, Team Red, White & Blue, Team Rubicon, California Department of Veterans Affairs U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Los Angeles County Military & Veterans Affairs, Veterans in Media & Entertainment, Veterans Beer Club

17/06/2024

I posted this on LinkedIn and thought I'd repost it here.
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I don't speak about music's influence and capacity to relate a thought or idea enough on here. That might change. I *love* this song by The Roots. The inspiration embeds itself through melody and poetry in a way that sticks with me. I hope it does for you too. Even if this genre isn't your thing, I invite you to sample the message and allow us to agree that is of a superior nature.

"There's somethin' in your heart
And it's in your eyes
It's the fire inside you
Let it burn

You don't say good luck
You say don't give up
It's the fire inside you
Let it burn"

What if we changed the mindset of luck to effort? When we wish someone "good luck" we minimize their role in their own success. If we change to "don't give up", we are emphasizing control of the situation based on persistence, passion, and personal effort.

Whether you believe in "luck" or not, it is never under your control. Find the ingredients for success, practice those and implant them into your routine. Similarly to luck, it is difficult to directly control the outcome. If we know the ingredients of a successful outcome, we can work towards it because we can control our efforts on that level.

When we win, I take another line from this tune: "You came to celebrate; I came to cerebrate". I feel like that should be a tee shirt! To me that says, no matter if we win or lose in an isolated situation, the after-action is most important. What did we learn in the win and more importantly, what did learn in the loss?

I don't know, maybe I over-cerebrate and this is all just a long-winded version of "Let's Go"!

Artist: The Roots Ft. John LegendAlbum: How I Got OverSong: The FireBuy Album at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/how-i-got-over/id377445282Lyrics:Oh, the ...