Veterans Affairs Caregiver Support Line Opens

Filed under Resources, Staff Story, Veterans Affairs by on February 8, 2011 at 2:10 pm {2 comments}

By Alan Morales, WTC Stratcom

Day in and day out caregivers provide the support and care necessary to assist wounded warriors in achieving a successful transition post injury. However, it’s no secret that sometimes those we rely on for support are the ones that need support themselves—including those that support Army wounded warriors.

Last week the Department of Veteran Affairs opened the National Caregiver Support Line to serve as the resource and referral center for caregivers, Veterans, and others seeking caregiver information. The support line provides referrals to local VA medical center caregiver support coordinators who can provide information, education, and referrals to appropriate VA and community resources.

AW2 caregivers deserve additional support and, thanks to the Department of Veterans Affairs, there is now one more resource for them to access. The National Caregiver Support Line is open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The National Caregiver Support Line Toll-free number is 1-855-260-3274.

What other resources do caregivers find helpful? If you have a resource in mind and would like to share this information with the Army wounded warrior community, please comment below or send your suggestions to warriorcarecommunications@conus.army.mil.

SBA Resources for AW2 Veterans

Filed under Resources, Staff Story by on January 21, 2011 at 4:42 pm {no comments}

By Sarah Greer, WTC Strategic Communications

I’ve been doing a lot of research recently on career and education resources for wounded warriors, and I was surprised at how many entrepreneurship resources the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers, primarily through the Office of Veterans Business Development. Many of these resources are available to nearly all Veterans, and AW2 Veterans considering starting a business should learn about the resources available.

According to an SBA press release, one in seven Veterans are self-employed or small business owners. And it only makes sense, because servicemembers spend so much time training in leadership, and I’ve found that they’re the type of people who are willing to take smart, educated risks to create a better life for themselves and their Families.

SBA resources include:

  • Loans: Through the first two programs below, SBA supported more than 4,800 loans to Veterans totaling more than $1.25 billion in FY2010 alone.
    • SBA 7(a) Loan: SBA backs loans to qualified small businesses, including Veteran-owned businesses, through this most popular loan program. SBA doesn’t lend the money, but provides a guarantee to the lending financial organization.
    • 504 loans for Veteran Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners: SBA backs this longer-term, fixed-rate loan to promote economic development within a community through Certified Development Companies (CDCs) that are set up to contribute to the economic development of its community. CDCs work with SBA and private sector lenders to provide financing to small businesses for approved purposes.
    • Patriot Express Loan Pilot Program: SBA offers this low-interest loan to Veterans and military personnel to expand or establish a small business.
  • Entrepreneurship Education: SBA provides counseling and training to Veterans interested in starting their own business.
    • Veteran Business Outreach Center Program (VBOC): SBA works with local organizations to provide business development services to Veterans. Services include business training, counseling and mentoring, and pre-business plan workshops.
    • Entrepreneurship Boot Camp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV): SBA works closely with seven major business schools around the country to offer a one-year “boot camp” for service-disabled OEF/OIF Veterans.
    • Operation Endure & Grow: SBA offers this program in cooperation with the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. Veterans of the National Guard and Reserve, as well as their Families, may participate in this 8–week training program.
    • Women Veterans Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE): SBA offers this program in cooperation with the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. Women Veterans learn to expand or establish through online training, and an onsite conference, and they receive ongoing mentorship support after completing the program.
  • Opportunities for Federal Contracts: Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) have a level playing field with other small businesses in the federal contracting arena, as established by the Small Business Jobs Act. SBA provides more information about the contracting options and resources on its website.
    • Contracting Tutorial: SBA offers an online training in federal contracting that can be taken any time, from any computer.
    • SBA Mentor-Protégé Program for SDVOSB: SBA plans to launch this program later this year—watch the AW2 blog for more information.

Are you an AW2 Veteran who’s started a small business? We’d love to hear from you and share your “lessons learned” with other AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and Families through the AW2 blog. Send us your story at WarriorCareCommunications@conus.army.mil.

Thank You for the Gift of Life

Filed under COL Gadson, Resources by on January 7, 2011 at 2:00 pm {one comment}

By COL Greg Gadson, AW2 Director

Bags and vials of blood await processing during an Armed Services Blood Program Blood (ASBP) drive. The ASBP program is different from other blood donations because all of the donations go straight to servicemembers.

During January, National Blood Donor Month, I am reminded of the gift of life I was given. When my vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in 2007, I was severely injured and lost a substantial amount of blood.

I was given 129 pints of blood the first night at the hospital. I would go on to lose both of my legs above the knee and would require many more pints of blood to stay alive. Because of the gift of life, blood, I am here today.

The Armed Services Blood Program works with thousands of dedicated donors who give blood so that servicemembers, retirees, and their Families have a fighting chance when they are ill or wounded.

Blood must be collected continuously, and regular donors are key to ensuring that blood is available year-round. One blood donation can save up to three lives. Blood donors come through day-after-day, and their selfless gifts allow the Armed Services Blood Program to help the military community.

The Red Cross notes that January is a difficult month for blood donations. Inclement weather, seasonal colds, and flu may prevent blood donations. So I urge you to consider donating blood to the Armed Services Blood Program or the Red Cross this month—and anytime you are able—to ensure a stable supply. By donating blood regularly, you make vital contributions to healthcare and help save lives. 

Thank you for the gift of life.

Editor’s Note: The Armed Services Blood Program operates more than 20 donor centers around the world. To learn more about the Armed Services Blood Program, find a blood donor center near you, or to find out more about blood donor centers, please visit the Armed Services Blood Program Website or the Armed Services Blood Program Facebook Page. To donate blood to the Red Cross call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit the Red Cross Website to make an appointment or for more information.

Geotagging on Social Media Networks–A Hidden Threat

Filed under Resources by on January 5, 2011 at 4:59 pm {one comment}

By Alan Morales, WTC Stratcom

As easy as it is to update your Facebook© status, you may be exposing yourself to a substantial amount of risk. Social media makes it easy to share information, but what about information you would never want to share publicly? Geotagging is one social media technology that shares information you may be unaware about.

Digital photos are embedded with information. Similar to a date and time stamp on your 3x5” photographs, digital photos store data about when and more importantly where your photos were taken. In return, this data can be retrieved by social media websites and applications to share with the public. This is called geotagging.

For example, the Google© search engine I use practically every day can link photos posted online on various websites to its Google© Maps online application–revealing the location of where these photos were taken for anyone to see. By posting these online, you may be sharing your home address with a few million of your not-so-closest friends.

Depending on your privacy settings, geotagging may be active on your social media profiles. Websites that can geotag include:

  • Twitpic™
  • Flickr©
  • Various other photosharing applications

Why is this trend such a big deal? Geotagging poses an operational security risk to military operations. Soldiers who post photos online may be compromising critical data about operations in theater. Additionally, geotagging also poses an equally as damaging risk to those stateside who may not even be active duty or military at all. For these individuals, their frequented locations may become revealed to the general public every time they post a photo online. 

In order to address this issue, the U.S. Army Office of the Chief of Public Affairs posted a geotagging and location-based networking presentation online that explains how to adjust privacy settings on social media profiles to avoid geotagging. In addition, this presentation provides an in-depth description about how GPS technology, similar to geotagging, poses additional risks for social media users.

I highly recommend taking a look at this presentation and sharing it with others in our wounded warrior community. Whether you are an AW2 Soldier, Veteran, or Family member, these best practices can help prevent damaging consequences that may affect you and your loved ones while keeping social media the way it should be, fun.

Welcome to the AW2 Community Support Network

Filed under Community Support Network, Resources by on November 18, 2010 at 11:10 am {no comments}

By Patty Sands, WTC Stratcom

Join me in welcoming the newest organizations in the AW2 Community Support Network. These organizations are part of the 192 AW2 Community Support Network organizations that help better the lives of our AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and their Families. Click on the links below to get to know them. 

The AW2 Community Support Network was created based on direct requests from severely wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers, Veterans, and Families. Wounded Soldiers stated that connection with their local community and community leaders was essential for their success and reintegration.

Do you know of a caring organization that wants to assist wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers, Veterans and their Families? If so, please email the AW2 Community Support Network at the below email address. I welcome your recommendations and referrals. 

Send organization referrals to AW2CommunitySupportNetwork@conus.army.mil

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