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Zac Brown’s Camp Southern Ground Resumes On-site Programming with Two Veteran Transition Programs

Saturday, September 26th, 2020

Atlanta, Georgia, September 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Camp Southern Ground, a multi-missioned non-profit organization founded by GRAMMY Award-winning artist Zac Brown, has re-opened its doors to veterans for the first time since on-site programming was postponed last spring due to COVID-19.

If you have ever been to a Zac Brown Band concert, you’ve seen evidence of Zac Brown’s strong devotion to country. He believes it is our obligation to honor and care for the men and women who have fought for our country upon their return home. With the spread of COVID-19 and the ensuing social distancing restrictions, reopening Camp Southern Ground to meet the needs of these Warriors has been of the utmost importance. Social isolation and loneliness increase the risk of mental health issues like depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicide. While this has been a challenge for everyone, it has hit veterans especially hard and they need support more than ever.

“We have seen an increased demand in programming since the start of COVID-19 due to the anxiety, financial instability and limited socialization felt by our nation’s veterans. We remained connected with our veterans through virtual programming, but we know the importance of building community and support face-to-face,” says Mike Dobbs, Camp Southern Ground CEO.

Camp Southern Ground remains committed to supporting veteran mental health and wellbeing with two on-site programs. Warrior Week, their signature 12-month workforce and wellness program, begins with a high-touch week at Camp. The goal of this week is to help transitioning veterans discover their strengths, define their purpose, and develop an action plan for a productive and fulfilling life after service.

Warrior PATHH (Progressive Alternative Training for Healing Heroes), which also starts with a high-touch week at Camp, is the nation’s first non-clinical program aimed to cultivate and facilitate post traumatic growth among combat veterans struggling with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and/or combat stress. Delivered in partnership with the Boulder Crest Foundation, this 18-month program delivers training for veterans to regain the capacity to regulate their thoughts, feelings, and actions, as well as improve their physical, emotional, spiritual, and economic well-being.

“The words ‘life-changing’ can’t even begin to describe this program and staff.” – Travis, USMC Veteran

“I learned how to believe in and depend on myself again.” – Mike, US Army Veteran

“Warrior PATHH saved my life.” – Dustin, US Army Veteran

Supported in part by generous partners and supporters, both Warrior programs are offered at no cost to veterans from across the U.S.

If you or someone you know is a post-9/11 veteran struggling to find your new mission in life after military service, Camp Southern Ground can help. Visit CampSouthernGround.org/veteran-programs or call (678)561-9600 to learn more and apply.

Posted in Charity, Press Release, Veterans | 2 Comments »

SIG SAUER Academy to Host Mogadishu Mile Run to Commemorate Task Force Ranger and Benefit the Three Rangers Foundation

Tuesday, September 1st, 2020

NEWINGTON, N.H., (September 1, 2020) – SIG SAUER Academy, the leading provider of the highest quality firearms instruction and tactical training in the world, is pleased to announce it will host a “Mogadishu Mile Run Meet-Up” on Saturday, October 3, 2020, at its Epping, New Hampshire facility. The event will commemorate the heroic actions of the U.S. Army Rangers in the Battle of Mogadishu, and benefit the Three Rangers Foundation.

The Mogadishu Mile is the Three Rangers Foundation annual commemoration event of Task Force Ranger and remembrance of the fallen warriors of Operation Gothic Serpent, Somalia, October 3, 1993. The daylight operations began in the afternoon on October 3 and did not end until the final Ranger element departed the city in a running gun battle now known as the Mogadishu Mile the morning of October 4th.

“SIG SAUER is honored to partner with the Three Rangers Foundation as one of several hosts of this event and pay tribute to the courage and heroism of Task Force Ranger in the Battle of Mogadishu,” said Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales. “In addition to hosting this event at the SIG SAUER Academy, we have committed to a substantial financial contribution to the Three Rangers Foundation to assist in carrying out their mission to provide continued support to the Rangers and families of the 75th Ranger Regiment.”

You can participate in the 2020 Mogadishu Mile Event in person at a “Mogadishu Mile Meet-Up,” or virtually by registering for the event at threerangersfoundation.org. Registration is $25 and includes an exclusive Nine-Line event t-shirt. All proceeds from this event benefit the Three Rangers Foundation.

Participation at the SIG SAUER Academy “Mogadishu Mile Meet-Up’” on Saturday, October 3, 2020 is limited to 160 participants in groups of 10 at specific time slots from 9:00am – 1:00pm. To sign-up for a time slot at the SIG SAUER Academy “Mogadishu Mile Meet-Up” visit sigsaueracademy.com. Participants registered for the SIG SAUER Academy “Mogadishu Mile Meet-Up” will run a one-mile course and have the option to pass through the SIG SAUER Academy obstacle course on the grounds of the SIG SAUER Academy.

Additional 2020 Mogadishu Mile Meet-Up sites are located in Georgia, Texas, and Maryland. For specific information about these locations visit threerangersfoundation.org.

Posted in Advertiser, Charity, Fundraising, Press Release, Veterans | Comments Off on SIG SAUER Academy to Host Mogadishu Mile Run to Commemorate Task Force Ranger and Benefit the Three Rangers Foundation

Honor Your Veteran with New Custom Box Call from Primos

Sunday, August 23rd, 2020

15% Discount on All Custom Mill Shop Items Offered for a Limited Time

FLORA, Miss. – August 19, 2020 – Primos Hunting, a pioneer in game calls and hunting accessories, now offers a custom box call to honor and thank veterans for their service.

Available through the Custom Mill Shop on the Primos website, the new hand-made turkey call features a patriotic scene emblazoned with the words, “Honoring All Who Serve.” Customers can add text of their choice across the scene’s banner.

The Veterans Box Call is crafted from maple and features a wood-burned look, adding a sense of elegance to this fully-functional box call. For a limited time, Primos is offering 15 percent off the Veterans Box Call and all other Custom Mill Shop items when using the code P#CMS15 at checkout.

The online Custom Mill Shop offers users the ability to design a customized version of some of Primos’ most famous calls, including the GameKeepers Box Call, Heart Breaker Box Call and Grunt Call. While these calls are works of art worthy of display, they also produce a sound that only the finest, select hand-tuned hardwoods can create. Other popular options available from the Custom Mill Shop include euro plaques and a boot puller. From these hand-crafted products, users can select custom patterns, laser-etched hunting scenes, and custom inscriptions and messages. Each Custom Mill Shop item receives a mark of authenticity from a Primos Master Craftsman prior to completion.

To learn more about the Primos Veterans Box Call and to order, visit custommill.primos.com/Custom-Mill-Shop/Veterans-Box-Call.

Posted in Press Release, Veterans | Comments Off on Honor Your Veteran with New Custom Box Call from Primos

Registration Underway for Certificate in Public and Nonprofit Leadership for Veterans

Sunday, August 9th, 2020

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Registration is underway through Sept. 2 for the Certificate in Public and Nonprofit Leadership for Veterans, a new, online leadership development opportunity for Veterans; those about to leave military service; and individuals who work with Veterans.

The program runs from October 16 to March 26 through The Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs and is a partnership with the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. The program aims to help Veterans transition from the clear organizational structure and culture of military life to the more ambiguous organizational structure and culture of civilian organizations.

“Military service is the best on-the-job leadership training in the world,” said Lt. General Michael Ferriter, U.S. Army (Retired), President and CEO of the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. “Veterans bring so much to the workplace, but it is important to help them invest in professional development to continue to grow and thrive in their civilian careers. That is what this program is all about.”

The program is designed for individuals who already work or plan to work in a civilian job and hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, or a high school diploma with significant leadership experience. It is a graduate-level program where participants acquire six credit hours that may be applied to a degree program at Ohio State or another university.

The certificate consists of two courses, each worth three credit hours. The first addresses leadership in public and nonprofit organizations; the second in leadership development application. The emphasis is on experiential knowledge and the experience of Veterans in leadership positions is actively used to help illustrate the general principles of organization and management.

“Veterans who are transitioning to civilian life can feel like they are speaking a different language than the business leaders who might hire them,” explained Glenn College Professor Jos. C.N. Raadschelders, Faculty Director of Professional Development and Training Programs. “The Certificate in Public and Nonprofit Leadership for Veterans smooths that transition, bringing together Veterans who are called to serve in civilian life to learn from each other and civilian colleagues, build lasting relationships, and demonstrate the value of military experience and leadership to civilian employers.”

Veterans applying for the upcoming online program will be able to use their G.I. Bill® benefits through the VA. Registration information can be found at glenn.osu.edu/veterans

Posted in Press Release, Veterans | Comments Off on Registration Underway for Certificate in Public and Nonprofit Leadership for Veterans

Purdue University Study Finds the Most Important Task for a PTSD Service Dog for Veterans is Disrupting Anxiety

Saturday, July 25th, 2020

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Science has shown that service dogs can benefit some veterans with PTSD. But the exact role service dogs play in the day-to-day lives of veterans – and the helpfulness of the tasks they perform – is less known.

A recent study led by Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine shows what trained tasks service dogs perform the most often and which ones are the most helpful to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. The study found that the task of disrupting episodes of anxiety ranked among the most important and most often used.

“There has been some debate on what kind of training PTSD service dogs need to be effective and how their assistance may be different than what a pet dog can provide,” said Kerri Rodriguez, a human-animal interaction graduate student and a lead author on the study. “This study suggests that veterans are, in fact, using and benefiting from the specific trained tasks, which sets these dogs apart from pet dogs or emotional support dogs.”

Kerri RodriguezRodriguez led the work with Maggie O’Haire, associate professor of human-animal interaction. Their research was published in Frontiers in Psychology. The study was done in conjunction with K9s For Warriors, with support and funding from Merrick Pet Care, and is in preparation for an ongoing large-scale clinical trial that is studying veterans with and without service dogs over an extended period of time.

The study found that, on average, the dog’s training to both alert the veteran to any increasing anxiety and providing physical contact during anxiety episodes were reported to be the most important and the most often used in a typical day. Veterans with a service dog also rated all of the service dog’s trained tasks as being “moderately” to “quite a bit” important for their PTSD.

Some trained tasks include picking up on cues veterans display when experiencing distress or anxiety and consequently nudging, pawing or licking them to encourage the veteran to focus on the dog. The service dogs also are trained to notice when veterans are experiencing anxiety at night and will actively wake up the person from nightmares.

The dogs also are trained to perform tasks in public – such as looking the opposite way in a crowded room or store to provide a sense of security for the veteran.

The study also found that trained service dog tasks were used on average 3.16 times per day, with individual tasks ranging from an average of 1.36 to 5.05 times per day.

Previous research led by Rodriguez showed that the bond between a service dog and the veteran was a significant factor in the importance of untrained behaviors. Although all trained tasks were reported to be important for veterans’ PTSD, those with a service dog actually rated the importance of untrained behaviors higher than the importance of trained tasks. This suggests that there are some therapeutic aspects of the service dog’s companionship that are helping just as much, if not more, than the dog’s trained tasks, Rodriguez said. “These service dogs offer valuable companionship, provide joy and happiness, and add structure and routine to veterans’ lives that are likely very important for veterans’ PTSD.”

The study surveyed 216 veterans from K9s For Warriors, including 134 with a service dog and 82 on the waitlist. The study complements a previous publication published last year that focused specifically on the service dogs’ training, behavior and the human-animal bond.

While service dogs were reported to help a number of specific PTSD symptoms such as having nightmares, experiencing flashbacks, or being hyperaware in public, there were some symptoms that service dogs did not help, such as amnesia and risk-taking.

“Both this research, as well as other related studies on PTSD service dogs, suggest that service dogs are not a standalone cure for PTSD,” O’Haire said. “Rather, there appear to be specific areas of veterans’ lives that a PTSD service dog can help as a complementary intervention to other evidence-based treatments for PTSD.”

Veterans on the waitlist to receive a service dog expected the service dog’s trained tasks to be more important for their PTSD and used more frequently on a daily basis than what was reported by veterans who already had a service dog.

“Veterans on the waitlist may have higher expectations for a future PTSD service dog because of feelings of hope and excitement, which may not necessarily be a bad thing,” Rodriguez said. “However, it is important for mental health professionals to encourage realistic expectations to veterans who are considering getting a PTSD service dog of their own.”

The work was funded by Merrick Pet Care, Newman’s Own Foundation and the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine. More information about O’Haire’s research is featured online.

Writer: Abbey Nickel, nickela@purdue.edu

Posted in Guest Post, K9, Veterans | 1 Comment »

Spec War Store

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2020

Spec War Store is a small, veteran-owned business in Texas. Like me, Johnny Reid served in both the Army and Air Force, but he started in the Air Force and ended up retiring from the Army, while I made the opposite trek. At any rate, we worked together off and on over the years and both served in various SOF units. He’s a solid guy.

He also has some pretty cool products including metal for your wall like this amazing USAF Grey Beret – Chute, Bolts & Knife (CBK) Wall Display (JR was a SOWT) as well as t-shirts and coming soon, laser engraved leather patches.

www.specwarstore.com

Posted in Morale, Veterans | Comments Off on Spec War Store

Riton Optics Veterans Hunt

Wednesday, July 15th, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tucson, AZ (10 July 2020)- As the World’s only Military and Law Enforcement Veteran Owned optics company, Riton is focused on giving back to the Military Veteran community. Beyond their industry leading Veteran discount, the company also finds it important to connect with Military Veterans through experiences such as hunting and shooting.

Brady Speth, Riton’s Veteran Founder and CEO stated, “Serving in the Military provides a deep sense of camaraderie. I have found one of the best alternatives is hunting with a good group of people- sharing stories, laughing around camp, and working hard to have a successful hunt.”

The Riton Optics 2020 Veteran’s Hunt will provide one deserving Veteran with a once-in-a-lifetime Barbary Sheep hunt, along with additional hunt opportunities and a prize package. From September 28th through October 2nd of 2020, the nominated Veteran will be joined by Riton Optics Veteran Founder and CEO, Brady Speth, Military Arms Channel Veteran Founder and Host, Tim Harmsen, and Hero Hunt’s Veteran Founder, Joe Towers for this amazing experience at the Flying W Ranch in Sierra Blanca, Texas.

In addition to an all expenses paid Barbary Sheep hunt, the nominated Veteran will also have an opportunity to experience a Coyote Helicopter hunt and win a prize packaging including Riton Optics, a Cerakoted 6.5 PRC Mossberg Patriot/Predator, Hanwag hunting boots, a First Lite camo set and more.

Beyond the experience of the camaraderie through this hunting journey, the nominated Veteran will also be a part of a documented piece for Riton Optics, Military Arms Channel and Hero Hunt.

According to Calley Carpenter, Riton’s Director of Marketing, “We are excited to be able to work with some great Veteran partners and provide this opportunity to a deserving Veteran who can become a part of the Riton family through this experience. This is absolutely the best part about what we do.”

Visit ritonoptics.com/veterans-hunt to enter or to nominate a well-deserving Veteran.

Posted in Charity, Press Release, Veterans | Comments Off on Riton Optics Veterans Hunt

Walk for the Wounded

Thursday, July 9th, 2020

Walk for the Wounded is a fundraiser for Wounded Warriors Canada which is an organization founded to honor and support Canada’s ill and injured Canadian Armed Forces members, Veterans, First Responders and their families.

The walk will be completed by a team of four, consisting of either veteran or active duty members of the Canadian Infantry.

On August 8th, they will begin their trek from CFB Petawawa, to Parliament Hill in Ottawa, then finishing at the National War Memorial which is a distance of roughly 168 km. It will be accomplished in one continuous walk. In addition, every hour on the hour, the team will do 22 push-ups in honour of project22.

Their goal is to raise $22,000 as well as awareness for WWC. To donate, click here.

Posted in Charity, Fundraising, International, Veterans | Comments Off on Walk for the Wounded