Goodwill Hosting Veterans Program

Goodwill Industries in the Land of Lincoln is going to host several gatherings that will introduce veterans to the Vetlink program. Vetlink was created to help veterans’ job needs. This will include brushing up their job skills, computer training, methods for finding a job, improving interview techniques, and increasing writing skills.

Career Coach for Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries’ Jacksonville office, Tiffany Van Meter, stated that the Vetlink program connects veterans with other services created for veterans.

“The Vetlink program is designed to help veterans who wish to return to the workforce or update their career skills. We help vets look for work, we help them with resumes, fill out applications. Another important component to the Vetlink Program is helping them find the resources they need, hence the name Vetlink. We help them connect to other veterans programs they may not know about, to help them with all their needs.”

Career Coaches can get special training that will teach them how to work specifically with veterans according to Van Meter.

“A veterans resume is quite a bit different than just scratching out anybody’s resume because we really learn how to take what they learned in the military and apply it to within the civilian world. A lot of veterans will return, and you ask them what their specific skills are and they will just say I was responsible for transporting this equipment. It is billions of dollars worth of equipment, but they don’t know how to translate that into a resume.”

Van Meter states why introducing this new program will help veterans.

“We have so many veterans coming back from serving and they really need that help returning to civilian life. They are facing a lot of barriers that everyday people just aren’t facing and don’t understand.”

The Vetlink orientation meetings will be held at 6 pm on March 8^th and at 10 am March 9^th at the Jacksonville Goodwill located at 1809 West Morton.

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Veteran Training Program 

Over 95% Job Placement

 

 

Bill to Give Veterans Full Access to Private, Local Medical Care

On Tuesday, Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL) introduced legislation that will allow veterans full access to private, local medical care.

The Full Choice for Veterans Act is the bill that Representative Byrne expects to pass before congress. It will widen eligibility of the Veterans Choice Program to all veterans. Veterans will get a card to receive care from private doctors or hospitals with the Veterans Choice Program. As of right now, access to the VA Choice Program is restricted to only allow vets that have waited 30 days or longer for VA care or vets that reside more than 40 miles away from a VA facility.

Congressman Byrne’s bill will change it so that every veteran can access health care providers in their local community, no matter what the veteran's situation is.

Byrne stated, “Veterans should not be forced to remain in a VA system that is dysfunctional and broken. This is why Congress created the Choice Card program a few years ago to give veterans greater access to private medical care in their local community. Sadly, the VA created roadblocks to limit veteran access to the Choice Card program. Our veterans deserve better.

“Under the Full Choice for Veterans Act, we will give veterans the choices they need and access to timely medical care. Even more, I think we can actually save taxpayer money by cutting down on the bloated VA bureaucracy. This is a win-win situation, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance this legislation.”

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Veteran Training Program -  

VA Approved For Vet Tuition Assistance - 

Over 95% Job Placement -

Black Rifle CoffeeTo Hire 10,000 Veterans

There was backlash and threats of boycotts for Starbucks after stating that it would provide 10,000 new jobs for refugees in response to President Donald Trump's immigration ban. Others said they would be sure to make more coffee runs to the coffee giant in support of the move. Many accused the company of putting refugees before veterans.

On Tuesday, Army Special Forces veteran and Black Rifle Coffee CEO Evan Hafer revealed his intentions to hire 10,000 veterans to communicate his support.

Here he is on Fox and Friends talking about how he intends to hire 10,000 veterans.

"Our plan is to build 600 stores in the next six years. I'm gonna try to push this forward with the community behind me," Hafer said.

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Starbucks answered back to their critics simply stating: "Check your facts."

"We would like to set the record straight," veteran Starbucks workers wrote in a statement.

"In November 2013, Howard and former Secretary of Defense Bob Gates announced Starbucks' commitment to hire 10,000 veterans and military spouses over the next five years.

"Howard and his wife Sheri visited military bases to get to know our nation’s service members. They poured substantial personal financial resources into their own family foundation to design plans for transitioning service members. Starbucks established military family stores at over 30 bases around the country. Howard encouraged Starbucks senior leaders to visit our military bases and get to know our military on a personal level, knowing it would lead them to hire more veterans and their spouses."

The statement went on to explain that the coffee giant has hired more than 8,800 veterans and veterans' spouses within the first four years of its pledge.

"Without question we will reach the 10,000 goal early, and we will keep going," the company said of its 2018 goal.

"We hold true to our values as conservative, pro-military, pro-law enforcement,and pro-2nd Amendment American citizens and never waiver in those values in order to simply make the maximum amount of profit," executive vice president and chief operating officer Scott Bollinger wrote in his bio on the company website. Bollinger wrote that he served in the United States Army Special Forces for 24 years before retiring as a command sergeant major of a Special Forces Group.

Black Rifle Coffee, which sells roasts like the "Caffeine and Hate," "Coffee or Die," "Murdered Out" and "Girls for Gunslingers" blends, does not have any brick and mortar stores, but products can be purchased online on the company's website. The company also sells T-shirts, hats, mugs and other apparel and gear.

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Veteran Trade School With Over 95% Job Placement

Veteran Makes Voice Heard By Congressman For Change

PALM DESERT, Ca. -

The Cal State-San Bernardino campus in Palm Desert is dedicated to helping local veterans with a new kind of university. 

When Gabriel Razcoadurazo, a veteran of the armed forces, was on his way to Veterans University he ran into Congressman Raul Ruiz. 

"I was late and I got to run into him and I told him a lot of veterans, we lose hope," says Razcoadurazo. "And we fall into cycles of suicide and depression and it becomes difficult to find someone or even accept any kind of help. So when we find someone who'll help us it helps us a lot more than we thought it would."

Razcoadurazo moved to the Coachella Valley thanks to a housing program for veterans. "I was awarded a house through Operation Homefront about 2 years ago... this program kind of gave me hope. I was able to move out here and provide my family with a better livelihood."

Congressman Ruiz says he's hoping to make more of these veteran programs accessible to those who serve our nation. 

"So this is just a partnership coming together to educate, train our local veterans and their family members and anybody who works with veterans to better serve our veterans. Our collective vision is to make this district the most veteran friendly community in the nation," stated Rep. Ruiz.

"I believe it's only going to continue to grow, to get better," Rep. Ruiz says. "And the point here is that the veterans must come first and be the center of all of our efforts." 

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Veteran Adjusting School is VA approved for Veteran Tuition Assistance under 9/11 GI Bill.

CAT adjusters average between $70,000 - $100,000 in 6-7 months during storm season.

Do you have what it takes to for a rewarding career as a catastrophic insurance adjuster?

Veteran Removed From Ceremony For Mentioning God

Veteran Oscar Rodriguez was forcibly removed from a retirement flag folding ceremony where he was asked to speak for mentioning God in speech. Oscar, retired from the air force, has given this speech honoring the flag on several occasions. When Master Sgt. [Charles] Roberson asked him to give the speech at his retirement ceremony he gladly agreed. 

The speech he recited was an old version of the "Flag Folding Ceremony Air Force Script" that had been changed to remove God from the text. Oscar believed it was his right as an American civilian to give the speech he was asked to give. Once he began the speech several men dragged him from the stage. 

Oscar feels embarrassed by the event saying, "This is one of the most humiliating experiences of my life. All I wanted to do was honor Master Sgt. [Charles] Roberson, his guest, and the flag with my speech. Now Rodriguez is demanding that an apology is issued or he will sue the Air Force.

Here is the speech transcript:

"Our flag is known as the stars and stripes. The union consists of white stars on a blue field, symbolic of a new constellation. Each star represents one individual state and together they stand united indivisible. The stripes represent the original 13 colonies that declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776. The one official, red, is symbolic for the blood of those who have given their lives to defend and protect our great nation from all of her enemies, both foreign and domestic. White represents purity, innocence, and hope. Blue is for vigilance, perseverance, and justice. 

But in our hearts our flag stands for many things, evident in the Declaration of Independence where all men are created equal with rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; the right of the people to alter or abolish any form of government that becomes destructive. 

Our flag stands for the Constitution of the United States of America. Freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of speech. It provides for security to all of her citizens, it also provides for a fair and swift trial. It abolished slavery and it gives each and every individual of age the right to participate in our voting process—to have a say in his or her’s future. 

Our flag is a beacon, recognized around the world to represent freedom during times of peace, or during times of war. This is what we live for. This is what we will fight for, and if necessary to touch the head of God in her defense, the charge that we accept as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines is a noble one for there is no heart stronger than that of a volunteer. Let us pray that God will reflect with admiration the willingness of one nation in her attempt to rid the world of tyranny, oppression, and misery. It is this one nation under God that we call, with honor, the United States of America. 

God Bless our flag. God bless our troops. God bless America."

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CAT adjusters average between $70,000 - $100,000 in 6-7 months during storm season.

Veteran Adjusting School is VA approved for Veteran Tuition Assistance under 9/11 GI Bill.

Do you have what it takes to for a rewarding career as a catastrophic insurance adjuster?

Miss U.S.A. Fights for Veteran Rights

Deshauna Barber, who is currently enlisted in the Army reserve, just won the Miss U.S.A. competition. As Deshauna serves in the reserve, she is the first ever military member to win the contest.

Miss U.S.A. plans on using her win to spotlight veterans issues, like PTSD, veteran suicide and the backlog in veterans hospitals. As an active member in the reserve and unit commander, she sees the need for the raise of awareness for veteran issues.

Deshauna said "As a woman in the United States Army, I think ... we are just as tough as men. As a commander of my unit, I'm powerful, I am dedicated. Gender does not limit us in the United States."

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CAT adjusters average between $70,000 - $100,000 in 6-7 months during storm season.

Do you have what it takes to for a rewarding career as a catastrophic insurance adjuster?

Women Veterans Find Support In Texas

Texas has more female veterans than any other state. In Houston the Lotus Project support group was initially founded to find housing for women veterans of the armed services. This group now brings career training, support groups, mental health counselors, and housing assistance for a smooth transition back into civilian life.

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Do you have what it takes to for a rewarding career as a catastrophic insurance adjuster?

CAT adjusters average between $70,000 - $100,000 in 6-7 months during storm season

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