VA Wants to Share Stories of Hope

The VA wants stories of hope from you. This is a good idea since it seems that everyone is popping up to "raise awareness" of the "problems" veterans and families have but few are talking about hope, what works and how to get the help they need. After all, getting people upset seems to spread faster than hope.

Sorry, but hardly no one donates to charities showing happy people.

Think I'm wrong? Then think of all the ads you see everyday on TV always showing sadness and suffering.

It doesn't have to be that way and most of the time it isn't. Most of the time there is a lot of pain, suffering and struggles but then it gets a lot better. Most of our marriages are stronger because we fought together to get out of the valley. I know because I felt the same way for years when we knew what PTSD was but no one else did. Yep, my family and my friends.

Instead of having plenty of time to offer hope after over 30 years of marriage, seeing the worst of times followed by many more good years, I have to spend time on covering the heartache.

Why? Because there hasn't been enough fixed and veterans are paying for it all with their families. Unless we stop what failed, start what works, we're just not going to do what all these "charities" claim they want to do.

Think about that the next time you hear someone raise money to "raise awareness" then ask yourself what the bleep are they raising awareness for? Themselves?

How about raising up some hope for a change?


There is a lot the VA gets wrong but it isn't all bad.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE         May 7, 2015 New VA Website Encourages Veterans to Tell Their Stories of Hope WASHINGTON – May is Mental Health Awareness Month. To commemorate the month, theDepartment of Veterans Affairs (VA) is encouraging Veterans, along with their families and friends, to visit and chronicle their recovery journey on the website, MakeTheConnection.net. Make the Connection is a national awareness program operated by VA aimed at reducing the negative perceptions and stigma associated with seeking mental health care. Through the Website, Veterans and their loved ones hear from hundreds of other Veterans who may be experiencing similar challenges, learn strategies for support and recovery, along with local resources available through a resource locator.  Since the launch of the Make the Connection campaign in November 2011, there have been more than 7 million visits to the website, and more than 2.8 million people have joined the Facebook community or subscribed to the YouTube channel. The resource locator on the site, with information on VA and community-based treatment services around the country, has been used more than 220,000 times. “We all have the ability to influence a friend or loved one in a positive way – that’s why Make the Connection was created,” said VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald. “We want Veterans to tell their personal stories of mental health treatment and recovery to as many of their peers as possible. Those stories can be great sources of strength for Veterans in need of hope.” In addition to the Make the Connection website and Facebook page, information also can be found on YouTube at www.youtube.com/VeteransMTC and Google+ at http://plus.google.com/+VeteransMTC. Information about all VA mental health efforts may be found at www.mentalhealth.va.gov.