Gov. Greitens under investigation for using Mission Continues?

Missouri attorney general accuses Greitens of misusing charity donor list
CNN
By Veronica Stracqualursi
April 17, 2018

Greitens, an Iraq veteran, founded The Mission Continues in 2007 but left the charity in 2014. Questions have been raised about his ties to the charity since at least October 2016, when The Associated Press reported that he had raised nearly $2 million for his campaign from donors who also gave significant amounts to The Mission Continues.

Washington (CNN)Embattled Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, who is already facing calls to resign over an extramarital affair and abuse allegations, was accused Tuesday by the state's attorney general of obtaining a charity donor list without permission.

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley announced that his office had "uncovered evidence of wrongdoing" by the governor that he could be charged or prosecuted for related to an investigation into a veterans charity Greitens founded.

Hawley told reporters at a news conference that his office had found evidence that the governor obtained an electronic donor list from the charity The Mission Continues without permission and used the internal list for "political fundraising."

"If proven, these acts could amount to the unauthorized taking and use of property -- in this case electronic property. Under Missouri law, this is known as computer tampering and given the value of the list in question, it is a felony," Hawley said.
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Looking past monuments, parades for vets' next steps

Looking past monuments, parades for vets' next steps
By Leo Shane III
Stars and Stripes
Published: June 12, 2013

What's the biggest divide between veterans and the civilian world? Use our Google Form to tell us your story and you might end up in a future Stars and Stripes article.

WASHINGTON — Instead of thanking veterans, Blake Bourne wants Americans to ask them to do more.

“No matter where I go, when people hear I’m a veteran they immediately say, ‘Thank you for what you did,’” the 31-year-old Army veteran said. “But we’ve almost gone too far with that.

“It feels like most people want to tell you that you did enough work, and now it’s time to relax and take a knee.”

The Iraq and Afghanistan wars were the first prolonged conflicts to be fought by America’s all-volunteer military, and many troops are returning looking for more opportunities to volunteer.

For Bourne, that meant joining Mission Continues, whose stated goal is to help veterans reintegrate into civilian society through continued service. He’s almost six months into a fellowship with the group, receiving a small stipend to spend his time coordinating community volunteers in Charlotte, N.C.

“You can have 5,000 people come out and applaud a group of veterans, and that’s great, but what does it really do?” he said. “I think I’d rather see that same group go out and plant trees, maybe help just a small group in the community, but really engage and show what they can do.”

The idea of second service among returning troops has led to a rise in recent years of a new breed of veterans groups, ones that avoid lobbying and public affairs in favor of direct community interaction.

“This is a generation of volunteer servicemembers,” said Spencer Kympton, director with Mission Continues. “Many of them don’t feel like they need to be given anything. What they need is a new mission.”

Officials at Team Rubicon, a disaster response charity of veterans volunteers, has a stated goal of giving returning troops “a renewed sense of purpose” through emergency response work suited to their military skills. Team Red, White and Blue, which runs sporting events for veterans and civilians, sees physical activity as an common experience and easy entry point for military reintegration efforts.
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Veteran's mission continues even after his return from combat

Veteran's mission continues even after his return from combat
Saturday, April 28, 2012
BY COLIN GAMBARO
COLUMBIA

James Casey, a U.S. military veteran, had trouble finding an identity in society when he returned home from Iraq.

After suffering a knee injury in 2009, however, Casey was forced to return to St. Louis. It was during this time that he developed post-traumatic stress disorder.

“It was being idle and not doing anything,” Casey said, “I was going through a major loss in my life. I was losing an identification of self because for almost a decade I had identified with being a combat soldier.”

He needed to find the focus and purpose back home that he had during his three tours of duty in Iraq. The Mission Continues helped provide that purpose.

On Saturday, The Mission Continues — a nonprofit organization that challenges post-9/11 military veterans to be leaders in their communities — teamed up with Fox Sports Midwest as part of the Summer Service Slam to spearhead a refurbishment of Rainbow Softball Center at Cosmopolitan Park.

"Many veterans struggle to find the same purpose at home as they found in the mission, camaraderie and structure of the military. The Mission Continues does not offer charity, rather, it challenges returning service members to utilize their tremendous skills and leadership to continue serving our country at home," the organization's website says.

Saturday was an opportunity for veterans such as Casey to give back to their community with the help from civilian volunteers.
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Iraq veteran training dog for disabled

Iraq veteran training dog for disabled

By Bridget DiCosmo - Southeast Missourian via Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Sep 12, 2009 10:32:00 EDT

BENTON, Mo. — Five years ago, before the arrival of a chocolate Lab named L.T., Phillip D. Sturgeon Jr.'s life was very different.

In 2004, Sturgeon, originally of Vanduser, Mo., was stationed near Baghdad as an Army medic with the 458th Engineer Battalion when a rocket-propelled grenade struck the vehicle he was in. Four of Sturgeon's patrol were killed in the blast, and he suffered broken ribs, facial fractures, serious knee and shoulder injuries and brain trauma. In addition to extensive and ongoing physical therapy required to repair his body, Sturgeon was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I was just basically learning how to live life over again," said Sturgeon, 35.

It was through reconnecting with an old friend with whom he used to serve, Chris Amacker, that Sturgeon learned about Mission Continues, a St. Louis-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping returning war veterans discover new ways of giving back to their communities.

Sturgeon said Mission Continues staff suggested the idea of training support dogs for the disabled, and it struck a chord with him. His father had been confined to a wheelchair, and Sturgeon had also spent some time in the military working with service dogs.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/09/ap_vet_trains_dog_091209/