Prisoner of War - The movie

Back in May of 2015, the Havok Journal wrote about the upcoming movie Prisoner of War, a collaboration by Blackside Productions, Hand Crank Films, and the veteran charity Gallant Few. This month marks a year since the movie was officially released.

Several big names in the veteran community were involved in this film both in front of and behind the camera, giving it the kind of credibility and authenticity that most military-themed movies lack. The 13-minute production stars former Ranger Josh Kelly, who gives an astonishing and completely believable performance as a veteran dealing with self-doubt, survivor’s guilt, and PTSD; issues very familiar to many within the veteran community. Actually, Josh Kelly gives two great performances in this film, but you have to be looking for the second role.

The veteran involvement in Prisoner of War extended behind the camera as well. Director Matt Sanders and producer Marty Skovlund were both Army Rangers, and the musical score was provided by Air Force TACP Jarred Taylor. Many of the other actors and film crew were vets as well. At the end of the movie, Gallant Few’s Karl Monger, himself a former Ranger, delivers a heartfelt public service announcement.

So what is “Prisoner of War?” It’s neither fiction nor documentary; it’s something in between, something that has to be experienced more than simply watched. his movie is disturbing. It’s dark. It’s raw. It’s going to “trigger” the hell out of people. And it is an absolute “must-watch” for veterans and those who care about veterans’ issues, especially PTSD and veteran suicide.

If you care about veterans or issues that are important to veterans, watch this movie. If you don’t get the “plot twist” towards the end of the film, watch it again.

You don’t have to be a veteran to “get” Prisoner of War. You don’t have to be a veteran to relate to Josh Kelly’s unnamed character in the movie. While the issues addressed in the movie are presented through the experiences of one combat veteran, they are certainly not unique to the veteran community. That “relatability,” and the raw, non-judgmental honesty with which the movie is presented, make it a must-watch for everyone who has ever struggled with guilt, shame, or self-doubt… which, is everyone really.





Article from the Havok Journal

Government Shutdown Affecting Troops and Families

The Government Shutdown is entering it's third day.

If you were around in 2013, you’ll remember the many ways the two-week government shutdown that October affected military personnel and their families: Everything from doctor’s appointments to planned relocations to death benefits. Operations that are considered essential to national security will continue during the shutdown. Defense Department officials set those ground rules; the current guidelines weren’t immediately available.

But as the Friday night deadline looms for lawmakers to reach an agreement, shutdown preparations are underway in DoD. “DoD’s foremost need is to receive an enacted appropriation for fiscal year 2018 as soon as possible,” DoD spokesman Army Maj. Dave Eastburn said. “We are hopeful that there is enough time for Congress to prevent a lapse in appropriations. However, at this time, prudent management requires planning for the possibility of a shutdown.”

Based on some shutdown history and recent guidelines, we put together some points to consider:

Pay. Active-duty military personnel generally report to work during a shutdown regardless of whether their command is considered “essential,” but military personnel generally wouldn’t be paid until the shutdown ends. This could change if Congress passes a law that requires the military to be paid during the shutdown, as they it in 2013. Personnel are paid on the 1st and 15th of each month. In the past, a number of financial institutions that serve the military community have stepped up to fill the gap, in some cases offering to advance the active-duty pay, then recouping it later, when retroactive pay caught up.

Military relief societies also have helped service members and families fill the gaps during shutdowns. Retired pay is not affected. It comes from a different pot of money.

PCS and TDY. In 2013, permanent change-of-station moves and temporary duty travel were canceled except for service members traveling to activities and operations determined to be essential to national security.

Health care. In 2013, military treatment facilities remained open to care for existing patients and provide emergency services and acute care. Routine appointments and elective surgery were suspended, but pharmacy, laboratory and radiology services continued. All care through off-base civilian Tricare providers was unchanged.

Commissaries. DoD hasn’t notified commissary officials yet about whether they will have to close any stores, Defense Commissary Agency spokesman Kevin Robinson said. Commissaries were closed during the 2013 shutdown, except for overseas stores. If there is a shutdown, the commissaries forced to close will follow an orderly procedure to allow store staffs to reduce stocks of perishables, safeguard equipment and facilities, and make other necessary preparations, he said. In 2013, commissaries in the continental U.S., as well as those in Alaska and Hawaii, were open an extra day after the shutdown took effect. They were packed with customers. “In the event of a shutdown, we will do our best to support our military communities whenever and wherever possible,” Robinson said.

Exchanges. They won’t close, because they don’t rely on taxpayer dollars. But they do try to ease some of the strain on the customers affected by commissary closures. For example, Army and Air Force Exchange Service officials already are working up emergency orders for key items such as diapers, bread, milk and frozen food, and working with distributors to speed up those deliveries for early next week, AAFES spokesman Chris Ward said.

DoD schools. Based on past experience, the Department of Defense Education Activity is planning that their 166 DoD schools overseas and stateside, and eight district offices around the world, would be allowed to continue to operate, DoDEA spokesman Frank O’Gara said. A shutdown would probably curtail operations at regional offices and at headquarters, he said, though DoDEA is awaiting DoD guidance.

Death gratuities. These $100,000 payments might not be made immediately to the designated survivor of a service member who dies on active duty. When those payments went unmade in 2013, the Fisher House Foundation stepped in to fill the gap. After the government reached a deal to reimburse the charity, Congress eventually passed a law that restarted the payments.

Child care. This might be a mixed bag: In 2013, each installation determined whether child development centers continued to operate.

Morale, Welfare and Recreation. Previous guidance has allowed morale, welfare and recreation activities to operate during a shutdown if they are deemed necessary to support essential operations. That covered mess halls, physical training and child care activities required for readiness. More MWR. In the past, MWR activities that are funded entirely by non-appropriated funds (NAF), not by taxpayer dollars, weren’t affected by the shutdown. A bowling center or golf course funded by customers likely would remain open, for example.

DoD civilians. In 2013, about 400,000 DoD civilians, including military spouses, veterans and retirees, were furloughed.

Article from Military Times

New Mexico VA office denies 90 percent of Gulf War claims

A Veterans Affairs office in New Mexico during the 2015 fiscal year denied more than 90 percent of benefit claims related to Gulf War illnesses, marking the ninth-lowest approval rating among VA sites nationwide, according to a federal report. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Albuquerque office denied 592 of 640 Gulf War illness claims in 2015, which is the latest yearly data available, The Albuquerque Journal reported earlier this week.

The report released in June from the Government Accountability Office found approval rates for Gulf War illness claims are one-third as high as for other disabling conditions. The Gulf War illness claims also took an average of four months longer to process. Gulf War illness was first identified in troops returning home from Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield in the early 1990s. But it has been found to afflict troops who have served in other parts of the Middle East since then as well. The illness includes a wide variety of symptoms and conditions, from fatigue and skin problems to insomnia and indigestion. It is believed the conditions may be the result of exposure to burn pits, oil well fires or depleted uranium weapons during service.

The report concluded that instituting required training for medical examiners, clarifying claim decision letters sent to veterans and developing a single definition for the illness would increase consistency in approval rates and reduce confusion among staff and veterans. Currently, a 90-minute training course on Gulf War illness is voluntary. Only about 10 percent of the VA’s 4,000 medical examiners had completed it as of February, according to the report.

Sonja Brown, acting associate director of the New Mexico VA Health Care System, did not say how many of the Albuquerque medical examiners have completed the course. “The Gulf War Examination training is currently on the curriculum for our medical examiners with a due date of 8/10/2017 to complete,” Brown wrote in an email. “While I don’t have a percentage of those completed, I can tell you that the training is being taken.” The VA plans to make training mandatory, with all medical examiners expected to complete the program by October.

Article from the Associated Press, 13 August 2017

Shulkin promises ‘major changes’ at Veterans Affairs

Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin on Friday promised major changes were coming to the agency, saying President Donald Trump expects it. “We’re going to be looking for some major changes, to really reevaluate how we do things,” Shulkin said during a live, online question-and-answer podcast with veterans. “If you look at the president’s 10-point plan, he’s not looking for minor changes. The reason why I feel I got a 100-0 [confirmation] vote from the Senate is because there’s one thing the country agrees on -- that our vets deserve better than what they’re getting now.” However, he did not offer veterans specifics about how he would change the department, only calling it a “modernizing of our system.”

Part of the change will include the Veterans Choice Program, which Shulkin said he wanted to “redesign” this year. The program allows some veterans to receive care in the private sector with the VA paying the bill, but many veterans have criticized it as complex and confusing. The Veterans Choice Program is set to expire in August. Shulkin said Friday he’s working with Trump and lawmakers to propose changes to the program, though no details were offered. He’s previously deflected claims of “privatization.”

In Trump’s 10-point plan for VA reform, which was introduced during his campaign, the president said he wanted to allow all veterans the option to seek care in the private sector. Some veterans organizations have voiced concerns and contend paying more for veterans to seek outside care could diminish resources at VA facilities.

Donald J. Trump’s 10 Point Plan to Reform The Department of Veterans Affairs

1. Appoint a VA Secretary whose sole purpose will be to serve veterans. Under a Trump Administration, the needs of D.C. bureaucrats will no longer be placed above those of our veterans.
2. Use the powers of the presidency to remove and discipline the federal employees and managers who have violated the public’s trust and failed to carry out the duties on behalf of our veterans.
3. Ask that Congress pass legislation that empowers the Secretary of the VA to discipline or terminate any employee who has jeopardized the health, safety or well-being of a veteran.
4. Create a commission to investigate all the fraud, cover-ups, and wrong-doing that has taken place in the VA, and present these findings to Congress to spur legislative reform.
5. Protect and promote honest employees at the VA who highlight wrongdoing, and guarantee their jobs will be protected.
6. Create a private White House hotline, which will be active 24 hours a day answered by a real person. It will be devoted to answering veteran’s complaints of wrongdoing at the VA and ensure no complaints fall through the cracks.
7. Stop giving bonuses to any VA employees who are wasting money, and start rewarding employees who seek to improve the VA’s service, cut waste, and save lives.
8. Reform the visa system to ensure veterans are at the front of the line for health services, not the back.
9. Increase the number of mental health care professionals, and allow veteran’s to be able to seek mental health care outside of the VA.
10. Ensure every veteran has the choice to seek care at the VA or at a private service provider of their own choice. Under a Trump Administration, no veteran will die waiting for service.

Scott Blackburn, who was named Friday as Shulkin’s acting deputy secretary, said the VA would “buckle down” and “get more disciplined.” Blackburn previously led former VA Secretary Bob McDonald’s VA transformation initiative, “MyVA.” “The president wants to do some really big things,” Blackburn said Friday. “We still have a long way to go.”

Shulkin, who previously worked as VA undersecretary of health under McDonald, was confirmed Feb. 13 as the new VA secretary. The town hall-style event Friday was the first time that Shulkin spoke publicly to veterans as VA secretary. He said he would do more online town halls in the future if veterans requested them. On Sunday, Shulkin will address members of Disabled American Veterans at the organization’s winter conference in Arlington, Va.

Besides promising major changes, Shulkin on Friday condemned the “berating” of the VA by public officials and the media. He first mentioned the issue during a VA podcast released Friday morning and reiterated his feelings during the town hall event in the afternoon. “I think that it’s time to stop beating us up,” Shulkin said. “I’m disappointed there seems to be an obsession with finding our failings.”

That runs contrary to how Trump has spoken about the VA, which he has called “the most corrupt agency” and “probably the most incompetently run agency” in the government. “The constant berating that the VA is filled with unethical people is really painting a picture that is… a disservice to our veterans, because it breaks down their confidence in the system,” Shulkin said. “I worry there are people who need help but don’t come to us because they hear this narrative.”

During Shulkin’s confirmation hearing Feb. 1, Republican and Democratic senators also said they thought there were “good stories” at the VA, and that the agency was being unfairly criticized in some instances. Shulkin, who is a physician, also said Friday he would continue a practice that he started as undersecretary for health and find time to treat VA patients. On Monday, he saw patients on physician rounds in the VA’s New York Harbor Healthcare System. “I think it’s important for me to make sure I stay connected with the services we deliver,” Shulkin said during the podcast. “I get tremendous value from actually being able to take care of vets and hear from them and work with staff.”

Article from Stars and Stripes

New VA Secretary Nominated

President Elect Donald Trump announced David Shulkin as his pick for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, a position that requires Senate confirmation. Shulkin is currently the undersecretary for health at the VA, which means he runs the Veterans Health Administration. He was nominated for that position by President Obama in March 2015 and confirmed by the Senate that June.

Shulkin's official bio says he is a physician — a board-certified internist — and was the chief executive or chief medical officer of several hospitals and hospital systems. He is also an entrepreneur who founded a health care information company called DoctorQuality. Notably, he is not a veteran. As NPR's Quil Lawrence reported last month, the VA has always been headed by a veteran. "I have no doubt Dr. Shulkin will be able to lead the turnaround our Department of Veterans Affairs needs," Trump said in a statement following the announcement. "Dr. Shulkin has the experience and the vision to ensure we will meet the healthcare needs of every veteran."

Last year, NPR and several member stations jointly reported on the flaws and failures of the VA's "Veterans Choice" program, which is meant to allow veterans to find private doctors. As the head of the Veterans Health Administration, Shulkin spoke with NPR about the experiences of veterans left waiting months for treatment under the program. "When I hear stories like that, it's completely unacceptable," he told NPR: "The first responsibility that we have to our veterans is to make sure those that need urgent care are getting care on time. "This is a different VA. We've brought in people from the outside who have private sector experience. And what we're saying is that we have to do business differently. ... We know how to make this program work better."

Trump considered a series of possible VA secretaries before deciding on Shulkin — he said on Wednesday that he interviewed more than 100 candidates. Quil reported that the president-elect met with Iraq veteran Pete Hegseth, who favors privatizing VA health care, as well as former Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., who is a National Guard veteran. Just-retired Republican Rep. Jeff Miller, who was the head of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, was a Trump adviser who was also considered a candidate.

Both Politico and The Washington Post report that several possible candidates for VA secretary rejected Trump's overtures. The secretary of agriculture and chair of the Council of Economic Advisers are the only Cabinet-level positions for which Trump still has not announced his choice of nominee.

Article from NPR

Colorado Springs One Stop Veterans Center

Lost amid the clamor of the presidential election campaign trail was the recent grand opening of a help center in Colorado Springs that has already assisted 950 veterans in getting their lives on track.

As Donald Trump stumped in Colorado Springs, veterans advocates cut the ribbon on the Mount Carmel Center of Excellence on the city's west side. It bills itself as a one-stop shop for veterans in need. "We're going to keep working to expand," said Bob McLaughlin, the retired Army colonel who runs the place.

Mount Carmel, which began helping veterans this year, is something new for Colorado Springs, a city that's home to nearly 80,000 veterans and 40,000 active-duty troops. The center is a clearinghouse and landlord that brings together public and private organizations to help troops and veterans in need. The center is at 530 Communications Circle, just west of South 8th Street.

For example, a veteran who shows up at Mount Carmel's door with a spouse and kids can get behavioral health counseling, family counseling, financial counseling, job referral help, veterans benefits assistance, help with state benefits and a mentor to help with life transitions. He or she - and loved ones - can get all that help in one place and many of the services can begin that same day. "There's no wrong door," McLaughlin said. "Whoever comes to our center will get the help they need."

Getting all that help delivered means getting nonprofits to work in concert - not a small task in a city where many military-aimed charities compete for donor dollars. McLaughlin said a key component of the center's success is an agreement among the nonprofits. "Each partner agency has its own mission and goals and governance, and we must respect each other," he said. "We believe co-locating services is a benefit to our guests."

The agencies and charities have agreed to share information to ensure veterans are getting all the help they need. "They are integrating services," McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin said the philosophy of one-stop help is something he picked up at Fort Carson, where he helped construct a service center for soldiers when serving there as garrison commander. "Everything I did as a garrison commander to help soldiers and families directly translated here," he said.

Soon another concept with Army roots will start taking shape at Mount Carmel. This fall and winter, workers will remodel a nearby building that will house agencies that provide health care services for veterans. The new facility will include mental health counseling, mind and body therapy and specialists who can provide care that now requires a long wait at the Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Colorado Springs. "It is really about (addressing) mind, body and spirit," McLaughlin said.

Article from the Colorado Springs Gazette

Hillary Say's VA "Not That Broke"

Clinton's comments spark VA talk on campaign trail as Republican lawmakers are hoping to use Hillary Clinton's latest comments on problems in the Veterans Affairs Department to widen conversation on the campaign trail about recent missteps in providing care and benefits to former service members.

In an Oct. 23 TV interview, the Democratic presidential frontrunner said the issue of problems within VA "have not been as widespread as it has been made out to be," and blamed Republicans for politicizing the agency's failings.

"They try to create a downward spiral ...'Don't fund it to the extent that it needs to be funded, because we want it to fail so then we can argue for privatization,' " Clinton said on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show."

"They still want to privatize Medicare. They still want to do away with Social Security. And these are fights we've been having for 70, 80 years now," she said.

Her campaign walked back those comments a few days later, saying that significant changes are, in fact, needed within VA.

But Republicans seized on the comments as proof that Clinton is out of touch on the issues and insensitive to the challenges veterans face.

"In her blind ambition, she has injected partisanship into VA issues, and that is disgraceful," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in a conference call organized by the Republican National Committee after Clinton's interview.

"It's offensive not just to veterans, but to all Americans," McCain said.

In separate events, Republican presidential candidates Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Lindsey Graham also criticized the comments as misinformed and misguided. Officials with Concerned Veterans for America, which boasts ties to a number of Republican causes, blasted Clinton for standing in the way of real reform within VA.

The episode has created the first real veterans discussion of the 2016 presidential campaign, which thus far has focused more on personal finance and personalities than defense and after-war issues.

Clinton's main opponent in the Democratic primary, independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, has faced some criticism from veterans groups for being too lenient on VA's shortcomings, especially during his stint overseeing the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee.

And Republican candidates largely have panned current VA and administration reform efforts. Ben Carson has suggested abolishing the department, while Bush has suggested extensive reform efforts but ensuring VA operations continue.

Clinton's comments just a few weeks before Veterans Day have thrust the department's recent scandals into the middle of campaign soundbites.

Over the past two years, VA officials have had to answer for a series of problems surrounding patient wait times, poor record keeping and executive mismanagement on a host of different programs.

House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., told reporters he's happy to see those topics getting more attention, even if he vehemently disagrees with Clinton's characterizations.

"I think it's critical that this be elevated as an issue," he said. "The American people want to hear it discussed, and they want to hear solutions. We need to hear where this department needs to go, not deny the problems."

Clinton has promised to unveil a full VA reform plan next month. Outside veterans groups have pressed all the presidential candidates to do the same, noting that most of the major party hopefuls do not have veterans policy sections on their campaign sites.

Article from the Military Times.

Texas Constitutional Amendments on November 5th Ballot

A couple of these affects Veterans.  Do your civic duty and vote tomorrow! 

When Texans cast ballots for the Nov. 5 election, they will consider nine proposed constitutional amendments. And after a lottery was conducted Monday, the order in which the amendments will appear on those ballots is now in place. Each of the amendments on the November ballot have been approved by two-thirds of the House and Senate and will require majority approval from voters to take effect.

First on the ballot will be HJR 62, by state Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, which would authorize the Legislature to provide a property tax exemption for the spouses of veterans. This amendment specifically authorizes a tax exemption for all or part of the market value of the residences of spouses of military members who are killed in action.

Second will be HJR 79, by state Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, which would eliminate a requirement for a State Medical Education Board and a State Medical Education Fund. Neither is in operation, with the State Medical Education Board having been defunct for more than a quarter-century.

HJR 133, by state Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, will appear third on the ballot. The amendment would extend the tax exemption period on storing aircraft parts in the state and would provide more tax relief to aerospace manufacturers, which often hold such parts in inventory for an extended period of time.

HJR 24, by state Rep. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, will follow and authorize the Legislature to give a partial property tax exemption on charity-donated residences to disabled veterans or their surviving spouses. The amendment would strike the current requirement that qualifying residents be "100 percent" disabled.

SJR 18, by state Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, will appear fifth on the ballot and would allow homeowners age 62 or older to use reverse mortgages to purchase residences. The current law only expressly allows traditional mortgages, which lets such homeowners borrow against the equity of their homes. The amendment would allow the prospective borrower to use a Federal Housing Administration- insured home equity conversion mortgage to help buy a new home.

Next will be SJR 1, also known as the Rainy Day Fund Amendment. The amendment would create two funds to help finance key projects in the state water plan by pulling about $2 billion from the Texas Economic Stabilization Fund. Authored by state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, the amendment has been opposed by conservatives who have argued that pulling money from the Rainy Day Fund would endanger Texas' economic health.

HJR 87, by state Rep. Sergio Munoz, Jr., D-Palmview, will appear seventh on the ballot. It would authorize home-rule municipalities to choose how to fill city council vacancies if the positions have less than 12 months remaining in a three- or four-year term. The amendment would remove the requirement to hold a mandatory special election for those positions.

HJR 147, by state Rep. Bobby Guerra, D-Mission, will come next on the ballot. It would repeal a constitutional provision authorizing the creation of a hospital district in Hidalgo County.

Last on the ballot will be SJR 42, by state Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston. It would authorize the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to use additional disciplinary actions — including public admonition, warning, reprimand, or required additional training or education — against judges or justices after a hearing. The current law allows the SCJC to issue a public censure or recommend a judge's removal or retirement.