Life as a Summer Associate

My internship at ServiceNation has been an experience that has encouraged professional and personal growth and development. The work I have done as a summer associate has enabled me to learn about the veteran population, their needs and expectations from their local communities, and what type of legislation needs to be passed to help reintegrate them into the civilian world. As a social work major, it is important for me to familiarize myself with a diverse spectrum of populations that are in need of advocacy in order to provide optimal services when I begin working in my field.

Sen. John Hoeven

Sen. Hank Johnson

Through ServiceNation I have had the opportunity to attend two events this summer which helped me understand what challenges veterans face when returning home from both Iraq and/or Afghanistan. The first event was the Visible Honor for Invisible Wounds, held to commemorate the third annual National Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day. The event was set-up to help citizens understand the true nature of PTSD which will help remove the stigma that still surrounds this type of injury. It was inspiring to hear Senator Hank Johnson and freshman Senator John Hoeven discuss their commitment to pursuing legislation that will open the discussion about treatment for veterans who suffer from Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs). I was moved to hear Sergeant Major Ray Chandler discuss his PTSD, even as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Army's Chief of Staff. He talked about his deployments and how injuries from IEDs and other explosive devices caused his TBI, which lead to his PTSD. He explained how the Army's Chief of Staff appointed him as the best candidate because of how he sought out help with his PTSD and how he advocated for other members of the military to seek out help to deal with their PTSD injuries. Other speakers included a 10 year old girl who almost lost her father to suicide because he never got treatment for his TBI and PTSD, and an 88 year old World War II veteran who spoke about the psychological strains of war and how the discussion of mental health was seen as a weakness in his era. 

Sergeant Major Raymond Chandler

The Visible Honor for Invisible Wounds event was held in Upper Senate Park on Capitol Hill. Although the day was extremely hot, several supporters were in attendance. I felt very patriotic as we stood for the national anthem and the presentation of the flag. I left that event with a new perception of how PTSD affected not just the military but family members, government officials and society as a whole. From the research I have conducted through my organization, I have found that only a small percentage of veterans actually experience PTSD, and more surprisingly is the fact that so many civilians actually suffer from the disorder without their realization. Grievances, car accidents, bad grades on papers, mid-term or final, sudden loss of income, even witnessing something horrific can cause the average citizen slight to mild PTSD. This summer I have learned that veterans don't expect a handout, they expect to be transitioned back into the civilian population with ease and the confidence that we appreciate their education, talents and skills that they have acquired from serving this nation.

The second event took place at George Washington University and I had the opportunity to actually be a part of (when I say "be a part" I mean, work the registration table) the Pat Tillman Foundation Gala which recognized the Pat Tillman Scholars as well as unveiled the Education Pillar of the Got Your 6 campaign. So, let me explain what I just said so that you have a clue what I am talking about. Got Your 6 is an initiative of ServiceNation. I have done a ton of work with my hiring manager, who happens to be the Military-Civilian Director of the Got Your 6 campaign. "Got Your 6" is military lingo meaning "I got your back." To illustrate, if you were the hands on at a standard clock that is sitting on a table, 12 o'clock would be ahead of you and 6 o'clock would be behind you. It's like when someone says, "check out that person over there at 3 o'clock" and you look directly to your right. So, Got Your 6 means "I got your back," on the battlefield.

The Got Your 6 campaign works to help organizations who provide services to veterans collaborate in an effort to provide a veteran with an array of services. The "6" also stands for the 6 pillars of Reintegration for veterans which are Education, Employment, Health, Housing, Leadership and Family.  Essentially we are saying "We got your back with Education, Employment, Health, etc." This event was to introduce the Pat Tillman Foundation as an Activating Partner for the Education Pillar. Briefly, the Pat Tillman organization was set up by veterans to honor those veterans who have become stellar students. The organization provides scholarships to those veterans as well as networking opportunities which give them an advantage in the job market.

The event was very enlightening. The speakers were all leaders in the non-profit world, military and academia. It was excellent to see the support that the student veterans have and their professional candor helped me to recognize them as more than just veterans, but as outstanding individuals who served our country and still continue to excel in their education. It's funny because although I know that it is an honor to be here as a Glenn Fellow, it is very humbling to have my "peers" from other institutions who have walked the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan come up to me and thank me for my advocacy. The whole time I wanted to be like "stop it, I am doing NOTHING compared to what you have done," but I was reminded by my boss, Chris Marvin who served and was wounded in a helicopter crash in Iraq, that it takes the passion of educated civilians like myself to advocate for veterans and other disparate populations. Because of his words, I felt as though I was part of a movement during the Pat Tillman event.

Chris Marvin, My Boss