VETERAN'S VOICE — St. Cloud’s Operation Vet First Foundation receives national grant

Operation Vet First, which seeks to construct a Tiny Home Community for homeless vets and first responders in Osceola County, received a $ 5,000 grant from the Washington, D.C., based American Land Title Association (ALTA) Good Deeds Foundation to help fund that effort. Operation Vet First was a driving force in hosting the first annual Because of the Brave Festival, in St. Cloud last August, which also included several other veteran service not-for-profits and veteran-owned businesses. Operation Vet First also provides low to no-cost repairs for those vets and first responders in need More at https://bit.ly/45b3gOd

Military/Veteran quality of life survey. Every two years, the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN) fields the Military Family Support Programming Survey. This national study provides a comprehensive look into the support needs of military-connected families. The results help capture what matters most to our nation’s military and Veterans. While the survey does not require any personal information other than a zip code, it is very long and detailed. If you are feeling generous with your time, take the survey at https://bit.ly/40gJ6Rr

Helping your fellow vets, yourself, and all humankind! The Million Veteran Program (MVP) has been around for a number of years now and has really begun to show some results. The program references your DNA along with your medical treatment at the VA to look for trends and patterns to assist medical researchers worldwide. Currently, they are 25,000 people short of their ambitious goal of a million participants. The study has made significant contributions to detection and treatment in the areas of cancer, heart, kidney, and Parkinson’s diseases, diabetes and those old military favorites, PTSD, and hearing loss. If you are interested in participating, see www.mvp.va.gov.

Five military skills you should share with potential employers. Unless you had a military occupation that directly corresponds with a civilian field, for example medical, electrician, etc., many veterans find it difficult to translate their experience and skills obtained in the military into terms civilian employers can understand. Here are five skills that any employer wants to see: teamwork; problem-solving; diversity; innovation; and resilience. This article from the VA outlines how to discuss these skills in detail. https://bit.ly/45Ppc12

Beirut Bombing 40th Anniversary. Oct. 23 marked 40 years since the terrorist suicide bombing on the Marine barracks in Lebanon killed 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and three soldiers serving on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in 1983. Many feel this was the opening act of the U.S. involvement in the Middle East that included aiding the Afghan mujahedeen (now Taliban) against a Soviet invasion, Desert Storm, and several devastating attacks on U.S forces in the region that culminated on Sept. 11, 2001 and 20 years of war after. At the time of writing this, 900 U.S. service members are deploying from the U.S. to the Middle East in the wake of the Palestinian terror campaign launched against Israel earlier in October, and attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria.