Veterans AZ

In 1995, Mario Valencia was a young airman in the United States Air Force, stationed at Dahran Airbase in in Saudi Arabia, when a massive bomb tore through the Khobar Towers barracks—killing 19 of his fellow service members. Mario survived, but the explosion followed him home in ways he never expected. PTSD. Guilt. Substance abuse. In this episode of Veterans AZ, Mario shares what it took to climb...

Veterans AZ – HonorHealth Military Partnership Program The latest episode of Veterans AZ takes us behind the scenes of an innovative training program that helps medical providers in uniform prepare for active duty military service. Since it began in 2004, HonorHealth's Military Partnership Program has trained more than 3,500 soldiers and airmen in trauma and deployment skills - critical abilities...

This episode of Veterans AZ shines a spotlight on the Arizona Veterans Mission Group, a nonprofit that provides legal assistance to veterans to help them receive the care and benefits they deserve. Join AVMG Director Anna Mineer and attorney Derek Debus to learn how they are helping veterans navigating the often complex world of VA benefits and the legal system. Learn more about the Arizona Vetera...

In this episode of Veterans AZ, we sit down with Shawn Banzhaf and Michelle Loposky who are part of the team at the Pat Tillman Veterans Center at Arizona State University. The Pat Tillman Veterans Center assists active-duty, veteran and veteran-dependent students with their military education benefits and offers programs, events, and a place where student veterans can connect with and support eac...

This episode of Veterans AZ features an interview with Margy Bons, the founder of Military Assistance Mission – an Arizona nonprofit dedicated to helping our military service members and their families. Margy founded MAM in honor of her son, Marine Corps Sgt. Michael Adam Marzano, who died in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom. MAM strives to provide financial assistance each year to 120 Arizon...

This episode of Veterans AZ focuses on a unique partnership between veterans of the United States Marine Corps, and veterans of Federal law enforcement agencies like the FBI. The Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation provides scholarships to the children of fallen United States Marines and Federal Law Enforcement Officers. Nationwide since 1995, the foundation has provided more than $90 million...

Veterans AZ - Comrades to the Corps The latest episode of Veterans AZ is a conversation with Jason Duren and Jim Pomosh - Marine combat veterans from different eras who have developed a unique friendship, recorded on location at Jason's business: Cider Corps in Mesa, Arizona. About Veterans AZ (http://VeteransAZ.org) Veterans AZ is a video series that shares the stories of Arizona veterans and foc...

This episode of Veterans AZ is a conversation with Frank Lambert – a West Point graduate who went on to serve with the 1st Air Cavalry Division in Vietnam. In March 2022, Frank was honored with the Veterans Heritage Project’s Storyteller Award, which recognizes a veterans willingness to share their story with others – something Frank Lambert has done many times over the past decade. Thank you to t...

The second season of Veterans AZ features two interviews with people contributing to Arizona's veterans legacy. First we meet Nikki Stratton, granddaughter of USS Arizona survivor Donald Stratton. Nikki shares the story of her grandfather's harrowing escape from his burning ship on Dec. 7, 1941, and how he defied the odds to recover from his wounds and get back into the fight before the war's end....

In this episode of Veterans AZ, we commemorate Veterans Day - we honor and thank United States veterans around Arizona and across the world. Saying "thank you for your service" is a kind gesture that many offer when meeting a veteran. In this episode, we meet Arizonans who are putting incredibly meaningful actions behind those words -- truly supporting veterans in our community who need it the mos...

When a loved one serves in uniform, members of their family almost always shoulder part of that burden. Whether it's a spouse raising a family alone while a servicemember is deployed, or the mothers and fathers who carry worry and fear while a son or daughter goes into harm's way. In these ways, military service is very much a family affair. In this episode of Veterans AZ, we honor Gold Star Famil...

This episode of Veterans AZ is dedicated to Korean War veterans - the 5.7 million who served, nearly 37,000 who gave their lives, and nearly 8,000 whose fate in the Korean War remains unknown. We meet three Arizonans, each with a unique connection to the Korean War: a United States Marine who served in Korea; a Korean-American who has found new purpose in thanking the brave service members who fou...

Service in the military demands full commitment of mind and body. And that service can take a toll, especially for the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who go into combat on behalf of our nation. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD - is an all too common side effect of military service, particularly for our combat veterans. June is National PTSD Awareness Month – an effort to shine a light...

“All gave some, some gave all” -- the latest episode of Veterans AZ is dedicated to those service members who lost their lives in the line of duty. We remember them on Memorial Day and should remember them always.  This episode features an interview with Maj. Jim Geiser, USMC (Ret.), a longtime Scottsdale resident and Vietnam veteran who has dedicated his post service life to honoring the Fal...

The first episode of Veterans AZ launched on a very special day: March 29 is National Vietnam War Veterans Day, established in 2012 as the one day each year that we specifically honor and thank veterans who served in the longest conflict in U.S. History. Vietnam veterans comprise the largest living group of veterans in the nation, men and women who sacrificed and served with honor, but rarely rece...