Eye on Veterans

Now that the law establishes a service connection for 23+ health conditions, we asked VA Press Secretary, Terrence Hayes, “What do veterans need to do next?” Hayes is more than just a senior VA spokesperson. He spent over a year in Iraq and truly understands how toxic exposures have hurt veterans over the last two decades. In this interview, we discussed: Precisely which health conditions are now...

On Wednesday August 10, President Biden signed “The PACT Act” into law. The signature took only minutes but the effort to secure health care and monetary benefits for vets dying from toxic exposures was a fight that took decades. A few hours after the White House ceremony, we sat down with one of the fiercest veteran fighters, Marine Corps combat vet, and leader of Grunt Style T-Shirts and apparel...

Marine Corps veteran Jason Walters went from homeless to hi-tech executive. After enduring some painful life events, he fought to find a way into the growing software and IT field and became the founder of the global IT and cloud services company Cloud Warriors.  Walters describes how he lived in his car behind a YMCA, to save enough money to get an apartment. Later he would land his first job in...

Iraq war vet and former TX State trooper LeRoy Torres lost his job after developing a debilitating lung disease caused by the toxic burn pits in Iraq. His wife Rosie is a fighter and after founding Burn Pits 360, they battled VA, Doctors, and Congress and eventually won a landmark decision from the US Supreme Court. In this interview, we’ll hear the whole story; how they’re on the verge of Congres...

Off-the-beaten-path historical sites and great veteran-owned breweries! Navy veteran, historian, and beer lover Michael Embrich shares some excellent travel advice in his book "March On! A Veterans Travel Guide". This book is definitely something you'll like using to help to plan your next summer road trip. Get a copy here: https://www.amazon.com/March-Veterans-Travel-Michael-Embrich/dp/1737489309

Can drug/alcohol addiction or PTSD be cured at the beach? Army vet and Primary Therapist Tamara Evans discusses Transformations Treatment Center in Delray Beach, Fl., and their program “Help for Our Heroes”. It’s designed to help vets, cops, firefighters, and nurses defeat the demons beneath their drinking, drugs and PTSD. Hear how this program uses way more than just traditional talk-based therap...

In this era of smack-talk politics, and a media environment that stokes hate and fear ... how can we trust anything in politics? Or that our elections are actually functioning right? That's where "Vet The Vote" comes in. We talked with Ellen Gustafson, VTV Executive Director and US Army (Ret.) General George Casey, former Joint Chiefs of Staff and now a northern Virginia election volunteer, about...

Tim Kennedy is an elite Green Beret veteran who survived brutal combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. But he’s likely best known as a former UFC Champ and Mixed Martial Arts master. In his new book “Scars and Stripes: An unapologetically American story of fighting UFC Warriors, the Taliban, and Myself” he documents his life. But it’s not your typical warfighter motivation book- he shares his mistakes, t...

Mass shootings have become a tragic part of life in America. Beyond the prayers and politics, one veteran is dedicated to helping make schools safer. Marine Corps combat veteran Jake Edwards, served in Fallujah, Iraq, and is now teaching a system he developed called LEAD Tactics. In this episode, we look at his detailed and customized approach for schools and students of all ages, plus we discuss...

Last year 100K Americans died from a drug overdose. Several years ago, (Ret.) Navy Admiral and former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Sandy Winnefeld’s son overdosed and died while in college.  Adm. Winnefeld and his wife Mary directed their grief toward finding solutions to this epidemic. They founded the SAFE Project and together with Navy veteran and CEO Jeff Horwitz they are showin...

Memories, Merica, and good music! We talk Memorial Day Weekend with Michelle Black, Goldstar widow of Green Beret SSgt Bryan Black, Navy SEAL Team 6 veteran Rob O'Neill and Nashville country singer, Marine Corps combat vet Sal Gonzalez.

Life is too short for bad beer, and this Summer craft brewers are not just making good IPAs, they're making a difference. The national nonprofit Soldiers’ Angels is inviting professional craft breweries of all sizes to brew a custom recipe, "Homefront IPA™" as a fun and unique way to raise funds and honor U.S. service members, veterans, and their families. We talked about it with the initiative's...

Supply Chain issues can be bad news for the delivery of online shopping orders, but it also highlights the explosive growth in the trucking and transportation industry. Marine Corps vet Kevin Clark, SVP Cox Automotive Fleet Mobility Services, shares how he’s looking to train and fully equip military veteran mechanics for incredible careers right now. To learn more about killer opportunities with C...

Is the cure for PTSD, and other mental health issues like depression, all around us ... and we don’t even utilize it? This week we look another example of how Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is successfully treating PTSD in veterans. We hear the story of Retired Army Colonel Andy Smith. We examine Colonel Smith’s life experiences and the treatment he received from Dr. Mohammed Elamir, Director of Aviv C...

At times, life had been a bad trip for Marine Corps veteran Brandon Sparks. After experiencing service-connected trauma, his life began to crash. From depression to addiction and from suicide to homelessness he thought it might be hopeless. But a chance encounter with a group promoting psilocybin therapy changed his life ... and as Sparks will tell you, "without micro-dosing ... I would not be her...

Though Robin C Fortner may not be as loud as she was at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC, her message is just as powerful. Hear how she helped change the game for women in the military. And we discuss the message she delivers to corporate America as a speaker, trainer, and founder of RC Fortner Enterprises. See more about Robin C Fortner here https://rcfortner.com/

When Laurie Sayles, founder of Civility Management Solutions joined the Marine Corps she probably never thought it was the path to becoming a CEO. In our interview, she shares how she went from the military to becoming a government contractor, and how her logistics and supply skills help her effectively manage multi-million dollar government contracts. Read more about Civility Management Solutions...

Way more than just a resume builder, Hire Heroes USA places thousands of veterans in great careers every year. We hear more about what they offer from Nadine Bullock-Pottinga, Chief Development Officer at Hire Heroes USA.  For more info click here Hire Heroes USA Got a good story? Email phil@connectingvets.com     Follow Eye on Veterans Host on Twitter @philbriggsVet And for more veteran and milit...

Feel like you missed out because you don't have a computer science degree? Don't worry! Revature is a company ready to help veterans get high-paying jobs in technology, and they’re offering this opportunity to ALL vets, even those without a computer software background. Army infantry veteran and Revature Recruiter, Jim Chitwood explains how they "train and deploy" vets for jobs with major corporat...

Vets dreaming of being an entrepreneur can get free help building a small business that succeeds. Army veteran Joe Giordano shares how Project Opportunity has helped veterans build multi-million-dollar companies. And why vets do extremely well as small business owners. Check out Project Opportunity Got a good story? Email phil@connectingvets.com   Follow Eye on Veterans Host on Twitter @philbriggs...

Wendy Lang is the founder of Operation College Promise, a national policy, research, and education program and she explains what veterans need to look for when selecting a college or university. In 2009, she developed and published the nation’s first resource manual for veterans’ service providers in the Post-9/11 era. The OCP Field Guide provides a blueprint for local, state, and national support...

Marine Corps veteran Derek Abbey is a rare breed. He went from flying jets to Spec Ops, and now he leads teams on a quest to find and repatriate Americans missing in action since World War II. Hear his incredible story and how Project Recover is using 21st-century science and technology to bring joy and pride to veteran families. See Project Recover https://www.projectrecover.org/ Got a story? Rea...

Plagued by "inept policy" USMC Col. (Ret.) Andy Milburn says US military aid to Ukraine is not getting to the front lines. Milburn, a former Marine Corps Special Operations (MARSOC) Regiment commander and is now in Kyiv assisting Ukrainian forces. His non-profit The Mozart Group is seeking donations to keep his team of Spec Ops veterans on the ground and assisting the Ukrainian military to defeat...

The documentary film “From Outlaws to In-laws: The Heroes Harvest Story” shows how Northern California’s notorious cannabis-growing country is now helping veterans by providing them free medical marijuana. We talk with filmmaker Matt Grimshaw and MedVets founder Jake Lawrence. Watch the film "From Outlaws to Inlaws: The Heroes Harvest Story" on YouTube https://youtu.be/iffjoBZ_11c Follow CBS Eye o...

Air Force vet Keith McGee survived a violent attack and recovered from a Traumatic Brain Injury. But that couldn't stop him from going after his dream of being a NASCAR driver. Now he's the first-ever disabled vet to compete in NASCAR national series events. We talked with Keith about going from go-carts to the fast track, his recovery, a gold medal family, and a cryptocurrency mistake that almost...