GallantFew

“from a grateful nation, to a gallant few”

“…the military does an excellent job of keeping troops alive during combat – but not so well at keeping them healthy afterward.”

A mother talking about her son who committed suicide after returning home from multiple combat deployments (New York Times Nov 25, 2009)

Agenda

• Problems• A possible solution• Severance• Reintegration?• What if…• GallantFew Vision• Implementation• Rangers

Army internal studies suggest 20% of soldiers deployed to Iraq were experiencing symptoms of PTSD

•Nightmares•Insomnia•Rapid breathingthese symptoms increased significantly with multiple deployments

the cost of treating the hundreds of thousands of soldiers suffering from them will eventually cost more than the war itself.

BUT in the army, mental illness = weaknessLosing a leg, legitimate. Losing a mind?One battalion commander’s comment mirrors the infantry’s preferred diagnosis:

“He’s just a (wussy)”.

A Soldier is taught to buck up and bear the load, whatever the cost. We need to ask ourselves, “how does a soldier heal his broken mind or tarnished spirit?

In the book The Good Soldiers, David Finkel – tells the story of a US Army Infantry battalion in the midst of the surge in Iraq:

• Racing hearts• Depression• Obsessive suicidal thoughts

Can you say UNFUNDED MANDATE?

Unemployment

• Veteran unemployment rate now nearly 21%• Up from 17% in September• One million unemployed veterans

Data from the Army Times, December 2009

Suicide

• Traditionally, Army and USMC suicide rates are significantly lower than civilian

• Army and USMC both matched civilian rates first time ever in 2009

• Active duty suicides exceeded combat deaths in Iraq or Afghanistan 2009

• VA reports suicide increases in veterans aged 20-25 in their care

Data from the Army Times, December 2009

Insured with Blood

Are we doing everything we can to provide those who have volunteered their lives to insure our safety with a smooth, peaceful and successful transition from military service to civilian life?

Severance = Chasm

• Departure from the military = severance– Professional– Social– Emotional– Physical

• Onsite Transition Assistance Offices are ineffective• The VA is NOT interested in recruiting more “workload”• Those enrolling in the VA face waits of months

There is no bridge that spans the service to civilian chasm

Reintegration?

• Today’s soldier = most highly trained, capable, disciplined soldier in history

• Asset to any company IF in the right position• Unable to “fit”– They don’t understand

• Unable to “translate”– How do my skills equate to this company?

• Unable to “identify”– Total respect versus total disrespect– You military types have no initiative, just follow orders

What if…

• During transition, the soldier:– Was coached by a veteran/mentor– Was welcomed home by a veteran/mentor who

has been there/done that too– Was introduced to a social network of veterans– Was introduced to a professional network– Received assistance in home modifications and

other physical help

GallantFew Vision• Establish a non-profit that enrolls veterans at time of severance

into a voluntary, no-cost network that provides:– Social networking

• Keep in touch with fellow veterans• Meet fellow veterans in home community

– Professional networking• Targeted introductions• Real resume coaching

– Emotional support• Counseling• Support groups

– Physical support• Association of General Contractors• National Home Builders and Remodelers

Implementation

• Identify a small, manageable unit• Build a nationwide network of veterans• Secure external support• Screen, hire and train support staff• Measure key rates of unemployment and

suicide against the general population• Expand to more military veterans

Rangers

• 1974 Abrahm’s Charter – hooah?• The 75th Ranger Regiment has about 3000 Rangers• Since Oct 2001, constant combat rotations – many three

year tours involve six or more combat rotations• Most intense unit of this size – highest casualty rates both

in combat and training• Supreme dedication, esprit de corps• GallantFew founder is a Ranger veteran• Regiment is willing to participate with GallantFew

Wanna be a Ranger?

What’s Next?

• Rangers never leave a fallen comrade.• Mentoring works. The founder is living proof.• The Ranger network exists now.• 501c3 formation documents are pending• Britt Brown, WWII/Korea vet founding supporter• Pledge: In honor of the 75th Regiment, DriPowder has

pledged 7.5% of gross be set aside to fuel GallantFew. • Our mutual success is GallantFew success. Literally,

thousands of lives and hundreds of communities across the USA will benefit. How’s that for motivation?

In the book The Good Soldiers, David Finkel – tells the story of a US Army Infantry battalion in the midst of the surge in Iraq:

“There had been internal studies suggesting that 20% of soldiers deployed to Iraq were experiencing symptoms of PTSD ranging from nightmares, to insomnia, to rapid breathing, to racing hearts, to depression, to obsessive thoughts about suicide. They also suggested that those symptoms increased significantly with multiple deployments and that the cost of treating the hundreds of thousands of soldiers suffering from them would eventually cost more than the war itself.Every study that had been done indicated the seriousness of this, and yet in the culture of the army, where mental illness has long been equated with weakness, there remained a lingering suspicion of any diagnosis for which there wasn’t visible evidence…Losing a leg couldn’t be faked…legitimate injury. But to lose a mind?...as reports of soldiers supposedly having problems …(reached the battalion commander), he continued to reduce some of those reports to the infantry’s historically preferred diagnosis: ‘He’s just a p***y.’”A Soldier is taught to buck up and bear the load, whatever the cost. We need to ask ourselves, “how does a soldier heal his broken mind or tarnished spirit?