Thank a Veteran

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As Memorial Day approaches, please be sure to thank a veteran for their service. I am always touched when someone thanks me for my service, and it happens more often than not. People are genuinely appreciative of our military (what a shift that is from what older veterans had to put up with). I’m honored to have served, seeing it as a great experience, not a hardship. Others were not as lucky, and I recognize their sacrifice. I feel the military did more for me than I did for it, so I feel uncomfortable when people thank me, but I think it’s important that all Americans recognize their military and take ownership of it.

Veterans Tell Their Story

During my first duty assignment, I had a stalker. It was a terrifying experience at the time, but a number of years removed, I was able to write my story in fiction format. Only this time, I caught the bad guy! It is a healing process. Blue Dragon Publishing, LLC is obviously veteran friendly. We encourage veterans to tell their story, and we will help them through the publishing process.

If you know a veteran with a story, encourage them to submit a query letter through the Blue Dragon website. https://blue-dragon-publishing.com/query-letter/

Virginia Veterans

Last week I attended the Virginia Women’s Veterans summit in Hampton, Virginia. It was energizing and exciting to be around 1,200 women vets with different stories yet similar experiences as I had during my 28-year Air Force career. As a writer, I love stories. I was inspired to hear where these ladies came from and what they have made of their lives. I was also pleased to learn of all the programs Virginia offers their veterans.

Virginia has 104,000 women veterans and is fourth in the nation for numbers of women vets. Hampton Roads has more vets per capita than anywhere in the US. As you can imagine, Virginia is very military-friendly.

Virginia Veterans Services will help individuals with interview preparation, resume writing, training, referrals, and career counseling—all for free (www.vawc.virginia.gov). Hampton Roads offers a free website to streamline the job seeker and employer recruitment process (www.HRVETSWORK.org).

When I separated from the Air Force in 2016, I went through the Transition Assistance Program (TAP). It was a great benefit that taught resume writing, interview skills, translation of military to civilian speak, and dress for success. Hampton Roads offers an “After TAP” class. Focusing on connecting individuals with companies looking to hire veterans, After TAP provides tools needed to be successful in a job search.

Not only are all these services offered to the veterans, they are also open to spouses as well.

Please help spread the word to other veterans you know. They need to check out these free services and to thank the state of Virginia for all it has to offer.