Bill reached out to me on Facebook Messenger about coming on Oscar Mike Radio. He asked me if I would come out and talk to him at his headquarters in Worcester, MA. I headed up on cold morning in February and found the office pretty easily.
I met Bill and said introduced myself. The first thing that stood out were all the coats and toys in his office. He explained that they were a donation from UNUM Insurance Company https://www.unum.com/ and would be given to children of Veterans in need.
Bill got a laugh out of me with some good natured ribbing about me being a Marine. I had learned about Bill’s Air Force Career and gained a massive amount of respect for what he did when he served.
We moved the conversation to how Bill got Project New Hope off the ground. There is this desire that Bill has to serve and be of service. Meeting the other volunteers who popped in and out to work the mission was one of the highlights of the day.
There is also a Project New Hope Office in Westfield, MA. By car is it 60 miles one way to Westfield. That is a lot of ground to cover for any non profit organization. Bill and his team are committed to Veterans and I was glad to make the trip to meet everyone. A big shout out to BOSE for supplying headphones to troops. Thanks for my pair Bill, they sounded great!
I was doing a livecast at Veteran Owned Veteran Operated in Abington, MA. Jonathan Gosselin asked me to talk about South Shore Veterans Assistance during the livecast. SSVA is a local group from the South Shore area of Massachusetts who support Veterans. Many of these individuals are civilians.
Jonathan said it would be a good idea to reach out to SSVA Inc. after the livecast to learn more about the good work they are doing. It is also a good idea if you need custom screen printing or promotional materials to go to VOVO Inc on 1540 Bedford Street in Abington. Check out Jonathan’s website – https://vovoprints.com/ to learn more.
So I got on Facebook and sent a message on the South Shore Veterans Assistance Page – https://www.facebook.com/SouthShoreVeteransAssistance/ and Cindy got right back me. SSVA would be putting together gift bags for Veterans that Monday night, would I come down and check it out?
Whitman VFW Post 697 is located about 40 minutes south of Boston, depending on traffic:) The VFW has several events and a friendly bar. Walking into the room, there crew was already in motion assembling the gift bags. Cindy introduced me to me to Dave Andrews who is the treasurer for SSVA. Since SSVA is a registered 501c3, they are creative in how the advocate veterans. Dave told me that the majority of the members of SSVA are civilians. A civilian himself, Dave came from a military family wanted to serve Veterans in a meaningful way. You can watch my conversation with Dave here – Facebook Livestream with Dave Andrews of SSVA .
I wanted to leave you with this. You can make change right where you if look hard enough. SSVA has been doing this for many years, and is always looking for help. Can’t wait to come back and find out more. Thanks for all you do, Merry Christmas!
This is the amazing crew that put together the gift bags for Veterans
125 – Army Veteran Becky Tough – Essential Oils & Toxin Free Living
I am always looking to learn how to live better. Most interesting are ways to introduce natural products into my daily life. Becky Tough served in the Army as a Medic. She told me what her favorite thing do in the Army was, and I got real nervous. Good thing she switched to wellness and healthy living, whew!
Becky has studied, researched and now uses essential oils as part of her journey toward complete wellness. Essential oils have been used for thousands of years, and more and more people use these oils in their daily lives.
Like others I have had on Oscar Mike Radio, Becky had to re-invent herself after separating from active duty service. As time and life went on she discovered that wellness for herself and family was a calling for her.
She started working with Young Living Products. You can find out more by going to her Facebook Page – Becky and Jim’s Young Living Essential Oils – These are high quality oils with all natural ingredients. Becky sent me a goody bag of samples and I am going to give this a go. If I can feel better with some of this stuff, why not?
The second mission focus for Becky is what she calls, “Toxin-Free Living“. This is where she can tell you how to reduce or altogether eliminate cleaning products that have harsh chemicals in the ingredients. I had an eye brow raised, I am not going to kid around with this. I still remember Gunny’s saying about Simple Green. “If it doesn’t smell green, then it is not clean Marine!” Those words will echo every time I clean my house. These products are all natural and it makes sense to try and switch.
As we talked, it became clear that this was not all about the money for Becky. She really wants you to consider using these products so you can have a better, healthier life. Again go to Becky’s Facebook Page to find out more: https://www.facebook.com/Toughwellness . I love it when Veterans make something different out of themselves, that still allows them to serve, but also enrich their own life. Keep being Tough Becky!
How was the 22Kill Boston Casino night? I had a lot of fun getting to see familiar faces and meet new people. 22 Kill was at the Emerald Club in Abington, MA doing a fundraiser.
I am hoping that 22Kill Boston does more events. The whole tribe concept is very appealing to me. A group of people who are bound together is a powerful force.
Speaking of people, a listener was at the event and it was good talking about their story. They may be coming on the Oscar Mike Radio very soon. It is important to socialize and connect with each other. It is the only way to cover each other’s 6.
I got the book Eye Deep in Hell from a friend of mine. Again, I thought I had a pretty good idea about how World War One was fought. To my disappointment I discovered again that my knowledge was elementary at best. John Ellis takes the reader through everything about Trench Warfare.
There is no whitewashing of the situation in this book. John lays out the history and methodology behind trench warfare. He then goes into the soldier’s lives doing this kind of warfare. I thought I had hard times serving in the desert, but nothing I experienced comes close to what these men did.
Lice, rats and standing twelve hours or more in icy waist deep mud was all in a normal day for the Doughboys. More men were injured from gangrene than anything else. It was a war of attrition that ground soldiers on all sides into nothing. This was a difficult book to read. However, it is just the kind of book that we all should read, especially high and college kids. You can get Eye Deep in Hell from Amazon for $25.00. I consider this a must read. Like I have said before, I could a year of podcasts on World War One and not even scratch the surface. I hope you enjoyed these. I learned just how little I know. OMR out.
My podcast is targeted for 30 minutes air time. Some people are asking for 60 minutes. That raises all kinds of questions, and I would like to know what you think.
Episode 115 – In Memory of John Gollner, Veteran X
Like I said this is a different kind of podcast. On September 29th, I got word that a Marine I served with had passed. I couldn’t believe it. I was riding motorcycle when I got a Facebook Message from one of the Corporals I served under.
In the message was a picture of John Gollner. I served with and under him Charlie Battery, Second Platoon. I sat beside my motorcycle for a while and could not do anything. Disbelief set in and I started making phone calls and reaching to others to get confirmation on a situation I could not fathom.
As I talked with others about his passing I wanted to do something to make sure he was not forgotten. I received permission from his father to do this podcast. John and I tried several times to sync up to have him on Oscar Mike Radio. He had started Veteran X and I wanted to find out more, but we could never make it happen. Schedules and time zones make for their own challenges…… I wish I could say otherwise.
I hope this will provide John’s family, friends and fellow Marines some sort of comfort. The most valuable thing we have in life is each other. Semper Fidelis John, I can hear you singing our anthem now.
Please go to the Veteran X Facebook Page and check out what John was doing. (Veteran X Facebook Page) . My view on Veteran X is some of us are Veterans. We have either given all or are prepared to do so. Hence, Some Gave All. X is anyone us at anytime can be a force for those in need. John ran his talk and it is a regret I will carry with me for a long time that we could not sync up to have him talk more about what he was doing.
I am always looking to learn how to live better. Most interesting are ways to introduce natural products into my daily life. Becky Tough served in the Army as a Medic. She told me what her favorite thing do in the Army was, and I got real nervous. Good thing she switched to wellness and healthy living, whew!
How was the 22Kill Boston Casino night? I had a lot of fun getting to see familiar faces and meet new people. 22 Kill was at the Emerald Club in Abington, MA doing a fundraiser.
I got the book Eye Deep in Hell from a friend of mine. Again, I thought I had a pretty good idea about how World War One was fought. To my disappointment I discovered again that my knowledge was elementary at best. John Ellis takes the reader through everything about Trench Warfare.
Like I said this is a different kind of podcast. On September 29th, I got word that a Marine I served with had passed. I couldn’t believe it. I was riding motorcycle when I got a Facebook Message from one of the Corporals I served under.
