The article was about Scott Lobaido. He is an artist, and his mission to raise awareness and advocacy for PTSD. I liked that an artist wanted to do this. Since it was in Weymouth, MA there was no reason not to go.
I went the first night and talked briefly with Scott and Secretary of Veterans Services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Francisco Urena. Scott asked me to come back the following night to talk with him more.
Talk with people and Scott
The next night was windy in a way that made recording any audio a real test. There was a guy on a Harley – Davidson Sportster named Anthony. He told me that the VA could have done more for his brother.
I never realized what it does to mother to have her child serve. Conversations like I had with Jacquelyn make me stop and consider the cost of PTSD. It is not the soldier who bears this alone. Family can be asked to pay a heavy price as well.
Scott was gracious to give me some time, and we talked about his work. His art is about conveying a feeling of pride in being an American and loving our great nation. You need to go to his website (http://scottlobaido.com/gallery/) and check out his work. Which piece is your favorite?
The last person I spoke with was Conor Sullivan. Conor is an Air Force Veteran. 19 months ago he got a heart transplant. Two weeks ago, he ran the Boston Marathon. Aim High indeed, well done Brother. Conor is a member of the Veterans Brotherhood Motorcycle Club. It was good seeing these guys at the exhibit.
Scott proves that anyone can do any thing to make change where they are. I won’t look at artists the same way ever again. Thanks Scott.
Scott brings his vision to light allowing us to understand the scope of loss.
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
Jim Tough came on Oscar Mike Radio for Episode 95. ( Oscar Mike Radio Episode 95 – Jim Tough ) Jim has done over 8000 pushups to raise awareness for veteran’s suicide and PTSD.
Go to Jim’s YouTube Channel ( That Push Up Guy Tough ) and check out the 160+ videos he has posted. It isn’t just about the pushups. Jim takes 7-10 minutes to give his thoughts on things that he has experienced and how to “Stay in your Fight”.
I wanted to talk with Jim about finding ways to be grateful. Even when staring into the abyss, I got common theme of hope when I watched the videos. I wanted to find out how to hold onto hope when life’s has one pinned down in a crossfire. I got a lesson Tough Style!
Jim wasn’t done though, as a bonus, I got to talk with Mrs. Tough. Becky has had a tremendous positive effect on Jim’s life, and he can’t say enough good things about her. She does work in wellness and introduced Jim to essential oils ( Seed to Seal Website ). Becky is going to come back on for a full episode talk with me about wellness, essential oils and reducing contact with chemicals. She is telling me I can do this by throwing out my Windex and PineSol and switching to other products. Wow!!! I could not believe it. My Gunny in the Marine Corps certainly would not believe it. I can’t wait to hear more.
This Thanksgiving think of all the things you have going for you. Everyone celebrates Thanksgiving differently, but we can all get a little Tough.
Have you heard about the Sailor who performs in drag on the USS Ronald Regan? Read the Navy Times Article about Joshua Kelley (Navy Times Article about Harpy Daniels). This administrative supervisor pushes paperwork by day and performs in drag at night.
Not sure what I think about this. Certainly things have changed since I was in the Marine Corps. I really didn’t know what to say. I am not sure what is going on. On one hand it seems kind of odd, but on the other hand he isn’t hurting anyone so more power to him.
The Word
I talked in Episode 48 (Reality Loser) about how Reality Winner(Her real name) gave classified information out to c to the online news outlet Intercept. She got sentenced to prison for 5 years and 3 years supervision.
Some people think that Reality was punished too harshly. I don’t think so. There was a time in this country that if someone gave up classified information they would look at death by firing squad.
I don’t feel sorry for her situation and you shouldn’t either. It is all fun and games until she gives away someone’s cover or a unit’s movements. The reality is, she is not a winner.
Upcoming Event
Looking forward to the 22Kill Boston Casino Night. Click here for the Facebook Page Event – (22Kill Boston Casino Night Facebook Page). Yours truly will be there.
I saw a story about a Navy Veteran who was exonerated after going AWOL (Absent Without Leave). Heath Phillips went AWOL because after 49 times of going to his command he still did not get the help he needed. Heath was being sexually assaulted and only by going AWOL was he able to escape this hell. I talked about this story after reading about this in Episode 96 – 49 X. Almost 30 years later, Heath’s discharge status was upgraded to honorable.
It was a complete surprise when Heath and others reached out to me on Twitter about the podcast. We began to talk about his story and what he is doing now. I asked him to come on OMR and he agreed. We did not focus much on what happened, but about how big the problem is and what can be done about it.
One of the things I got out of talking with Heath is that holding in sexual trauma is never a good idea. Also things have changed in the military where what happened to Heath should not happen to anyone else. I say should because there is always a chance that servicemember’s command will not do the right thing. However, there are resources to help:
We also talked about how parents and friends can help someone who has experienced military sexual trauma. Just being there for that person and letting them know that you love and care about them is probably the single biggest thing a person can do to help.
There is progress being made, but it is going to require continued vigilance and being proactive to make sure that someone never experiences what Heath had to do through.
Have you heard about the Sailor who performs in drag on the USS Ronald Regan? Read the Navy Times Article about Joshua Kelley (
I talked in Episode 48 (
I saw a story about a Navy Veteran who was exonerated after going AWOL (Absent Without Leave). Heath Phillips went AWOL because after 49 times of going to his command he still did not get the help he needed. Heath was being sexually assaulted and only by going AWOL was he able to escape this hell. I talked about this story after reading about this in 
