In Their Own Words: Veterans Conservation Corps

Former cavalry scout Michael Farnum pulls up invasive plants. (Photo: George Cavallo)

NISQUALLY, Wash. – Across the nation, states and non-profits are stepping up to fill gaps in care for returning soldiers and sailors. One program under the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs uses nature to help heal the wounds of war. The Veterans Conservation Corps attempts to unite two different public goals. One is to help returning vets with PTSD and other issues. The other, to help the environment. Correspondent Tom Banse caught up with a group of recently discharged soldiers and sailors. They were hacking away at a hillside choked with brambles near Nisqually, Washington. On this Earth Day, here they are in their own words.

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20th annual Spring Rebuilding Day

On Saturday, April 24th, Rebuilding Together Seattle and its supporters will celebrate 20 years of Spring Rebuilding Day, also known as National Rebuilding Day. RTS volunteers will join 64,000 other volunteers from 200 affiliates throughout the nation, completing approximately 3,000 projects in one day.
In 2009, RTS completed 25 projects with the support of over 800 volunteers. In April 2010, volunteers will complete roughly 30 projects with the help of 1,000 volunteers.
RTS welcomes several new sponsor groups to our event, including top sponsors Greenpoint Technologies (Kirkland, WA), Howard S. Wright (Seattle), and returning sponsor, Perkins Coie, LLP (Seattle). “Perkins Coie is happy to support RTS,” said Perkins Coie representative, John Edwards. “We always make someone's house more livable, and leave with a deep sense of accomplishment.”
Most notably, The Center for Spiritual Living (CSL) will celebrate its 14th year of partnership with RTS. In 2009, 70 volunteers from the CSL helped repair St. Francis House in the International District.
RTS looks forward to a very successful 2010 event! For more information on our 20th Annual Spring Rebuilding Day, please contact the RTS Office at 206.682.1231.

What is the Washington Access Fund?

The Washington Washington Access Fund is a 501(c)(3)nonprofit, Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) established by and for people with disabilities in Washington state. Washington Access Fund provides low-interest loans and other financing services to help individuals with disabilities obtain the technologies and business equipment needed to live independently and to succeed at school, at work, at play and in the community. Click here to learn about Borrower Survey results and CCTV Renter Survey results.

http://www.washingtonaccessfund.org/loans/telework_loans.php

Earth Day Event at Washougal Oaks Natural Area

Veteran Conservation Corps

The Washington Department of Natural Resources is partnering with the Veterans Conservation Corps (VCC) for an Earth Day volunteer workday at Washougal Oaks Natural Area. On April 17th members of the VCC and the public will gather at one of the largest remnant Oregon white-oak forests in Western Washington to help pull invasive English ivy. Volunteers will also help plant native shrubs in areas where the invasive Himalayan blackberry has been controlled. This work will help protect the rare oak ecosystem and the species that depend on it. The site protects habitat for the rare slender billed white-breasted nuthatch, a bird that is found mostly in oak forest and is known from only three locations in Washington. Several rare plant species are also protected on the site.

The mission of the VCC is to give veterans opportunities to work in habitat conservation projects. The VCC is administered by the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs and has partnered with hundreds of partners across Washington on similar restoration projects.

The DNR Natural Areas Program is the single largest conservator of native ecosystems, plant communities and habitat for rare species in Washington. Currently, the program protects more than 132,000 acres in 83 natural areas throughout the state.

For more information contact DNR natural areas manager Carlo Abbruzzese at (360) 575-5056, Doug Robberson at (360) 909-2999, Wade Enos (WSU - Vancouver) at (369) 487-9270, or Alex Strong (Clark College) at (503) 975-7318.

Veteran’s Take Dragons Head On

It is a brisk morning as Veterans congregate near the fire pit before the challenge begins, unaware of what is about to come. It will be a day of learning and adapting to new challenges presented; a day to learn about communication, trust, personal accountability, and leadership; a day to learn about you and other veterans as a community. The event took place at the Waterhouse Center in Monroe, WA. Amidst the trees, brush, and wildlife was a series of courses which were designed to challenge groups to work together, communicate, and lead one another to face their fears. Veterans from all branches of the military, volunteers who are personally connected to service members, and Vet Corps members participated in the challenges presented.
The River Task required all persons to cross a theoretical alligator infested river by swinging on a rope and all land on the same 3’x3’ platform on the same side. As if this isn’t a challenge in itself, they also had to carry across a full bucket of water without spilling a drop. Fourteen people are difficult to fit on a 3’x3’ platform, especially when they are swinging across on a rope. Leadership was apparent as individuals took charge of the situation to ensure each person arrived safely on the opposing side. Veterans on the platform would catch others and link arms to ensure nobody fell off. The military training and team work allowed the group to successfully complete the task quickly and efficiently.
The goal of the wire challenge was to have every person successfully walk across the wire and through obstacles without falling in less than thirty minutes. This required trust and concern for every other individual at all times. The focus was impeccable and the course was completed in fifteen minutes. This was characteristic of the Vet Corps program. Through the course it was important to move yourself forward, while still helping those behind you. The Vet Corps program is a group of veterans that assist fellow veterans with their transition into civilian life. The veterans work on moving their lives forward to becoming civilians, while having concern and providing help to others just beginning their transition.
Each challenge presented was designed to teach a valuable lesson that can be carried into everyday life. The Dragon Challenge was the biggest obstacle presented. Standing on a 50 foot high platform each member was strapped into cables one by one and asked to jump off and glide to the ground on a zip line through trees and the wilderness. The fear of letting go and jumping was described before-hand by the course leader as a metaphor for a dragon, whose name is fear, that must be accepted before it can be confronted and overcome. Jaime, an AmeriCorps member, stood at the top slowly confronting her fears with encouragement from others. After ten minutes of confronting the zip line, she was finally able to accept her personal dragon and leapt from the platform.
After a long day of challenges and working together the group debriefed on lessons learned. Veterans strengthened communication, leadership skills, and trust. Most importantly, veterans learned to move forward through their struggles and that they need to accept the obstacles before they can properly overcome the struggle at hand. Each veteran learned about their personal skills and how to apply the skills learned into everyday life. They understand where they are at with their transition, but will not forget to help other veterans along their path.




~ Brianne Leimbach

Vet Corps Program Helps Veterans Overcome Nightmares

The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs has implemented a new program called Vet Corps. This program provides numerous benefits to veterans and their families from job searches to helping them sleep at night.
Green River Community College holds a Vet Connect meeting the first Wednesday of every month to get veterans together so they know they are not alone in their daily struggles; however, on February 3rd the Vet Connect meeting was anything but ordinary.
Licensed Psychologist Diane Nakamura spoke about Beverly Ann Dexter’s new method that could help veterans overcome PTSD driven nightmares. Simply stated, the method is called No More Nightmares. The program is not meant to work in one night, but is a practiced skill that can help change unsettling dreams into visions of success. She emphasized that there is no such thing as a bad dream and that dreams are not meant to be analyzed.
The planned dream intervention teaches veterans to stay asleep during the nightmare, but to learn how to create a bridge in their mind that will allow the dream to end successfully. The dream intervention does not have to be realistic, but could be anything from ordinary to magical. Each person is different and must learn what type of intervention works for them. The intervention is not meant to change the dream, but to continue in the desired manner. By writing down the dream or feelings from the dream and the intensity, veterans can then return to the same situation the following evening and continue with the story line that they control rather than being controlled by their mind and memories.
The speech hit home for every veteran in the room. She was able to connect with them and provide a new alternative that will eliminate one of their many daily struggles. This is one way that the Washington State Vet Corps program is helping many veterans and shows the potential to help more of those who have sacrificed so much for every American.

~Brianne Leimbach

PTSD's best friend, a service dog is helping veteran

WENATCHEE -- Life has become calmer, safer and less stressful for Chris Goehner since he paired up with Pele.

Goehner, 25, a Wenatchee Valley native attending Central Washington University in Ellensburg, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. It's something he picked up while serving two tours as a Navy corpsman attached to a Marine Corps emergency room unit in Iraq. He worked as a medic in Kuwait and Iraq in 2004 and 2005, before being diagnosed with PTSD and discharged in 2006.

Pele is his service dog. Since November, the two have become inseparable.

Goehner is one of only 21 Iraq War veterans suffering from PTSD who have been paired with service dogs since the military recently started a new program to try to help soldiers with the disorder.

Pele was trained for the program by an organization called Puppies Behind Bars. The nonprofit organization uses prison inmates to train service dogs in several New York regional prisons.

The military began tests in 2008 to see if the dogs could help PTSD victims.

Pele, a 20-month-old golden retriever/ Labrador retriever mix, accompanies Goehner to his classes, when he goes to the store or mall and when he goes out to dinner. Pele sleeps in his bedroom at night, guarding his rest from haunting nightmares of bomb attacks and shot and blown-up soldiers.

"Pele is my little Marine. He watches my back," said Goehner, referring to the Marines who offered him protection when he was working close to the battle in Iraq.

Since getting Pele, Goehner said he's slept better than he has in three years. He's been able to take a nap for the first time since leaving the military. He can go into a crowded place with less fear that he's going to be attacked or shot at. He's not as unnerved by loud noises that remind him of shellfire and isn't constantly filled with anger and ready for a fight.

Goehner can't say enough about how Pele has already changed his life.

"A lot of that anger I had has gone away. It had to. You have to use positive reinforcement with a dog. Anger doesn't work for him," he said.

Pele is a calming focus point when Goehner goes out in public places that previously made him nervous. By directing his attention to the dog, he said he can forget about the things he used to worry about.

And Pele does watch his back. It's one of more than 90 commands the dog has learned. He'll move in between anyone who tries to come up to his master.

Goehner credits Pele for vast and quick improvement with his insomnia, for helping him become more stable and responsible.