 This is State Tech Hawaii, Community Matters here. And welcome to another edition of Hawaiian Uniform. I'm your host Calvin Griffin. For those of you who may not have seen the program before here, we talked about a lot of issues that concern the veterans and military community, along with what's happening, the interaction with the military, with the civilian population. In the past we mentioned there's a lot of different things that goes on as far as different programs to help the active duty in the veteran community. But a lot of times you may not be aware of all the programs out there. And if you're a veteran or you're an active duty, that's what we're going to do here. We're going to go ahead and bring you information that will help you to update some of the things that you may not be aware of. If you're a dependent, same thing, which we want to do is you may not be aware of a lot of the benefits that you have. So that's what we're going to be doing here. And if there's anything, get an outstanding invitation. My policy, if we say anything here on the program, if you hear that you may feel an error, especially myself, give us a call, contact me, and I'll let you correct me on the error if I do misspeak about anything. But again, we're trying to be informative, not insightful, as far as insight in the type of negativity. But we're here to help not only the veterans and military community, but also again to make the civilian side more aware of what's happening and the contributions of those individuals serving our country now. Today, I have three special guests. I have Mr. Rory Driscoll, Ms. Orianna Franklin, and also Raleigh Alvarado. And thank you for joining us on the program. Thanks for having us, Calvin. We appreciate it. Good. Okay. But the fun begin. In the alphorory, I'll start off with you. Okay. Tell us a little bit about yourself and the organization that you represent. All right. Mr. Driscoll, I'm representing the Mission Continues. I'm an outreach coordinator, communication specialist for the Honolulu First Platoon. Mission Continues is a veterans' organization that empowers veterans to come back into their communities after doing their military service and work in those communities with nonprofit organizations to really give back and show that veterans are a valuable part of our community. They offer a fellowship program that you can go through for six months and work with whatever nonprofit you want. A lot of veterans that have gone through the program, spent over 1,000 so far that have gone through a fellowship program, they're able to expand their career options. They get to choose what they want to do and where their passions lie. For myself, I went through in 2012 and I'm a marine biologist now, so I was able to utilize that fellowship to work with some nonprofits that are in the environmental side of the community and really build my career skills up and do an internship that allowed me to follow my dreams and passions after service. Great. Okay. What other organizations do you work with? Again, we talked about the networking and a lot of different organizations out there, but for some reason, in a lot of cases, the dots are not being connected. Are there any major organizations locally that you're dealing with or on a national level besides, you know? Absolutely. So I've worked with the Mission Continues. I'm also part of the Wounded Warrior Project and I've worked a lot with them. Raleigh here is representing Team Red, White, and Blue, which is also one of the organizations that the Mission Continues works with, well, as well as IAVA. There's a myriad of organizations that are out there that are helping veterans get to that next level and transition into the civilian life after they've done their time in service. And that's one of the things that we've come to discuss is how do we bring those together and how are we able to form those relationships and expand that network to reach those veterans and show them the opportunities and the benefits that they have for them as well as keep that sense of community that you only get while you're in the military and be able to keep that camaraderie and have those like stories and those like experiences and be able to tell sea stories or war stories to someone that actually understands them and keep that community very strong as well as contributing to our civilian communities as much as we possibly can and make it so we have a great place to live. Ms. Franklin, may I call you Ori up? Yes, please. Okay, move it about yourself and... Well, I am the project coordinator for the Mission Continues. So I'm in charge of choosing a site on the island that needs some type of beautification and we go and we connect with them and through our project to make it better. Our goal is to leave it better than how it was. Also is to empower future generations. Yeah. You say beautification, what exactly does that entail? It's anything from building benches to painting to construction to landscaping. Usually we have, usually we'll do the walkthrough on the site to see what really needs to be done or really needs to be made, you know, better for the people that are using that and we do our project and do that. Are you involved in any projects over here? We have a homeless veteran issue, you know, going on. Do you guys deal with anything like that? Well, right now the Mission Continues has a two-year contract with Blaisdale where we go and we clean it quarterly. We also have our project coming up that isn't for the veteran, for the homeless community, but it's for the Hawaiian community and it's going to be the Boys and Girls Club in honor of MLK January 13th. The thing is there's a lot of different aspects to, you know, with the different organizations sitting out so it's not always, you know, the heavy issues we deal with, you know, with the homeless and everything else, but again it shows what is happening with those who serve who you don't want to give back to the community. You know, a lot of people don't realize, you know, when the attitude that a lot of our service members or veterans have is that when you get out, your duty didn't stop when you took your uniform off. You know, when you swore to uphold the Constitution and all these other things, that continues on, you know, and a lot of people are not really aware, you know, they take so many things for granted, you know, and you have people who walk to walk and talk to talk and again, you know, you're getting out and you're giving back, you know, and a lot of people say, well, why are you doing this? Well, that's my obligation, you know, that's why I feel inherently that we should be doing anyhow, you know. Right, that's one of the Mission Continues big points is, you know, on a lot of our t-shirts it'll say and one of the big slogans is reporting for duty within the community. Yeah. We look at it as we are valuable members of our community and a lot of us are, this isn't where we grew up, this isn't, but this is where we've decided to make our home and we want to be able to contribute to our local communities as much as possible by getting involved in them and knowing that, you know, you have leaders that are from the military, we've done our service, we've put in our time, we've definitely gained a lot of skills at, you know, taxpayer expense, so to speak. We want to be able to turn those skills and those leadership skills around to make our communities better for everyone that lives in them, not just the military community, but the homeless community, as you said, and schools like the Boys and Girls Club, that's the next generation that's going to come through and we want to make sure that we're a shining example of how to be leaders within the community and make sure that we are doing everything we can and to continue that duty of making where we live in our great country, you know, that much better every day. I'm going to touch on the leadership thing a little bit later in the album. Mr. Alvarado, may I call you Raleigh? Yeah. Lou, about yourself and your organization. So, I am the Veterans Engagement Director for Team Red, White and Blue here on Honolulu. This is the only chapter that's here in Hawaii. But we are a national organization started out in 2010 by Army Veteran and basically the mission is to enrich the lives of American veterans and we do that through three different components or core, basically people, meaning connecting veterans to the community with each other and then help to providing physical or social activities throughout the community. And then, and in purpose, finding a purpose for veterans to get out there, connect with each other and then just be out and do activities, projects, which brings us to work with different organizations like the Mission Continues, Wounded Weird Project and Team Rubicon. Yeah. Yeah. You mentioned, like, say, about leadership, you know, for me, my thing is that people say, well, where does the next leader come from? And I do what I tell people, if you want to see the next leader, look in the mirror. That's where that leader comes from, you know. And a lot of times with the so-called leadership that we have as far as an elected officials and things of that nature, some of them need to go back to school and find out what's going on. So when you have individuals like yourselves and organizations that deal with these different issues, you know, that takes leadership also. You know, sometimes they have to step up to the plate, you know, and you have to remind them, you know, that they work for us, not the other way around, you know. And again, you know, the leadership building that up by setting the example, which, you know, you're doing in a very stellar way, that does, you know, a lot of people out there, the young kids nowadays, things are so convoluted, you don't know what's up or what's down or whatever, you know. So you need a point of reference, you know, in that compass, you know, and when you have individuals who have been out there and served and do believe truly what's going on, we don't have a perfect system, but the bottom line is, we believe in it. You know, we are the ones that keep things going, you know, and when you do take the leadership role by getting engaged and being involved in a lot of things, it does help. It does that ripple effect, you know. So, you know, you guys are doing a great job, anyhow. Right, there's, you know, 1% of the US population that served in the US military throughout all of its history. So your leaders are your 1%, which have already learned and we've learned those leadership skills through our taxpayer dollars of serving in the military. We've taken that opportunity to volunteer and take that next step. And then when we get out, we want to be able to continue that within our local communities and on a bigger scale, larger scale. There are a lot of ways that veterans are getting involved in politics so we can make sure that we do have leaders that we trust and can stand by. The original founder of the Michigan 10 years, Eric Greitens, is now the governor of Missouri. He was a Navy SEAL, a Rhodes Scholar. He's gone through that time. And he's shown the path that veterans are able to take leadership roles and really change their communities on a large scale, as well as a small scale that we work on with the local communities. You all have combat experience? Yes. Okay, we's not bringing that up and I know that a lot of people when you do go into combat, of course, you have people sitting around and tell war stories and everything else, but most of them haven't been there, done that or anything else. But the reason I wanted to bring that up to the attention of the public, especially as far as with the female soldiers anyhow. You've done quite a few combat missions. Yes, I have. And again, that's some of the things that we were talking a little bit offline about some of the things that people may not be aware of. And again, that's the contribution, like say the unit that you're with, sometimes the front line can be anywhere. It's just so much. And it's not just a male dominated type of environment. Well, it is male dominated. Oh, I'm sorry. But just because it's male dominated doesn't mean that there aren't strong females that are incorporated with the dormancy of the males in the military. Because we are still, our numbers for females are not as large as male serving, but that doesn't take away from us actually doing hand in hand what male soldiers do. Yeah, because you hear about so many different things. Again, there was a documentary I mentioned, I've seen before called The Invisible War about the sexual abuse of women in the military. But again, a lot of people think because it comes and it goes. Like I said, it hits the media for whatever reason. And then it fades away. People think, well, something must have been done. And a lot of people mistake activity for action. Just because there's a lot of running around, cameras flashing and all that stuff. No, there's a lot more that has to be followed up on. That's also what the misconception is for females in the military too, that is that military trauma for females is sexual. And the misconception is that not all women that have had trauma in the military is sexual. There's a large number of females that are in the military that have had no sexual trauma and have had all combat trauma. Yeah, that's one thing. Because what I noticed when you hear about what you rarely hear about, again, unless it's a big deal or it's been rough to the public's attention, suicide rates. And again, especially with the psyche of most people is that you get out there, you do your job, whatever it is. You're looking out there to take any lives whatsoever. But the thing when it does happen, that is a very traumatic experience. Especially if you're a parent or whatever it is in a combat environment that a lot of people serve in nowadays, they say collateral damage. But the thing is, when you put it on a human level where a child gets killed and you're there and you can relate to it because you have a child at home. That really takes a lot out of a lot of people. So yeah, it crosses the line, but I know that there's certain things that are unique to some of our female soldiers, but it doesn't mean that across the board, it's not all bad in a lot of ways. But it seems like, is there any progress that's being made along those lines? I mean. As in what? We hear about, and like I said, when something comes up, it's like, okay, well, we got a new program coming out. We're gonna get people more aware of what's happening than after a while fades away. Are there any really hardcore, anything that came out that has really been positive in a sustaining way that any of you have seen? I think organizations like Team Red, Red, and Blue and The Mission Continues, Wonder Warrior Project have really created a network of veterans that are able to combat, like you were saying, with the veteran suicides. We're able to combat that 22, reported 22 a day. There are significantly more. Some of those numbers don't include California and Texas. I believe New York is one of the other one. There's a lot more out there, but organizations like The Mission Continues, Team Red, Red, and Blue and a lot of the other veteran organizations has created a network so we're able to look out for each other. Just like when we were in the military, we always looked out for each other and had the buddy system, so to speak. We have that now when it's just incumbent on those of us that have maneuvered through and transitioned properly from active duty to civilian life to make sure that we're looking out for those potential vulnerabilities in some of our veteran brothers and sisters that have to experience it. At this point right now, I'm sorry we don't have enough time but we do want to do a follow up program anyhow because we do have some other information we have to get out. But I want to thank you for coming to the program, sharing with what we have. We'll go ahead and help do so many information as far as contact information for the future. But you're welcome back at any time. And again, I really want to do real follow up so we have more time to go ahead and deal with this because it's so important that all this information gets out there. But I want to thank you again. We're going to take a break in a second. But I want to thank you, like I said, for coming in and sharing your experiences and also about your organizations. I appreciate it. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Okay, we'll take a short break and we'll be back in a second. This is Think Tech Hawaii, Raising Public Awareness. Aloha, I'm Prince Dax, the volunteer host of the Prince of Investing. Think Tech is important to me because it brings Hawaii's number one financial literacy show around the globe. For the first time, Think Tech Hawaii is participating in an online based fundraising campaign to raise $40,000. Give thanks to Think Tech. We'll run only during the month of November and you can help. Please donate what you can so that Think Tech Hawaii can continue to raise public awareness to promote civic engagement through free programming like mine. I've already made my donation and look forward to yours. Please send your tax deductible contribution by going to the website. Thanks for Think Tech dot causevox.com. 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Please send in your tax-deductible contribution by going to this website, www.thinksforthinktech.causevox.com. On behalf of the community and raised by Think Tech Hawaii's 30 plus weekly shows, thank you. Mahalo for your generosity and we look forward to you. Okay, and you're back with Hawaii Uniform. And again, I'm your host, Calvin. We're gonna do, for those of you who've seen the previous segment, we will be doing some follow-up on that. There's some very important programs out there. But right now, I'd like to introduce to the program Mr. Ms. Marina Flowers. Martina. Martina, and also Dennis Igay, who's been on the program before. Morning, Calvin. Yes, may I call you Martina? Yes. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background. Sure, well, my name is Martina Flowers. I'm originally from Michigan. Right after high school, I joined the U.S. Navy. I always tell people it was one of the best decisions that I ever made in my life. Wouldn't change anything about it. Got a chance to grow up, learn a lot. Right before moving to Florida, right before moving to Hawaii, I lived in Florida. Found this amazing organization that I'm now a part of called VA Rep. Okay, what do they do? VA Rep stands for Veteran Association for Real Estate Professional. And our goal and our focus is on military and the veterans help to increase sustainable housing, home ownership, and financial literacy and education amongst the veteran and the military community. You work with the VA in any way, what's one I've heard? No, not directly, indirectly, through volunteer and outreach events. Okay, I know you're involved with another organization also, right? Other than VA Rep? Yeah. So we also partner with various organizations. So I know you just had a group up here, the Michigan Contenders and also Moe's Heroes. These are all different volunteer, nonprofit 501c3 organizations that we volunteer and we assist in the community. So it's kind of like brothers in arms, lock in arms together and see what we can do in our community, but also supporting other veteran organizations that's a part of outreach, that's a part of education, that's a part of getting a community involved. So Moe's Heroes is a homeless outreach that they feed homeless people generally on Thanksgiving. Sorry, I'm getting off. No, it's okay. Pardon me, I get all choked up. Anyhow, Dennis, you've been listening to what we've been talking about in the previous segment. Pardon me. What do you think about some of the programs that's going about now? It all, that's being connected with a lot of the groups. Well, I'm waiting for the veteran's administration to step up to the plate and take responsibility for the veterans who are all in their charge. I think there are what, 20 million of them? I got that information when I was on Veterans Day at the Natatorium. And I think that, I don't remember if it came from a congress where the policy gathered or one of the other speakers at the time. Well, there's 20 million of us out there who are all in the charge of the veteran's administration and they keep outsourcing the outreach to other people. And I'd like to see that end. Either that or I'd like to see the VA kind of outsource their services to the people who are actually doing the work. And maybe you can fund them. Okay, okay, a little bit more about, I'm sorry, water for you, thank you, thank you. A little bit more about your organization. So VA Rep is a national organization and we have a total of 34 chapters nationally. We have chapters in Florida, we have chapters in California, which our organization started actually in California by fellow veterans. We also have organizations in Arizona and just statewide. We have two that I'm proud to talk about here in Maui. We just opened up our Maui this year, our Maui chapter, and then we have our Honolulu chapter. So we consist generally of eight board members, half of the board members have to be prior military service. We just feel like it's best that way as we're advocating for veterans and active military. We've been there, we wore the uniform. We have kind of a heartbeat of some of the things that's being dealt with. So as we go and we advocate for veterans, there's no better person to advocate for a veteran other than a veteran, someone who served. Some of the other things that we do once a year, we have what we call a policy conference where every June we go down to our state capitol and rearrange to meet with our prospective senators. So this past June, we met with our state senators and we met with our council women. And we met with Hanabusa, we met with Senator Macy. They welcome us in every single year. They're very attentive to some of the things that we have to say. We've been able to lobby and get bills passed on behalf of military and veterans as well that goes in their favor in addressing issues that need to be addressed to make sure every veteran who's trying to qualify and get approved for a loan, like there's no issues with that whatsoever. So those are some of the things that we've been able to do on a grander scale. Another thing we've been able to do is donate over 24 moratorium homes to worthy veterans, to our veteran heroes. And that's something that I'm definitely proud of. I'm definitely proud that our organization is able to do. We want to combat, ideally we wanna combat homelessness. I know you talked about the veteran suicide which is something else that we're part of doing as well. But the other part is the piece that we focus on as far as the education, that is to, we know in all it won't 100% get rid of veteran homelessness, but our goal is to be able to, on the onset of it, deal and properly position the military active person or now veteran in a financial situation and providing that education so they won't see themselves on the side of homelessness. Now some of the veterans that we have been able to provide a home for, like I mentioned earlier, we've been able to provide 24 moratorium homes. We partnered with several companies. One of the biggest companies is Bank of America Chase. They help partner with us in making sure this happened. This could be a veteran who, they were in the military, they got out of the military. One of the families that we just donated a home to in Florida just last month, as a matter of fact, he's a prior service Army. He got out of the military, he was suffering from PTSD. They had two children and the wife wasn't working, but the husband was and he ended up losing his job because of his condition. And so we were able to find, he was able to find us and by way of finding us, there's a intake process where we kind of evaluate the situation, find out if this is something that we can do for this veteran and we were able to bless them with a home. Right. One of the things that Dennis and I have talked about on the program before, we have our elected officials and some of them seem that they're trying to get involved and help out and everything else with some of the issues that are unique to veterans. But by, again, the leadership thing we were talking about on the previous segment, by the veterans and the military themselves taking the leadership role to help one another, connecting the dots, that helps a lot anyhow. What you're doing is great. Dennis, do you have anything you wanna? No, I'm just wondering if your organization is a member of the Oahu and the Maui County Veterans Councils. We have a council here and in every county, there is a Veterans Council, you can bring your message. Your peers at these and there's one in Maui too, I believe. Okay, we'll have to look into that. Okay, we're getting down to Wari now. I appreciate you coming in to share your information. Dennis, I know there's a lot of things that we need to talk about. Let's say you have to have you come back to cover some of the legislative issues that you're dealing with also. But in 30 seconds or less, is there anything that- December the 8th, VA rep is having a Christmas gala on December the 8th at the Hawaiian Hilton Hotel. So if you would like to get in contact with me, please, I would love to give you that information. My number is 250-870-7, 250-870-7, or you can look up VA rep, V-A-R-E-P dot net Honolulu. Okay, Dennis. Okay, well, the state legislature opens in January, and there are some issues that we will probably discuss issues such as homes for veterans and homes for homeless veterans at the Oahu Veterans Council in January. I think they're dark in December. So I invite you to, I think the dues are like $30 a year. Okay. Thank you. Anyway, thank you for asking me, and you just say when and I'll do my best to be here. I'm getting all choked up here, and I apologize for all this. Anyhow, I wanna thank my guests also, we'll do a follow-up on a lot of things, but if you're out there, find out what's going on. I mean, if you're in the military and the veterans, you're aware of a few things, but do your homework, find out what's going on. We'll do what we can as far as again, helping you to connect the dots, but stay tuned and take care of one another, and God bless and until that time.