Nov
11

Veterans remembered for military service and civilian support

November 11, 2012 By

November 11, 2012 By

MilSuccessNet welcomes the words of James E. Koutz, of Boonville, Indiana, National Commander of The American Legion www.legion.org  to mark this Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2012.

Commander Koutz heads the nation’s largest organization of wartime veterans with 2.4 million members. Below is his guest post  entitled:

Every Day is Veterans Day

American Legion Commander Koutz

Commander James E. Koutz of The American Legion

When people think of veterans, they often think of warriors, but Hurricane Sandy offers just the latest reminder of the significant humanitarian and often times life-saving work performed by our veterans on a daily basis.

As Sandy was still wreaking devastation on the east coast, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members mobilized on the opposite coast –at March Air Reserve Base in California to trek nearly 3,000 miles to assist their fellow Americans. [Read more…]

Nov
10

Military wives mark Veterans Day with free gift of their novels

November 10, 2012 By

November 10, 2012 By

Military Success Network continues with posts marking Veterans Day with this special tribute offer by three former military wives and novelists. Please share- we will all grow as we Hear, Understand and Acknowledge – our H.U.A. mission on Military Success Network. This triad of women writers has joined forces to honor Veterans Day by each sharing their books for FREE. The books are available on Amazon for one day only on Sunday, November 11,  2012, in Kindle format (see links below to download a free app to read it on your computer)

Links to each of these novels and the free ebook download are available on this author’s page.  The titles are:

The Final Salute, a novel featured on Military Success NetworkTHE FINAL SALUTE by Kathleen M. Rodgers  takes place among Air Force families during the 1991 Gulf War.  Rodgers was an Air Force spouse for 12 years and is now a military mom of a son in the Army. [Read more…]

Nov
09

Veterans repurpose skills and reintegrate with Team Rubicon

November 9, 2012 By

November 9, 2012 By

In this week of Veterans Day in the U.S.A. and Remembrance Day in Canada, MilSuccessNet will post daily to illuminate Veterans’ living contributions and to remember those whose light was extinguished far too early in their service to our society.  

“This generation of Veterans has the opportunity to step up, if they are given the chance,” says Jake Wood, co-founder and president of Team Rubicon, a disaster relief nonprofit known for its extraordinary efforts during the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Jake Wood, co-founder and president of Team Rubicon

Jake Wood, co-founder and president of Team Rubicon

Wood served for four years in the United States Marine Corps. He deployed in 2007 to Iraq as a fire team leader and in 2008 to Afghanistan as a Scout Sniper.

On his return to the U.S. he became an outspoken advocate for veterans’ rights. In 2010, his voice joined that of  former Marine William McNulty. Together, they founded Team Rubicon in response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti. [Read more…]

Nov
05

The code on Army-civilian-army-student life transition

November 5, 2012 By

November 5, 2012 By

Some feel there’s a cultural divide between Military and Civilian circles. Guest writer, Jesse Hughes, who served in the US Army Light Infantry until 2002, talks about some of this ‘anthropological’ experience facing members in transition.

His posts on the journey from soldier to civilian citizen in the workplace are excerpts from a current, larger writing project.

Jesse Hughes, MilSuccessNet guest blogger

See what YOU would do in these first scenarios. Would you let your inner voice shout out what you feel or like Jesse, apply polite polish of understanding to negotiate that long corridor between military moves and new habits in civilian life?

My Time among Civilians: An Introduction

I was raised an Army brat and knew that the Army was where I wanted to be from before I could remember. ROTC through college secured that plan and I headed into the Infantry. But plans change and life throws curves, sometimes just the right kind of curves. [Read more…]

Nov
02

From the Military to the Marketplace post #2

November 2, 2012 By

November 2, 2012 By

Following Will

Post #2 covers:

  • How the road reports happen
  • Will’s education choice
  • Introducing transition guides

Will Coulter is in the driver’s seat of his post military life story. Every two weeks we also find him in his vehicle where he reports on his personal experience in his transition from active military duty to civilian life.

Will Coulter reports in from his road to civilian work and study success

Will Coulter family man, student, business owner

He’s allowed Military Success Network to ‘shadow’ him for the past 11 weeks since our first “meeting” on the phone to talk about how this series we call FOLLOWING WILL, might help others. Will and I speak every two weeks. Our posts may slide back and forth in time depending on what we end up talking about. (Read our introductory post) [Read more…]

Nov
01

Military to Civilian Transition Timeline for Veterans

November 1, 2012 By

November 1, 2012 By

Summary points in this post as part of Military Success Network’s Moving from the Military to the Marketplace series:

One (1) year in advance of separation from military – build networks, use social media, and review your resume and transferrable skills
Six (6) months out – begin direct and specific contact with growing network, practice interview skills
Three (3) months out – ship out resumes and cover letters, freshen contacts in real and on social media
Exit – welcome to your new work life, or retool to fill networking and skills gaps

Opportunity, it is said, is luck meeting preparedness.

Switch the order of those 3 ingredients in the formula and you still get the same thing: success. [Read more…]

Oct
18

Mason-Dixon line drawn 245 years ago

October 18, 2012 By

October 18, 2012 By

On this day, 245 years ago, the famous Mason-Dixon Line was drawn. Two English surveyors, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon completed a land survey meant to end the border dispute between Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Mason Dixon Line crown stone

A “crownstone” boundary monument on the Mason-Dixon Line. These markers were originally placed at every 5th mile along the line, oriented with family coats of arms facing the state that they represented. The coat of arms of Maryland’s founding Calvert family is shown. On the other side are the arms of William Penn.(Wikipedia photo and detail)

Initially destined to settle a local dispute, the line grew into a more ominous demarcation between the pro-slavery and the ‘free’ states. The line follows the northern latitude of 39 degrees and 43 minutes and today separates four U.S. states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Delaware.

Mason and Dixon marked every mile of the chart with stones shipped from England. Every five miles the line was marked with a ‘Crown-stone.’ It consisted of the two coats of arms belonging to the adjacent colonies. Many markers survived and they can still be admired. [Read more…]

Oct
09

Healing our heroes at the Valhalla Project part 1

October 9, 2012 By

October 9, 2012 By

Gordon Cucullu is co founder of the Valhalla Project

MilSuccessNet Guest Contributor
Gordon Cucullu

Transition takes on a new face and unexpected pace with the Valhalla Project. Guest contributor Lt. Col. (Ret.) Cucullu writes about the concept first voiced by his wife, Chris Fontana. The co-founders created this project to help  active duty service members, veterans, National Guard and Reserve forces as well as some specially selected civilian war zone workers in healthy transitions. 

Participants are active in nature, community projects to maintain the unique setting and pick up skills while enjoying a respite from the individual challenges of their lives.

Genesis of the Valhalla Project

In summer of 2010, my wife and I were homeless. Not in the sense of
sleeping under the overpass in a Kenmore large appliance box, but we really didn’t have a home per se any longer. [Read more…]

Oct
04

Sputnik 1 arrives first in space 55 years ago

October 4, 2012 By

October 4, 2012 By

Sputnik 1 remembered On Military Success Network

Sputnik 1 Photo via http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov

It was 55 years ago today, October 4, 1957, that the last frontier for humanity was breached. Sputnik 1, the first man-made object in space, was launched in a surprise move by the Soviet Union, much to the shock of America, held at that time to be more advanced in the space race.

Five days earlier, the Soviet Union experienced a radiation contamination accident (from a nuclear fuel plant) known as Kyshtym disaster. The Russians had to evacuate thousands of people, but they kept the reason for that action a secret for 20 years.

Sputnik on the other hand was truly a remarkable achievement. Although the USA launched its own satellite, Explorer 1, less than 4 months later, the cherished first spot was lost forever.
[Read more…]

Oct
01

Home from the Iraq Odyssey part 3 of 3

October 1, 2012 By

October 1, 2012 By

Transition is the thread that binds the last portion of Phil Nerges’s Iraq odyssey to his book, Iraq Journal–Sketches from the Contracting Life. He had made it out alive to recreate his life back home. Nerges saw no literature about the contractors and their families to aid in his own transition after his final return stateside. Within 3 years he had compiled a book to reflect their stories.

In the fall of 2011, Helena Kaufman interviewed Phil Nerges about his mission to share the life of contractors working alongside the military in Iraq. The first posts were published just before we heard President Obama’s announcement of the end of war in Iraq.

The book is based on emails home, in fast and frightening times. Nerges used his love of language and photographer’s eye to capture sights, sounds and memories made while he sorted his life and then began the transition home.

“More than military men and women are coming back,” says Nerges. Transition is the upcoming experience for tens of thousands of military personnel returning from America’s longest wars. [Read more…]

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