Friend Your weekly dose of VBH is here. Free Training Inside!

SITREP

What's Good?

The Department of Veterans Affairs is offering two free online self-paced Lethal Means Safety (LMS) trainings for providers.

Suicide is preventable and everyone has a role to play. We know that 71% of Veteran suicides are related to firearms, and that firearms are approximately 95% fatal when used. We also know that Veterans utilize firearms as a method at a rate approximately 21% higher than non-Veteran US adults, and that most people who survive an initial suicidal attempt, do not go on to have later attempts.

The VHA is offering a free training to help navigate these conversations. The trainings are designed for health care providers like physicians, nurses, counselors, social workers and psychologists, but anyone can benefit from them.

Healthcare providers click here to register.

Community members not needing CECs click here to register.

Stat of the week

3016

In 2022, we served 3106 unique new families across our four markets(Metrolina/Charlotte region, Midlands SC, the Sandhills (Fayetteville), the Triad and the Triangle). This number does not include the Veterans and their families we served prior to 2022 and served again within 2022.

Events & Highlights

Upcoming Events

Charlotte & Metrolina

Heist Brewery Run Club (HBRC) (CLT) Monday, July 31| Heist Brewery - NoDa Charlotte, NC 28205 | 6:30 - 8:30PM | Cost: Various | Register

Ballantyne Breakfast (CLT) | Wednesday, August 2 | Another Broken Egg Cafe

11324 N. Community House Road

Charlotte, NC 282775 | 6:00-6:45AM | Cost: Various | Register

Triad

Veterans Cup (Winston-Salem) | Wednesday, August 2 | 8:30AM - 10:30AM |American Legion Post 55 111 Miller St.

Winston-Salem, NC 27104 | Cost: Free | More info

Veterans Coffee at RCR Racing (Welcome) | Wednesday, August 9 | 9:00AM - 10:30AM | RCR Racing Headquarters

425 Industrial Drive

Welcome, NC 27295 | Cost: Free with RSVP | Register

Veterans Connect (Graham) | Thursday, August 10 | 6:00PM- 8:00PM | Forgotten Road Ales

141 E Harden Street Graham, NC 272537 | More info

NC Governor's Working Group (High Point) | Tuesday, August 22 | 12:00AM- 4:00PM | Congdon Yards, The Factory Building - 410 W English Rd, High Point, NC 27262 | Register

Sandhills

Veterans Experience (Fayetteville) | Tuesday, August 1 | 9AM- 5PM | Vet Center

2301 Robeson Street, Suite 103

Fayetteville, NC 28305 | More info

Mega Hiring Event by Cape Fear Valley Health (Fayetteville) | Saturday, August 5 | 10:00AM - 2:00PM | Cape Fear Valley Center for Medical Education 1638 Owen Drive

Fayetteville, NC 28304| Register

Veterans Coffee (Fayetteville) | Tuesday, August 8 | 9:00AM - 10:30AM | Gaston Brewing Tap Room 421 Chicago Drive

Fayetteville, NC 28306 | Cost: Free with RSVP | Register

Triangle

Veteran Coffee (Cary) | Tuesday, September 19 | 8:30am - 10:00am | BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse 5707 Dillard Drive Cary, NC 27511 | Register

News

National Guard Members, Reservists Prepare for Red Hill Defueling (Military.com)

Local National Guard members and reservists are training to spot danger and respond to hazards in support of the upcoming defueling of the Navy's Red Hill fuel storage facility, set to begin in October.

During a training exercise Friday, 14 of them went through a course on Ford Island that simulated a fire aboard a submarine. Lt. Col. Graham Perry, operations officer for Joint Task Force Red Hill, explained that "a submarine is an enclosed environment, a confined space, and it is probably the best replication of the facility they will be in in Red Hill."

It's just one phase of training for JTF Red Hill's Roving Security and Fire Watch teams. As the defueling process starts, they will patrol the facility in shifts, checking pipes, flanges, valves and wires and looking for any potential leaks, spills or fires.

The Navy Is Making Promotion to E-4 Automatic After 30 Months of Service (Military.com)

The Navy announced that it is making promotion to E-4 -- the most junior petty officer and noncommissioned officer in its ranks -- automatic.

In an administrative message released Thursday, the service announced that, starting in July 2024, sailors at the rank of seaman, or E-3, will automatically be promoted to petty officer third class, or E-4, after having served 30 months in the Navy.

This is a major shift from the prior method. Sailors had to serve a minimum amount of time at the rank of E-3, take an advancement exam offered twice a year, and have their scores added to a complex formula that would compare them against all other sailors going for E-4 in their specific specialty to determine who would make the cut based on quotas set by the Navy.

The new policy also sets the time sailors need to serve for automatic advancement to E-2 at nine months of service, and 18 months for E-3.

Eyeing the future, DoD leaders reflect on 75 years of desegregation (Military Times)

Tuskegee Airmen and Montford Point Marines joined Department of Defense leaders and lawmakers at the Pentagon this week to commemorate the 75th anniversary of President Harry S. Truman’s signing of Executive Order 9981.

Signed into law on July 26th, 1948, the order, which mandated the desegregation of the U.S. military, stated “there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.” Another order, which included the full integration of the federal workforce, was also signed that day.

As history shows, the landmark decision did not yield change overnight. In fact, it took many of the services years to comply. It did, however, put the military at the front of a national movement for equality and set the armed forces on a path toward addressing diversity, equity and inclusion issues — a matter still being grappled with today.

Do you know a struggling student veteran? Here’s where to start (Military.Times)

Mental health among college students has been a popular topic among higher education professionals and academic researchers. For most traditional students, the transition to college life from high school can be tough. Newfound independence can be an advantage and disadvantage depending on the person. More than 60% of college students met criteria for at least one mental health problem during the 2020-2021 school year, which was defined by high COVID-19 rates leading to increased isolation and loneliness.

Student veterans are an especially vulnerable population on college campuses. The average ages of student veterans and traditional students leaves quite a significant gap between the two groups. This makes it harder for student veterans to make connections and friends on campus.

9c3f65fc-f65d-4a2f-aae1-e728ca00861a-NUP_200390_17386 image

A few good dolls: Barbie has served in every military branch (Military Times)

It’s no secret that Barbie has had a lot of jobs since she was born in perfect plastic form in 1959. The now 64-year-old trailblazer has practiced everything from medicine and law to zoology.

It makes perfect sense considering her slogan is “You can be anything.”

And, ever the American patriot, Barbie has had a prolific military career, serving in the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy. Imagine the tinnitus.

As a perpetual 19-year-old, Barbie has remained the ideal enlistment candidate.