UK Veterans’ Minister discuss ex-Forces employment support at The Poppy Factory
The UK Minister for Defence People and Veterans, Leo Docherty MP, and the Director of the Office for Veterans Affairs, Jessie Owen, paid a visit to The Poppy Factory last week to discuss employment support for veterans with health conditions. The two leaders heard how specialist employment support can be truly life-changing, significantly improving veterans’ […]
Amazon supports veterans
For years Amazon supported veterans in their transition. As the company reported massive growth during the pandemic years, Amazon also pledges for more support to veterans and their families via transition training and direct job opportunities. Many veterans agonize about finding post-service employment. They worry about whether their skills are transferable. They’re concerned about adapting […]
VA improvement is needed for Veterans treatment court program
Veterans court program: The growing Veterans Justice Outreach program, which has helped ease criminal justice problems for veterans’ across the U.S., is working, but the Department of Veterans Affairs needs to make some improvements for more veterans to participate court program, according to a new watchdog report. The VA needs to improve training, outreach, and […]
From Combat To Cattle: A Veteran Army Ranger’s Story
Veteran Army Ranger Patrick Montgomery never could have imagined his business as an online Wagyu beef retailer would become an overnight success for their hot dogs. When the combat veteran left the military in 2014 and went to the University of Missouri to pursue a degree in Animal Science to become a veterinarian, he instead […]
America’s Oldest WWII Veteran Celebrates 112th Birthday in New Orleans
Lawrence Brooks, the United States’ oldest living WWII veteran, celebrated his 112th birthday in style on Sunday. The supercentenarian usually celebrates his birthdays at The National WWII Museum in his native New Orleans. Sadly, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic led museum to arrange a small, socially distanced birthday celebration at Brooks’ home this year. The bash included a performance […]
Report slams police for not finding dead US vet on VA campus for more than a month
Confusion over proper procedures at a Veterans Affairs hospital allowed a dead US vet to go unnoticed in a stairwell for more than a month after he was reported missing, according to a US VA report released last week. The report by the VA’s inspector general detailed a series of missteps by VA staffers and police […]
Veteran suicides decreased 7 percent in 2019 to lowest level in 12 years
Veteran suicides fell to their lowest level in 12 years in 2019, down more than one death a day from the previous year’s levels, according to new data released by the Department of Veterans Affairs on Wednesday. Despite that, the rate of suicides among veterans remains almost double the rest of the American public, accounting for more than […]
Three Risk Factors for Veteran Suicide
Over the last several decades, suicide has become one of the most serious public health concerns with its rapidly increasing rates. In 2019, intentional self-harm (suicide) ranked as the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, with over 47,000 people have lost their lives because of suicide, according to the Centers for […]
UK Veteran uses his experiences to teach the next generation of soldiers
Richard ( UK army veteran) joined the Army when he was 19 years old. The experience of losing comrades in Afghanistan and Iraq led to very difficult times in the civilian world. But with support from The Poppy Factory, Richard is now helping to train the next generation of soldiers to be the best they […]
For Those Left Behind: An Afghan American Marine Veteran Reflects On His Homeland
Marine veteran Ajmal Achekzai fled Afghanistan during the onset of the Soviet–Afghan War in 1980, leaving his birth city of Kabul behind. He was only five years old. The next time he would return would be in November of 2001. U.S. Marines were the first major ground forces sent to Afghanistan after 9/11. Ajmal was […]