#VetsRising: Veterans Day 2015

SrA Andy Mccarty, USAF

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) have a social media tagline #VetsRising that you may have seen on Facebook, Twitter, and whatever else the kids are using these days. To be honest, it seemed odd to me when I first saw it. I wondered from what depths we were supposedly rising and to what heights did we intend to go. I have been a veteran for over 11 years now, and I have worked with student veterans for close to seven. The past 18 months, however, have truly been transformative. In my work at Northeastern University, I have had the privilege of traveling about the country and meeting veterans from other cities. Through these other veterans, through their challenges and countless accomplishments, I have come to learn just how appropriate #VetsRising really is.

About once a week, I receive a phone call from my friend Josh out in Washington State. These have become my favorite calls of the week. Josh is an Army veteran who served in Iraq, and now he’s a fellow IAVA team leader. We both attended an IAVA regional leaders summit back in August and left feeling hyped up and enthusiastic about creating a sense of community among veterans in our area. He calls to share his success stories, to tell me about the veterans he meets and how happy they are to have found others who served. He does all of this in addition to his responsibilities as a father and full-time employee working with the homeless. Josh’s next venture is to start a program helping veterans in prison. He is an inspiration. He is also a man of great conviction. So distraught is he over their rate of suicide, that Josh has “22” tattooed on his finger to remind him of the 22 veterans who take their own lives each and every day.

Thanks to the leadership of Rebecca, a Field Associate at IAVA, and the work of other fantastic organizations that are truly serving this population, I continue to meet great veterans and civilian supporters. Here in Boston, the Home Base Program treats veterans and servicemembers dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, deployment stress, and military sexual trauma. They do this in spite of a veteran’s discharge status or their ability to pay. Their outreach staff is comprised solely of veterans who have served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. This fall, Northeastern partnered with Home Base in order to host their New England Warrior Health and Fitness Program on campus. This free program is open to any Post-9/11 veteran and includes components such as strength and conditioning training, proper diet and sleep hygiene education, and mental skills training. Civilians would pay thousands of dollars a month for this type of experience, but it is free to us simply because we served.

The goal of programs like Warrior Health and Fitness and groups like Team RWB is to foster a sense of community in a healthy, positive environment. Organizations like Team Rubicon and The Mission Continues have similar goals, but they take things a step farther by empowering veterans to make a positive impact in their communities through their response to natural disasters and coordination of volunteer activities, respectively. Veterans aren’t simply returning to civilian life to shirk their civic responsibilities. They continue to serve other veterans and their fellow citizens. At our core is a shared belief in this wild and beautiful experiment called America.

The former military members I meet are shaping the veteran experience in their communities. They’ve taken up causes like veteran suicide, homelessness, unemployment, mental and physical health, educational improvements, and empowerment. Veterans like my friends Victor in Seattle, Rob here on the main campus, and civilians like Josie in Boston or Noel in Charlotte are helping us with outreach because they believe in the power of a Northeastern education and the impact it has on employability.

Until recently, I must have thought of myself as a lone gun working to help the veterans with whom I come in contact. The fact is, though, that I’m one of many, many veterans across the nation who are banding together to elevate their brothers and sisters. We do what we can to welcome them home, to prepare a place for them at the table, to invite them in from the margins and prove to them that they’re never alone. I’m intensely relieved and reassured when I see the number of these veterans and veteran supporters doing this important work.

In my opinion, this is the essence of #VetsRising. We emerge from the military undoubtedly changed by the things we experienced, some left to struggle more than others. As we succeed in our transition, we rise. It fills my heart to see so many veterans turning, extending their hands toward a brother or sister, and lifting them up.

My life has been forever changed by my decision to serve some 15 years ago. Northeastern University has continued to place their faith in me, to offer me the privilege of serving the veterans who call our campus home. Yesterday, they doubled down on that faith by appointing me the inaugural director of our new Center for the Advancement of Veterans and Servicemembers (CAVS). I hope to follow the excellent example of the organizations and individuals around the country who are taking point and clearing the way for others.

This Veterans Day 2015, the outlook for those who serve and have served is getting better and better. We rise. We rise together.

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A Thoroughfare for Freedom: The 2015 Road Warrior Ride

SrA Andy Mccarty, USAF

In the crisp dawn air on June 6th, 2015, I found myself gearing up for another mission. I checked and rechecked my gear. Was everything strapped down? Could I easily reach and manipulate the controls? I went over the plan with the guy in charge and shared that plan with the guy following me. After a short delay, our convoy began to move out, alert and excited for the challenge ahead.

Far from the dangers of a combat zone, our team was setting out to navigate the country roads of New England. Day Two of the 2015 Road Warrior Ride, a cross-country motorcycle trip for severely wounded veterans, began with the rumble of 20 Can-Am Spyders. My colleague and fellow veteran, Rob Foster, and I took up the rear on our cruisers.  Together we formed a living chain that stretched for hundreds of feet like the backbone of a mythological dragon, which is exactly how some of the other motorists treated us along the way.

As the Director of Veteran and Military Services at Northeastern University, I have enjoyed limitless backing in my support of servicemembers and veterans, both on and off campus. My leadership encourages me to be a force for good in the community. Despite the somewhat unorthodox nature of this particular venture, they didn’t balk when I pitched the idea of supporting a cross-country motorcycle trip. Instead, they sent us off to represent our institution and the commitment we have for veterans. Both of us were beyond honored to go.

The Road Warrior Foundation is the brainchild of LtCol (Select) Craig Anders and Air Force veteran Steve Berger. They saw a gap in the services provided to injured veterans, one they decided to fill using their own brand of “adventure therapy.” Riding cross-country poses a challenge of endurance to anyone, injured or not, and it was exactly that challenge these eight wounded veterans had sought out; they relished the opportunity to prove that limitations are self-imposed. Adapt and overcome!

The ride to New York that day took around nine hours. This was one of the longer days of riding I had done since I started six years ago. Rob had learned how to ride only days before, so this was a true baptism by fire for him. That was especially true as the Can-Ams went into tight curves at 60mph, assured by their high-tech traction and stability controls. For those of us with only two wheels, it was scary at times. I spent a good portion of the ride with my heart in my throat which, if you’re wondering, is not where God put it.

When not busy contemplating my death or dismemberment, I was having the time of my life. I was witness to a whole group of people discovering a love of the open road. There is a flavor of life not tasted by those in cars or trucks. With no cage to protect you, you place your trust in nature and the road stretched out before you. In return, both open themselves to you and reveal a side unseen by most.

The center line divides your thoughts. The mountains stand like an ancient chorus poised in grandeur to sing their verses of solitude. The wise, old hills listen as your silent heart pours out its contents. The details of your life float away as dandelions scattered by the wind to be swallowed by rolling, emerald pastures. And as you ride through a countryside that exudes life, you can’t help but to get some on you.

It is precisely this sense of freedom and peace that draws so many into the saddle. Two-wheeled therapy has provided decades of treatment to veterans. Unfortunately, regular cruisers require the use of one’s feet/legs in order to shift gears, brake, and stabilize the vehicle at stops. The Can-Am Spyder, however, provides an automatic engine, hand brakes, and a third wheel. The generosity of Can-Am’s parent company BRP to donate the vehicles made this ride possible for veterans who had lost the use of one or both legs. For the lone female veteran on the ride, who had lost her vision from a virus contracted in Iraq, the Spyder allowed her to sit back and relax with a friend at the controls.

Our destination that day was Bear Mountain State Park, and our group arrived to a performance from the Nassau County Firefighters’ Pipes and Drums playing America the Beautiful. Their misty-eyed drum major stood at attention and held a salute as each one of us rolled past. It was at Bear Mountain over a barbeque spread and cold beverages that we really started getting to know the veterans we were there to support. They were family men, artists, athletes, and business leaders. There was Patrick, the heartthrob of the group, with his quick wit and southern drawl. Chewy, who looked like a brooding Mexican-American with a long, dark beard, was instead a warm and gentle soul with an inviting laugh. Big Mike would stand at six feet-eleven inches if he weren’t confined to a wheel chair; he slung jokes like it was his job. Though she can no longer see it, I hope Kathy never forgets what her beautiful smile looks like. Michael P. was unassuming and quiet despite being an accomplished adaptive sport athlete and non-profit entrepreneur. These and the other veterans each added their unique spice to the mix, and it soon felt a lot like a family barbeque.

We joined the Road Warriors again days later in Asheville, North Carolina and hosted a reception for them at the Twin Leaf Brewery. Locals had heard about the ride on the radio and came out to wave large American flags and cheer at their arrival. One more random city in America was able to show its gratitude for their service, and Northeastern University was proud to make it possible in yet another state.

That was our final evening with the 2015 Road Warriors. It lasted well into the night, and the conversations grew more descriptive and trusting. Injuries were explained. Recovery challenges were detailed. Such raw honesty was familiar from my own time in the service, and I missed it. In many ways, it was refreshing. Among civilians, we have to mind what we say and how we say it. There are things we shouldn’t say and things we simply cannot. Talking with Road Warriors like Big Mike brought me back to a time when that wasn’t a concern. We were all brothers, and we could tell each other anything.

Rob and I will never forget our time out on the road with this awesome group of veterans. There are so many ways to heal, and adventure therapy provides a fantastic alternative to the over-medication that’s grown all too common.  We certainly hope that more organizations will see the value in supporting the Road Warrior Foundation as NU has done.  Those who serve inevitably change, and we owe them the opportunity to rediscover themselves as they explore the great country they fought to defend.

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Your Business Needs Veterans

SrA Andrew McCarty, USAF

If you’re looking for a lesson in clichés and platitudes, the argument for hiring veterans is chock-full of them. Words like leadership and teamwork populate every report or article that is written on the subject, as well they should. However, the conversation requires a depth and substance that is often missing when these cases are made. To make a positive difference in the advancement of veteran employment opportunities, we must not rely on the same tired language. If pictures paint a thousand words, statistics and data driven examples will be the da Vinci of this movement. 

At this year's Council of Colleges and Military Educators symposium in Anaheim, I spoke on the topic of marketing student veterans for employment. I set out to supply a guide to the language and research that supports success. Two things became clear as I prepared my presentation: the language is pretty standard across the board, and not many statistics were included in the research I found. The few I discovered were mostly character driven, culled from the anecdotal responses of CEOs and human resource professionals. While these responses were almost universally positive, subjective language and opinions do not stand up well to opposition. I saw this first hand during a conversation; I spouted off the positive character traits that veterans bring to the workplace, and the other party countered that I was biased. I am a veteran, after all, so my response sounded self-serving. Many civilians boast the same great qualities that veterans possess, so how could I paint all veteran employees with the same brush?

The stats actually do support the argument that veterans are good for business. A 2013 study by the Corporate Executive Board Company (CEB) “shows that veteran hires are more valuable employees. Veterans, on average, perform at higher levels (avg. +4%) and are less likely to turnover (avg. -3%) generating significant business outcomes. Doing the math: For a company of 1,000 employees and average revenue per employee of $150,000, decreasing turnover by 3% saves $1.3 million annually, and increasing performance by 4% improves revenue by $6 million."

The veteran employment movement needs more data like the CEB stats above. Unfortunately, for all the companies advertising their efforts to hire veterans and appear “military friendly,” few are making the effort to track this segment of their employee population. Collecting and sharing that data will strengthen the argument that hiring veterans is good for business. Until then, we’re shooting blanks in a live-fire battle. It doesn't take a military historian to figure out the odds in that scenario.

Andy McCarty is the Director of Veteran and Military Services at Northeastern University. He is also a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a board member of the National Association of Veteran's Program Administrators. 

To learn more about Northeastern’s commitment to servicemembers and veterans, please visit: http://rly.pt/northeastern-uni

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