MRS. LIEUTENANT: A WOMEN'S FRIENDSHIP NOVEL: July 2010

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Army Vet Starts Portable iPhone Charger Business From Afghanistan

The April 2010 issue of Inc. magazine carried an article by Jason Del Rey titled "Report From the War Zone: On the frontline in Afghanistan, an Army vet launches his start up."

The article tells the story of Bill McNeely, a former Army logistics officer who served in Iraq and then took a job with a defense contractor in the southern Afghan province of Helmand.

McNeely realized there was a need for a solution to the iPhone's short battery life, and he found a way to solve this problem by creating a portable iPhone charger called the 3GPower2.

McNeely started his company from Afghanistan, and you can order his battery at www.3GPower2.com. (His wife handles shipping from their home in Temple, Texas.)
___

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and her social media marketing company Miller Mosaic Power Marketing works with clients to use social media to attract more business. Read her social media marketing blog.

Staying in Touch Can Sometimes Hurt Deployed Personnel

The July 30th Wall Street Journal article "Soldiers' Suicide Rate Tied to Access to Problems at Home" by Julian E. Barnes provided this very important information:

Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the vice-chief of staff of the Army who has led the effort to reduce suicides, said that 79% of suicides were soldiers who had one deployment or had yet to be deployed.

But Gen. Chiarelli said it wasn't just the stress of war that weighed heavily on soldiers, but also stresses from back home.

"For us to blame this just on the war would be wrong," he said.

Because deployed soldiers can stay in touch daily with family, they are often asked to help handle issues involving money, children and personal relationships.

I hope that the military is addressing this realization by repeatedly briefing families of deployed personnel on how they can help their deployed family members by not sharing too much and how the families can instead get help for themselves.

The article also states:

U.S. Army data also show the suicide rate is higher on forward-operating bases where soldiers have easy access to phones and computers with which to call home, and lower in more primitive outposts.

"We need to help families understand the importance when their soldiers are deployed of not dragging them back into a life at home that they have very little ability to try and fix," Gen. Chiarelli said.

While reading this article I had the unsettling feeling of knowing about this. Then I realized that my husband and I had used this situation as a subplot in our screenplay "Lt. Commander Mollie Sanders." We had imagined how powerless a sailor on a submarine might feel if he misinterpreted the message that his wife sends him.

It's not enough for the military to tell family members not to burden their deployed personnel. The military must make sure that help for families is readily available without any negative impact on the personnel.
___

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and her social media marketing company Miller Mosaic Power Marketing works with clients to use social media to attract more business. Read her social media marketing blog.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Sponsor a Fort Hood Soldier or Wounded Warrior to a CTS Concert

CTS - Consider The Source
Mesa, AZ | Alternative / Rock
Members: Jeff Senour, Eric Hansen, Dave LeGassey, Joe McGinnity

A new contact of mine emailed me this announcement and I told him I would share it with others:

Dear CTS Fans:

How would you like to touch a real hero's life in a big way? Well here's your chance to do something great without much expense.

On Saturday, Sept. 11th, 2010, rock band CTS will headline the National Gathering of the Guard 2010 for Patriot Guard Riders at Killeen, Texas. Killeen is right next to Fort Hood, Texas, where the tragic shootings took place last year.

CTS will headline this amazing event with its "Freedom Rock Experience" multi-media concert honoring our "Real American Heroes." Killeen Convention Center holds 1,400 people and CTS along with Urban Quartet will rock this heroic town.

The concert will also feature the local Harker Heights High School Orchestra performing our original song "Snowball Express," honoring the widows and children who have lost a loved one in the military.

Your support of this event even if you can't make it will touch a lot of people who give it all for our country.

Tickets are now on sale and we would love to have you there but know a lot of our CTS fans can't attend. So now we invite you to sponsor your very own Fort Hood soldier or wounded warrior to the concert. You can sponsor one or as many as you like. You can sponsor a whole platoon if your heart desires.

It's as easy as a mouse click away on the following link. Our soldiers give it all for our freedom and how awesome it would be to send your own American hero to a concert night out at Fort Hood.

Log onto: http://gotg2010.eventbrite.com/

The Fort Hood base and Patriot Guard Riders will give your sponsorship tickets to the Fort Hood soldiers and various wounded warriors to attend the concert. By sponsoring your own unique American hero you will be present in a way at the concert and a part of the CTS journey to touch lives with good music.

Thank you for your support of CTS music and our nation's finest heroes.

Your Friends,

Jeff, Joe, Dave and Eric / CTS
___

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and her social media marketing company Miller Mosaic Power Marketing works with clients to use social media to attract more business. Read her social media marketing blog.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

The PTSD Walk Has Hit a Snag and Needs Your Help

Dan Stepel, the 47-year-old U.S. Marine veteran who was determined to walk the 12,000 miles, has finally bowed to the inevitable.

A bug bite in Ghana when he was there on business led to surgery that left one leg less than whole. And while Dan truly thought he could walk those miles each day with this bad leg, he has had to admit defeat for his own plans.

But he is not admitting defeat with this planned walk.

The response on the walk’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/PTSDWalk) has demonstrated how important it is to get the media exposure that such a walk would bring to the PTSD suffering of active-duty military personnel and veterans.

THE MISSION NOW:

How to have the walk without Dan doing the walking.

There are a few veterans who suffer from PTSD who could each, perhaps, walk for a week. Under this plan these veterans would need to meet up on the walk itinerary with the previous walker and take over for a week.

In other words, a relay walk, which could be quite powerful from a media exposure perspective.

Would you or anyone you know possibly be interested in participating in a relay walk?

Do you have other ideas of how this project might go forward?

Leave comments here or email Dan at danstepel@gmail.com

As Dan learned in the Marines, Semper Fi!
___

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and her social media marketing company Miller Mosaic Power Marketing works with clients to use social media to attract more business. Read her social media marketing blog.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Navy Introduces New Ideas to the Realities of Sea Life

I had the privilege to be on the Department of Defense Bloggers Roundtable featuring Captain Carl Conti, Director of Experimentation, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and Commander Dave Varnes, Director, Trident Warrior 2010.

Captain Conti explained:

What we're trying to do every year when we do Trident Warrior is to go out and find things that are out there -- it might be a technology, it might be a process, it might be a procedure -- but different ways to do business -- and take that information out to sea and see how it works in the hands of the folks that are going to be using it.

The example of this that I liked best is this one given by Captain Conti:

We had one technology one time, the engineers were planning it out, they had done it in pencil work in the lab, everything was good to go. They packaged their box up and they sent it out to the ship to get installed, and then it was inside of a big Pelican case, and then they realized that Pelican case doesn't fit through the hatch on the ship.

Listen to the half-hour interview now -- it's very informative.
___

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. Her newest military-related project is supporting the upcoming PTSD Walk Across America.Phyllis' social media marketing company Miller Mosaic Power Marketing combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands. Read her social media marketing blog.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

My Russian Spy Recruitment Story

The July 5th Wall Street Journal carried a story by Sean Gardiner titled “A Cold-War Spy Story.” In the story, Gardiner features Paul Browne, now deputy New York City police commissioner.

Gardiner describes Paul Browne’s “firsthand experience being recruited by a Russian agent – a Soviet spy betting a relationship with a small-town newspaper reporter would one day bear fruit.”

This recruitment attempt began in 1973 -- two years after the recruitment attempt of my husband and myself in an inexpensive eatery in Copenhagen in September 1971.

At that time my husband Mitch and I had been stationed since September 1970 in Munich, where Mitch was a U.S. Army intelligence officer at the 18th Military Battalion. I had spent the time fighting the U.S. Civil Service and finally had a GS rating and a security clearance.

Upon our return from Copenhagen I would start working as a GS-3 at the 66th Military Intelligence Group. And I had already signed documents telling me what to expect from a Soviet recruitment pickup effort.

Now picture Copenhagen in September 1971:

All the tourists have gone home. Mitch has a very short haircut (in 1971 a dead giveaway that he is military) and we’re sitting in an inexpensive eatery listed in Frommer’s “Europe on $5 and $10 a Day.”

The middle-aged man sitting next to us says, “These Danes are so frivolous. I’ve just been to Russia and they’re much more serious there.”

My husband and I touch knees under the table. This is a classic recruitment pickup line – extolling the virtues of the Russians.

But this classic line so shakes us that we immediately get up from our table and run – yes run – all the way to Tivoli Gardens and halfway through before we stop running.

Then we look at each other. Incredible! Just as we had been warned.

And, yes, one day when I came to work at the 66th, my GS-12 boss was very agitated. A U.S. soldier stationed on the border with East Germany had “gone over to the other side.” My boss surmised that the Russians had gotten the lonely solder in a compromising position.

That was the Cold War 40 years ago. We were taught to be vigilant against Soviet agents. And we even laughed at the Russian spy standing outside in the cold as we arrived to attend the post commander’s New Year’s Day reception at the officers’ club.

Now it’s 2010 – and there are Russian sleeper agents arrested in the U.S. The past has come forward 40 years.
___

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. Her newest military-related project is supporting the upcoming PTSD Walk Across America.Phyllis' social media marketing company Miller Mosaic Power Marketing combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands. Read her social media marketing blog.

THE DRY LAND Movie: Part II

As I wrote in my previous blog post about the new movie THE DRY LAND I thought the movie a very compelling story of one soldier's return home.

I actually got a very interesting question on Twitter from @FreeRangeMom (Peggy Dolane):

@ZimblerMiller Do you think #thedryland would be of interest to currently enlisted personnel? Or is it too close to home?

And here is what I replied in the limitation of characters on Twitter:

@FreeRangeMom Important for current enlisted personnel & officers to see #thedryland to know they are not "crazy" - it's a medical condition

Now I want to share with you part of an email I sent THE DRY LAND's writer/director Ryan Piers Williams after attending the press screening of the film:

I have only one comment. Although I know that end credits are usually contractual, is there any way the important info about getting help for PTSD can be before the end credits? I'm concerned that many people don't stay for the credits and that message is so very, very important.

Ryan's reply to me was so sensitive to the emotions of people that I asked his permission to share that response here:

The decision to put the PTSD message where it is was a very important one. I found, through many test audiences, that people needed the time between the end of picture to the PTSD message to settle their emotions.

I timed out the message to come when I felt the audience would be ready for it. It was a creative decision. We tried to place it after the picture ended and it felt wrong. It was a tough decision, but one I had to make.

There was not one actor that wasn't willing to sign a waiver to have the message above their names. That was not the issue. The decision was made by me in considering the emotional state the audience should be in by the end of the film and when they might be ready to read the message.

FYI -- See July 7th New York Times article by James Dao headlined "V.A. Is Easing Rules to Cover Stress Disorder"
___

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. Her newest military-related project is supporting the upcoming PTSD Walk Across America.Phyllis' social media marketing company Miller Mosaic Power Marketing combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands. Read her social media marketing blog.

Introducing the New Movie THE DRY LAND: A Compelling Story of One Soldier's Return Home

I had the privilege to attend a press screening for the movie THE DRY LAND before it appears in theaters July 30th.

Writer/director Ryan Piers Williams and the actors, starting with the central character played by Ryan O'Nan, and including everyone involved in the film have created an incredibly compelling story of a soldier's return from Iraq to the "peace" of West Texas.

The film focuses on the impact of undiagnosed PTSD on the soldier, his wife and his community although the words Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are never uttered in the film.

What's so amazing about this film is that the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense gave support for the film. In fact, here's a quote from the press notes from U.S. Army entertainment industry liaison Lt. Colonel Gregory W. Bishop:

The biggest barrier to a soldier getting help is the perceived stigma .. we want troops to know it's okay to seek help for any challenges they may face, especially PTSD. It's critical that we lead by example, and as an institution, that we're encouraging opening dialogue on PTSD and mental health. I'm proud of our participation in this film. It's an honest, open exploration of a struggle that many of our troops go through. I think it will help soldiers.

I'll be writing more about this film in later blog posts, so for this post I want to end by quoting film writer/director Ryan Piers Williams from the press notes:

The most important feeling I want the audience to leave with is hope. This film explores many of the dark aspects of coming home from war, but the message I want to leave people with is that there is hope for a life after the war.

The film's end credits include this message:

If you, or someone you know, is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), help is available:

www.realwarriors.net
www.militaryonesource.com
800.342.9647

___

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. Her newest military-related project is supporting the upcoming PTSD Walk Across America.Phyllis' social media marketing company Miller Mosaic Power Marketing combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands. Read her social media marketing blog.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Coffee Bean Supports Our Deployed Troops

I had a meeting at the Coffee Bean on South Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. When I ordered my decaf coffee I was asked if I wanted to buy a pound of coffee to be donated to deployed troops with $1 of the purchase price going to Fisher House. I said yes.

And then here's the really cool thing. I got to write a message on the back of the pound of coffee I donated.

In my message I wrote about the upcoming PTSD Walk Across America and gave the URL for the walk's Facebook page -- www.facebook.com/PTSDWalk

This purchase today was especially poignant as earlier in the day I had been contacted by a soldier with PTSD who is having a difficult time because his chain of command is not supportive of soldiers with PTSD.

If you don't have a Coffee Bean near you, you can order the pound of coffee online and either get it shipped to you with $1 going to Fisher House or you can donate the purchase through Soldiers' Angels.

Here is the description of the project from the Coffee Bean website:

Support from Home Blend

This blend was created as a tribute to the brave men and women of our Armed forces serving around the world. It was designed to be bold, yet smooth in flavor. The Support from Home Blend has a medium body, a fruity aroma and a black cherry flavor with a dark chocolate finish.

One dollar from your purchase of Support From Home coffee will be donated to the Fisher House™.If you wish to donate your purchase of Support from Home Blend to our troops, please contact your local Soldier’s Angels.

The Support From Home Blend is pre-ground.

I hope you'll join Coffee Bean in supporting our troops.
___

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. Her newest military-related project is supporting the upcoming PTSD Walk Across America.Phyllis' social media marketing company Miller Mosaic Power Marketing combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands. Read her social media marketing blog.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

This July 4th Support the PTSD Walk Across America

This Fourth of July show your support to our troops by one simple click on Facebook.

Join the Facebook page of the upcoming PTSD Walk Across America, whose purpose is to raise awareness of and funds for PTSD help for active-duty military personnel and veterans.

While the Fourth of July celebrates the birth of our nation, it's vital that we remember that the men and women serving in today's Armed Forces are the first line of defense for our democratic way of life.

Join the PTSD Walk Across America Facebook page now -- www.facebook.com/PTSDWalk
___

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. Her newest military-related project is supporting the upcoming PTSD Walk Across America.Phyllis' social media marketing company Miller Mosaic Power Marketing combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands. Read her social media marketing blog.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

PTSD Walk Banner LIVE on 40 Bizymoms City Pages

Nina Amerasinghe – Director of Experts Relations for the Bizymoms' Expert Advice Section & Small Business Advisors Center – emailed me to let me know that the PTSD Walk banner (designed by Nina -- see above on right-hand side of this blog) is live on all these city pages - cities that Dan Stepel will visit during his 12,000 mile walk to raise awareness of and funds for PTSD.

Nina emailed:

There were only a couple cities on Dan's route document that Bizymoms did not have the city page of. I hope this makes a difference at a local U.S. city level to your wonderful event.