Women in the Military (Including Serving on Subs)

The novel LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS that I wrote with my husband features the first woman serving on a sub.

When Mitch and I originally wrote the story, women were not yet serving on subs in the U.S. Navy. So we came up with a story reason for LCDR Mollie Sanders to be the first woman.

On May 29, 2012, the White House's Council on Women and Girls posted Brad Cooper's article “Women Chart a New Course Onboard U.S. Navy Submarines”:

In 2009, U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced that for the first time in Navy history, women would be assigned to serve aboard Navy submarines.

Yesterday, the first contingent of 24 women who completed the Navy’s nuclear submarine program met with President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House. They were joined by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Mark Ferguson.

Now I understand that not everyone knows that women are now serving on U.S. subs. So when LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS was free for one day on Amazon thanks to the KDP Select program, I did not get overly upset when I got this message on Facebook from a man about the novel:

This really stretches reality. Women have made great advances in the military, but submarine duty isn't among them.

I sent back this Facebook message:

When Mitch and I wrote the story women weren't yet on U.S. subs and that is part of the point of the novel. BUT ... women are now on U.S. subs. See this article http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/05/29/women-chart-new-course-onboard-us-navy-submarines

And the man actually thanked me for “correcting” him.

He did go on to wonder how billeting would be arranged on the sub, which Mitch and I deal with in our fiction story. (Click here to buy LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS on Amazon now if you are interested in this story.)

On the same day I read the Military Times news story “Female military members sue to serve in combat” by Paul Elias of the Associated Press

To summarize the article, women are suing because, without access to certain combat positions, their chances for promotion are hindered.

[M]ore than 144 female troops have been killed and more than 860 have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan since the wars began, according to Pentagon statistics. Roughly 20,000 of the 205,000 service members currently serving in Afghanistan are women.

The article goes on to say that the lawsuit “alleges that women are already serving unofficially in combat units. Air National Guard Major Mary Jennings Hegar sustained shrapnel wounds in 2009 when she exchanged fire on the ground in Afghanistan after her Medevac helicopter was shot down.” (She received a Purple Heart medal for her injuries.)

Read the entire Military Times article (for which Associated Press writers Julie Watson and Lolita C. Baldor contributed).

In conclusion, it's a brave new world for women serving in the U.S. military.

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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is a former military spouse as well as the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks, including the military fiction MRS. LIEUTENANT: A Sharon Gold Novel and the cozy mystery CAST THE FIRST STONE with a subplot of non-combat trauma PTSD.

Click here to visit her Amazon author page at amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller

She also has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the co-founder of the online marketing company www.MillerMosaicLLC.com

Kudos to PTSD Portrayal on NCIS

On November 13 and 20 the CBS long-running drama NCIS had a two-part episode arc (Shell Shock: Part 1 and Part 2) featuring a Marine captain suffering from PTSD who also held the key to stopping a terrorist attack on American soil.

Brad Beyer played Marine Captain Joe Westcott, who definitely gets kudos for his portrayal, as well as kudos to the two-part show.

In the first part, perhaps the most important message is that Capt. Westcott asked for help. It was then that a doctor explained to him about PTSD.

The second part had even more helpful information, including the doctor explaining to Special Agent Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) that two main elements of PTSD are loss of sense of purpose and the need to re-establish trust.

At the completion of Part 2, a PSA with Mark Harmon and Pauley Perrette (who plays Abby Sciuto on the show) encouraged people to contact realwarriors.net 24/7 for help.

On Thanksgiving Day, in addition to watching football games and eating turkey, take the time to watch these two NCIS episodes (if you only have time for one episode, watch Part 2 -- you'll be able to follow the plot just fine). The person you could help by watching the show may be someone you love.

Click here for NCIS "Shell Shock" Part 1

Click here for NCIS "Shell Shock" Part 2

And click here to read information about PTSD.

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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semifinalist MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Navy thriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her book-related posts at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com

The Military Spouse Employment Partnership: Program Helps Military Spouses to Find Jobs

On a Department of Defense’s Bloggers’ Roundtable I had the opportunity to hear Meg O’Grady, director of the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP), speak about the opportunities of the year-old program.

While the launching of this program was 41 years too late to help me when I was a new Mrs. Lieutenant and desperately wanted to find a job, today the MSEP program offers a current partnership of 160 companies that want to hire military spouses.

In fact, click here http://msepjobs.militaryonesource.mil/ to find over 800,000 jobs listed.

The roundtable question I asked was based on the rejections I got so many years ago:

What to do about the employer who won’t hire a military spouse because that spouse may only be staying in one location for a year or two?

Ms. O’Grady replied that the companies who are part of this partnership work to help spouses deal with this issue. For example, a current employer may recommend to another company in the partnership a military spouse who is relocating to the location of the second company.

Needless to say, I am VERY impressed with this new program and hope that all military spouses can take advantage of the opportunities.

AND HERE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of this program and how military spouses today can make a big difference in their own lives:

The MSEP program came out of the results of the bi-annual Active Duty Spouse Survey. And the fourth such survey since 2006 is about to take place.

(In the alternating year there is a survey of National Guard and Reserve spouses.)

As I understand it from Dr. Cathy Flynn, program analyst with Military Community & Family Policy, starting today (Nov. 19) survey participant requests are being mailed to randomly selected military spouses (about 10% or 65,000). The survey has approximately 120 questions and takes from 20 to 30 minutes.

Questions will cover such areas as the impact on deployment, military and community program usage, and financial well-being issues. These types of questions resulted in the Military Spouse Employment Partnership – and the answers to the newest survey could result in other significant benefits for military spouses.

If you are one of the randomly selected participants, please do take the time to fill out the survey. You could be helping to make significant improvements in your own life and those of many other military spouses.

And if you’d like to read a short story about my military spouse employment saga 42 years ago, click here to read “A True Army Story: Whistle While You (Try to) Work”

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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Introducing the Museum of the American Military Family

Here is a guest post from Circe Olson Woessner, executive director of the Museum of the American Military Family:

The Museum of the American Military Family came into being one winter night as I sat watching the news, thinking about my Army son deployed overseas. I tried to imagine being in his circumstances, and ended up scaring myself more than anything else.

Like so many military moms, I hoped my son would serve his country proudly, carry out the mission successfully and come home safe, sound, in one piece —- and soon.

It occurred to me, at that instant, other military moms were having the same thoughts as I. In fact, millions of other military mothers, military spouses and children, regardless of nationality, or where they were located on the globe, were having similar wishes and hopes for their loved ones.

And I thought: we military families are tough. We hold it together for the sake of our kids, for our spouses, for our parents -- and for ourselves!

If we fall apart, it affects our troops and, indirectly, the mission. So when the chips are down, we grit our teeth, brace ourselves and keep on going. Ever since there have been armies, there have been families supporting them -- and supporting each other.

That’s when I got the idea: someone should dedicate a museum to the military family!

And then the second thought: Maybe I should dedicate a museum to the military family.

And so the Museum of the American Military Family was born.

Our mission is this:

The Museum of the American Military Family and Learning Center brings together people with shared experiences showcasing and honoring those who also served -- America's military families.

Right now the museum is in its infancy. We incorporated in March 2011, formed a board of directors, created our mission and vision statements, wrote bylaws and business plan, and got our 501 c 3 status.

In April 2011 we launched the virtual museum, and in May 2011 we created our Facebook Page.

Since then we have joined Twitter, Tindeck, Pinterest, and other social media. We have partnered with the National Museum of Nuclear History and Science to do a variety of programs, leading up to a major exhibition in 2014.

We are marching forward toward our goal of having a physical museum space in the Albuquerque area by 2013.

How can you help?

Because currently we are a virtual museum, all of our collections are online at http://museumoftheamericanmilitaryfamily.org/

To keep the museum site dynamic, we need to add posts continuously to our Facebook Page, our photo galleries and our blogs. We have many blogs, including We Served Too, Passports and Pedagogy, and the American Military Family.

We’d like you to send your photos and memories to us and we’d like your digital media: photos, videos, audio recordings as well as your written memories.

If you’ve made a YouTube video or have been interviewed for topics relevant to this museum, please let us know. If we feel that they are appropriate, we’ll post them. (Please make sure you have clear rights/or the permission to distribute the media.)

Submissions can be sent to militaryfamilymuseum@comcast.net

Please visit our Facebook Page at: www.facebook.com/MuseumoftheAmericanMilitaryFamily/

Sign our guest book at:
www.museumoftheamericanmilitaryfamily.org/GuestBook.html

And, most of all -- spread the word!

Some people ask if they can give us uniforms or other memorabilia, and the answer is “yes — soon.” We are in the process of locating physical museum space. But until we have funding and support, we cannot move into a permanent location.

Please hold on to your treasures for a little longer. We have posted a donation form on our website to help us raise money for our building.

We have designed a modest building, which looks like a military housing unit, and we are considering purchasing a small building near Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque. Either building will cost less than $300,000 to obtain.)

Please join us on our journey -— one that spans 200+ years -— from the Revolutionary War into the future. Help us tell the story of the American Military Family!

Blog note: My guest post "The Impact on My Life of Being Stationed in Germany From 1970 to 1972" for one of the museum's blogs can be read at http://budurl.com/lifeimpact

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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Veterans Day, PTSD and FREE Military Spouse Novels

On Veterans Day I am profoundly grateful that my husband does not suffer from PTSD gotten from serving on active duty with the U.S. Army. It is partly out of this gratitude that I try online to spread information about PTSD to help others.

In a recent blog post on this blog I wrote an update about PTSD after taking part in a Department of Defense's Bloggers' Roundtable (of which I am a member). The post included information about Operation Proper Exit that I learned about from the USA Network's popular TV show COVERT AFFAIRS (full disclosure: I'm a fan of this show). Click here to read this blog post.

IF YOU WATCH TELEVISION — Tuesday night, November 13th, will have two fictional shows dealing with PTSD:

Christopher Gorham's COVERT AFFAIRS character Auggie Anderson will return to Iraq as part of Operation Proper Exit. According to the Nov. 12-18 TV Guide, NCIS will start a two-parter — “Shell Shock”: “[A] veteran suffering from PTSD holds the key to a murder case.”

I personally believe in the power of fictional stories to get across important information. This is why I am hoping to move forward with my proposed PTSD-related TV series www.SolomonsJustice.com

AND FOR VETERANS DAY — myself and two other military spouse authors are offering our novels for FREE on Kindle on Sunday, November 11th. You can get the links to the books on Kindle in this article about us in the SpouseCalls column on Stars and Stripes.

(Don't have a Kindle? No problem. You can get a FREE Kindle app for your iPhone, iPad, Android, PC or Mac at http://amzn.to/NBoSGU)

Besides this SpouseCalls article, our Veterans Day project has been getting other good online coverage:

“Honoring Those Who Serve” at Digital Book Today

“The Best of the Sunday Free Kindle eBooks” also at Digital Book Today

“Military wives mark Veterans Day with free gift of their novels” at MilitarySuccessNetwork.com

““Sharing Our Military Wife Experiences” at MilitaryWivesCentral.com

“Army Wife” at the Army Times

“Phyllis Zimbler Miller” at Deleyna's Drift

“A Triad of Writers” at Deleyna's Drift

“Veterans Day Special: Award-winning Military Fiction” at Kindle Book Promos

“Mrs. Lieutenant: Free Kindle Book” at Freebooksy.com

© 2012 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is a former military spouse as well as the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks, including the military fiction MRS. LIEUTENANT: A Sharon Gold Novel.

Click here to visit her Amazon author page at amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller

She also has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the co-founder of the online marketing company www.MillerMosaicLLC.com

Update on PTSD Help for Veterans

As a member of the Department of Defense's Bloggers' Roundtable, I participated in a presentation in honor of Veterans Day featuring three speakers, including retired U.S. Army Major Ed Pulido, whose story is told in the above six-minute video.

The good news is that the VA and numerous other organizations are making available more and more resources for veterans suffering from PTSD and their families.

The bad news is that getting the information to those in need of it still lags.

One concern brought up by another blogger is that veterans, when they realize there might be something wrong, are unsure where to start the process of getting help for possible PTSD.

One such place is RealWarriors.net -- which lists this information on the website's home page:

DCoE Outreach Center
For Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Information and Resources

866-966-1020

Military Crisis Line
For Crisis Intervention for Service Members, Veterans and Families

1-800-273-8255, Press "1"

When I asked about services for veterans who need help with possible PTSD, I was told about a new VA program called "Coaching Into Care."

Here is a statement from the program:

Coaching Into Care provides a “coaching” service for family and friends of Veterans who see that their Veteran needs help. Coaching involves helping the caller figure out how to motivate their Veteran to seek services. The service is free and provided by licensed clinical social workers and psychologists. The goal of the service is to help the Veteran and family members find the appropriate services in their community.

Click here for more information on the "Coaching Into Care" program.

And finally, because of a mention two episodes in a row on the USA Network's show COVERT AFFAIRS, I learned about Operation Proper Exit, which takes wounded veterans back to Iraq in order to help the healing process.

Here is the followup interview of a soldier suffering from PTSD who went back to Iraq on Operation Proper Exit.

And here is the longer video, a segment of CBS's 60 MINUTES, on an Operation Proper Exit trip to Iraq.

P.S. I just published on Kindle a cozy mystery, CAST THE FIRST STONE. I was able to weave into the story a subplot about PTSD in the hope that people suffering from PTSD not brought on by combat would be encouraged to seek help.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Jon Stewart Uses Humor to Demonstrate Economic Gap for Returning Veterans

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Economic Reintegration for Veterans
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Watch this 12-minute video to better understand the challenges facing returning veterans as they attempt to transition into the civilian job market.

I say “attempt” because Jon Stewart demonstrates how difficult this can be.

And perhaps what is most interesting (and can be fixed the quickest) is not the question of certification.

It is the time it takes to receive a form that you must request in writing that will then allow you to request form DD 214 that lists what you have done in the military (good for showing to prospective employers). When requesting the form to request the DD 214, returning veterans are told they must wait 10 to 90 days for a response.

Jon Stewart goes through the telephone transfer calls you would experience if you tried to call the VA to get the form to request the DD 214. While an hilarious sequence on the show, it is a very serious impediment to returning veterans.

Is there someone in the military who watches this video and can:

1. Have the first request form automatically given to military personnel as they exit the military.

2. Allow the completed request form to be emailed and then receive the completed DD214 within 10 working days.

Better yet, give veterans a completed DD 214 as part of the discharge process!

(Yes, this might eliminate some civilian jobs with the military. But those people might be better employed doing real work rather than “make work.”)

Simple, right? Then how come this isn't already being done?

I do hope someone watching this video here or elsewhere on the Internet can do something about this NOW!

© 2012 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is a former military spouse as well as the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks, including the military fiction MRS. LIEUTENANT: A Sharon Gold Novel.

Click here to visit her Amazon author page at amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller

She also has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the co-founder of the online marketing company www.MillerMosaicLLC.com

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Not Only From Combat

As many of you know, I work on getting out information about PTSD. Because the symptoms may go unrecognized, it is important that as many people as possible learn about the symptoms.

And although I spend a great deal of my time talking about PTSD due to combat, PTSD can result from any trauma. Further, what is traumatic for one person may not be traumatic for another.

On the October 12th episode of the CBS drama BLUE BLOODS, a young female rape victim tells two NYPD detectives:

“They tell me that I have some sort of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I thought only soldiers coming back from war got that.”

When the two detectives nod in empathy, she continues:

“Do you know why I’m here? All of the drugs that they prescribed didn’t make me function again. They just gave me this whole other set of nightmares.”

And when she is told that two of the four rapists have been shot, she says: “I honestly wish someone would kill me.”

Why am I going into such detail about a fictional TV show?

Because fiction can often get across information more readily than nonfiction can. And I believe we all have a responsibility to recognize the symptoms of PTSD.

Please take a few moments to check out this PTSD information now at www.insupportofourtroops.com/ptsd-info/

Someone you know or love may need help — and your knowledge can help them.

P.S. If you are watching the Showtime drama HOMELAND, consider whether the main character, Carrie Mathison, has PTSD, especially given her actions near the end of the October 14th episode.

And in this same episode, the wife of the former POW (the other main HOMELAND character) asks in a fundraising speech for wounded veterans for support for military spouses BEFORE the combat family member comes home — to know what to expect and not to expect.

In terms of recognizing possible PTSD (which often develops a long time after deployment), this fictional idea could be very helpful.

(You also might like to check out my proposed TV fictional show dealing with PTSD at www.SolomonsJustice.com)

© 2012 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks. A new nonfiction ebook of hers is book marketing ebook TOP TIPS FOR HOW TO MARKET YOUR BOOK ON AMAZON AND FACEBOOK and her newest fiction ebook is the romantic suspense spy story CIA FALL GUY.

Click here to visit her Amazon author page at amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller

She also has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the co-founder of the online marketing company www.MillerMosaicLLC.com

Department of Defense Offers Safe Helpline Mobile App for Sexual Assault

In the premiere episode of the new ABC TV drama LAST RESORT, there is a very brief “sexual assault” check with some of the women on the nuclear submarine.

While the questioned woman assured the interviewer that everything was okay, in real life this is not necessarily so.

Now the Department of Defense has a Safe Helpline Mobile Application that will enable military personnel transitioning to civilian life to have access to resources assisting in managing the effects of sexual assault.

Click here to go to the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response website to learn more about the available resources.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Support for Jewish Military Personnel: High Holiday Services Available on Shalom TV

Here is a press release from Shalom TV:

For the third consecutive year, Shalom TV is televising Jewish High Holiday services to more than 40 million cable homes across America along with placing Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur programs online for Jewish service members stationed around the world.

"Our High Holiday services are one of the most important features of our programming year," noted Shalom TV president Rabbi Mark S. Golub.

"Jews should always experience the holidays with a Jewish community in prayer, song, and companionship, and we are honored to share services with men and women who are unable to attend a synagogue during the Holy Days, as well as addressing the individual needs of Jews who sometimes feel alone."

Among the services carried live on Shalom TV (and also available On Demand) are Torah readings and the call of the Shofar [ram's horn] on Rosh Hashanah, the Kol Nidre prayer service on Yom Kippur Eve, the Yizkor memorial service on Yom Kippur, and d'rashes (commentaries and thoughts for the holidays).

Shalom TV's services, which are eclectic and egalitarian in Jewish observance, also contain a special feature that Rabbi Golub feels is especially important.

"Whenever there is congregational participation, the Hebrew is available on screen for our viewers to read, along with transliteration and the English translation," he explains. "I want people to feel they can actually participate in our services, not simply watch them on television."

Services will be available on cable systems in the Shalom TV "Judaism" section, and online on Shalom TV's Web site beginning September 14, leading into both Rosh Hashanah (September 16-18) and Yom Kippur (September 25-26). A listing of Shalom TV's channel number (by cable system) is posted at www.shalomtv.com under the "Find Us" link.

To watch Rosh Hashanah services online, click here.

Shalom TV is available as free Video On Demand on virtually every cable system in America. The Shalom TV channel can be seen on select television providers and on Ruku, and on computer and mobile devices by visiting the Shalom TV Web site.

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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Captain Asks for Help for Needy Children in Afghanistan

Although CPT Adam Tiffen has returned from being deployed, he still wants to help support needy children in Afghanistan:

Dear Friends and Family,

I am asking for you to get involved in a good cause. I volunteer with an organization in Afghanistan called “Operation Outreach.” Operation Outreach is made up of volunteers from the U.S. military, NATO, and U.S. civilians.

The goal of the organization is to help poor children and families of Afghanistan. We distribute children’s clothing, children’s shoes, and school supplies to orphanages and schools.

For those of my friends and family that are interested in helping, please collect children’s clothing (especially winter clothing), shoes, and school supplies (crayons, pencils, notebooks, safety scissors, etc.) for children and families in Kabul.

If you (or any community organization such as a school, or faith organization, etc. you belong to) are interested, please let me know [adamtiffen@hotmail.com], and I will send you the mailing address to send the packages.

Sincerely,
CPT Adam Tiffen
adamtiffen@hotmail.com

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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS Free on Kindle Sept. 3 & 4

The technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS will be free on Amazon’s Kindle on Sept. 3 (U.S. Labor Day) and Sept. 4 at http://amzn.to/NUpy9o

LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS is for military technothriller readers who enjoy a fictional female character in a traditionally male role.

Written by Phyllis Zimbler Miller, a member of the Military Writers Society of America, and Mitchell R. Miller, a member of the U.S. Naval Institute, the novel goes from an aircraft carrier in the Pacific to the port of Los Angeles to the Arctic and the hotly contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

“A real page turner” according to a 5-star Amazon review from an aircraft carrier-based U.S. Navy veteran.

If you do not have a Kindle, you may get a free Kindle app for your iPhone, iPad, Android, PC or Mac at http://amzn.to/NBoSGU
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Vets With PTSD Face Driving Challenges When Back Home

Lee Woodruff's August 9th CBS News article "Auto anxiety: Some returning veterans struggle with driving" describes how terrifying a drive back home can be for vets suffering from PTSD.

Trained to anticipate attacks while driving, these vets can become panicked by "simple" traffic maneuvers.

Read the entire CBS News article now to learn more.

ANNOUNCEMENT: On August 20 and 21 the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel award semifinalist MRS. LIEUTENANT will be free on Amazon's Kindle. Download it at http://amzn.to/OXrBhh

And if you do not have a Kindle, you can download a free Kindle app for almost any electronic device here amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

P.S. If you are interested in a post about the second chance publication saga of MRS. LIEUTENANT, see http://budurl.com/2ndchance
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Help Our Heroes: Removing Barriers for Military Families Struggling With Hunger

This is a guest post from Emily Dingmann, communications manager of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger:

“Survival was supposed to be about getting home from the conflict. But now survival is about getting fed and having dignity.” (New York study on veteran hunger)

One out of four veterans struggles to put enough food on the table every day.

We at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger are shocked that so many of our heroes are risking their lives only to return home and find themselves struggling to feed their families.

Our veterans gave us their best and we should do the same for them. We must address the growing problem of food insecurity among veterans and other military families. That’s why we are launching a new program called Help Our Heroes.

Through Help Our Heroes, MAZON will identify the primary barriers military personnel and veterans face in qualifying for federal nutrition programs. Then Mazon will challenge our policymakers to eliminate those obstacles.

In this way the men and women who valiantly represent our interests can get the support they so desperately need. Help our Heroes will fix what is broken in our current system so our returning heroes get the help we can all agree they have earned.

We invite you to get involved in our important work today.

Click here to learn more about Help Our Heroes and MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger.

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and alleviating hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Return to Civilian LIfe Helped by Open Mindset

My guest post at Military Success Network begins this way:

My mother saved the letters from September 1970 to May 1972 that I wrote home when my husband Mitch and I were stationed in Munich, Germany, with the U.S. Army. (We met at Michigan State University as undergrads where he was in R.O.T.C.)

When reading those letters, I am surprised by how much worrying I did about what would happen after Mitch served his active duty commitment. My fears centered on how we would be behind our friends who had not put their lives on hold – who had not left good jobs to serve and now needed to start back at square one.

While my worries are from many years ago, the same concerns exist today with military personnel and their families returning to civilian life.

The more I think about this transition, the more I realize a core value of military service may be hindering successful transition.

Read the rest of this guest post now.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Surviving Trauma: PTSD and “Battling Bare”

My novel MRS. LIEUTENANT deals with the fears in 1970 that newly married wives at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, had of their husbands being killed in Vietnam.

I know those fears because I personally had those in 1970.

What I realize now, so many years later, is that, had my husband gone to Vietnam and survived, he would have come home a changed man.

Today this aftereffect of trauma is called PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – and it can be triggered many years after a trauma event (not necessarily combat trauma) and can severely impact the life of the PTSD sufferer as well as his or her family and friends.

For the past four years I have done volunteer work online to help spread information about PTSD. And some of you already know about my newest project to focus attention on PTSD – the proposed TV drama Solomon’s Justice. (Click here to read this proposal.)

Battling Bare:

The news article “Military Wives Strip Down to Raise Awareness About PTSD: Battling Bare” by Sarah B. Weir in Shine (from Yahoo!) is a poignant story of one military wife trying to get help for her husband.

As I have explained to non-military people, while the military says it wants to help active-duty military personnel who suffer from PTSD, there is a huge risk of reaching out for help, as Ashley Wise found out when she contacted the Family Advocacy Service at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

In desperation, she had a friend use eyeliner to write on her bare back the following:

Broken by battle,
Wounded by war,
I love you forever,
To you this I swore:
I will quiet your silent screams,
Help heal your shattered soul
Until once again, my love, you are whole.

Wise posted a picture of her bare back on Facebook(“like” the Page at https://www.facebook.com/BattlingBare) and started the organization Battling Bare – “until every soldier is whole.”

Read Wise's compelling story now.

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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the thriller CIA FALL GUY as well as the co-author of the technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Military Romance Novel Co-Authors to Give Away a Kindle Fire on July 1st

(This is a guest post by Bonnie Bartel Latino.)

YOUR GIFT TO ME, a new military romance novel by Bonnie Bartel Latino and Bob Vale, shares the subtle but central theme of the transformative powers of love and laughter to triumph over grief found in TOP GUN and STEEL MAGNOLIAS.

The male and female co-authors are a unique collaboration. Bonnie and Bob met online in 1996 in CompuServe's military forum. Although they have never met in person, their CompuServe correspondence evolved into a professional writing team that has lasted for over a decade.

The ability to seamlessly blend their individual points of view results in a single captivating voice with broad appeal. YOUR GIFT TO ME, their debut novel, is the culmination of that collaboration.

An award-winning writer and former freelance columnist for Stars and Stripes newspaper in Europe, Bonnie is a correspondent for the Mobile (AL) Press-Register Living Arts book page. She lives in Atmore, Alabama, with her husband, retired Air Force Colonel Tom Latino.

Bob Vale is an award-winning graphic designer, writer, and photographer. He founded and is president of Graphic Word, a full-service creative agency on the East Coast. He and his wife Janice live in New Jersey.

Bonnie and Bob are members of the Military Writers Society of America.

Brief synopsis: Nearly a decade after Emily Meade’s husband died in a fiery Special Operations helicopter crash in the 1991 Gulf War, she moves to Hawaii, clinging to her vow never to get involved with another man committed to a dangerous profession … until she meets charismatic F-16 pilot, Colonel Ted Foley.

However, he is assigned to a fighter wing that recently lost two pilots in unexplained air crashes.

Lowering her emotional barriers, Emily discovers a man who makes the ordinary feel sublime. Healing in shared confidences solidifies their relationship. As she becomes the vivacious woman she was before her husband’s death devastated her spirit, her fears resurface. Ted’s squadron suffers another F-16 crash.

Emily must find a path through her emotional minefields or risk never discovering that she's rejecting the only type of man to whom she is genuinely attracted, a man whose life could be in danger!

Kindle Fire Give Away: To promote the launch of their novel, the authors will give away a Kindle Fire to one lucky reader on July 1. Entering is as simple as sending a brief email about YOUR GIFT TO ME to 10 friends. Easy contest details may be found at www.yourgifttome.net/blog
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the fiction books MRS. LIEUTENANT and CIA FALL GUY as well as the co-author of the technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Click here to read about her books on her Amazon author page.

Phyllis is also the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which builds websites for clients and works with them to use online marketing. Read her posts at the company's online marketing blog.

Compelling Documentary “The Invisible War” Deals With Rape in the U.S. Military

The documentary “The Invisible War” shown at Sundance 2012 is a powerful film about the high incidence of rape in the U.S. military -- rape that often goes unchallenged and unpunished.

While there are numerous chilling statistics in this compelling documentary, for me perhaps the most disturbing statement is this:

Women who have been raped in the military have a PTSD rate higher than men who've been in combat.

According to the article “Military Rape Documentary ‘Invisible War’ Leads to Policy Changes Before Its Opening” by Steve Pond in thewrap.com:

In April, Secretary of Defense Panetta viewed the film -- and two days later, according to [documentary producer Amy] Ziering, he held a press conference to announce changes in the military's policy toward the prosecution of rapes.

But while the filmmakers welcome the change, both Ziering and [director Kirby] Dick say it isn't enough. “By moving the decision up but leaving it in the chain of command, a lot of the problems that you get at the unit commander level still exist,” Dick said.

As many of you know, in the last four years I have written extensively about PTSD suffered by our military personnel. Given that the attacks on these women (and men) were perpetuated in many cases by personnel in their own units, the sense of betrayal can make the PTSD even more overwhelming.

Read the entire thewrap.com story now -- and then consider how you might help right this terrible wrong.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC. Click here to visit Phyllis' Amazon author page.

Solomon's Justice, PTSD, Suicides, and CIA FALL GUY

Author Theodore Knell, who spent 22 years as a British Special Forces soldier, has written a compelling post about my proposed TV drama project “Solomon’s Justice.”

Theo’s post begins:

As a nation we routinely ask our military to do things that only the bravest few of us would dare to do, to see things that no one should have to see, and to watch their friends, colleagues and innocent men, women and children die in horrific circumstances. Then we ask them to live with the consequences for the rest of their lives.

Why are we then surprised when the lives of these very courageous souls begin to unravel?

The morning after this post appeared The Wall Street Journal carried this news blurb in the front-page “What’s News” section:

Suicides among U.S. troops are surging, averaging nearly one per day this year, the fastest pace since America began a decade of war.”

The small article insides include the information that there were 146 suicides in the first 148 days of this year. “That is 17% more than at the same point last year and 24% ahead of the 2010 pace.”

I met Theo via the Internet when his nonfiction book FROM THE CORNERS OF A WOUNDED MIND was published. It is an amazing story written in narrative and poetry of the effects of PTSD brought on by the experiences our soldiers must endure to protect us.

Visit (and “like”) his Facebook Page for his upcoming book A HELL FOR HEROES — www.facebook.com/AHellForHeroes

Then read his entire post in connection with my proposed “Solomon’s Justice” project.

And consider what you can do to help active duty military personnel and veterans survive and thrive despite being damaged mentally and physically by their service. Perhaps you know someone who would be interested in furthering the “Solomon’s Justice” project. If so, email me at pzmiller@millermosaicllc.com

P.S. Read the lovely publication announcement of my novel CIA FALL GUY on Mary Elliot Raynor's military retro blog.

© 2012 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of fiction and nonfiction books. Her newest fiction book is CIA FALL GUY (on Kindle Select at http://amzn.to/L38eiP ) — the idea for which came from a May 1972 bombing of the U.S. Army’s Officers Club in Frankfurt, Germany. (Read the blog post about this bombing.)

Memorial Day, PTSD and Solomon's Justice

(Reprinted from www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com)

I finished the first draft of the TV drama script for my proposed project “Solomon’s Justice” just before the Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. began.

The script channels the information and true stories I have heard in the four years in which I have been active online (BlogTalkRadio, websites, blog posts, etc.) supporting U.S. troops, their families and veterans, including focusing on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The May 26-27 Wall Street Journal carried the front-page article “One Taliban Bullet, Two Lives Lost” by Michael M. Phillips:

On Jan. 18, about halfway through his first combat tour and shortly before a scheduled home leave, the 27-year-old soldier sat in his room at an Army base in the snowy mountains near the Pakistan border. He held a 9mm pistol, the weapon medics carry to protect their patients in battle. He put the muzzle to his head and pulled the trigger.

He left behind a two-word note. "I'm sorry," it said.

For many in the military, some of the toughest blows aren't from battle but its aftermath. In the field and at home, many troops wrestle with depression, trauma, anxiety and substance abuse. Sometimes, combat veterans struggle to overcome the guilt of outliving their friends.

The article is a compelling story of one medic’s desperate attempt to save the life of a fellow soldier shot in a Taliban ambush -- and of that medic’s suicide four months later.

As the Journal article reported, “self-inflicted deaths among active-duty Army personnel [21.8 per 100,000] … surpass[ed] the civilian rate in the U.S. for the first time in 2008.”

The May 24 Pasadena Weekly carried the article “Warrior Justice: State courts ease up to help war veterans in trouble readjust to life at home” by Logan Nakyanzi Pollard:

Started in Buffalo, NY, in 2008, veterans’ courts have been established in several states around the country, including California, which has nine such courts statewide, most located in Southern California.

There are approximately 23.4 million veterans, 1.7 million of whom served in Iraq or Afghanistan. As much as one-third of the nation’s homeless population has served in the armed forces, according to estimates from the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Nearly half of all homeless vets suffer from some sort of mental illness, and 75 percent struggle with substance abuse.

But, unfortunately, many vets don’t know they have that option available to them, says Judge Michael Tynan, who presides over the veterans’ court established in the Los Angeles County Superior Court system.

According to this article, Judge Tynan is seeing many vets from earlier wars such as Vietnam rather than vets from Iraq and Afghanistan.From what I have learned about PTSD, this may not be as surprising as it at first seems because PTSD can take a long time to manifest itself.  (See info on PTSD and post about my visit to Judge Tynan’s veterans court.)

The proposed TV drama “Solomon’s Justice” is a long shot.  But it is one possible way to help spread the word about the veterans court option as well as encourage the establishment of more such courts.

And there is much more that needs to be done to better understand PTSD and how to reduce its effects in combat veterans.    

© 2012 Miller Mosaic, LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of nonfiction and fiction books, including the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT.  

DoD’s DIB CS/IA Voluntary Program Now Open to More DIB Companies

On a DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable today, Eric Rosenbach, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy, and Richard Hale, Deputy Chief Information Officer for Cybersecurity, spoke about the four-year-old program launched to better protect DOD data in Defense Industrial Base (DIB) companies.

Until now this voluntary program has been capped at 36 companies, and there are currently 36 companies participating. 

The program has now opened for other DIB companies, who can learn about the requirements at http://dibnet.dod.mil/

As the website says:

DoD’s DIB CS/IA program is a voluntary program to enhance and supplement DIB participants’ capabilities to safeguard DoD information that resides on, or transits, DIB unclassified information systems.

This program, and an expanded portion of the program started a year again that involve ISP providers, is an important component of keeping DoD information and companies' intellectual property secure from cyber attacks.

Check out the requirements now to see if your company qualifies -- http://dibnet.dod.mil/
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the online marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to utilize the Internet to attract more business. Visit her author Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/phylliszimblermillerauthor

Review of HBO Documentary "Wartorn 1861-2010"

CAUTION: There are very graphic scenes in this compelling HBO documentary.  These scenes may be too strong for people suffering from PTSD.
 
Although the HBO documentary "Wartorn 1861-2010" was first aired on HBO in November of 2010, I screened it now in connection with my proposed SOLOMON'S JUSTICE TV drama project.

The documentary traces PTSD back to the Civil War with compelling testimony in the letters home from a soldier. There is also footage from World War I and World II as well as Vietnam.

Perhaps the most graphic parts of the documentary are footage from Iraq and the stories of the veterans and families today living with the legacy of PTSD.

Actor and documentary exec producer James Gandolfini visited Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. as well as army headquarters in Iraq to question what the military is doing to help military personnel dealing with PTSD.

While there are not a lot of answers in this documentary, for people who question that PTSD wounds are real, after watching this documentary there should be no uncertainty.

And for me, having just written a blog post about my visit to the Los Angeles County Veterans Court, it was particularly upsetting to see a young veteran sentenced to six years in prison for a felony committed under the influence of PTSD symptoms.

I believe that, if the young man had been sentenced by a veterans courts, he would not have received a six-year prison term.  Instead it would be hoped that he might have been sent to a residential treatment center for his PTSD-induced violence.

Hats off to James Gandolfini and HBO for tackling this very important subject.  
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the ebook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is also the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC

A Visit to Los Angeles County Veterans Court

I had been reading about experimental veterans courts throughout the United States – courts set up to deal with crimes committed by veterans suffering from service-related mental health problems.

After four years of writing online about PTSD, I was particularly interested in this recognition that untreated PTSD can lead to all kinds of anti-society behavior.

I did some research, and discovered that for 20 months Los Angeles County has had a veterans court modeled after other veterans courts.

Checking with the court clerk, I learned sessions were held Monday and Tuesday mornings in Department (courtroom) 42 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.

I found the session I attended somewhat disorienting.  Although the courtroom opened at 8:30, the actual session did not begin until a few minutes after 10. 

And what I did not know until afterwards, when I did more research, was that Superior Court Judge Michael Tynan was handling cases from two different special courts simultaneously – the veterans court as well as another mental health-related court.

And what I suspected, but did not know until later, is that Judge Tynan had himself been in the military.  A Superior Court public affairs representative told me that Judge Tynan served as a Private First Class in the U.S. Army from 1958-1960.

One exchange between the judge and a handcuffed defendant new to Judge Tynan’s court went something like this:

Judge: What branch of the military?

Defendant: U.S. Navy

Judge: How many years did you serve?

Defendant: 5 1/2 years

Judge: Your rating?

Defendant: E5

Judge: Your job?

Defendant: Operator of satellite communications

Judge: Any combat?

Defendant: No land combatant as this was the Navy ... I received hazardous duty pay for being in a hazardous zone.

The judge later told the defendant that they were trying to get him into the Orange County VA program although they did not yet know if he were eligible.

After my visit, I spoke to the public defender assigned to the veterans court, who had been accompanied during the session by a social worker with the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department.

She explained to me that defendants must be referred from another court, and that the Los Angeles County Veterans Court is a collaborative court.  The DA participates in the decisions for defendants to be sent to the veterans court.

One thing I could tell during the session even without knowing this additional information is that Judge Tynan truly cared about the defendants appearing in front of him. 

This particularly impressed me because I had just read David Feige’s book INDEFENSIBLE: ONE MAN’S JOURNEY INTO THE INFERNO OF AMERICAN JUSTICE in which Feige describes how few of the judges in front of whom Feige represented clients seemed to care about the defendants.

I can only hope that these special veterans courts will be set up throughout all court systems in the U.S.  With more and more veterans of multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan likely to exhibit symptoms of PTSD in the coming years, these courts will be particularly important for “paying back” our veterans for their service.

My experience visiting a session of the Los Angeles County Veterans Court will be used to inform my proposed project “Solmon’s Justice.”  See www.SolomonsJustice.com if you want to know about this project.   

Help Returning Vets By Clicking "Like" on a Facebook Page

An ad in the April 7-8 Wall Street Journal caught my eye with the headline:

"In Baghdad He's a Hero; In Brooklyn He's Homeless."

Then underneath the headline:

"Help Services for the UnderServed Help a Returning Veteran."

And the link aftertheparade.com goes to a Facebook Page where for every "like" corporate sponsors make a donation.

Go here now to "like" the Page and learn more about these services.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Learn more at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com

New Orleans Will Kick Off Navy Events Commemorating the War of 1812

Although the Battle of New Orleans did not take place until January of 1815, New Orleans was chosen as the kick-off port for a four-year span of events commemorating the bicentennial of the United States’ victory in what is known as the War of 1812.

Mark Romig, president and CEO of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC) and chairman of the NOLA Navy Week Host Committee, spoke to the Department of Defense’s Bloggers Roundtable on March 29th.

As roundtable bloggers were informed:

The commemoration aims to reconnect the American people with the notion that we are a seafaring nation that depends on the ocean for both commerce and national defense.

The United States Navy, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Coast Guard, and OpSail will utilize the events of 2012 and beyond to educate the American public about the past, present, and future of our sea services.

NOLA Navy Week will take place April 17-23 with numerous fun events as well as a port call of tall ships from around the world.

Check out the NOLA Navy Week events now at http://nolanavyweek.com/ and then learn about other events planned for the next four years at http://ourflagwasstillthere.org/
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's Internet marketing blog.

PTSD News Article Gives Me Idea for TV Drama Show

Reprinted from www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com:

As those of you know who have read the PTSD-related posts here on mrslieutenant.blogpost.com or have read the information about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at my website www.insupportofourtroops.com …

I am very concerned about American men and women suffering from combat-induced PTSD as well as the families and society to which these men and women return home.

I have known about special courts that judge vets who break the law differently if the vet’s offense appears influenced by the symptoms of PTSD.

I have known about the extremely high incidences of spouse abuse from vets suffering from PTSD.

I have also known that many people suffering from PTSD do not know this about themselves or, if they do know, do not seek treatment for a variety of reasons.

Thus I welcomed the front-page March 24th Wall Street Journal article by Michael M. Phillips titled “Convicted Combat Vets Watch Each Other’s Backs to Stay Out of Prison” as a good overview of the special courts, spouse abuse and the long-term effects of PTSD.

The Wall Street Journal article begins:

SAN DIEGO—In Iraq, Chris Stavran relied on his buddies to keep him alive. On the streets back home, he relies on them to keep him out of prison.

Two years after leaving the Marine Corps, Mr. Stavran has become part of a judicial experiment, one of a group of homeless Iraq and Afghanistan veterans convicted of criminal offenses and sent to a new veterans-only court that takes into account their wartime scars. He’s living with eight other vets and undergoing treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, anger-management and substance abuse—with a lengthy prison term waiting if he slips up on probation.

Yet, after reading the entire article, I kept returning to what I also knew:

Many, many veterans (as well as others suffering from trauma-induced PTSD) do not get the help they so desperately need.

Then I read something about Suzanne Collins, author of the immensely popular YA trilogy “The Hunger Games,” getting her ideas from putting together two disparate subjects.

I also thought about how fiction can sometimes get across ideas much more successfully than nonfiction can.

The light bulb went off! And the idea for a TV drama series based on a TV drama pilot script that my husband and I wrote years ago popped into my head.

The original TV drama was “Solomon’s Justice” with the first episode titled “The Wisdom of Solomon.” This drama concerned a children’s court judge in San Diego. (Years ago when my husband was a law student – thanks to the GI Bill – at Temple University in Philadelphia, he had a summer clerkship with a children’s court judge.)

The idea occurred to me now of taking that same drama series title/setting and transposing it to a TV drama about people dealing with PTSD.

A couple of hours after the light bulb went off I had mentally developed the main characters as tweaked from the original characters my husband and I created for “Solomon’s Justice.”

Now here is my challenge:

• I know that much more has to be done to help people suffering from PTSD, and a weekly TV drama could help get out the information — and keep that information — in front of the public.

• I believe that my idea for a TV drama could be very successful as a show on network television or on cable television or even on sites such as Netflix that are starting to develop original TV series.

• I need help to connect with the people who can make this project happen.

I am going to start writing the treatment for this proposed TV drama.

And if anyone reading this post has contacts to help move this project forward, contact me at pzmiller@millermosaicllc.com

Let’s do more than nod our heads after reading about this terrible problem of PTSD – which affects so many Americans and their families. Let’s try to actually do something for these people.

Are you able to help with this project?

(c) 2012 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller on Twitter and @ZimblerMiller on Pinterest) is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks and is the co-founder of the online marketing company www.MillerMosaicLLC.com

Her screenplay DR. SOAPY can be downloaded for FREE at Amazon Studios at http://studios.amazon.com/projects/8259 and the techno-thriller ebook LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS she wrote with her husband can be downloaded for FREE from Amazon’s Kindle store.

Military Members Can Get Their College Degrees Using the G.I. Bill

Here is a guest post from MilitaryDegrees.org written by Cyn Brinks:

The G.I. Bill makes it easier than ever to get an education if you’re in the military. Whether you’re on a Navy ship, working overseas or simply stuck in the barracks in the night, you have a lot of time on your hands to do something greater for your future.

You can start working on a real college degree even if you’re not finished with your service. Your full tuition and fees can be paid for, and you receive a stipend for books and housing.

You can also start a degree at any time while you’re in the military thanks to the development of online degree programs by public and private universities.

There are all sorts of viable online courses and programs for military personnel even if you don’t have any college experience or you just want some vocational training to help transition into civilian life.

There are also some major benefits to registering for online courses and degree programs while still in the military or if you have veteran status.

Online courses and programs are just like those that you find at a traditional school. You still have to put in the work, which includes reading, lectures, taking texts, turning in assignments and talking to your professors.

The only difference is that you don’t have to report to a specific classroom, change your schedule or live in a certain area to go to school. Sophisticated technology has allowed online education to transcend multiple barriers.

For instance, you can talk to face-to-face with professors and other students, receive online tutoring, and schedule study groups with other students over the Internet. You simply follow the syllabus, turn in your work and finish your exams at the end of the semester, like any normal class from your own computer.

There is some finesse to doing well with online degree programs. For one, you have to be self-motivated and hardworking, otherwise you simply won’t get the work done on time.

In addition, you have to keep up with discussions and continue to read, studying when you have a chance.

You won’t spend all of your time in front of the computer. The class will still require book reading and completion of assignments, some of which may need to be turned into a professor by mail or campus visit, though this is becoming a thing of the past.

Not all degree programs are created equal, and some institutions do not have the same accreditation. You should make sure to research a degree so that you know exactly what you’re getting into and what kinds of colleges offer your degree.

There are plenty of military service members who share concerns about the validity of an online program. But both public and private universities make these accommodations for military personnel because it’s understood that you have extreme circumstances that require flexibility from a work-anywhere atmosphere.

For that reason, many fully accredited and prestigious schools offer business, healthcare, computer and engineering programs over the web. It is simply a question of do you want to wait to get a degree or do you want to distinguish yourself now?

Students who are in the military can come out with so many advantages, already graduated and on to a career or heading straight into a higher degree program and starting a civilian life once finished with active duty. These students didn’t put their futures on hold to get started on an education.

Now there is some complexity surrounding G.I. Bill Benefits, who is eligible for the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill and the Montgomery G.I. Bill. And more importantly what is the difference between the two?

Simply speaking, your Post 9/11 benefits kick in after your honorable discharge, and no other discharge is applicable for the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. On the other hand, the Montgomery G.I. Bill is available to active duty solider who contribute $100 a month into the Montgomery G.I. Bill fund.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Pentagon Pulls 10,000 Troops From Europe

Reprinted from the blog at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com:


While for the last several years news of U.S. troops in Iran and Afghanistan may have taken the lion’s share of U.S. troop news, U.S. troops are stationed in many places throughout the world.

One such place that I am personally familiar with is Germany. Yes, the United States has been part of an occupying force in Germany since the end of World War II.

The February 18th Wall Street Journal article “U.S. to Cut Europe Forces in Remake” by Julian E. Barnes began:

The Pentagon will pull some 10,000 troops out of Europe in a broad reorganization that will shrink the number of Army and Air Force personnel stationed in Germany and close a number of bases.

Why is this news of troop reduction in Germany of such interest to me?

Here is the end of a blog post about how Facebook unexpectedly provided historical information for my work-in-progress novel CIA FALL GUY:

I originally thought that I would write a sequel to my novel MRS. LIEUTENANT, which is partly based on my experiences as a new Mrs. Lieutenant in the spring of 1970 right after the Kent State shootings. I wanted to write about being part of the occupying force in Germany only 25 years after the end of World War II.

Recently, though, my younger daughter has recommended that I write a memoir instead of fiction. I have all the official documents from that time and many other documents, including a copy of the letter I wrote to the Anne Frank House donating money from the very small Jewish military community in Munich when the memorial was in danger of closing from lack of funds.

I agree with my younger daughter, who has suggested the memoir’s title as IF IT IS SEPTEMBER, IT MUST BE OKTOBERFEST. (My husband and I arrived at the train station in Munich on a Sunday in September in the midst of Oktoberfest and did not even know where we were supposed to go.)

I believe it is important that Americans with no connection to the U.S. military know that U.S. troops and their families stationed abroad are part of the global effort to protect the U.S. And although 10,000 troops and their families may be coming home from Europe, the U.S. continues to have a presence where needed.

As this Wall Street Journal article stated:

Pentagon officials took pains to emphasize that despite the cuts, the U.S. will have approximately 70,000 troops stationed in Europe, including those in Germany.

© 2012 Miller Mosaic, LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Project M.O.T. Prepares to Send Passover Packages to Deployed Troops

Reprinted from the blog at www.OperationSupportJewsintheMilitary.com:

Project M.O.T. has announced the packing date for Passover packages this year is March 4th. All donations must be received by February 26th.

If you are not in Los Angeles where Project M.O.T. is based, you can still send donations to be included in the packages (or funds to help with expenses).

Some of the items wanted (and these items must fit into boxes that are 8.5″ x 11″):

Small puzzle and game books

Small packages of Passover candies, cookies, gum and treats

Kipot

Matzah covers

(Haggadot are NOT needed.)

Email projectmot@aol.com if you would like to participate on March 4th and/or send donations.

Reminder: Donations must be received by February 27th to be placed in the assembly line on prep day.

Visit www.projectMOT.org to learn more.

P.S. This year the first seder is Friday evening, April 6th. Read the Passover chapter from the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION now.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Wall Street Journal Reports Army Suicides Level Off

According to the news blurb "Army Suicides Level Off After Years of Surging" by Julian E. Barnes in the January 20th Wall Street Journal:

The Army believes it has halted the rise of suicide in its ranks, saying that improved treatment of brain injuries and post-traumatic stress has helped stem years of increase. But officials said Thursday that other problems tied to post-traumatic stress, such as sexual assault and domestic violence, continue to rise.

As I have often written about PTSD, it can occur long after the incident or incidents that cause it. Plus the symptoms of PTSD may not be recognized by the sufferer or his or her family members.

This is why it is so important to know about the symptoms so that help can be sought at the earliest opportunity.

To learn about PTSD, read this information now.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which is now WBENC certified. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.