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

Get Ebook of Novel MRS. LIEUTENANT for FREE Today in Honor of Veterans Day

As I have often said, my goal in writing the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT was to share a slice of women's social history about the wives of new Army officers in the spring of 1970 right after the Kent State shootings during the Vietnam War.

Of course, I also hoped to write a compelling and entertaining story. And with MRS. LIEUTENANT being chosen as a 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semifinalist and with good reviews on Amazon, I feel I achieved my goal.

And, yes, I was a new Mrs. Lieutenant in the spring of 1970 when my husband went on active duty at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, for Armor Officers Basic.

In honor of all the men and women who have served in U.S. armed forces, I would like to offer a FREE coupon code for MRS. LIEUTENANT today in honor of Veterans Day.

Go to the novel's page on Smashwords and after clicking that you want to buy the ebook, enter the coupon code SW78N and you will get the ebook for free.

You'll be able to choose how you want to download the ebook, including the ability to read it on your computer.

I hope you'll take this opportunity get a FREE ebook copy of my novel that is supportive of our military personnel and their families.

P.S. And if you enjoy the novel, do consider posting a review on Smashwords or Amazon.
___

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.

Big Gunz Clothing Gives Back to Military Families November 10-14 in Honor of Veterans Day

Here is a guest post by Jennifer Diana of Big Gunz Clothing:

In honor of Veterans Day and all the veterans who have served this great country, Big Gunz Clothing is giving back. Staring Thursday, November 10, 10% of all sales made online at BigGunzClothing.com will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Big Gunz Clothing is a military family. The father of the owner, Donnie Potter, served as well as did others. (The photo above is of Jennifer Diana's husband's Military Police unit when the unit was serving in Iraq.)

The Big Gunz team understands the importance of honoring the soldiers rather than focusing on the retail sale. The sale centers on the donations to the Wounded Warrior Project.

There are two parts of the Veterans Day sale:

1. Using coupon code WWP11 will give each customer 10% off.

2. In addition, for each sale (regardless of whether a coupon code is used), 10% of the purchase amount will be donated to the Wounded Warriors Project.

This sale begins November 10th and runs through November 14th.

Big Gunz is hoping that, by offering a discount to each customer, Big Gunz customers will be motivated to help out veterans on this day of remembrance.

The Wounded Warrior Project is about honoring and empowering wounded soldiers. In addition to the discount, Big Gunz will provide an easy link from the Big Gunz site to the Wounded Warrior Project site in order for direct donations to be made to this important organization.

Read about the Wounded Warrior Project.

Big Gunz Clothing is designed for big and tall guys who are determined to look good. In developing this contemporary and good-looking line, the Big Gunz design team drew inspiration from confident, larger-than-life men and dapper sports heroes.

Big Gunz believes in the power of living large and showing off. Something Big Gunz believe soldiers would appreciate!

Visit the Big Gunz Clothing site now.
___

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.

The Westin Copley Place in Boston and FOX25 to Throw All-Expense Paid Wedding on Veterans Day

If you are an active member of the U.S. military with a Massachusetts or New Hampshire residency, you qualify to submit a 500-word essay why you deserve "A Wedding to Remember."

And thanks to a partnership between The Westin Copley Place and FOX25, one military couple will win a wedding at The Westin Copley Place on Veterans Day, Friday, November 11, 2011:

The Westin Copley Place and FOX25 understand the sacrifices that our military makes every day to protect our country at home and abroad. As a token of their gratitude, they would like to honor those sacrifices by giving one deserving couple “A Wedding To Remember!”

Three finalists will be profiled on FOX25 and, on September 26th, the winner will be revealed on-air.

Read the contest rules now (entry deadline is July 31).
___

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.

For Veterans Day: A Celebration of Social Media Tools to Help Vets

The Mashable.com post today by Lisa Waananen on "How Social Media Is Making Veteran Service Organizations Better" is a compelling piece on veterans as well as on how social media can be used to reach out to targeted audiences. (Lisa is @liswaananen on Twitter.)

As the co-founder of a social media marketing company and a supporter of our troops (#sot on Twitter), I loved this "mashing" of my two main Twitter interests as seen in my tweets. (I'm @ZimblerMiller on Twitter.)

In fact, at the request of Ken Jones (@akvet on Twitter) I have been tweeting about the FREE ebook he wrote while recovering from his own combat-induced PTSD. (Download this FREE ebook now at http://t.co/NC5mPmR )

And I got this terrific DM (private tweet) from Ken:

As of 0900 PST Thurs -- 2,084 people have read our two PTSD ebooks. What a great start!

The Mashable post talks about World War II vets who are now on social media sites. And in honor of my own father -- Albert Zimbler, who served during WWII, I'd like to share the link to his website www.AlZimComedy.com as well as his photo (above) taken during WWII.

Read the entire Mashable post now.
___

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.

RETURN TO DUTY Airs on MTV for Veterans Day

Real World Presents: Return to Duty - MTV Shows

Above is the clip from the MTV Veterans Day special RETURN TO DUTY. This documentary follows Ryan Conklin from the show "The Real World Brooklyn" as he is re-deployed to Iraq.

I recommend you see this documentary, which provides an up-close-and-personal look at what our troops are doing in Iraq right now.
___

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 project is www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com.

Phyllis' company MillerMosaicLLC.com does power marketing that combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands.

For Veterans Day Join the Campaign The Flag Still Stands for Freedom

Retired Navy personnel Laura Kennedy spoke on the BlogTalkRadio show YourMilitaryLife.com about her campaign started this past 9/11 entitled: The Flag Still Stands for Freedom. The campaign encourages all of us to drape the U.S. in red, white and blue on Veterans Day.

You'll want to listen to this interview as Laura describes why she started this campaign, which will go on after Veterans Day, and how she will do a 24-hour radio show on Veterans Day.

You'll also learn why starting the campaign on 9/11 has so much meaning for her as she is a survivor of the second tower.

And please visit her site at www.flagstillstandsforfreedom.com to make a Veterans Day recording to be sent to deployed troops. This is NOT a fund-raising campaign. It is a participation campaign.

Listen to the interview now.
___

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 project is www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com.

Phyllis' company MillerMosaicLLC.com does power marketing that combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands.

Veterans Day: We Honor Our Men and Women Past and Present

A friend forwarded a chain email with compelling photos of military personnel interspersed with these words. I do not know who wrote these words, but I would like to share them with you:

Your cell phone is in your pocket.
He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.

You talk trash about your "buddies" that aren't with you.
He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.

You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.
He patrols the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.

You complain about how hot it is
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.

You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.
He doesn't get to eat today.

Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.
He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.

You go to the mall and get your hair redone.
He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.

You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.

You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.

You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do every day.
He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.

You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.

You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.

You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.
He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.

You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the broken bodies lying around him.

You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.
He does exactly what he is told even if it puts his life in danger.

You stay at home and watch TV.
He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.

You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.
He tries to sleep but gets woken by mortars and helicopters all night long.

Last night I watched the first part of a PBS show on the Medal of Honor with interviews of some of the men still alive who received the Medal of Honor in WWII, Korea or Vietnam. (The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in battle bestowed by the U.S.) The five men who have received the Medal of Honor for fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan all received the award posthumously.

After a while I couldn't watch any more. What we as a country ask of the men and women who serve in the military is enormous. And so few of us who don't serve in the military understand this.

I hope today you'll take a few moments and say a personal thank you to all these men and women past and present. And then donate to your favorite military support organization. If you don't know of any, go to www.mrslieutenant.com/support.php for organizations that support military families and personnel.

Related Posts:


Hold and Die

His orders were to hold and die. Not hold OR die. Hold AND die. Implicit in the orders are not one, but two promises. His men would accomplish their mission against overwhelming odds. They would die while performing it. So what happens? ...

A Place for Veterans

Veterans Day is a special day when our nation stops to honor and give thanks to our military veterans and their families. But what happens when the parades are over and the yellow ribbons come down?...

Servicemen reflect on Veterans Day observances

O’Grady mentioned the men who, at the birth of the country, fought to live in a place where they could freely express their God-given rights without persecution. Because of their sacrifices, he said, “We’ve been allowed to prosper into ...

Veterans Day: Remembering a Korean War Veteran

There was a place that was dug out and it was pitch, pitch black, no moon out. They put three of us up there and we didn’t know what to expect. All three of us sat there and stared all night wondering what the crud was going to happen, ...

Website Great Americans Is Launching for Veterans Day

The website GreatAmericans.com is launching on Tuesday -- Veterans Day. Here's the website's home page explanation by Matt Daniels, the creator and executive producer of the site:

Great Americans is a movement to celebrate those whose lives offer a positive example to others. As the first step in the pursuit of this vision, GreatAmericans.com is dedicated to men and women in uniform who put their lives at risk to protect our nation at home and abroad. Great Americans is a celebration of their service, their sacrifice, and their example to us all.

The site is live now. Go check it out at www.greatamericans.com and listen to some of the video interviews. And you still have time to Honor a Veteran at http://snipurl.com/mrslieutenant.

Honor a Veteran: Veterans Day is November 11

There are only a few more days before Veterans Day. I want to encourage everyone who hasn't yet honored a veteran by posting a photo, video or description at http://snipurl.com/mrslieutenant to do so now.

And I want to share with you the terrific blog post by Lauren Vargas at the new AAFES blog (see my post about this new blog at http://snipurl.com/aafesblog).

Lauren's post today is about the Facebook Honor a Veteran event -- http://www.salutetoyourservice.com/archives/34. Hope you'll read this blog post!

After Election Day: Supporting Our Veterans and Our Troops

Last night at a Los Angeles election-day party I overheard a woman comment on Proposition 12 on the California ballot.

Shall a nine hundred million dollar ($900,000,000) bond be used to provide farm and home aid for California veterans?

The woman said: “I voted for the proposition because veterans deserve benefits even if I’m against the war in Iraq.”

Yes, she “gets” it! Supporting the troops is NOT a political stance. It is simply an acknowledgement of the men and women who serve to protect us.

This morning the news is that Proposition 12 passed, which means that the majority of Californians who voted understand this too. (For more information on the proposition, see www.smartvoter.org/2008/11/04/ca/state/prop/12/.)

Also last night someone else was saying that he wanted to give books to the VA Hospital in Los Angeles but didn’t know how. I suggested he instead give them to booksforsoldiers.com, which supplies books for the troops. He readily agreed.

And to round out this blog post on supporting our veterans and our troops, I’m asking you to please participate in two events:

• My Honor a Veteran Facebook event at snipurl.com/mrslieutenant

• Trish Forant’s holiday program at www.emailourmilitary.com

Her Husband Is Among the First Boots on the Ground

Trish Forant of eMailOurMilitary is sponsoring on her blog a series of guest posts about supporting the troops.

I want to share with you the October 28th guest post by Erin Nash, who blogs at www.becauseifeellikewriting.blogspot.com and whose husband is "a special operations Soldier and is always among the first boots on the ground wherever needed in the world."

Go on over to http://snipurl.com/emomguestpost to read a soldier's wife's thoughts about supporting our troops.

And, remember, I'm sponsoring an Honor a Veteran event on Facebook at http://snipurl.com/mrslieutenant and Trish is sponsoring a holiday program at www.emailourmilitary.com. If you're able, please participate in both projects.

Technorati Tags:
Mrs. Lieutenant, eMail Our Military, Veterans Day, Facebook

Why Support Our Troops? eMailOurMilitary Asks This Question

Trish Forant of eMailOurMilitary in her blog at http://snipurl.com/4mzj5 writes a terrific post explaining why supporting our troops is NOT supporting the war. She reminds us of the other work our troops do (my note: such as patrolling the streets of New Orleans after Katrina hit) and asks that other bloggers answer the question “Why support the troops?”

Here’s my response:

Why do I support the troops? The answer is a direct line from the Vietnam War until today. Let me explain:

Growing up in Elgin, Illinois, in the 50s and 60s I didn’t know many young men serving in the military forces. Of course, most fathers I knew had served in the military during World War II, but that was to be expected.

I clearly remember two boys a few years older than I, sons of my parents’ friends, who were drafted and served in Vietnam. But no one I knew volunteered to serve.

And then I met my to-be future husband at Michigan State University, and he was in ROTC. He had volunteered to be a U.S. army officer.

Because we got married before he went on active duty, I was introduced to the world of the military. And as Jews stationed in Munich, Germany, we particularly appreciated being remembered at holiday time by the Jewish Welfare board. I learned first-hand how important it is to know that there are people who care about military personnel serving their country.

Thus it was natural that, when I was the co-author of the 1992 Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION (written with Rabbi Karen L. Fox), I included in the book a request for donations to the Jewish Welfare Board “in support for our women and men serving abroad.”

It was equally natural that, when my book MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL came out in April of this year, I included on the website (www.mrslieutenant.com) information about organizations, including eMOM, that help support military personnel and their families. And this is why I frequently write posts about such organizations for my blog.



Recently I was thrilled to participate with eMailOurMilitary and Nancy Sutherland of www.directsalesmarketingqueen.com on Operation Soldier Care, and I’m currently sponsoring the Facebook event Honor a Veteran at http://snipurl.com/mrslieutenant. Please visit the page to honor a veteran you know or admire.

Having experienced what it’s like to be part of the U.S. military, I feel strongly that all Americans should do their part to both support military personnel today and to honor those veterans who have come before.

I believe that eMailOurMilitary is doing a particularly important service by demonstrating to deployed military personnel that people care. And I’m personally in email contact with a National Guard infantryman in Iraq whose blog is on my blogroll.

November 11th is Veterans Day – may we all remember with gratitude the men and women who have served and are serving our country.

Technorati Tags:
Mrs. Lieutenant, www.eMailOurMilitary.com, Iraq War, deployed troops, Trish Forant, Nancy Sutherland, veterans, Veterans Day, www.directsalesmarketingqueen.com, Facebook, Jewish Welfare Board

World War II Medic John Savery Awarded Bronze Star for Battlefield Surgery

Below as a guest post is what Loretta Savery shared for the Facebook event Honor a Veteran at http://snipurl.com/mrslieutenant. I found this so moving that I wanted to share it here. (The photo above is of John Savery in front of Notre Dame in Paris in 1945.)

My father John Savery was a newlywed from Queens, New York, when he was drafted right after Pearl Harbor. In basic training, the new recruits were awarded weekends off for excellence on the firing range. My dad was a great shot and was able to get off many weekends to visit his new wife.

In basic training, my dad gave a lot of thought to battle and recognized that he couldn't kill another human being; it went against everything he had been taught and that he believed was a part of his faith. He knew he had a duty to his country, so rather than apply for conscientious objector status -- which he told me he never considered -- he volunteered to be a medic.

My naive young dad believed that both sides would abide by the Geneva Convention and wouldn't shoot at a medic or a Red Cross Medical tent. Instead, he was a sitting duck as the Germans tried to knock off the medical teams so that the American soldiers had no aid. Medics did not carry weapons and had no way to defend themselves.

My sisters and I are very proud of our dad, who served in Patton's Army in the invasion of North Africa, the invasion of Sicily, and battles throughout Italy and France. His battalion was never relieved and sent home; he served in Europe from mid-1942 until the end of the war.

My dad had to amputate a man's leg on the field of battle, with fighting going on around them, to save a man's life. Mind you -- my dad had only a high school education. The surgeon near him said, "you've seen me do it; I'll talk you through it, but the man I'm with needs me and if you don't amputate that soldier's leg -- he'll die". My dad was awarded the Bronze Star for that successful surgery.

My mom's and my dad's ashes are in the columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery, a fitting tribute to a couple who sacrificed a lot for the country they loved.

Army Veterans: Three Generations

The above photo is of my father-in-law Martin Miller on the left during World War II and my husband Mitchell Miller on the right in 1970 when he was training at Ft. Holabird, Maryland, as an intelligence officer during the Vietnam War.

My husband has a WWI poster that England used to encourage Canadian Jews to serve. Here's the poster's wording:

THE JEWS THE WORLD OVER LOVE LIBERTY
HAVE FOUGHT FOR IT & WILL FIGHT FOR IT

BRITAIN EXPECTS EVERY SON OF ISRAEL TO DO HIS DUTY

ENLIST WITH THE INFANTRY REINFORCEMENTS FOR OVERSEAS

Under the Command of Capt. Freedman
Headquarters
786 St. Lawrence Boulevard
Montreal

The poster art includes cameos of:
Rt. Hon. Herbert Samuel
Viscount Reading
Rt. Hon. Edwin S. Montagu

And a cartoon figure is saying: You have cut my bonds and set me free -- now let me help you set others free.

My husband’s father’s father Jacob Miller, who had only recently come to America from somewhere in Eastern Europe (and whose last name was probably Menduke or Meduke), went from Philadelphia to Canada to join the British army in WWI before the U.S. entered the war. He was gassed in the war and never really recovered.

I posted the above photo and the above description as part of the Honor a Veteran event being hosted by the Facebook group Mrs. Lieutenant: A Sharon Gold Novel. Go to http://snipurl.com/mrslieutenant to learn about the event and to see a photo of the WWI poster described above.

Share this event with your friends -- let's Honor a Veteran!

P.S. eMailOurMilitary just announced its holiday love program for military personnel -- see http://snipurl.com/4bqyy.

Technorati Tags:
Mrs. Lieutenant, Veterans Day, Facebook

Honor a Veteran Facebook Event

Honor A Veteran event is being hosted by the Facebook group MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL in recognition of Veterans Day (November 11) -- see http://snipurl.com/mrslieutenant.

Honor a veteran you know or admire in any of the following ways on the group's Facebook page:

On the wall:
Post a brief description of a veteran

On the photos:
Post a photo of a veteran with a caption

On the video:
Post a video of a veteran

And to thank you for honoring a veteran, five submitters (as chosen by random.org) will each receive a signed copy of MRS. LIEUTENANT (www.mrslieutenant.com), a Mary Kay microdermabrasion set ($55 value) donated by Nancy Sutherland of www.directsalesmarketingqueen.com, and a YourMilitary coffee mug from Nancy Brown of www.yourmilitary.com.

And to support military personnel today, go to www.emailourmilitary.com

Technorati Tags:
Veterans Day, Facebook, Mrs. Lieutenant, YourMilitary.com, DirectSalesMarketing.com

Veterans Day Event: I'm Getting Ready to Launch

Veterans Day is in a month on November 11th. In recognition of this day, I'm about to launch a Facebook Veterans Day event that will start this coming week.

I'm hoping that lots of people will participate in this online event. And to encourage participants, I'm rounding up prizes for five participants (to be chosen by random.org). In addition to five copies of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL, I've already got five Mary Kay microdermabrasion sets (each a $55 value) donated by Nancy Sutherland of www.directsalesmarketingqueen.com.

If you or anyone you know would like to donate five prizes for this event, let me know now. Leave a comment here or email me through www.mrslieutenant.com. If I know before Sunday morning, I'll add the info in the initial event announcement. Otherwise I'll add the info in subsequent announcements.

Technorati Tags:
Mrs. Lieutenant, Facebook, Veterans Day, www.directsalesmarketingqueen.com,