Please Support K9s for Warriors

Here is a very important guest post from veterinarian Patrick Mahaney:

Have you or your family, friends, or coworkers benefited from the companionship of a service dog? Those who have psychiatric conditions are seemingly the most in need, with military veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) being at high risk for self-harm, including suicide.

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs reports that every 65 minutes a veteran commits suicide, and the department identifies a strong correlation between PTSD and veterans who end their own lives. An alarming 755,200 veterans suffer from PTSD and 184 new cases are diagnosed every day.

K9s for Warriors is a organization that rescues dogs and trains them to be service animals for veterans with PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury. The dogs chosen to be part of K9s for Warriors are saved from shelter-based euthanasia and trained to meet Canine Good Citizen standards before being paired with their warriors.

Animal Fair’s Wendy Diamond has championed the K9s for Warriors cause and is hosting the Bark Business Benefit Tour, a series of awareness and fundraising events in multiple cities across the U.S. Diamond’s efforts have attracted support from Halo Purely For Pets (Ellen DeGeneres's pet food company), American Express Open, Loews hotels, and Omni hotels.

Diamond (and I) hope you will inspire your troops (friends, family, etc.) to join our fundraiser, attend the L.A. Bark Breakfast Benefit (Saturday, October 5, at 10 a.m. at the Omni — Downtown Los Angeles), and help a Los Angeles-based veteran with PTSD participate in the K9s for Warriors program.

K9s for Warriors donates 94 percent of every dollar received directly to the veterans and their service dogs. The remaining 6 percent is used on fundraising and overhead.

I’ve started my own Crowdrise fundraising page, Help Fund a Military Veteran's Service Dog Through K9s for Warriors, in anticipation of the upcoming Los Angeles event. Please join me at the event by donating $116 for your ticket. If you can’t attend, please contribute any amount within your budget ($20, $40, $100, etc.).

If you can’t afford to donate, please help spread the word and direct those who can help our cause by posting on your social media channels (e.g., Facebook, Twitter etc.) via this link: Help Fund a Military Veteran's Service Dog Through K9s for Warriors

Help Support a Short Film About Undiagnosed PTSD

Here is a guest post from Anak Rabanal, an LA-based filmmaker in the process of putting together a narrative short film, "Dwell Time," that explores the ramifications of undiagnosed PTSD and moral injury coupled with the practice of repeated deployments on service personnel and their family relationships.

By making "Dwell Time," we aim to increase awareness amongst the narrative film watching audience that there is a national need to formulate solutions and effective therapies for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with the "invisible wounds" of PTSD, major depression, moral injury and TBI.

Our team has spoken with multiple returning veterans who have expressed a strong desire to see their "reintegration" stories in media such as film since to share and externalize what so many suffer silently and unseen.

To bring this project to life, we have a talented and seasoned cast and crew including Riley Smith (90210, 24, Freaks and Geeks) as Johnny and Heather Mazur (Pretty Little Liars, Crash) as his deceased wife, Betsy. Our DP, Nadia Baptista, is an award-winning cinematographer whose work has been recognized at festivals such as Le Festival International du Court Metrage de Clermont-Ferrand.

"Dwell Time" follows U.S. Army Captain John "Johnny" Mayweather, who is suffering from undiagnosed PTSD and coping with the unexpected death of his wife, as he takes the final steps towards redeployment.  Johnny battles to maintain a veneer of self-possession and to control his increasingly dissociative perception of reality.  Life now lacks the emotional and spiritual pole star that was his wife, Betsy.


Rudderless and fractured, he obliterates his grief with self destructive behaviors to escape the memories of war that haunt him.  Ultimately, he seeks to return to the only place that offers any semblance of order -- the front.  

Here is the link to the page for the Indiegogo campaign, which runs through September 6th, at which you can contribute funds to produce this film: http://igg.me/at/dwelltime2013

And here is a link to the teaser shot in order to give potential backers a taste of the feel and look of the short film: http://vimeo.com/71990220

Regarding the title of the film:

Dwell time is a well-known expression.  It's the term used by the military and military personnel to describe the time period between deployments during which military personnel are supposed to rest, recharge and reconnect with friends and family.

Until around 2011, the issue of the length of dwell times was one of contention.  Personnel were receiving only up to a year of dwell time for up to 15 months of boots on the ground.

In 2011, military command recognized the absolute need to increase dwell time and adopted a policy that is slowly being put into place -- two years of dwell time for every year deployed.  This is, at least, for the army.  The other branches of the military have other time structures for dwell time allotments.

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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 utilize online marketing to attract more business. Read her book-related posts at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com

Announcing TALES OF AN AMERICAN OCCUPYING GERMANY: A COLD WAR MEMOIR Now on Wattpad

I have been very pleased with my experiment of writing chapters of my dystopian thriller THE MOTHER SIEGE on the free site Wattpad. This experience has encouraged me to simultaneously try the experiment for a nonfiction telling of the historical past — TALES OF AN AMERICAN OCCUPYING GERMANY: A COLD WAR MEMOIR.

I have all the original documents from when my husband Mitch and I were stationed with the U.S. Army in Munich, Germany, from September 1970 to May 1972. In the future I will be sharing some of these documents on my author website at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com

And while many of the true tales I will be telling in my Cold War memoir are humorous, underlying everything is the very real concern that, without American troops stationed in Germany, the Soviets could have marched over the border between East and West Germany to expand their sphere of Communism.

Click here to read the beginning of TALES OF AN AMERICAN OCCUPYING GERMANY.

P.S. Thanks to Yael K. Miller for creating the terrific cover for TALES OF AN AMERICAN OCCUPYING GERMANY.

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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

Army National Guard Launches Health Website

Recognizing that citizen-soldiers (as National Guard members are sometimes called) have special healthcare needs, the Army National Guard has launched www.guardyourhealth.com after creating the Facebook Page www.facebook.com/ARNGHealth

On a Department of Defense's Bloggers Roundtable I was privileged to hear these initiatives discussed by Colonel Anne L. Naclerio, Chief Surgeon, Army National Guard Directorate, and Chair, Women’s Health Task Force, Office of the Surgeon General.

Some of the interesting points of the discussion included that the website is designed to be easily accessible on mobile devices and that research resulted in a .com rather than a .mil website.

The roundtable also briefly discussed military women's health initiatives, including specific hygiene needs of women in combat areas, sexual assault issues, and the forthcoming body armor configured for women's bodies.

In addition, the discussion touched on the importance of civilian healthcare providers -- who are frequently the healthcare providers for National Guard members -- to become aware of the special health needs of citizen-soldiers.

Check out this new site now for good healthcare information for everyone at www.guardyourhealth.com
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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

SOLOMON'S JUSTICE: A PTSD SHORT STORY Now Available on Kindle

SOLOMON'S JUSTICE: A PTSD SHORT STORY is now available on Kindle — click here to see this — and I am hoping that an entertaining fiction story can do what nonfiction often cannot do: encourage people suffering from PTSD to recognize their possible symptoms and seek help.

While this story is definitely fiction, it is composed of research (including at the LA County Veterans Court) and true anecdotes shared with me.

In addition, although this short story focuses on PTSD induced by combat experiences, PTSD can be brought on by non-combat trauma of all kinds.

(I write about non-combat trauma PTSD in the cozy mystery CAST THE FIRST STONE — click here to check out this novel on Kindle. I also write about PTSD before it was labeled as such in the YA short story PINKY SWEAR — click here for this short story on Kindle.)

Here is part of the Amazon review for SOLOMON'S JUSTICE written by Middle Grade children's author Jerrye Sumrall:

After reading this story about the triumphs and tragedies of helping veterans suffering from PTSD, I have gained a new understanding of a tragic disorder that forever changes the lives of men and women who have risked their lives to protect our freedom!


The author has presented the issue in such a simple story form that you don't have to be in the military or even know anyone in the military to understand the far-reaching effects of PTSD.

I hope that you will read the PTSD short story SOLOMON'S JUSTICE and share it with your friends. You never know when a fictional story — that I hope is also entertaining — may help others.

(This ebook short story also contains an excerpt from my women's friendship novel MRS. LIEUTENANT.)

P.S. For those of you who have wanted to read my romantic suspense spy story but don't have a Kindle, click here to see the novel now available as a paperback on Amazon.

And, as this post talks about military subjects, I want to add that CIA FALL GUY was inspired by my experiences living in Munich, Germany, when my husband was a U.S. Army intelligence officer stationed there.

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

Musician Recovers From Heavy Metal and Launches “Healing America”

Jeffrey Gilliam, a musician based in San Rafael, CA launched "Healing America": A Patriotic DVD Dedicated To Veterans. The idea, if funding is completed through rockethub.com, will come to fruition after a long recovery from mercury toxicity.

I was fighting for my life. That's what it felt like when I was extremely ill with mercury toxicity. Of all the many symptoms, perhaps the worst was muscle weakness because it was getting harder to walk.

Through my long recovery process using a natural detox diet, I became very deeply inspired to create a DVD of patriotic-themed music and images for the benefit of veterans going through their own healing process. "Healing America" was born.

A very good old friend of mine has been diligently working on the video aspect while I've been carefully arranging the healing patriotic music. We've done an awful lot on our own but we need your feedback and support to complete the project.

Here is the link: http://www.rockethub.com/projects/26269-healing-america-dvd

In Honor of Memorial Day: PINKY SWEAR, SOLOMON'S JUSTICE and PTSD

While honoring this Memorial Day the men and women who died serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, we should also remember the veterans who carry both visible and invisible scars from their military service.

One of the most debilitating invisible scars is that of PTSD.

Some of you may know that I am working on a fiction project to attract more attention to the need for people suffering from PTSD to get help — www.SolomonsJustice.com

(The image above is for the cover of the Kindle short story SOLOMON'S JUSTICE, which I hope to publish very soon.)

And in honor of Memorial Day, I wanted to share a scene from my new YA short story PINKY SWEAR. The story takes place in 1964 — before the term PTSD was used — but the aftereffects of combat still took their toll as the excerpt below demonstrates:

Ft. Knox, Fall 1964

That afternoon, after their high school classes were over for the day, Donna and Laurel were in Laurel’s room listening to “Under the Boardwalk.” From the next-door quarters sharing a wall with Laurel’s family’s unit came the sound of a man screaming.

“What’s that?” Donna asked.

“Sgt. Stewart.”

“Why is he yelling like that?”

Laurel shook her head. “He served in Korea and his wife told my mother that he has been like this since then.”

“Why is he still in the Army?”

Laurel started the record again. “He manages okay most of the time. Just sometimes things get to him.”

“Can we do anything?”

“He has young kids. Let’s go next door and see if we can take them to the park.”

Next door Mrs. Stewart, a black woman in her mid-30s, opened the door and beckoned Laurel, followed by Donna, inside. Two small children hide behind their mother.

Laurel coaxed one child into her arms, and Donna bent down and picked up the other child.

“I’m sorry for the ruckus,” Mrs. Stewart said. “The post hospital gave him some new medication today and it doesn’t seem to agree with him.”

“This is my friend Donna,” Laurel said. “We came over to see if we could take the kids to the park for you.”

Donna saw the relief flash across Mrs. Stewart’s face. Mrs. Stewart said, “If you would walk them over there and watch them, I would really appreciate it.”

Still holding one child, Donna followed Laurel out and watched as Laurel gestured to the little red wagon leaning against the outside wall. The girls plopped the kids into the wagon and Laurel grabbed the handle.

Donna tagged along beside Laurel, thinking about Sgt. Stewart. He had come back from Korea, but what had happened to him there? She asked Laurel about this.

“He was in one of the first integrated Army units. President Truman integrated troops during the Korean War. No one says what he’s suffering from.”

Donna hesitated before speaking. “If our fathers get sent to Vietnam, do you think they might become like Sgt. Stewart?”

Laurel looked back at the kids in the wagon. “No way of knowing.”

“How long is he like this?” Donna asked.

“He should be better soon,” Laurel said. “We’ll just keep the kids in the park for an hour.”
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If you want to read the entire YA short story PINKY SWEAR for FREE now, you can download the Kindle format at www.booksicals.com/books — SCROLL DOWN the page until you come to PINKY SWEAR and then click on “Special FREE Ebook.”

Don't have a Kindle? No problem. You can get a FREE Kindle app for your iPhone, iPad, Android, PC or Mac at http://budurl.com/freeKindleapp

(The Donna in this short story is the same Donna — one of four new U.S. Army officers' wives — featured in the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT, which takes place at Ft. Knox in 1970. Click here to read about this novel and two other military fiction novels written by former military spouses.)

And do share this post and the link to the short story with people you think will appreciate it.

© 2013 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks, including TOP TIPS FOR HOW TO PUBLISH AND MARKET YOUR BOOK IN THE AGE OF AMAZON and the romantic suspense spy story CIA FALL GUY.

Click here to visit her Amazon author page at www.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