Featured HeroVet
Bob Kingsley
Bob Kingsley is big in American Country Music circles. He’s a leading country music radio personality and host of nationally syndicated programs, a standard for over three decades. He’s also an Air Force vet who makes supporting those who serve a life priority, including Veterans Advantage partner Wounded Warrior Project.
For 27 years, Kingsley was the voice behind the nationally syndicated countdown program, "American Country Countdown" and the two-minute daily "Bob Kingsley with America's MusicMakers." After talks to renew his contract with ABC Radio broke down, he successfully re-emerged to create the popular weekly "Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40," as well as the annual "Christmas in America" and year-end countdown shows.
Following childhood dreams to break into radio, the road to success for Bob Kingsley began when he was just 18 years old, while stationed in Keflavic, Iceland with the US Air Force. There, he auditioned for an announcer spot on Armed Forces Radio Station TFK.
"I did a little audition from the production studio," he says, "and they put me on the air working all night, which was just perfect."
Featured Top Vet
Lowell McAdam
Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam is a product of hard work and a passion for leadership and technology. With a belief in building Verizon Wireless from the ground up, he expresses great confidence in the talent and persistence of those he leads. He’s also the product of a first-rate military education.
“It was an honor for me to be part of it,” he tells Veterans Advantage in an exclusive interview. "It’s a great way for anybody to start any career, no matter what they are involved in. The things you learn in the service will stay with you your whole life.”
McAdam served in the Navy’s Engineer Corps, at datelines as far away as Okinawa, and as local as San Diego. As a kid growing up in rural upstate New York, he studied hard, played sports and helped make ends meet for the family by working as a school janitor. ”I think I was very fortunate to work for some really outstanding leaders in the Navy and the Marine Corps,” says the leader of the nation’s largest voice and data network, with 86 million customers and nearly $50 billion in 2008 revenue. “You are doing things that matter. They can be life and death situations, and they are certainly important. And you must learn early on the meaning of delivering on your commitments, doing what you say.”
Featured Vet Family
Johnny Damon - The Wounded Warrior Project Has Its Own Yankee Hero
Special to Veterans Advantage
Army brats can make great team players. And on the cusp of its 27th Major League Baseball championship, the New York Yankees can count on Johnny Damon as a leader, all-star, and supporter of the U.S. Military.
Johnny David Damon was born November 5, 1973 in Fort Riley, Kansas, the son of his mother, Yome, who is Thai and his father, Jimmy, an American staff sargent who met his wife while stationed in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. The family spent much of Damon’s early childhood moving among several bases from Okinawa, Japan, to West Germany before his father left the Army and settled the family in Orlando, Florida while Johnny was still a pre-schooler.
For several years, Damon has been known for his support of the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), a not-for-profit organization aimed at assisting those men and women of the United States armed forces who have been severely injured during the war on terrorism [More on Veterans Advantage's own partnership with the WWP here]. He credits his relationship with his father for instilling a sense of appreciation for the military.
Featured Cover Story
Strategic Decisions, Domestic Consequences
Special to Veterans Advantage
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Barbara Van Dahlen, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder and president of Give an Hour |
There is a debate under way about the best strategic plan for our efforts in Afghanistan. General Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander there, has reportedly given President Obama a range of options—all involving an increase in the number of U.S. troops deployed to the region (TIME, October 19, 2009). This decision not only has critical implications for the military campaign but also will have a significant impact on the psychological well-being of those who serve.
To better understand how these strategic decisions affect the overall mental health of our armed forces, we need to understand the current capacity of our military and the importance of understanding the consequences of war on those who fight and those who wait for their return.
Much has been written about the strain on our military force over the years since the start of the Iraq War in 2003. While most troops complete 12 month rotations, there was a period of time when our military personnel spent 15 consecutive months in theater. In addition, many veterans of these conflicts have been deployed three, four, even five times—with little time between deployments. The decrease in time between deployments has reflected the increase in the size of the force deployed.
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From the Blog: Our Founder's View
Johnny Damon: A Great Yankee Who Bats for Vets
We hope you enjoy this week’s VetFamily feature -- Johnny Damon of the World Champion New York Yankees. The Game Four Series hero proved his hustle with a bold double steal that solidified a key late-game rally. Impressive also is Damon's dedication and support of the Wounded Warrior Project. …MORE... 
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