Veteran Success: PTSD Solutions. An examination of research-bound case studies from the publication (2016, republish. Part 2)

The solution to the aforementioned problems: create simple ownership over complex, forward-looking, positive attainments geared on the concept of helping themselves, while helping fellow veterans and their communities (Rand, 2016a). The culture of leadership was created and measured; this culture was measured against highly competent and healthy civilians (Rand, 2016b). Using these metrics, a safe “think it through” ecosystem was built into the Veteran-Success model. These are known as applied-learning non-profit REACH initiatives.

Thus, RSolutions (Solutions) PLLC evolved into what would become “Veteran-Success” – a gift of research, management services, and capital amounting to over $500,000. This evolution took turns into the professional sector as veteran unemployment was of key-interest to the nation by early 2011. Within a fully accredited program (State, Federal, and through the VA) a team of veterans kick-started Veteran-Success based on REACH initiatives and concepts of Applied Leadership (Rand, 2016b) within context of key Applied Learning Science studies (Rand, 2016b; see also Rand, Rand, & Rand, 2011; Rand & SLA, 2013). These programs allow learners to see “real-time” the influence of key business, psychological, and humanities studies. By creating a “real-life” case study, veterans were assisted in recognizing that the structured routine of higher-education was essential to their future success – but only after their choice to maximize control over their personal power of thinking, applied-learning and leading.

Furthermore, the program accreditation method helped them overcome the frustration of being around younger generations by taking them to the top graduate level professional courses – many of the participants didn’t even have college degrees, some without even High School diplomas- and working them “backwards” (Rand, 2016a; thank you Dr. Dyslexic – yes, he is real!). In this manner, by the time they engaged more youthful populations, it was often in the role of a “teach to learn” experience (Rand, 2016b)

In other words, the veterans had overcome their frustrations – they had moved forward.

Veteran Success: Success-Outcomes & Milestones

Let’s review a brief history of success… Veteran-Success has:

• Connected veterans with hiring professionals
• Assisted hundreds of veterans (pro bono) with employment (many struggling for months became employed in less than 30 days with the system)
• Helped cause veterans to choose life over homelessness;
• Helped cause veterans to choose life over suicide;
• Helped veterans to choose life over substance abuse;
• Helped veterans report they feel they resolved the cause of their PTS/PTSD;
• Created the only Graduate Certificate without prior learning requirements VA accredited;
• Featured by CBS Morning Show;
• Inspired a scene in a major motion picture about a noteworthy veteran.

Most importantly, Veteran-Success has been “a movement by veterans and for veterans” that has created rather dynamic outcomes. These outcomes have progressed into programs and tools providing solutions for veterans (and civilians) struggling with: suicidal thoughts, homelessness, addictions and other common Post Traumatic Stresses (PTS).

We will review those outcomes and hear the stories of active veterans who have been affiliated with Veteran-Success programs over the past few years later.

Essence of the Veteran-Success Movement:

 Moustakas (1970) describes the essence as a scientific understanding built upon the experiences of individuals. This research, known as Heuristic phenomenological (HE-ur-istic FEENOM-e-ogical), blends music, art, poetry, individual reflection and prose to establish the understanding, or essence, of a lived experience. Unlike most learning programs which challenge students to understand the business, psychological, or other topics based on the history of leading organizations or famous people, Veteran-Success was created to be a real-life baseline system empowering veterans to overcome their PTSD, overcome limitations resulting from war-zone deployments, and overcome the common challenge of “lacking individuality” (Rand, 2016b).

However, in creating this system the veterans wanted to ensure that the team was the success, not just individuals (Rand, 2016b). As a result, Veteran-Success.org became a movement; a movement that inspires veterans to live a dynamic life through learning, service, and leadership.

Our Mission: Empower Veterans to live a dynamic life by helping them to Explore opportunities, Discover their passions, and Design a dynamic life through customized learning, leadership, and service-based REACH opportunities which provide immediate vocational, financial, academic, and life-work success.

Guiding VALUES: REAL-REACH (article here)

R- relationships: trust is the beginning toward expanding immediate surroundings that opens doors to deeper connection and understanding

E- empowerment: prior to and during military transition to build and attain professional and life goals

A- appreciation: for the freedoms provided to everyone and of unity: brotherhood/sisterhood that exists beyond military service

C- community: caring for the surrounding environments of people

H- health: within the heart, mind, body, and spirit

?Veteran-Success Strategy

Veteran-Success.org values REACH. REACH represents the member’s organizationally developed values:

• REACH through Relationship-building;
• REACH through Empowerment;
• REACH through Awareness;
• REACH through Community;
• REACH through Health. 

Veteran-Success, as a movement, supports veterans in several ways with REACH efforts.

These efforts are primarily tied to a career development system. Why?

Most veterans struggle primarily with “time and money” as a direct result of being unable to transition back to civilian life. This has been such a profound problem the government has literally resorted to employing thousands of veterans under a non-profit to keep them united in a military culture: “unlike traditional solutions that give out an answer, Veteran-Success and Dr Rand taught me the cure was in learning and leading me to define my own solution. For the first time ever, I confidently think for myself; and I can lead others through the discomfort of doing the same, too, as a result of my experiences with this learning,” (Veteran-Success Participants, 2016). However, Veteran-Success has helped hundreds of struggling veterans – many within just days or weeks – obtain improved confidence, clarity, and ultimately: JOBS.

Applied REACH: Finding Right

The following is adapted from Applied Learning Sciences (Rand, 2016a) and summarizes specific chapters of the full publication: Veteran-Success The following is adapted from Applied Learning Sciences (Rand, 2016b) and provided outlining chapters of the full Veteran Success publication. Applied Learning Sciences (Rand, 2016b) covers the process of how applied learning and formal education create a three-part system for applied leadership (Rand, Rankin, & Gold, 2016). This system connects ideas (initiatives) with beta-projects to test, measure, and understand the recreational-research against bench-marked standards. Furthermore, these standards (whether specific to veterans or an offshoot of “United-REACH” efforts with civilians and veterans), serve to create a foundation for a REACH program to allow sustained funding while ensuring balance with the psychological needs of future participants.

REACH Process: Think, First.

A veteran who gets involved with the movement will first start with the Career Development System (CDS; Rand & SLA, 2013). This system is endorsed by hundreds of hiring professionals including labor relations departments at Fortune 500 companies, HR Directors at City and County governments, and of course has been adopted by numerous veteran non-profit business owners. It has directly impacted hundreds of veterans transitioning from the military. In 2015, the Career Development REACH program will include negotiating, managing, and coordinating a 3-year strategy to lead 3000 wounded warriors through the system at NO COST. 

The Career Development System for veterans, a REACH program, is now supported by our REACH program and learning-based non-profit – Widow4Right. A team of dynamic widows and veteran dependents that will ensure community support, sponsorship, and coaching services to support the CDS program for veterans, their spouses, and their dependents. Like other reach efforts, the Widow4right program was once an idea. But, through time it evolved through a series of several REACH projects to become a full-fledge REACH program owned and operated by two veterans at Ft. Knox, KT.

In some cases, veterans sought more than just a JOB and request to become involved with a formal REACH Initiative. Veterans first join the movement and get involved with REACH Initiatives, or ideas... REACH Initiatives are ideas veterans feel are right to support other veterans through service, learning, and leadership. Initiatives have often focused on recreational events to promote therapy to those struggling from PTSD – be it war-related, or related to struggles experienced while transitioning from the military.

Veterans joining the movement are invited to attend REACH committees designed to teach and inspire thinking, acting, and leading efforts. These experiences have ranged from nightly team-meetings over a short-time frame; to expanded strategic board meetings occurring for year-long periods. Veteran leaders have been training in the process for promoting the creation of safe applied learning environments. These environments and veteran-conducted workshops allow veterans to unite on common effort.

Drawing from research conducted by Dr J Paul Rand through his applied learning research firms (Rand, 2016a), Veteran-Success focused on inspiring a core team of veterans to pursue their passions while actively obtaining opportunities to learn and earn certifications, job opportunities, and promotions in the civilian sector. In other words, the core of Veteran-Success has been to create a safe echo-system respecting the autonomy of each veteran while leveraging the team-strengths inherent within our military population.

REACH PROJECTS: Applied-Service

As veterans have joined the program, they create groups whom focused on REACH projects to REACH programs to sustain and expand the projects. These team ideas, once planned, turn into REAL-REACH projects. From small dynamic success in the past including: raking leaves, to saving veterans from gang-life, to contributing research to better connect veterans seeking support, to building a park, library, and training center, to mentoring and certifying a “biker-brigade” dedicated to applied addiction solutions through the motorcycle riding experience, to even partnering with other veteran groups to build a house for a homeless veteran. These projects deemed dynamic and deserving become the focus for the Veteran-Success leadership team.

REACH Programs

Applied REACH programs have been the hallmark of Veteran-Success learning-leaders since formal accreditation and inception in late 2012. It is a formal structured educational program and accredited Applied Learning Sciences (see SPU, 2013; Rand, Rand, & Rand, 2011; see also Rand, 2013; SLA & Rand, 2013; Rand, 2016b). Through applied learning theory occurring within service-immersion learning experience as part of REACH programs, veterans have the opportunity to demonstrate their leadership, develop their skills, and contribute to each other, to the community, and to the veteran-success movement.

Participants in REACH programs can earn COLA benefits while also seeking a graduate certificate and professional certification. They also have the opportunity to establish partnerships to own, operate, and ultimately fund learning-based REACH program non-profits.

Veteran-Success was researched, tested, and developed based on inspiring veterans to pursue a passion, while allowing for a pension to ensue. This is achieved with support of Dr. Rand’s research and the Strategic Learning Alliance (SLA; www.strategiclearningalliance.org). The SLA sponsors veterans in their creation of local REACH learning-based programs that are non-profit. As a veteran leader in the program develops their REACH idea’s, projects, and ultimately programs; they are afforded the opportunity to become the executive of that learning non-profit. SLA, and other corporate entities, contributes opportunities to help funding these REACH program non-profits.

Program Example: CPC-Success

This project very quickly took-hold with the veteran rank and file and turned into a REACH program by 2012. Launching virtually immediately upon the inception of Veteran-Success (see Applied Learning Sciences, Rand, 2016b) the coaching method is accredited by Strategic Learning Alliance (SLA). To date, the coaching certification (CPC) is the only professional designation for the coaching industry that was entirely independently accredited. The accreditation work moved rapidly through professional channels with Veteran-Success as a designated beneficiary.

What was discovered is that coaching, unlike therapy, focused on forward movement. This movement is combined through a learning process to create a dynamic framework. This framework, known as a MAP (Pink, 2012; Wainwright & Rand, 2014; see also Rand, Rand, & Rand, 2011; Rand, 2014) helps veterans to construct outcomes-based solutions to their transitioning effort. As a result, the method became hugely popular and successful for veterans. It now is a corner-stone of Veteran-Success.

Coaching unlocks the internal potential of individuals by reducing limiting beliefs. This “Theory of the Mind” (Wainwright & Rand, 2014) causes veterans to adopt a positivity-based, achievement-based mental paradigm. As a result, we have had suicidal veterans overcome life stressors and regain forward-moving control within their lives. We have caused veterans living on the streets to obtain employment, seek opportunity, and attain the future they desired for themselves.

Applied REACH Relationships & Research Foundation

The key is using our systems-based service-learning model; also known as Strategic Learning Theory (Rand, 2014). This theory postulates that a “body in motion, stays in motion – don’t believe me? Rad Einstein. He is smarter than me” (Rand, June 2014 – Professional Excellence Seminar). With this in mind, modern hiring and humanistic psychology suggests individuals can overcome limiting beliefs awakening to their inner-self, building bridges with a specific “Battle Buddy,” and caring to create a community. This ABC-Theoretical framework has been tested in controlled learning environments. The results clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of choosing to “do something over nothing; to find right by being real, being the solution, and caring to create a gift to pass forward to the next participants seeking a solution” (Veteran Success Participants, 2016).

Veteran-Success not only served veterans, but also contributed directly to the learning, enhancement, and attainment of working professionals in fortune 500 companies. These professionals were tasked with engaging with, learning from, and creating safe “learning and leadership” environments (Rand, Rankin, & Gold, 2016). The unity sought to not only teach corporate professionals a culture of leadership (teaming norms, common within the military), but also challenge the veterans to lead professional initiatives to enhance their self-awakening as they transitioned from military to civilian life.

Other similar initiatives include:

• Riding4right,
• Sailing4right
• Fit4right,
• Archery4right,
• Farming4right,
• Cooking4right and more.

Sailing4right and Riding4right were foundational initiatives, turned to projects launched in 2011 that resulted from planning efforts by veterans moved by Dr. Rand’s research. In this research, Dr Rand established scholarly evidence that for veterans to Get-Right (Rand, 2009; Riding4right, 2011; see also Eastwood, 2014) following overseas deployment required that they learn, lead, and focus REAL, recreational, and dynamic living opportunities.

This research was embraced by the Strategic Learning Alliance (SLA), formerly a state non-profit and charity, now turned to a private international accreditation program, provided governing oversight to Veteran-Success.org. Veteran ideas, projects, and programs are reviewed by SLA and our corporate affiliates for corporate contributions when required. There are multiple 4RIGHT programs, but we will focus on the 2015 focus to unite Riding4Right.org, Sailing4Right, and Veteran-Success REACH programs to employ veterans – a new and dynamic strategic shift for Veteran-Success!

Example 1: Riding4right

This REACH initiative started in 2009 in an effort to address the commonly accepted – but otherwise rather limited researched – proposition that veterans receive psychological therapy through recreation. Riding4right contributed to the recruitment and engagement of veterans in cooperation with a national riding association.

This association of “three-patched” riders pushed the limits of “gang life” to the limits. Within the motorcycle culture, wearing three patches is specifically limited to 1% gangs. This group adopted a “gang-mentality” to attract veteran riders into the riding lifestyle but while promoting “philanthropic riding.”

Philanthropic riding meant that while the veterans engaged in co-active coaching, strategic planning, non-profit organization; their focus was not running drugs, women, or guns. Instead, initiatives revolved around mowing lawns, participating in fellowship with philanthropic organizations, and otherwise promoting positive self-efficacy through direct applied service-work. One such example was the funding of a side-car for a veteran rider who required the assistance of a service dog due to injuries sustained in Iraq. Riders participated in research to understand the science of riding as a therapy (Riding4right, 2011), built bridges with first-responder riding associations, and created a community for sustained outreach (Winters, 2016).

The outreach continues and now has expanded to incorporating strategic thinking, coaching, and recovery solutions with a charted Motorcycle Club (MC) with over 100 clean and sober riders. These riders – trained by third-generation Veteran-Success master coach, will reach into the Department of Corrections, the homeless shelters, and promote a recreational life-style of sobriety and motorcycle-riding. A story all of its own…

Example 2: Archery4right (& Widow’s Program)

In 2013 a Veteran-Success learning cadre established a goal: build a library to support career development (CDS-success.org) free for veterans. The goal was to pair widows who became coaches with the CPC-success.org program with female veterans requiring career and transitioning support. The Archer4right team showed-up in force to assist the expansion of the widow’s program effort. Instead of building a library, they built and entire 1400 foot training center complete with two classrooms, a bathroom and overnight accommodations room for guest instructors, as well as the original planned library.

Archery4right received corporate support to sponsor their one year involvement with national archery competitions in return for their assistance. Meanwhile, the lead widow worked on a number of organic projects including working to coordinate veterans whom replaced mailboxes in Radcliffe, KY after a vandal destroyed a number of mailboxes. They further partnered with a woman’s organization to rehab a house and place a homeless female veteran. In the spirit of Veteran-Success, these groups have come to join learning programs; they have established a foundation of personal growth and development allowing them to overcome their personal limitations; they then have engaged in community development efforts while in the formal learning program, and in the months and years following their participation.

The essence of veterans serving their community continues….

Example 3: Sailing4right

“Correct me, Sergeant; but you wish to pursue a career and pathway of working with veterans. But with all due respect, how the hell can you help veterans when you are nothing but a sinking boat yourself?” (VA Vocational Rehab Counselor May 2013). Sailing4right began with a simple dream – wouldn’t it be cool to hang out with veterans, scuba dive, crab, and fish, play guitar, and explore the sea?

To date Sailing4right has served not as an applied REACH initiative but emblematic of the spirit of Veteran-Success. With a sailboat kit pending construction, Sailing4right has captured the essence of participants with the clear metaphoric value of the concept of “building a boat.” This initiative-in-spirit has been a constant learning topic for the veterans.

Yet, projects and initiatives often operated as such:

“Our summer vision will be to host a series of BBQs, build a boat, and then a home.” One year later suicide awareness events were held – events that re-united families torn apart by the suicide of veteran family members, former service comrades, and more. The Widows4right team joined forces with a female veterans outfit to obtain a house, remodel the house, and place a homeless veteran. Furthermore, a once homeless female veteran has been sailing toward success under the direct mentorship of a Veteran-Success learning leader.

 In all cases, Sailing4right continues to inspire the spirit – the essence of Veteran-Success in all ways that is not hands-on nor tangible, but ensures continuous commitment and belief in the concept of building real, right, and community-centered programs. Sailing4right has, though, in fact inspiring boating for right. This reach project kicked off in 2016 to unite civilians, a state agency, and dragon-boat racers to build boats and apply the ABC-Theory of veteran success to a new community development system (Rand, Rankin, & Gold, 2016). With final approval, this project, along with the essence of sailing4right, and applied farming4right projects will culminate in a new “success program” (Rand, 2016b).

Example 4: Fit4ight & Future

The Fit4right initiative was inspired by the annual 2015 “Project United REACH” to better link civilians- often lacking in leadership fundamentals (Rand, 2015), with veterans whom often lack the individual drive to lead themselves (Rand, 2015). The basis was to unite veterans under a civilian participant in Veteran Success whom was also a dependent of a war-time veteran and was the recipient of an VA and private scholarship to attend the Veteran-Success program. This initiative provided data that will steer the future of Veteran-Success under its new status as a wholly owned Veteran-run organization.

This project successfully united corporate professionals needing motivation to simply start improving their wellness through basic walking, with advanced Veterans capable of completing highly intense “Mudder Runs” with little to no training. The ultimate outcome was to measure the success of applied-leadership (Rand, 2016) by creating a working ecosystem promoting strengths of various groups to find harmony.

Drawing from this data, 4right initiatives are now taking on a more community-development and organic form. Farming and gardening4right will promote the importance of veterans “tilling the soil” while also benefiting from state granted employment. Under this program, Veterans will create community teams to promote collective participation in sustainable farming practices within urban settings; meanwhile, veterans will learn to cook “MRE to mingoin” with cooking4right.

By tackling individual teach-to-learn opportunities, the veterans will develop a better home-base through the “Dad-Job4right” program. Presently, the number of single stay-at-home dads has over quadrupled since 2001 (Pew Institute, 2015). What is worse: 4 out of 5 stay at home dads live in poverty compared to less than 2 of 5 single women. While researchers are baffled at the massive increase in “stay at home dads” (NY Times, 2016), the obvious truth: nearly 70 percent of veterans serving in a war zone are partially to fully disabled – thus cannot work to ensure their VA benefits and rehabilitation needs are continued.

The Dad-Job a one year-long immersion research program just concluded (Rand & Rankin, 2016). With partnerships building, Dad-Job participants will be able to participate in non-profit applied learning programs they create while teaching the “simplicity” of basic gardening, organic farming, and at-home cooking to their children. Through participation with the private community, more importantly, the veterans will be able to “Teach to learn” practices for neighborhood crime watch (over 70 percent reductions in crime occur in areas that establish neighborhood watch programs; NY Times, 2016). Moreover, drawing from the principle research and foundation of the Veteran-Success program, these new and emerging trends will unite community and veterans in solutions-based programs.

In today’s economy one can barely avoid the relationship of employee well-being with regard to performance in the work-place. The most recent trend in the development of well-being is the balance of experience and performance through learning experiences (Hood & Caruthers, 2007). But, the tendency in society is to focus on personal performance, but to diminish the value of experience (Rand, 2011). Yet, many employers express relentless frustration that their staffs continually bring personal challenges into the workplace (SRP, 2011).

The result is that more employers are hiring over-qualified candidates for entry-level positions (Agnone & Corwin, 2012). As such, a void has been created whereby entry-level candidates are not recognized for their talent-capabilities. Meanwhile, employers are left feeling they cannot acquire proper talent for entry-level positions. While trends suggest more organizations and re-emphasizing the connection of strategic-capital (that includes human capital and not merely facilities); the academic system preparing learners for entry into the workplace still over-emphasizes performance. The root-cause of this situation has been the failure to balance both pre-potent motivators of PEAK Experience and PEAK Performance which negatively affects individuals’ well-being (Caruthers & Hood, 2007; Rand, 2011). Two populations most impacted by this situation are: adult learners that require re-education due to work-place injury (or stress-coping struggles); and veterans of our military.

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