Salute to Strength: The Building Veteran-Healthy Communities

Aaron Budd, a Marine Corps veteran and native of Durham, has created the Bull City Veteran Connection group in Durham to find a sense of community. In this episode, we talk about Aaron's experiences in the Marine Corps, including an interesting encounter with the Salute to Strength host in 2014. We also discuss Aaron's new organization, which is gaining momentum in Durham. Lastly, please note that this will be the final episode hosted by Aaron Nette, as he is about to graduate from UNC and continue his active-duty service with the United States Navy. To find out more about the Bull City Veteran Connection Meetup, please follow this link: https://www.meetup.com/bull-city-veteran-connection/

We are honored to host Retired Major General/Dr. Peggy Wilmoth on the Salute to Strength Podcast. On this episode, we discuss her experiences as a nurse, a General Officer, an educator, and a policymaker on issues affecting Veteran health and wellbeing

LCDR Amira Saad is a recent Navy Veteran and Family Medicine Physician. She is also a member of the LGBTQ community and has worked with the VA to provide gender-affirming care to the Active Duty and Veteran population. Amira and her spouse, Bonnie, who is also a physician, have been working to provide care for underserved communities for years. This month, they will begin their work with the Indian Health Service (IHS). This episode discusses LGBTQ Veteran health and American Indian Veteran health issues. Resources: Discharge Upgrade Resources https://www.defense.gov/Spotlights/Dont-Ask-Dont-Tell-Resources/ Transgender American Veterans Association, https://www.transveteran.org/ Veterans Crisis Line, veteranscrisisline.net  (dial 988) The Trevor Project (more focused on adolescent mental health and suicide prevention):  https://www.thetrevorproject.org/?c_src=UMCOF240010250&c_src2&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpc-oBhCGARIsAH6ote9D74Ro17u3rvSDRQCvyNAZmTwnOKiWHLWK0D6CLFwkPSlrFSzWhfwaAh0FEALw_wcB&utm_medium=fundraising&utm_source=sem-googleadwords1&utm_campaign=generaleffort Trans Lifeline: Transgender peer support. https://translifeline.org/ HRC Patient Resources: https://www.hrc.org/resources/patient-resources GLMA Provider registry: https://glma.org/find_a_provider.php Library of Congress Veteran history project: https://www.loc.gov/collections/veterans-history-project-collection/serving-our-voices/diverse-experiences-in-service/lgbtq-veterans/ Journal article about Millenium Cohort Study: https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(22)00304-X/fulltext

Daniel Johnson is an Army Veteran and a Ph.D. student at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism. His experiences as a Signals Officer and military journalist in Iraq led him to write military-related pieces for Task & Purpose, Slate, and the New York Times. A focus of his journalistic efforts is military and Veteran mental health and suicide behaviors, especially among black and female Veterans.

**We took a short break in light of the tragic events that affected the UNC-Chapel Hill community on August 28th** CDR (Ret.) David Crumbley served as an Army medic and a Navy Nurse Corps Officer, working with the wounded during the peak of combat casualties. After retiring, he became a professor at Auburn University and implemented a curriculum that combined instruction on military/Veteran care and a real-world experience caring for military wounded and Veterans at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He discusses this experience and more on this week's podcast episode.

Mike Bressler's journey from a Marine Corps combat veteran to a social worker and public health professional with dual Master's degrees from UNC Chapel Hill is a remarkable one. His experiences have shaped him into the person he is today. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Mike provides individualized support to veterans struggling with mental health issues. He also collaborates with the Building Veteran Healthy Communities team to make a significant impact on the veteran population on a larger scale.

JT, a Marine Corps Veteran, and his spouse, Sarah-Chelsea, join the show to discuss their transition experience and mental health after leaving the military. Sarah-Chelsea is an MPH student at UNC and

Luke Meadows and his wife, Bethany Brake, transitioned out of the United States Marine Corps one year ago. In this episode, I chat with Luke and Bethany and discuss their experience, which had some rough moments. Their time after transitioning from the military highlights the need for increased community awareness and support for veterans, especially during the critical first year, when veterans are at a significantly increased risk for adverse mental health outcomes.

Dr. Sarah Archer discusses moral injury among veterans. Dr. Archer is a public health nurse and professor at the Fairbanks School of Public Health at Indiana University, with six decades of experience working as a humanitarian nurse and a Department of Defense (DoD) contractor overseas. She is now a consultant on the Building Veteran Healthy Communities Project through UNC Chapel Hill.

Dr. Vaughn Upshaw and Aimee McHale, professors at UNC Chapel Hill Gilling's School of Global Public Health, discuss the Building Veteran Healthy Communities Project, which aims to address the community-level factors affecting veteran mental health and well-being.