Lake Onterio ReelSilver Charters offers ten percent all fishing packages. Located on Port Ontario, on the Salmon River, 6 hours charters are $425; 8 hour carters are $550; 10 hour charters are $675.

Tony G. – Salmon River NY Drift Boat Guide hunts for everything from Northern pike to walleye to bass to King Salmon, Coho salmon, brown trout and steelhead.  They also offer ice fishing and turkey hunting from the drift boats.  The tour company offers 15 percent military discounts for active duty military with ID for the guided drift boat tours or wading trips.

Military Travel Zone offers up to $100 rebates based on the number of nights stayed.  Book through the site to receive $20 rebate for a 3-night stay; $30 rebate for a 5-night stay; $50 for an 8-night stay; $75 for a 10-night stay; and $100 for a 12-night stay.

Purchase rims from Military Discount Rims and get your rims and tire packages shipped to your door balanced and mounted.  The shipping is free with free locks and lugs.

Cannonball Runner Charters from Bernhard’s Bay, New York offers active duty military a full day charter at half price, with ID.  Six-hour charters (half day) are $500; full day (8-hour) are $600. For further information, call 315-675-3143 or 315-952-6200.

Catch 22 Fishing Charters in North Syracuse, NY, found a 10 percent discount for active duty military with ID.  4 hour fishing (1-4 people) is $375.00/day; 6 hour fishing (1-4 people) is $480.00/day; 8 hour fishing (1-4 people) is $620.00/day.

Midway Charters in Sandy Creek, New York, offers 20 percent discount off published fishing trip rates with military ID. Six-hour morning fishing (1-4) is $600; eight-hour morning trips (1-4) is $750; ten-hour morning trips (1-4) are $900; four-hour evening trips are $500.

Other Woman Fishing Charters in Lake Onterio, Oswego, New York, offers a 20 percent discount.  A six-hour trip (1-2 people) is $480; a six-hour trip (up to 6 people) is $520; an eight-hour trip (up to 6 people) is $650; a ten-hour trip (up to 6 people) is $800.

Trophy Dreamcatcher Guide Service & Charters out of Pulaski, New York offers active duty military with ID 15 percent discount off all charter trips including river drift boat charters, and Oneida Lake walleye and smallmouth bass. The boat is piloted by a U.S. Coast Guard Master Captain.  River and lake fishing are available as well as hunting trips for pheasant, deer and turkey on 2,000 acres of private land.

TSI Charters out of Oswego, New York offers military with ID a 10 percent discount.   SSI fishing charters go after salmon and trout during half or full day excursions from

April through September.  All supplies, including bait and tackle, fish cleaning and personalized attention are included.

*Some offers may no longer be available. Offers may change with out Veteran Journal’s knowledge.

We know that many of our servicemembers return from repeated deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We know that many vets struggle with unemployment and find that the transition to civilian life is difficult. While VA has made a strong commitment to meeting the mental health needs of returning veterans, there are still areas that need improvement.

The VA’s Inspector General (IG) admitted that 7 out of 10 Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities lack the staff to adequately handle vet mental health care needs. This statistic was part of a report by IG at the “VA Mental Heath Care: Addressing Wait Times and Access to Care” hearing, held by The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. IG also reported that 40 percent of VA health care providers could not schedule patient appointments within their own timeline of two weeks. Even when they literally do schedule an appointment, it is often just to complete paperwork. Actually meeting with a doctor or nurse to deal with the problems the veteran is encountering can take weeks or months. Furthermore, IG found that 46 percent of VA facilities do not schedule appointments outside of normal working hours which means that many veterans do not get adequate access to health care.

Timely meetings with mental health professionals is critical to the treatment of any health problem, but especially PTSD and other mental health issues facing our veterans. VA funding for mental health care has increased 126 percent since fiscal 2006. VA is committed to hiring qualified professionals to meet the growing veteran population suffering from mental health troubles.

VA continues to work toward more effective screening, diagnosis and treatment for all veterans to include the newest generation of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

For a complete report on the “VA Mental Health Care: Addressing Wait Times and Access to Care” hearing, go to:

http://veterans.senate.gov/hearings.cfm?action=release.display&release_id=a9c9fd7c-36e8-4e4b-a9a4-dbff47a4fe5d

Peter S. Gaytan is the author of For Service To Your Country – Updated Edition: The Essential Guide to Getting the Veterans’ Benefits You’ve Earned (Citadel, 2011), available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other booksellers. He has served as an advocate in securing and protecting the earned benefits of America’s veterans for more than a decade. Gaytan is the Executive Director of the American Legion, the largest veterans service organization in America.

In many ways I am fortunate that I am a military veteran. The Marines taught me a great deal about discipline, responsibility and how to be a leader as well as a follower. One thing that has also helped me with my current career is just the fact that I was in the military and know about military culture. As a mental health practitioner I would occasionally come across a military veteran who I would instantly be able to have rapport with as soon as I divulged that I was a veteran. As soon as I told my clients that I had had this experience their healing and stories would follow quicker than average and effectively. I could not only understand the language but also the common ground problems associated with dealing with the aftermath of the military. This is not always the case for those who work with veterans without military experience and this is a problem that has plagued the field for quit some time.

Specifically, a veteran may seek mental health or substance abuse services from providers who are not versed in military culture or know how. Ultimately this is problematic for the veteran and the provider. Recently an article was published in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) newsletter addressing the problems experienced by veterans seeking federally funded services. The article gives real world examples of frustrations from veterans when seeking services. One client expressed frustration with the repetitiveness of having to explain military cultures and courtesies and another expressed concerns that not understanding military ways of life would hinder the healing process. Complications were also expressed by private providers who had military veterans as their clients. Such things as intimidation, lack of relationship building and lack of empathy (in favor of sympathy) build walls between the healing process and rapport building between client and therapist. The lack of strong therapeutic rapport and relationship building tends to drive clients away from therapy, especially in populations where learned isolative and protective techniques are the norm.

Why is not understanding military culture and life a problem? Within the military such things as “service before self” and military bearing are instilled from the beginning and are perfected over time especially with life-long veterans or “lifers”. Military training and experience assists with building up protective shells around military personnel and breaking them down can be a very hard task for a therapist and client to endure. Often times our military veterans who suffer from some form of duress such as Post Traumatic Stress, Depression or Substance Abuse problems will use the finely tuned defense mechanisms they have learned to try and psychologically protect themselves, which may work for a while. However the research indicates that these types of “protective mechanisms” are only a band –aid covering a gaping chest wound and will get worse over time if not properly treated.

Fortunately there are programs that assist with educating practitioners about military culture and warrior ways. SAMHSA points to a number of programs for private providers like TRICARE that certifies providers in a military know-how and friendly training. The training has a good success rate and the SAMHSA Fall Article has some testimonials to its success. Granted this is just the tip of an iceberg for understanding and providing the best services for our military veterans, but it is a point in the right direction for this well deserving population.

In another tragic incident, Stanley Gibson, a disabled veteran suffering from PTSD was shot and killed by Las Vegas police on December 12, 2012, while sitting in his car.  The veteran was confused and disoriented, according to reports, and had pulled into the wrong parking lot by mistake.  Gibson and his wife had recently moved after losing their home and Stanley had missed a canceled appointment with the VA to renew his medications.  After an hour standoff, police shot a beanbag through the rear car window in an effort to chase Gibson out of his car.  A fellow police officer opened fire when he heard the shot, killing the ex-soldier.  At first, authorities said that Jesus Arevalo, a nine-year police veteran, had misinterpreted the beanbag shot for gunfire from Gibson, causing him to open fire.  However, recent reports state that supervisors had briefed Arevalo about the strategy to use a beanbag shotgun and pepper spray to force the disabled, mentally ill veteran from his car. The incident was caught on film by bystanders who had watched the one-hour standoff.

Also on Christmas Eve in Columbus, Ohio, 18-year Army veteran who was active in veterans and community issues, Mujahed Badruddeen, lost his life while trying to thwart a robbery at the nearby Advance Auto Parts store where he once worked.  “Sarge,” was a frequent visitor to the store even though he had been fired by the company for chasing down and tackling a store robber.  This time, as Badruddeen and two friends chatted in the parking lot after the store closed, two men approached them and demanded their wallets.  At least one was clearly armed and Badruddeen, a military man skilled in martial arts, attempted to wrestle the gun from the assailant.  In the process, Badruddeen was shot in the face, according to Columbus police.  He died a few hours later.

In May, two-tour Iraq Marine Jose Guerena was shot 60 times by Pima County, Arizona, SWAT team members while his wife and 4-year old son hid in the closet.  The raid was part of a 20-month narcotics investigation authorities say tied Guerena to other family members suspected of drug trafficking.  No drugs apparently were found in Guerena’s home or in his body.  Helmet video shows that the team played their siren for eight seconds shortly before parking the police cars outside the door.  Guerena’s wife, Vanessa, heard alarming noises outside of their home and rushed to awaken her husband who had just fallen to sleep after a 12-hour shift at the local mine.  Guerena told her to grab their son and hide in the closet as he grabbed an AR-15 rifle and pointed it toward the door just as it shattered in.  After the fact reports say that a shot from the team splintered the door jam, causing police to open fire with 71 rounds in seven seconds directed at Guerena.  Vanessa was dragged from the closet past her husband’s bleeding body before being allowed to call 911.  Recordings indicate that she didn’t appear to know who the intruders were even as she begged 911 operators for the ambulance that arrived long after her husband had expired.  SWAT members where cleared of wrongdoing, but in November Vanessa filed a $20 million wrongful death suit against Pima County, the towns of Marana, Sahuarita and Oro Valley and the officers involved in the raid. After the fact investigations show that Guerena’s gun had not been fired.

Former Marine and Iraq war veteran Scott Olsen was critically injured when a projectile fired by police at Occupy Wall Street protestors struck him in the head.  The software engineer and political activist was hospitalized and sustained brain injury, but is recovering.

Patrick Casey served in the Army in Afghanistan for 12 months, but died as a hero at home.  Casey was working toward an international-affairs master’s program at George Washington University.  He and a female friend were walking to visit friends when they stumbled upon three people who were harassing people in a fast food joint.  Someone pushed his friend and Casey, well over 6-foot tall and almost 300 pounds, moved between the group and his friend.  Someone executed a quick sucker-punch that knocked Casey backward.  He fell backward and hit his head on the sidewalk. The head injury resulted in death four dates later.

Even though violent crime is at its lowest in decades, it is ironic and tragic that those who appeared to have escaped the worst of war find themselves cast into violence at home.  Some respond as the heroes they are, risking their lives for the values that sent them to fight for their country in the first place.

But others lost their grip and fell into the black pit of despair that is a common and constant companion to too many veterans.  There are times in each of our lives when we are no longer able to go it alone.  There is no shame in that.  The shame should be felt by the rest of us if we fail to grab hold when we see a veteran who no longer has the strength to hold on.

Unfortunately there are many obstacles in the way to providing this type of care including financial, bureaucratic and political issues. Financially, although less expensive than traditional nursing or skilled facilities, HBPC is still pretty expensive from the perspective of the service provider especially in such a down economy. The continued practice of shuffling veterans into the VA or their affiliates is still far from being a thing of the past. Wait lists continue to be extensive and many facilities are understaffed to provide the intensive and sometimes demanding services associated with such a high level of care. Some estimates include an average total cost for services (within the last decade) at roughly $50K per client served for traditional facility stays. HBPC is associated with overall lower cost percentage per client per year (in some instances as much as a 25% annual cost reduction), yet it is still considered an expensive proposition for many service providers who are new to contracting with the VA or are used to the stability of prior contractual interactions with a steady flow of veteran populations referred from the VA. In addition, there are political issues associated with high level government funding for VA benefits, especially with newer and less traditional ways of caring for veterans. There are some who continue to believe in the traditional medical model way of treating clients in a very structured care environment as opposed to a more Recovery oriented way of treating clients. This political and philosophical debate continues today and often stands in the way of change.

Lastly, the bureaucracy involved with attempting to obtain HBPC can sometimes be overwhelming and a daunting task. It is true that the VA has been successful with electronic health charting, but there is still wait times, lengthy reviews of information and all the things associated with such a massive bureaucratic system that services hundreds of thousands of clients each year. In addition it all starts with the veteran’s willingness to want the services, his or her ability to get the services and basically knowing where to begin.

In order to qualify for services a veteran must either go to a VA facility, or contact the VA by telephone or through the internet. This can be an overwhelming task for a veteran suffering from medical or mental health issues or both. Often time’s veterans have no one to assist them with this process such as relatives or social service workers. If the veteran does have someone to assist them, this can also be a confusing and overwhelming process. There are agencies that assist with this such as:

• Veterans Home Care
• Comfort Keepers
• Veterans Aid Benefit

These agencies assist veterans or their spouses with obtaining VA benefits and potential services in home and have field offices throughout the United Sates. In addition, the VA website lists a lot of the necessary information needed to obtain VA benefits including electronic forms and resources for those who need them. There is also a very well written and informative article in this journal from 2008 that reviews basic information.

For more information, try the links below:

Veterans Administration Benefits

Full Explanation and Statistics on HBPC

Home Health Care Benefits for Veterans – Veterans Journal