Your Thoughts Needed on Veterans and Troops

TKK, myself and a few others are working on a new project aimed at bridging the gap between military and civilian life.  To that end you can help us out by completing the simple questionnaire below the fold.

Please provide your initial gut reaction to the questions posed.  If you'd like to help with this project please let us know in the comments also tell us what your particular field of expertise is.  Currently we could use one more IT person and a civilian blogger as well as people to beta test the new site and provide feedback on any level you can dream up.

Questionnaire:

1. If someone said the word Veteran to you, what comes to mind?  Please just write down the first thoughts that come to you.

2. Besides online activities please name some other ways that Civilians could support issues important to Veterans and the current serving Troops.

3. Would you be willing to link to our new project from your own blog or website or talk about stories posted on our site once we have it up and running smoothly?

4. Name your favorite web tools, like spell check, email this link etc.  Which ones do you use a lot?

5. Name your favorite non-political websites.

6. If you are in the military or have served please tell us the first thoughts that come into your head when you hear the word Civilian.

Thank you for helping!

•  tips for working together n/t

  by lightnessofbeing on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 01:08:04 AM PDT

•  Thanks very much

  1. The first thought that comes to my mind is my

    husband, who was a Vietnam vet and POW.

  2. Writing to their Senators and Congressional Reps

    about veterans issues.

  3. I would like to but need to see how feasible it

    would be.

  4. Spell check, being able to download important

    videos and written material for future reference.

  5. bobice.com

  6. I'm a civilian.

       Hugs,
       Heather

       

  by Chacounne on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 01:21:22 AM PDT

  •  very helpful

    thank you

    By the end of next week the new site should be up, I'll post some more diaries at that time so you can all get a better sense of what we are up to.

    by lightnessofbeing on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 01:28:35 AM PDT

    •  See my suggestion downthread

      I think you would get more interest/response if you time the posting of your next survey so that more people are awake and online. The periods between 7-10am and 4-10pm are usually best - people tend to log on before and after work.

      So you'll get most of the country simultaneously online (despite time zone differences) around 10-11am EST and 8-11pm EST.

      Yes, I am an IT geek. :)

      by Randgrithr on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 07:21:48 AM PDT

•  What kind of IT person do you need?

  Let me know.

  by Randgrithr on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 01:44:15 AM PDT

  •  One that is familiar with

    online promotion and Content Management Systems mainly.

    by lightnessofbeing on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 11:26:47 AM PDT

•  hmmm, ok

  If someone said the word Veteran to you, what comes to mind?  Please just write down the first thoughts that come to you.

  I am a vet

  Besides online activities please name some other ways that Civilians could support issues important to Veterans and the current serving Troops.

  I really really wish people would give more energy to the VA and being vocal to Congress, this has been a problem for a long time in both Dem and Rep administrations, we need active help.  Even here, Testvet and Jim Staro come up with good diaries but always seem to fall off the diary list and very rarely, if it is not mundane and is an outrageous issue, get to the rec list.

  Would you be willing to link to our new project from your own blog or website or talk about stories posted on our site once we have it up and running smoothly?

  Sure, but don't have one to link to.

  Name your favorite web tools, like spell check, email this link etc.  Which ones do you use a lot?

  the only one I use a lot is: http://dict.leo.org/
  but not sure how that helps.

  Name your favorite non-political websites.

  mostly academic

  If you are in the military or have served please tell us the first thoughts that come into your head when you hear the word Civilian.

  tough, sometimes a false impression built up from many years in.  But recently when it comes to this issue, I think of someone with whom we are "out of sight out of mind"

  by Jeffersonian Democrat on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 01:48:47 AM PDT

  •  very important

    "out of sight out of mind"

    Thank you, that puts things into a new perspective for me.  I was hoping for honest answers like this.

    Thank you.

    by lightnessofbeing on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 11:28:38 AM PDT

•  my answers

  Anyone who has ever served or is still serving one of this nations military services

  Work to elect politicians that actually support veterans and their families, work on drives to send care packages to active duty and National Guard troops currently in war zones.

  YES

  VA Watchdog.org, Hadit.com and GulfWar vets and IAVA.org

  People that do not have a clue about the sacrifices veterans and their family members make to serve this nation, totally clueless about all things military

  by testvet6778 on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 02:04:27 AM PDT

  •  may we include your news feed in our mix?

    the stories on your blog can be promoted on our site, thereby increasing your voice and linking it with several others.

    Another goal is to provide cut and paste coding for other webmasters so they can include Vet/Troop related content on their Civilian blogs/websites.

    We will be a catalyst of sorts.

    Thank you for your answers as well.

    by lightnessofbeing on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 11:32:10 AM PDT

•  My answers would be a bit different

  since I served for a country that has mandatory service, so most of the questions don't really apply.

  As for question #2:  We have a big problem here with "Lone Soldiers" (soldiers with no family members living in the country).  I don't know if that's a problem in the States.  We're always trying to do things to make their service a little easier (places to go during down time, people to take care of their non-army needs while they are serving, etc.)  

  by dfb1968 on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 02:39:15 AM PDT

  •  What country? n/t

    by dashound on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 05:01:29 AM PDT

    •  Israel. n/t

      by dfb1968 on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 05:07:38 AM PDT

•  Here are my answers, for what they are worth:

  1.  To me, when I hear the word "veteran" I think of the men who march in the parades on the 4th of July, VFW posts, and the 4th of July concert that we often go to at Greenfield Village (Dearborn, MI)when the orchestra plays the music associated with the various military branches (Anchors Aweigh, etc.) and the veterans from each branch stand during "their" song.  Weird association, isn't it, especially since I'm a female veteran of the Vietnam War era.

  2.  How can we support Veterans issues?  Well, by letting our Congressional representatives know that these issues are important to voters, and by sending cards and packages to the troops - those are the easy and obvious ones.  If there are other needs that we could meet, we need to find out about them and make them known.

  3.  No blog or website, but I look forward to reading your blog and I will probably refer to it here and when I talk to people.

  4.  I don't have any particular favorite web tools  

  5.  Allrecipes.com.

  6.  Ever since I served in the military, I associate the word "civilian" with "civvies" - i.e. nice clothes!  Don't ask me to do word association!  I can't help the way my mind works.  :)

  by myrealname on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 02:40:36 AM PDT

•  My answers

  Questionnaire:

   

  1. If someone said the word Veteran to you, what comes to mind?  Please just write down the first thoughts that come to you.

  "Us." (meaning me, my husband, many people in my family.)

   

  2. Besides online activities please name some other ways that Civilians could support issues important to Veterans and the current serving Troops.

  There's a media blackout on the ugly details of this war. Civilians need to learn directly from veterans just what they are missing and why this war is wrong. They need to learn about PTSD and traumatic brain injury. They need to learn how the Bush administration and the VA are leaving these people swinging.

   

  3. Would you be willing to link to our new project from your own blog or website or talk about stories posted on our site once we have it up and running smoothly?

  In general yes but I'd like to see what you have first.

   

  4. Name your favorite web tools, like spell check, email this link etc.  Which ones do you use a lot?

  Fair warning: I'm an IT person.

  Firefox, noscript, spybot, Symantic antivirus.

   

  5. Name your favorite non-political websites.

  Too many to list.

   

  6. If you are in the military or have served please tell us the first thoughts that come into your head when you hear the word Civilian.

  Ignorant.

  by Randgrithr on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 02:44:07 AM PDT

•  let's see

  1.  Troops, wounded, hero, deceieved, PTSD....

  2.  Not sure

  3.  I have no blog, and my website doesn't have a lot of links (nor would a link help much, I don't think)

  4.  Well spell check is built into Firefox, which is nice

  5.  Good math bad math; Gelman's site;

  by plf515 on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 04:08:31 AM PDT

  •  ty plf

    All of these thoughts will be included as we start construction.

    by lightnessofbeing on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 11:43:20 AM PDT

•  If you need statistical help

  e-mail me

  by plf515 on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 04:09:03 AM PDT

  •  thanks!

    because stats make my brain hurt :)

    by lightnessofbeing on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 11:44:01 AM PDT

•  gut check

  1)sadness, the word veteran saddens me. There should be no veterans as the community should not ask their brothers and sisters to engage in war.

  2)Practice Peace and do their best to keep people from war.

  3)n/a

  4)Firefox

  5)The Motley Fool, tends to bend conservative but there are a lot of smart people and a long term, if not the longest term community. Some of us have been friends for over 10 years.

  6)N/A

  by Just This on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 04:11:16 AM PDT

  •  yes this issue will

    go beyond typical right and left politics, thanks for mentioning The Motley Fool I'll do some reading over there before we start.

    by lightnessofbeing on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 11:46:05 AM PDT

•  My answers, for what there worth

  Q)If someone said the word Veteran to you, what comes to mind?  Please just write down the first thoughts that come to you.

  A)One that has served,or is serving in the military.

  Q)Besides online activities please name some other ways that Civilians could support issues important to Veterans and the current serving Troops.

  A)

  Q)Would you be willing to link to our new project from your own blog or website or talk about stories posted on our site once we have it up and running smoothly?

  A) Yes

  Q)Name your favorite web tools, like spell check, email this link etc.  Which ones do you use a lot?

  A)None on a regular basis

  Q)Name your favorite non-political websites.

  A) ASME.oeg, Gulfwarvets.org, iraqwarveterans.org

  Q)If you are in the military or have served please tell us the first thoughts that come into your head when you hear the word Civilian

  A)Someone that chose not to serve in the military.

  by dashound on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 04:58:58 AM PDT

  •  straight forward logic

    works well too, as sometimes we get lost in underlying meanings.

    Thanks!

    by lightnessofbeing on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 11:47:35 AM PDT

•  Civilians can find regular jobs

  Vets are use to serving and so working a regular job isn't their forte. It shames me when i see congress trying to make veterans fit back into society. They never will i never could. They need a special place and help.

  by TruthNotOpinions on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 05:26:03 AM PDT

  •  I wouldn't have expected

    this answer which is why your views are so important to this project.  Thanks TNO.

    by lightnessofbeing on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 11:49:04 AM PDT

•  Sorry to See So Little Interest So Far...

  I hope the interest picks up, since, because I'd hate to think so few cared about the subject matter.

  1. As a veteran who comes from a military family who has served in every war in every generation, and who grew up a military dependent, married into the military and served in the military, the word "veteran" has deep, personal meaning for me. It means sacrifice; veterans serve every day in foreign countries, whether or not their families are allowed to be with them, doing jobs that require personal ideals of honesty, integrity, and profound sense of mission and community. They put their lives on the line in many of those jobs every day. Their families learn to carry on often living without their loved one for months or years at a time; and they are often far from loved ones and family. They move frequently, so that kids learn to adapt to new schools, new towns, new friends, sometimes moving several times in high school, a difficult transition. The word "veteran" engenders a lifetime of memories to me, like being at Arlington Cemetery for full honors military funerals of loved ones buried there. Like visiting the Vietnam Memorial whenever I'm in DC--even for anti-war protests--because remembering and honoring those who served is crucial.

  2. One way is to respond to diaries like this, and to talk to veterans about their feelings about what it means to be a "veteran."

  3. I absolutely would link to or highlight articles or thoughts on a site that is dedicated to veterans, as long as that site has integrity.

  4. I infrequently use "email this" and don't use many other web tools, and find the icons to be annoying. But, then, I'm hopelessly low-tech.

  5. My favorite 'non-political' websites? None. Everything on God's green earth is political to me.

  6. My first thoughts when I think of the word "civilian?" All the people who ignore this diary because they don't know or care about "veterans." They like to say they "support the troops," but since only 1% of the people in this country ever serve in the military, then they just have no idea what it means to be a "veteran." No disrespect intended, but they just don't know. And, they don't WANT to know; it creates guilt to know, because they don't serve, and they don't want to serve, either. In my opinion, and this won't win any friends here, we should have a draft in this country. People should be required to serve their country in some capacity, whether it be the military, or in some national service capacity, the peace corps, habitat for humanity, or some national park service. An educational assistance package for national service is the ideal way to go, in my view.

  Thanks for asking...

  by SignalSuzie on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 06:14:28 AM PDT

  •  Ditto

    Yes its a shame so many don't seem to "care enough"

    by TruthNotOpinions on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 06:40:43 AM PDT

  •  The diary was posted in the wee hours

    This diary needed to be posted when more people were awake. The diaries scroll by real fast at DKos. Try reposting it during a time of more peak activity. I just happened to be awake at the time myself or I wouldn't have seen it either.

    by Randgrithr on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 07:15:23 AM PDT

    •  actually

      I find I get more thoughtful responses in the wee hours.

      And this won't be the only diary on our project, much more to come soon!

      by lightnessofbeing on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 11:53:29 AM PDT

  •  wonderful

    you gave us a lot to work with there, these thoughts will be blended into the mix as we begin building the site.

    by lightnessofbeing on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 11:52:02 AM PDT

    •  No, You're Proposal is "Wonderful"

      I'm so grateful to anyone who thinks enough of veterans to want to contribute something about them. Thanks to you.

      by SignalSuzie on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 06:00:25 PM PDT

•  OK here's my 2 cents

  1. When I hear the world veteran it reminds me of all the nights I slept in the mud and ate C-rations. Not every veteran did this, though

  2. Being aware of the issues and keeping on our elected representatives to do positive things

  3. Yes

  4. I don't use many webtools other than search. I won a spelling prize in the 4th grade

  5. Websites that have to do with my other interests like traveling, trains, home repair and art

  6. It means pure heaven and a chance to sleep later than 5:00 AM. You don't appreciate your freedoms uintil you lose them by joining the military

  by exlrrp on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 07:28:39 AM PDT

  •  congrats on the spelling prize!

    my spelling is horrible so even with spell check I have a hard time.

    I appreciate your service exlrrp and for helping by posting your thoughts.

    by lightnessofbeing on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 11:55:39 AM PDT

•  Hey I didn't know about this project lob

  I'll try to focus more on this after the PBWH fundraiser is over.

  by betson08 on Sun Dec 16, 2007 at 11:08:18 AM PDT

•  I hope you can get this issue front paged

  after the primaries are over. it really deserves more attention, from me as well!

  by betson08 on Sun Dec 16, 2007 at 11:09:43 AM PDT