Behind The Mission Duane K. L. France

Show Summary
On today’s episode, we feature a conversation with Deputy Secretary for Women Veterans of the California Department of Veterans Affairs, Air Force Retiree Virginia Wimmer, in which we discuss the importance of supporting women veterans and the services available in California
About Today’s Guest
Virginia Wimmer was appointed on August 24, 2021, by Governor Gavin Newsom as Deputy Secretary for Women Veterans Affairs at the California Department of Veterans Affairs. Prior to her appointment, Wimmer was the Deputy Director of Veterans Services and the County Veterans Service Officer at the San Joaquin County Health Care Services Agency since 2014.
While serving veterans in San Joaquin, she worked with Superior Court Judge Barbara A. Kronlund, CalVet, and other veterans support groups to establish the county’s first Veterans Treatment Court, which debuted in 2015. It identifies veterans in the criminal justice system who are eligible for treatment and court supervision instead of jail or prison.
​Wimmer served 26 years in the U.S. Air Force as Security Forces, cross-trained to Health Care Services Manager, and finally retired as a Senior Master Sergeant (E-8) in 2012. She did tours in South Korea and Italy, and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
​ Wimmer earned a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California. She has been the education and training chair at the California Association of County Veterans Services Officers. She currently resides in Vacaville with her husband, Mike, and two dogs. She has two children.​
Links Mentioned In This Episode
Deputy Secretary Wimmer’s Email: Virginia.wimmer@calvet.ca.gov
CalVet Women Veteran Services Division
CalVet Website
PsychArmor Resource of the Week
This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor course Communicating With Veterans. This course discusses how to communicate effectively with Veterans using communication tools, such as open-ended questions, affirmations, and reflections.
 
You can see find the course here: https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/Hiring-and-Retaining-Women-Veterans 
 
This Episode Sponsored By:
 
This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor. PsychArmor is the premier education and learning ecosystems specializing in military culture content PsychArmor offers an. Online e-learning laboratory that is free to individual learners as well as custom training options for organizations.
 
Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 
Email PsychArmor
PsychArmor on Twitter
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PsychArmor on LinkedIn
PsychArmor on Instagram
Theme Music
Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.
Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary
On today’s episode, we feature a conversation with Navy Veteran Ronald Rutherford, the Lead for the Whole Health Outreach program for the Veterans Health Administration. Whole Health is VA’s approach to care that supports the health and well-being of veterans they serve, and focuses on self-care, skill building and support.  
About Today’s Guest
Ronald “Ron” Rutherford is the Lead for Whole Health Outreach with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Patient Centered Care & Cultural Transformation (OPCC&CT). Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he is responsible for liaising with non-governmental and Veteran Service Organizations for the purposes of bringing awareness to VHA’s Whole Health offerings for Veterans and their families. Ron joined OPCC&CT in November 2011 as a Field Implementation Consultant for VA medical facilities in Pennsylvania and Delaware. 
Prior to joining VHA, he served 26 years on active duty in the U.S. Navy and retired as a Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman. As an Independent Duty Hospital Corpsman, Ron served on multiple ships as the primary healthcare provider and healthcare consultant for Occupational and Environmental health programs. During his time in the Navy, he also managed short based and overseas medical facilities, and his last assignment involved managing 11 shipboard medical departments and their staff in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Ron has a BSHS in Clinical Health Science (Pre-Physician Assistant Studies) and a MSHS in Healthcare Management from The George Washington University.
Links Mentioned In This Episode
VA Whole Health Program Website
Whole Health Program Points of Contact at local VA Facilities
Complementary and Integrative Health Overview and Descriptions
PsychArmor Resource of the Week
This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor course Communicating With Veterans. This course discusses how to communicate effectively with Veterans using communication tools, such as open-ended questions, affirmations, and reflections.
 
You can see find the course here: https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/communicating-with-veterans
 
This Episode Sponsored By:
 
This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor. PsychArmor is the premier education and learning ecosystems specializing in military culture content PsychArmor offers an. Online e-learning laboratory that is free to individual learners as well as custom training options for organizations.
 
Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 
Email PsychArmor
PsychArmor on Twitter
PsychArmor on Facebook
PsychArmor on YouTube
PsychArmor on LinkedIn
PsychArmor on Instagram
Theme Music
Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.
Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary
On today’s episode, I’m having a conversation with Frederick Marx, an internationally acclaimed Oscar and Emmy nominated filmmaker with over 40 years in the film industry. We have a conversation about a recent project, a series of five films called Veterans Journey Home, which features the stories of veterans who are working to transition to post-military life and the insights of professionals that support them
About Today’s Guest
Frederick Marx is an internationally acclaimed, Oscar and Emmy nominated director/writer with 40 years in the film business. He was named a Chicago Tribune Artist of the Year, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a recipient of a Robert F. Kennedy Special Achievement Award. His film HOOP DREAMS played in hundreds of theatres nationwide after winning the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and was the first documentary ever chosen to close the New York Film Festival. It was on over 100 “Ten Best” lists nationwide and was named Best Film of the Year by critics Roger Ebert, Gene Siskel, Gene Shalit, and Ken Turran and by the Chicago Film Critics Association. Ebert also named it Best Film of the Decade. It is one of the highest grossing non-musical documentaries in United States history.
 
It has won numerous prestigious awards, including an Academy Nomination (Best Editing), Producer’s Guild, Editor’s Guild (ACE), Peabody Awards, the Prix Italia (Europe’s top documentary prize) and The National Society of Film Critics Award. The New York, Boston, LA, and San Francisco Film Critics all chose it as Best Documentary, 1994. Utne Reader named it one of 150 of humanity’s “essential works,” and the Library of Congress recently added it to its prestigious National Film Registry, and the International Documentary Association named it “The Best Documentary of All Time.” HOOP DREAMS (1994) is the film that first interested Marx in the welfare of teenage boys. BOYS TO MEN? (2004) distributed by Media Education Foundation takes that as its central theme. RITES OF PASSAGE: MENTORING THE FUTURE is the culmination, offering solutions.
 
In 1993, Marx received an Emmy nomination for HIGHER GOALS (1992) for Best Daytime Children’s Special. Producer, Director, and Writer for this national PBS Special, Marx directed Tim Meadows of “Saturday Night Live” fame. Accompanied by a curriculum guide, the program was later distributed for free to over 4,200 inner city schools nationwide. THE UNSPOKEN (1999), Marx’s first feature film, features stellar performances from Russian star Sergei Shnirev of the famed Moscow Art Theatre, and Harry Lennix, most known for GET ON THE BUS, BOB ROBERTS, TITUS, ER, and MATRIX. A hobbyist songwriter, in 1991 Marx recorded a number of his songs collectively known as ROLLING STEEL. Two of those 11 songs are used over THE UNSPOKEN tail credits and one is used in BOYS TO MEN?. THE UNSPOKEN and ROLLING STEEL are available through this website.
 
Having worked for a time as an English and creative writing teacher, Marx began his movie career as a film critic, and has worked both as a film distributor and exhibitor. He has also traveled extensively. He’s lived in Germany, China, and Hungary. He’s traveled repeatedly through Western and Eastern Europe, North Africa and Himalayan India. With a B.A. in Political Science and an MFA in filmmaking, Marx has coupled his formal education with a natural gift for languages, speaking German and some Mandarin-Chinese. His interest in languages and foreign cultures is reflected in PBS’ international human rights program OUT OF THE SILENCE (1991), the widely acclaimed personal essay DREAMS FROM CHINA (1989), and Learning Channel’s SAVING THE SPHINX (1997). He consulted on Iranian-Kurdish director Bahman Ghobadi’s feature TURTLES CAN FLY (2004) and was a teacher of renowned Thai feature filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
 
Three of Marx’s films premiered at the New York Film Festival. His films are distri

Show Summary
On today’s episode, I’m having a conversation with Josie Beets, the Program Manager for the Department of Defense Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program, which provides education and career guidance to military spouses worldwide
About Today’s Guest
 
Links Mentioned In This Episode
BTM Episode 54 with Josie Beets – Connecting Military Families Through Reading
Spouse Education and Career Opportunities Homepage
SECO My Career Advancement Account Scholarship
SECO Career Coach Portal
Military Spouse Employment Program
MSEP on LinkedIn
SECO on Facebook
PsychArmor Resource of the Week
This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor course 15 Reasons Why to Hire a Military Spouse. Employers are always looking for untapped talent pools. One talent pool that can be overlooked is the diverse and highly educated group of military spouses. Take this course to learn the top 15 Reasons to Hire a Military Spouse.
 
You can see find the course here: https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/15-Reasons-to-Hire-a-Military-Spouse
 
This Episode Sponsored By:
 
This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor. PsychArmor is the premier education and learning ecosystems specializing in military culture content PsychArmor offers an. Online e-learning laboratory that is free to individual learners as well as custom training options for organizations.
 
Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 
Email PsychArmor
PsychArmor on Twitter
PsychArmor on Facebook
PsychArmor on YouTube
PsychArmor on LinkedIn
PsychArmor on Instagram
Theme Music
Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.
Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary
On this episode, we feature a conversation with Dr. Jason A. Higgins, Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech University and author of the recently released book, Prisoners After War: Veterans in the Age of Mass Incarceration
About Today’s Guest
Dr. Jason A. Higgins is the Digital Scholarship Coordinator for Virginia Tech Publishing  and an assistant professor, jointly affiliated with VT University Libraries and the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. He teaches the Vietnam War, African American History, and Oral History. He earned a Ph.D. in History and a graduate certificate in Public History from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is the co-editor of Service Denied: Marginalized Veterans in Modern American History (UMass Press 2022). His forthcoming book, Prisoners After War: Veterans in the Age of Mass Incarceration will be published by the University of Massachusetts Press in the Veterans series in January, 2024.
Jason earned a Master’s in English from Oklahoma State University, studying literature and writing a thesis on Vietnam veterans’ autobiographies, trauma, and disability. He is a first-generation college graduate, who double-majored in English and History at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
Links Mentioned In This Episode
Service Denied: Marginalized Veterans in Modern American History
Prisoners After War: Veterans in the Age of Mass Incarceration
PsychArmor Resource of the Week
This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor course Supporting Someone with Invisible Wounds. Not all wounds can be seen and invisible wounds are just as serious as visible ones. This course introduces four types of invisible wounds - Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, Substance Use Disorder, and Depression.
 
You can see find the course here: 
 
https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/supporting-someone-with-invisible-wounds
 
This Episode Sponsored By:
 
This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor. PsychArmor is the premier education and learning ecosystems specializing in military culture content PsychArmor offers an. Online e-learning laboratory that is free to individual learners as well as custom training options for organizations.
 
Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 
Email PsychArmor
PsychArmor on Twitter
PsychArmor on Facebook
PsychArmor on YouTube
PsychArmor on LinkedIn
PsychArmor on Instagram
Theme Music
Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.
Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary
On this episode, we feature a conversation Tara Wright, Senior Manager of Content Design on the Research, Education, Data and Impact (REDI) team at Sesame Workshop, on newly developed resources for Military Families to address isolation, disconnectedness, and the impacts of family separation due to military duty
About Today’s Guest
Tara Wright serves as Senior Manager of Content Design on the Research, Education, Data and Impact (REDI) team at Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization behind the beloved children’s show, Sesame Street. In her work at Sesame, Tara creates engaging content for young children and families, as well as practical, approachable tools for the providers who serve them--all with the goal to help nurture smarter, stronger, and kinder communities. You can find her “creative fingerprint” on articles, printables, animations, professional development courses, and more, on topics ranging from resilience to resettlement. While always backed by research and on-the-ground expertise, her writing often also draws on her roles as Marine Corps wife and mama to three boys five and under. Tara is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. She in her family are based in Tulsa, OK. 
Links Mentioned In This Episode
Sesame Street for Military Families Website
Family and Community Bonds Resources
PsychArmor Resource of the Week
This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the Behind the Mission podcast episode 29. On that episode, we had a conversation with Rocio Galarza, the Vice President in the U.S. Social Impact Department at Sesame Workshop, to talk about the evolving nature of Sesame Street programming for military families 
 
You can see find the course here: 
 
https://psycharmor.org/podcast/rocio-galarza
 
This Episode Sponsored By:
 
This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor. PsychArmor is the premier education and learning ecosystems specializing in military culture content PsychArmor offers an. Online e-learning laboratory that is free to individual learners as well as custom training options for organizations.
 
Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 
Email PsychArmor
PsychArmor on Twitter
PsychArmor on Facebook
PsychArmor on YouTube
PsychArmor on LinkedIn
PsychArmor on Instagram
Theme Music
Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.
Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com