Mentoring our young Veterans

Mike Talleda Events, Past Events

Mentoring: it’s about teaching, guiding and expanding the minds and horizons of our youth.

I once watched a mother bird teach her chick to fly. She flew away a few feet, then the hungry chick flew to her and she fed it. She then flew to another part of the aviary and the chick flew to her once again to be fed. This happened over and over. Soon the chick was able to fly from one end of the cage to the other and practically harass its mother until it was fed. Eventually, the chick found food on its own and the mother’s job was done.

Many of the vets we help leave for the military in their teens, some fresh out of high school, and go from the relative safety of their parents’ homes to the most toxic environment imaginable: war.

They often sustain injuries that prohibit them from progressing in the post-war world at the same rate and in the same way that other people their age do. They frequently come back with minds that no longer function the way they once did because they have done and seen things that are not normal for people of any age to do or see. They are scarred and deeply affected by their experiences and often lack the basic skills needed to care for themselves. They have to negotiate the Veterans Administration, deal with benefits, finances, and other issues they were not prepared for, and they must do it all with brain injuries or while suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

As members of this society, one that is frequently embroiled in foreign conflicts, we should know this and we should take the time to help our wounded vets. We must have patience and understanding and imagine that they are our own children—because they are. Wars and conflicts are inevitable. They have been a part of human society in general since the beginning of time. Without the young men and women who serve our country—our fighters and our protectors; those who make up our last line of defense against enemies who seek to destroy our way of life—this country would not exist. It’s therefore imperative that we as both individuals and as a collective recognize the value of our veterans and help them forge lives of dignity and opportunity. They have done what we were unable or unwilling to do; they risked their lives to protect everything we hold sacred and dear.

We at Wounded Heroes of America (WHOA) started a small group that has since turned into a foundation, and like our veterans, we’re trying to be a relevant source of help. We don’t have the means to assist every veteran, but we can and do use our abilities and resource to find ways to give back to them what they so freely gave to us: a beautiful country and a great place to live.

Our Board Chair, Harvey Jacobson, is the president and founder of California Financial Partners, a very successful money management firm with numerous clients who love our vets. Infact, the reason we’ve been able to meet each month at El Cholo in La Habra—something we’ve been doing for nearly four years—is because Ron Salisbury, a friend and client of Harvey,is the owner of the Mexican restaurant. Ron generously host’s WHOA every month free of charge. In addition, thanks to the kindness of Jim Henwood, another client of Harvey and the former CEO of the LA County Fair, we get to go to the fair every year. Just like Jim and Ron seek to do, we all need to care for our vets. It’s simply our collective responsibility.

Many of our veterans were never exposed to the world of finances, and for some time we’ve been hosting workshops geared toward teaching these young people how to deal with money matters. We have a great partnership with the Los Angeles Vet center,which allows us to use its facilities, and every month, Harvey holds workshops on financial literacy. He talks about everything from stocks and bonds to what’s happening in the world and how current events can shape our financial futures. It’s a symbiotic relationship very much enjoyed by all parties. The vets love Harvey’s classes as much as he loves teaching them, and although he stands no taller than five feet, two inches, to us he’s a giant.

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