#DallasForPrez #Thoughts #Thread Our military is facing an ongoing enlistment problem and it boils down to one thing, how we treat our vets. If elected, I will be addressing this with an innovative plan that will pay for itself in savings and protect our Vets.

As a nation, we have programs on top of programs to assist our vets. They do a great job and would be more effective if they had less to do. Currently though, we’re addressing the issues facing our vets at the wrong moment in time.

Our vets need to be taken care of before they become a vet. They need to be helped before they fully transition out of the military itself. This is going to take a culture change and a reorganization of resources.

The budgets are there, we just need the leadership and the vision to make it happen. I believe I have both. Now let’s talk about my plan.

Currently a transitioning vet receives 5 days of TRS classes that “cover” everything they need to know to be a civilian again. These classes are offered during the last 6 months a of soldiers service and are often skipped.

This is where a culture shift needs to happen within the military. CO’s often don’t like to give solders the required time to attend these classes because they would be “down a man”.

Soldiers also do not see the importance of the classes and skip on their own accord.

Both of these view points are wrong and will be addressed from the top down.

I will start by first addressing this cultural mindset by pointing out that CO’s and soldiers are setting themselves up to fail. The military has a famous no fail attitude and with the proper top down encouragement, the culture will shift overnight.

Next I will address how the transitional period works. A solider will still have a 6 month transitional period but at half duty. The other half of their required duty will be working on becoming a civilian.

Soldiers will meet with an on base VA enrollment rep. Where the rep and the soldier will each be given a hard copy of their med records.

The VA rep will work to make sure each new vet will be enrolled in every program they are entitled to at the VA and finally set up a first appointment for them.

Next soldiers will learn how all of there veterans benefits work and meet with anyone they need to, to address special needs that have arisen due to service related injuries.

Soldiers will meet with job recruiters where they will learn how to translate their skills into an employment resume, practice interview skills and start to put out resumes before they even leave the service.

If a solider gets a request for an interview, they will be given a pass to attend as many as is need to guarantee them employment after service.

Soldiers will take finance management classes, meeting with retirement planners to learn how 401k’s and other retirement plans work.

Soldiers will be given entrepreneurial classes with a focus on business/ people management.

Soldiers will be meeting with reps of veterans groups so they can continue their community outside of the military and step directly into a club of understanding like minded friends.

Soldiers will also be given classes on how to access public social services in case they need those as well.

And finally, all these classes will be available to any vet after they leave service. These classes will be held on every base across the world and it will be made easy to add a vet to the class roster.

I will also be making these classes retroactive to any vet in the US and opening up the VA rep to those vets as well.

I will also be calling on Congress to pass a national licensing bill. If you receive training in the military that is equatable to a license in the civilian world, you should be able to get that license and start working in that field.

To often, I have heard stories of field medics not being able to be an EMT on an ambulance because the state requires schooling and a test. The same applies to mechanics and a 1000 other jobs the military trains its soldiers to do without fail.

This very issue affected my own father when he got out of the service. Like many military families, it forced us onto public assistance while he worked to get us back on our feet.

While all of this isn’t going to be a final solution to our veterans and military issues, it is a great first step. More than that it’s an innovative step that begins to streamline and organize the VA’s patient issues.

It will reduce the veteran suicide rates and will provide capable people for growing our economy beyond what trump has claimed he’s accomplished. #Dallasforprez