Auburn Journal
reviews Operation Mom
- 07-17-11
Michael Kirby/Auburn Journal
Sacramento resident Justin Johnson fills out an application for a part-time position with the Salvation Army at the Forgotten Soldier Program room on Lincoln Way Friday.
Johnson served in the Army for eight years and said veterans need more consideration when it comes to jobs because their adjustment back to civilian life is challenging enough.Work scarce for local veterans
Readjustment to civilian life was difficult, former Air Force soldier says
By Bridget Jones, Journal Staff WriterLocal veterans and those who support them say more than just the tough economy is making it difficult for former soldiers to find work.
Readjusting to civilian life is also a big part of the job search process, two local veterans said.
“It’s much harder for them to find work because they are coming back from an environment that is task-and-accomplishment,” said Donna Arz, founder and executive director of the Forgotten Soldier Program in Auburn.“Their whole day is laid out. They have to come back here and readjust. It’s confusion when they come back, how to do it, how to fit in their environment and building trust in their environment.”
Pat Ryan, group leader for the Placer County chapter of Operation: MOM, said other obstacles often get in the way of veterans trying to start over.
“Our young people are coming home with not only physical but mental issues, and a lot of times they have to be able to deal with those in order to place themselves back into civilian life or into school,” Ryan said. “And sometimes because of those ailments, they are unable to place themselves.”
According to Chaplain Terry Morgan, of Gold Country Chaplaincy, Placer County statistics show there are 631 known homeless people in Placer County, and 10 percent of them are veterans.
Morgan said statewide 13.3 percent of those who have become veterans since 9/11 are unemployed.
Auburn resident David Van Tuyl, 25, is currently working in Auburn, but is searching for another job. Tuyl served in the Air Force for seven years and entered the military when he was 17. He returned to Auburn about a year ago.
“I needed a quick fix kind of job, and I went down to a couple restaurants and Old Town Pizza just happened to be hiring,” Tuyl said. “And I kind of meant to only work there a couple months and then ditch the job and move onto something else that would be obviously higher paying. But then I ended up really enjoying it. Problem is I really enjoy it but it doesn’t pay the bills.”
Tuyl worked in information technology support in the Air Force and said each assignment he was sent on was different. However, seven years of experience doesn’t seem to matter.
“I think that a lot of (veterans) when we are coming back, we are different than other people who have been looking for jobs, who went straight into college after high school rather than the military, or have their degrees or something like that,” Tuyl said. “I don’t have a fancy degree, but I have got the experience. I jump right into work and get hands-on experience. So I kind of feel like I have more experience than somebody who went to college and has a degree, but yet this measly piece of paper that says somebody went to college means more than the experience that we military people went through.”
Getting back to life after the military presents issues in itself, Tuyl said.
“I have had an extremely hard time just trying to learn how to be a civilian,” he said. “It’s just nothing like being in the military. That is all I have ever known. I was in when I was 17. That was it for me.”
Tuyl said the agency that is supposed to help veterans adjust and live life, wasn’t helpful when he was looking for work.
“The actual (Department of Veterans Affairs) is a mess,” he said. “They are just disorganized, they are not together, they are just a government agency doing what they do. Honestly, trying to get answers from them is just impossible.”
Sacramento resident Justin Johnson, 35, who uses services provided by the Forgotten Soldier Program, said he served in the Army for a little over eight years, in both reserve and active duty. He left the military in 2008 and is looking for work.
Johnson said getting back to civilian life was a huge adjustment for him, and he wasn’t in a place to be able to find a job.
“For me, because of the divorce I went through and the crazy things life has thrown at me … with the PTSD, I’m always scared I’m going to overreact,” Johnson said. “It’s been a struggle. I’m at a point now where I can finally relax. I don’t care what anyone says, you go to a conflict zone and you are not the same when you leave. And I was (in Baghdad) 17 months.”
While trying to readjust, Johnson is also trying to strengthen his relationships with his three children after the death of their mother.
Johnson said while he could trust everyone he served with, he is having trouble doing that here.
“A lot of people don’t have the integrity people display in the military, so I have a problem with that, working with people I don’t trust.”
Johnson said he has thought of starting his own business, or even getting back into the military.
Sometimes the work soldiers do doesn’t translate to civilian life, which causes another problem in finding work, Johnson said.
“My (military occupation specialty) was a tanker,” he said. “I was on a tank, and where can I do that here? For the guys on the frontline, they are not marketable when they come out.”
Employers should take more chances on veterans because they pick up work skills quickly, Johnson said.
“So, if you teach them how to do it, they will be your best asset,” he said.
Morgan said with a lot of soldiers returning from Afghanistan, the problem of unemployed veterans isn’t going to go away, and the community needs to try to help.
“I don’t think it’s a problem that is going to be fixed any time soon,” he said. “I think it’s going to get worse before it gets better. I think just the fact that they have served us, now it’s our turn to turn around and serve them.”
Reach Bridget Jones at bridgetj@goldcountrymedia.com
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Keywords
veterans, Donna Arz, Pat Ryan, Forgotten Soldier Program, Operation: MOM, Terry Morgan, Gold Country Chaplaincy, David Van Tuyl, Justin Johnson, military- 06-13-08
Ashley Baer/Auburn Journal file photo
Volunteer Ted Moore sorts donations into categories such as pastas, soups and canned meals during the Stuff-A-Bus “food-raiser” in November in Auburn.
Volunteer Ted Moore sorts donations into categories such as pastas, soups and canned meals during the Stuff-A-Bus “food-raiser” in November in Auburn.
Operation: MOM launching Operation Stuff the Bus
Local nonprofit seeking food, toiletry donations for troops overseas
By Jenifer Gee Journal Staff Writer
Local nonprofit seeking food, toiletry donations for troops overseas
By Jenifer Gee Journal Staff Writer
This weekend a local nonprofit that helps troops overseas will launch a special mission — Operation Stuff the Bus.
The Auburn Kiwanis Club is sponsoring a Stuff the Bus event to collect donations for Touch of Home care packages for Operation: MOM.
The nonprofit group sends packages of food and toiletries to soldiers stationed overseas.
The Auburn Kiwanis Club is sponsoring a Stuff the Bus event to collect donations for Touch of Home care packages for Operation: MOM.
The nonprofit group sends packages of food and toiletries to soldiers stationed overseas.
Dee Rein, group leader of Placer County’s Operation: MOM, said with the recent economic downturn, the group has been struggling like other nonprofits to fill its needs.
“Everybody is trying to fundraise and make it through the hard times,” Rein said. “Before I would only have to campaign to collect products twice a year. Now, I’m doing it every other month.”
Auburn resident David Partak was one of the soldiers who received a care package from the group when he was stationed in Iraq in 2004. He said receiving a package from someone who wasn’t a family member or friend was a “pleasant surprise.”
“As we like to say in the military, it is a morale multiplier,” Partak said. “I remember some of the fun stuff, especially the cards and letters from kids.”
This Saturday volunteers will collect food and personal items at the Grocery Outlet parking lot off Highway 49 and Elm Avenue in Auburn.
The items needed are granola, cereal and protein bars, beef jerky, personal-size deodorant for men and women and toothpaste, floss and toothbrushes. Rein added that hand-sanitizer is also a needed item.
As items are dropped off, Anton the Magical Entertainer will perform magic tricks for kids and adults. There will also be a table set up for people to write a note to a solider.
Additionally, Grocery Outlet owner John Stevens has donated hot dogs and drinks for Operation: MOM to sell so they can raise money for postage costs.
Rein said the group meets once a month and sends about 75 to 100 $10 care packages to soldiers stationed overseas in various countries including Iraq. The nonprofit has been in operation since about 2003.
Rein said she hopes Auburn-area residents will help support the men and women in the military this Saturday.
“Help us keep our care packages going and support our troops,” Rein said. “This is a great way to do it because the whole family can participate. Even buying one item is really helpful.”
The Journal’s Jenifer Gee can be reached at jeniferg@goldcountrymedia.com or post a comment.
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What: Stuff the Bus to collect donations for Operation: MOM
When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., June 13
Where: Grocery Outlet parking lot, located on Highway 49 at Elm Avenue in Auburn
Bring: Granola, cereal and protein bars, beef jerky, personal size deodorant for men and women and toothpaste, floss and toothbrushes
Entertainment: Anton the Magical Entertainer will appear between 11 a.m. and noon and 2 and 3 p.m.
This article is no longer available on the Auburn Journal due to age of the material
Keywords
Stuff the Bus, Operation: MOM, Auburn Kiwanis Club, Grocery Outlet, Highway 49
“Everybody is trying to fundraise and make it through the hard times,” Rein said. “Before I would only have to campaign to collect products twice a year. Now, I’m doing it every other month.”
Auburn resident David Partak was one of the soldiers who received a care package from the group when he was stationed in Iraq in 2004. He said receiving a package from someone who wasn’t a family member or friend was a “pleasant surprise.”
“As we like to say in the military, it is a morale multiplier,” Partak said. “I remember some of the fun stuff, especially the cards and letters from kids.”
This Saturday volunteers will collect food and personal items at the Grocery Outlet parking lot off Highway 49 and Elm Avenue in Auburn.
The items needed are granola, cereal and protein bars, beef jerky, personal-size deodorant for men and women and toothpaste, floss and toothbrushes. Rein added that hand-sanitizer is also a needed item.
As items are dropped off, Anton the Magical Entertainer will perform magic tricks for kids and adults. There will also be a table set up for people to write a note to a solider.
Additionally, Grocery Outlet owner John Stevens has donated hot dogs and drinks for Operation: MOM to sell so they can raise money for postage costs.
Rein said the group meets once a month and sends about 75 to 100 $10 care packages to soldiers stationed overseas in various countries including Iraq. The nonprofit has been in operation since about 2003.
Rein said she hopes Auburn-area residents will help support the men and women in the military this Saturday.
“Help us keep our care packages going and support our troops,” Rein said. “This is a great way to do it because the whole family can participate. Even buying one item is really helpful.”
The Journal’s Jenifer Gee can be reached at jeniferg@goldcountrymedia.com or post a comment.
----------
What: Stuff the Bus to collect donations for Operation: MOM
When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., June 13
Where: Grocery Outlet parking lot, located on Highway 49 at Elm Avenue in Auburn
Bring: Granola, cereal and protein bars, beef jerky, personal size deodorant for men and women and toothpaste, floss and toothbrushes
Entertainment: Anton the Magical Entertainer will appear between 11 a.m. and noon and 2 and 3 p.m.
This article is no longer available on the Auburn Journal due to age of the material
Keywords
Stuff the Bus, Operation: MOM, Auburn Kiwanis Club, Grocery Outlet, Highway 49
09-13-03
More soldiers reap benefits of our
generous community
Operation Mom sends a heartfelt thanks to the Colfax VFW and Ladies Auxiliary recalling the valor and bravery of the selfless firefighters, law enforcement officers and rescue workers of 9/11 whose ultimate sacrifice was their lives.
On Sept. 13, we gathered to honor our fallen heroes of 9/11 and to honor our own local heroes. To our local law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs and paramedics, thank you for protecting us from those who would harm us, finding us when we are lost, aiding us when we are hurt and protecting us from fire and other potentially hazardous conditions.
Operation Mom would also like to thank Gold Run CHP, Colfax City Volunteer Fire Department and Colfax CDF Station 30 for their donations that will help us send packages to our troops currently deployed overseas. Through their kindness, Operation Mom will send another 25 packages called “A Little Touch of Home” this month. To date, we currently mail, on average, 70 packages each month.
Bobbi Park
Operation Mom
This article is no longer available on the Auburn Journal due to age of the material
For additional information on Operation MOM, they can be reached at: www.operationmom.org
generous community
Operation Mom sends a heartfelt thanks to the Colfax VFW and Ladies Auxiliary recalling the valor and bravery of the selfless firefighters, law enforcement officers and rescue workers of 9/11 whose ultimate sacrifice was their lives.
On Sept. 13, we gathered to honor our fallen heroes of 9/11 and to honor our own local heroes. To our local law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs and paramedics, thank you for protecting us from those who would harm us, finding us when we are lost, aiding us when we are hurt and protecting us from fire and other potentially hazardous conditions.
Operation Mom would also like to thank Gold Run CHP, Colfax City Volunteer Fire Department and Colfax CDF Station 30 for their donations that will help us send packages to our troops currently deployed overseas. Through their kindness, Operation Mom will send another 25 packages called “A Little Touch of Home” this month. To date, we currently mail, on average, 70 packages each month.
Bobbi Park
Operation Mom
This article is no longer available on the Auburn Journal due to age of the material
For additional information on Operation MOM, they can be reached at: www.operationmom.org