Education

Military Spouses Career Advancement Program

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To encourage spouses of military personnel to pursue education, the Military Spouses Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) program prepares military spouses for employment in Health Career Fields.
With up to $4,000 of Financial Assistance from the Department of Defense, now is the time to train for the careers that are in the highest demand.
MyCareerSkill.org is a Distance Learning Initiative from Florida Gulf Coast University in partnership with MedCerts, offering MyCAA approved, fully funded Health Care Career Training. If you are a military spouse and qualify for MyCAA funding, your tuition could be 100% covered!
Here are just a few of the careers for which our courses and programs can prepare you:- Pharmacy Technician
– Electronic Health Records Specialist
– Medical Office Management & Administration
– Billing & Coding Reimbursement Specialist
– Health Care Administration

Each of our health care career training programs is a complete package for career success and includes:- Expert-Led Online Video Lectures
– On Demand Online Mentoring
– Student Workbooks and Reference Material
– Certification of Completion
– Payment for Certification Exams Registration

To learn more about our programs, MyCAA qualifications or to request more information, visit their site at MyCareerSkill.org.
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Poppies, Poppies, Poppies!

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Tonight members of the Post will be on hand at the Beer Junction handing out poppies during the tasting with 2 Towns Cider. Also look for us around West Seattle this weekend as we will be at the Outwest Bar, Safeway’s, and on Memorial Day at the Forest Lawn Cemetery for the Memorial Day commemoration. Please join us at any of these events to get your poppies.

Regards,

Commander Sullivan

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Mustard Gas Info

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Mustard gas can cause bodily damage and has been used primarily as a chemical weapon, during combat in World War I and World War II, and during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.

Mustard gas belongs to a class of organic compounds that include sulfur mustard (Yperite) and nitrogen mustard. Lewisite is an arsenic-containing agent in this class. As gases, these agents appear yellow-brown in color and smell like mustard, garlic, or horseradish. In pure form at room temperature, they are thick and almost-odorless liquids.

Mustard Gas Experiments

In the 1940s, the Department of Defense recruited “volunteer soldier” subjects for experiments using mustard agents to evaluate clothing, ointments and equipment to protect American troops from mustard agent attacks.

  • Nearly 60,000 military personnel were involved in a wide range of exposures, most of them participating in mild exposures (a drop of agent on the arm in “patch” tests).
  • About 4,000 soldiers were subjected to severe, full-body exposures as a part of field exercises over contaminated ground areas.

Since the early 1990s, VA has conducted outreach efforts to reach Veterans identified by the Department of Defense as participants in these tests and inform them about their benefits.

Health concerns?

If you are concerned about exposure to mustard gas during military service, talk to your health care provider or local VA Environmental Health Coordinator.

Veterans not enrolled in the VA health care system, find out if you qualify for VA health care.

VA benefits

Veterans may be eligible for VA disability compensation benefits and health care benefits for health problems associated with exposure to mustard gas during military service.

Veterans’ dependents and survivors also may be eligible for benefits. Read Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors to learn more.

Health, PTSD

Power Breath Workshop: June 10th to June 14th . Time: 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm

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Project Welcome Home Troops

VETERANS AND TRAUMA

The National Institutes of Health estimate that, of the approximately 2 million veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, up to 20% su!er from post-traumatic stress or PTS. Veterans of previous wars may also continue to experience symptoms of PTS. PTS is an anxiety disorder that develops as a result of exposure to a traumatic event and is characterized by:

  • Recurring intrusive thoughts related to the trauma (e.g., flashbacks, dreams)
  • Avoidance of Stimuli associated with the trauma, emotional numbness, and social withdrawal
  • Symptoms of physiological arousal such as hyper-vigilance, exaggerated startle response, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, irritability and hyper-reactivity.

As veteran post-traumatic stress (PTS) and suicide are on the rise, there is an urgent need to address combat stress. The Power Breath workshop allows veterans to regain a sense of self-mastery and control because they can self-administer the techniques. Research show that these programs are e!ective, safe, prevention-based and free of known side e!ects. They can be scaled up to serve large numbers of veterans at a lower cost than many traditional interventions.

POWER BREATH WORKSHOP

The Power Breath Workshop is a mind-body resilience-building program for returning veterans. It o!ers practical breath-based tools that decrease the stress, anxiety and sleep problems that many returning veterans experience. A cornerstone of the Power Breath Workshop is the SKY (Sudarshan Kriya Yoga) Practice, a set of empirically validated breathing techniques. Through rhythmic breathing patterns, the SKY Practice brings deep mental and physical relaxation which research suggests can reduce symptoms of anxiety, anger, insomnia and depression. Through interactive discussions, the Power Breath workshop also teaches resilience and empowerment strategies, and develops self-awareness, connectedness and community. Our trainers are experienced facilitators who draw upon veterans’ existing strengths and wisdom to support them in returning to their natural, healthy state. Knowledgeable about military culture with extensive experience in breathing and mind-body techniques, our trainers guide the workshop with the attitude of mutual learning and respect. The program is interactive and facilitated in an open and supportive environment where veterans can share their life experiences if they wish and think about how their values shape their life.

“There is an alternative to medications and sleepless nights for those that serve our country” – Ohio Congressman Ryan

Ohio Congressman Ryan was introduced to Project Welcome Home Troops while researching the bene” ts of mindfulness. He was heartened to see such positive results for our troops from a simple practice, and is choosing to support Project Welcome Home Troops because he wants to see the program expanded to Ohio.

Power Breath Workshop: June 10th to June 14th . Time: 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm

For more information email: seattle@pwht.org or call: 206-395-8402

Location: Seattle

PWHT_program

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Memorial Day Commemoration 5/22 & 5/23

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Seattle City Light will hold two events in May to commemorate Memorial Day.  These events are sponsored by the utility’s Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI) Change Team.  The Change Team engages employees learning opportunities that promote racial equality.  The Memorial Day events are designed to educate and increase understanding of the intersection of RSJI and veterans’ experiences.  The events will be held at the utilities North and South Service Centers. 

Logistics:    May 22, 2013, 8:00 – 9:30 a.m., NSC Auditorium, 1300 N 97th St, Seattle, WA  98103

                   May 23, 2013, 8:00 – 9:30 a.m., SSC Multi-purpose Room, 3613 4th Ave S, Seattle,  WA  98134

Objectives:

  • Increase understanding of the intersection of RSJI and veterans’ experiences
  • Honor Veterans who gave their lives in service and those who are deceased
  • Conduct a flag dedication ceremony (presentation of U.S. flags flown in Afghanistan) 

 

Draft Agenda:

  • Opening Remarks from Executive
  • Recognition of Veterans present at the event
  • Flag ceremony by Color Guard (please note that a flag that was flown in Afghanistan has been donated by the military for the event)
  • Sharing of Poem for Memorial Day

Speaker:  Jack Hamann, author of “On American Soil”, a book about a real-life event in Seattle’s military history that put a spotlight on racism in the military, and ultimately exonerated African-American soldiers wrongfully court-martialed for the murder of an WWII Italian POW at Ft. Lawton (now Discovery Park). 

Events

West Seattle Community Garage is Today!!!

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The VFW and the American Legion will be on hand at the Post today selling various items during the WSCGS. There will also be baby items and vintages items for sale.

The 9th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, with 281 sale sites all over the peninsula. In case you haven’t seen it yet, we wanted to quickly mention that the online version of the map is now live – until Sale Day (next Saturday, May 11th, 9 am-3 pm) is over, it has its own tab on the WSB navigation bar, below the right side of the sunset-photo header. We’re still tweaking the printable version – the online version usually debuts first, and if sellers spot any address anomalies, for example (the mapping program has had one so far, quickly fixed), we can get those handled before publishing the link to the printable map. (E-mailgaragesale@westseattleblog.com.) Text atop the map’s WSB page explains how to use the map (same format as the last 2 years) and also how it works with your smartphone.

P.S. Registration closed a week and a half ago BUT if you’re still hoping to sell some stuff next Saturday, you can check with the group sites directly to see if they have room left – WSB sponsors Hotwire Online Coffeehouse and C & P Coffee Company, as well as the VFW Hall in The Triangle and, in The Admiral District, Mind Unwind.

No One Does More For Veterans