WEBVTT 00:00:04.809 --> 00:00:08.630 All across America and around the world, this 00:00:08.630 --> 00:00:15.009 is Veterans Radio. This is Veterans Radio. And 00:00:15.009 --> 00:00:19.030 now, your host for today's program, Dale Throneberry. 00:00:22.019 --> 00:00:25.059 Hey, welcome to veterans radio. My name is Dale 00:00:25.059 --> 00:00:27.940 Throneberry. I get to be the host today I'm a 00:00:27.940 --> 00:00:32.420 CW to helicopter pilot Vietnam 1969 want to welcome 00:00:32.420 --> 00:00:34.460 you to our program. I think we've got some interesting 00:00:34.460 --> 00:00:36.479 things going on today We're going to be talking 00:00:36.479 --> 00:00:39.600 with a woman who runs an organization down in 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:42.619 Missouri called wolf for vets I think is kind 00:00:42.619 --> 00:00:47.630 of cool and also we've got General Kellyanne 00:00:47.630 --> 00:00:49.990 Falzone who's going to be on to talk about benefits 00:00:49.990 --> 00:00:52.289 and what you know Maybe some questions that you 00:00:52.289 --> 00:00:54.210 might have if you do want to give us a call and 00:00:54.210 --> 00:00:56.929 go right ahead It's seven three four eight two 00:00:56.929 --> 00:00:59.409 two sixteen hundred We'll answer your questions 00:00:59.409 --> 00:01:01.630 the best that we can and then toward the end 00:01:01.630 --> 00:01:04.689 of the program. We've got a little segment on 00:01:04.689 --> 00:01:07.430 puro clean, which is one of our supporters of 00:01:07.430 --> 00:01:10.829 veterans radio and Let's see what else is going 00:01:10.829 --> 00:01:16.540 on Oh, yeah This is a good kind cool this week 00:01:16.540 --> 00:01:19.560 veterans radio started broadcasting on wreaths 00:01:19.560 --> 00:01:23.379 across America on their radio network So encourage 00:01:23.379 --> 00:01:26.000 you if you you know, if you want to hear old 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:29.340 programs or you know You miss today's program 00:01:29.340 --> 00:01:31.459 for whatever reason you can either go to our 00:01:31.459 --> 00:01:34.500 archive You can go to our podcast and now you 00:01:34.500 --> 00:01:40.599 can go to wreathsacrossamerica .org Radio and 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:43.569 we'll be on there two times a week every Wednesday 00:01:43.569 --> 00:01:46.890 and Friday, so it's kind of cool. I'm really 00:01:46.890 --> 00:01:51.189 excited to be part of their network. It's exciting 00:01:51.189 --> 00:01:53.849 for us to get our words out even further and 00:01:53.849 --> 00:01:55.790 further and further because every one of you 00:01:55.790 --> 00:01:57.909 veterans that's living, you know, that's listening 00:01:57.909 --> 00:02:01.870 out there, you have a story to tell and we would 00:02:01.870 --> 00:02:05.170 love to help tell your story, so please let us 00:02:05.170 --> 00:02:06.989 know. By the way, you know, if you do have that 00:02:06.989 --> 00:02:09.110 story that you want to tell and you want to get 00:02:09.110 --> 00:02:12.340 it out to a large audience, Let us know, we'll 00:02:12.340 --> 00:02:14.060 bring you on the program. That's what we want 00:02:14.060 --> 00:02:17.300 to do. Tell your stories. So before we get into 00:02:17.300 --> 00:02:21.780 our Wolf for Vets, I need to thank our major 00:02:21.780 --> 00:02:24.979 donors. And that includes, number one is Legal 00:02:24.979 --> 00:02:27.020 Help for Veterans. They've been supporting Veterans 00:02:27.020 --> 00:02:30.479 Radio, I don't know, since 2005 or so. A great 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:34.000 organization. What they do is that they specialize 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:36.699 in Veterans disability claims. Call Legal Help 00:02:36.699 --> 00:02:41.039 for Veterans at 800 -693 -4800 or go to their 00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:45.039 website LegalHelpForVeterans .com. The National 00:02:45.039 --> 00:02:47.080 Veterans Business Development Council, better 00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:50.560 known as NVBDC, is the nation's leading third 00:02:50.560 --> 00:02:52.659 -party authority for certification of veteran 00:02:52.659 --> 00:02:55.099 -owned businesses. For more information, go to 00:02:55.099 --> 00:02:58.719 their website, NVBDC .org, or give them a call 00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:05.930 at 888 - 237 -8433. PuroClean, known as the paramedics 00:03:05.930 --> 00:03:08.530 of property damage, each PuroClean office is 00:03:08.530 --> 00:03:11.610 independently owned. In fact, PuroClean is one 00:03:11.610 --> 00:03:13.969 of the nation's leading restoration franchise 00:03:13.969 --> 00:03:16.849 networks and is made up of entrepreneurs, just 00:03:16.849 --> 00:03:20.509 like you. And veterans get 25 % off their franchise 00:03:20.509 --> 00:03:24.180 fee. For more information, go to puroclean .com. 00:03:24.620 --> 00:03:27.080 The Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center in Ann 00:03:27.080 --> 00:03:29.060 Arbor, Michigan. For more information on them, 00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:32.759 go to va .gov slash Ann Arbor Health Care. And 00:03:32.759 --> 00:03:35.319 finally, the Erwin Prescorn American Legion Post 00:03:35.319 --> 00:03:38.819 46 and the Charles S. Kettles Vietnam Veterans 00:03:38.819 --> 00:03:42.060 of America Chapter 310, both of Ann Arbor, Michigan. 00:03:42.840 --> 00:03:45.300 If you'd like to support Veterans Radio, please 00:03:45.300 --> 00:03:48.139 go to our website, veteransradio .org and click 00:03:48.139 --> 00:03:51.099 on the donate button. Thank you in advance. Now 00:03:51.099 --> 00:03:53.719 let's get into finding out about all these dogs. 00:03:54.860 --> 00:03:57.860 So joining me on the line right now from Missouri 00:03:57.860 --> 00:04:02.340 is Sue Swanigan and Sue is the founder of Wolf 00:04:02.340 --> 00:04:05.979 for Vets. And Sue, welcome to Veterans Radio. 00:04:06.900 --> 00:04:10.060 Well, good afternoon and is very happy to be 00:04:10.060 --> 00:04:13.240 here. Well, I am happy to talk with you about 00:04:13.240 --> 00:04:16.980 this. So Sue, how did you get started with? Well, 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:19.740 I guess first of all, tell us what Wolf for Vets 00:04:19.740 --> 00:04:25.850 is. Wolf for Vets provides puppies and dogs for 00:04:25.850 --> 00:04:32.329 our veterans free of charge. We do mostly purebreds, 00:04:32.449 --> 00:04:35.990 but we're a little bit different. We do from 00:04:35.990 --> 00:04:40.269 a pet to sit on your lap, a working dog if you 00:04:40.269 --> 00:04:43.329 need to go get your cows. We do hunting dogs. 00:04:43.709 --> 00:04:48.069 We do whatever the veteran needs. We will do 00:04:48.069 --> 00:04:53.329 a stability dog. We will do a dog that will protect 00:04:53.329 --> 00:04:57.829 you. We will do a service dog. Whatever that 00:04:57.829 --> 00:05:04.889 veteran needs, we probably can do. Well, I know, 00:05:05.009 --> 00:05:07.750 I think you can. I saw that. How long has your 00:05:07.750 --> 00:05:11.689 organization been going? Well, I started sort 00:05:11.689 --> 00:05:16.870 of unusual. We had a talk show in Springfield, 00:05:16.870 --> 00:05:21.050 Missouri. uh... called uh... a cracker barrel 00:05:21.050 --> 00:05:23.790 and i was on there one morning and they were 00:05:23.790 --> 00:05:26.509 the gentleman on there that he had a brother 00:05:26.509 --> 00:05:29.610 that was disabled veteran and he had lost his 00:05:29.610 --> 00:05:32.290 miniature pincer that rode in the wheelchair 00:05:32.290 --> 00:05:34.829 and slept with him and they were looking for 00:05:34.829 --> 00:05:39.269 another one and at that time i raised men pins 00:05:39.269 --> 00:05:42.629 and i thought oh my goodness and i call that 00:05:42.629 --> 00:05:45.649 gentleman up and i give him one of my puppies 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:50.779 And I cried for three days after that. And I 00:05:50.779 --> 00:05:54.100 decided I just had to do something. And it took 00:05:54.100 --> 00:05:57.839 me about seven years to get it started. And I 00:05:57.839 --> 00:06:00.980 met a lady named Beverly that was my partner. 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:05.600 And we lost her last July to cancer. But we got 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:10.439 our 5013C about 10 years ago. And now we are 00:06:10.439 --> 00:06:17.399 placing about 100 to 150 dogs a year with our 00:06:17.399 --> 00:06:20.839 veterans. Oh, that's great. Everything that we 00:06:20.839 --> 00:06:24.519 do for veterans is free of charge. I think that's 00:06:24.519 --> 00:06:26.240 an important thing to remember. Everything that 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:29.319 you do is that it's free. I got a question coming 00:06:29.319 --> 00:06:32.939 in here from my partner today, Carol Ann Falzone. 00:06:33.220 --> 00:06:36.420 Carol Ann? Oh, Susan, thank you so much for what 00:06:36.420 --> 00:06:39.579 you're doing. So I've got a question. This sounds 00:06:39.579 --> 00:06:43.180 spectacular. So if I'm caught, I am a veteran. 00:06:43.740 --> 00:06:47.519 I believe I need some assistance. How does that 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:51.839 little puppy or dog get from Missouri to Michigan? 00:06:52.439 --> 00:06:57.180 And how do you marry me up with the right dog? 00:06:58.279 --> 00:07:02.000 Probably that transportation is one of our biggest 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:09.100 things. What we do is that we have several DAVs. 00:07:10.050 --> 00:07:15.069 Combat Veterans Chapter 411 helps us. Sometimes 00:07:15.069 --> 00:07:18.629 we have to pay an airline ticket. Sometimes whatever 00:07:18.629 --> 00:07:22.290 we need to do, we will try our best to get you 00:07:22.290 --> 00:07:26.490 that puppy. If it is in an eight -hour drive 00:07:26.490 --> 00:07:31.129 for me, I deliver the dog personally. Oh, wow. 00:07:31.509 --> 00:07:34.709 That's spectacular. And the way we do it, we 00:07:34.709 --> 00:07:38.589 have got a volunteer that will call you. will 00:07:38.589 --> 00:07:43.529 interview you, you will have a choice of whatever 00:07:43.529 --> 00:07:46.970 kind of puppy that you want. If you don't know 00:07:46.970 --> 00:07:50.389 what you need, we will get some more information 00:07:50.389 --> 00:07:54.810 on what you should have. In other words, if you 00:07:54.810 --> 00:07:58.189 need a stability dog and you weigh 300 pounds, 00:07:58.269 --> 00:08:01.569 we're not going to get you a Chihuahua. But we 00:08:01.569 --> 00:08:06.569 can do whatever that veteran needs. I would say 00:08:06.990 --> 00:08:13.949 that we are about 98 % good with our veterans 00:08:13.949 --> 00:08:17.350 and our dogs together. Once in a while, we will 00:08:17.350 --> 00:08:21.129 get something that I just can't find. Last summer, 00:08:21.310 --> 00:08:24.490 there was a gentleman out of Massachusetts that 00:08:24.490 --> 00:08:27.670 wanted a dog that hunts truffles. I don't know 00:08:27.670 --> 00:08:30.990 what a truffle was. I had to look it up. But 00:08:30.990 --> 00:08:35.120 the only one we could find was in England. So 00:08:35.120 --> 00:08:38.220 that there was out but we did get him a dog and 00:08:38.220 --> 00:08:40.220 we done some a little training and I think that 00:08:40.220 --> 00:08:44.720 dog is looking for truffles. Oh That's spectacular 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:49.179 Sue. So I'm a nurse and I think that assessing 00:08:49.179 --> 00:08:52.919 that you do is really important and the organizations 00:08:52.919 --> 00:08:57.580 that I've worked with in my past regarding You 00:08:57.580 --> 00:09:01.039 know training dogs and the the dogs for assistance 00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:04.240 with our veterans. They sometimes like to bring 00:09:04.330 --> 00:09:08.490 multiple dogs out and the veteran and assess, 00:09:08.490 --> 00:09:11.610 you know, the getting along. There's, you know, 00:09:11.610 --> 00:09:14.730 we all have personalities. So do the dogs. And 00:09:14.730 --> 00:09:18.769 so that was that was very interesting when, you 00:09:18.769 --> 00:09:21.710 know, oh, he's really cute, but no, no, no, that's 00:09:21.710 --> 00:09:23.809 not going to match your personality. You need 00:09:23.809 --> 00:09:27.330 this dog. So that's why I was asking the question 00:09:27.330 --> 00:09:30.769 about assessment and how does it work with that 00:09:30.769 --> 00:09:35.679 veteran's personality? The veteran? It's always, 00:09:35.940 --> 00:09:38.980 always, I want to do that. It's what they need 00:09:38.980 --> 00:09:41.879 and what they want, not what I want them to have. 00:09:42.580 --> 00:09:45.320 It's what they need and what they want. They 00:09:45.320 --> 00:09:50.019 always, always have the last word. Right now, 00:09:50.480 --> 00:09:53.879 I had one, in fact, she's on my board, had a 00:09:53.879 --> 00:09:56.360 litter of, I hope I say this right, because it's 00:09:56.360 --> 00:10:01.679 unusual, bouviers. And we have got four bouviers. 00:10:01.960 --> 00:10:06.120 And they would be a family dog. They're short 00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:10.220 and big. But they would be a good family dog 00:10:10.220 --> 00:10:13.700 because they like kids and they think that they've 00:10:13.700 --> 00:10:17.019 got to take care of those children. So they would 00:10:17.019 --> 00:10:22.600 be a good dog for a family. A Great Dane, we 00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:25.919 have Great Danes. We have Chihuahuas. I have 00:10:25.919 --> 00:10:30.039 a lot of doodles. I love the doodles. Probably 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:33.370 the Bernie Doodles. is the smartest out of the 00:10:33.370 --> 00:10:37.389 doodles. They are hypoallergenic. But I'm not 00:10:37.389 --> 00:10:39.590 going to ask my veteran, well, this is what you 00:10:39.590 --> 00:10:42.350 need. I will say, this is what this dog could 00:10:42.350 --> 00:10:45.049 do for you. And this is the best way to train 00:10:45.049 --> 00:10:48.590 him. Then it's up to the veteran to make a decision. 00:10:48.769 --> 00:10:52.210 And he may have six or seven dogs to choose from 00:10:52.210 --> 00:10:55.889 if that's what he'd like. Because our breeders 00:10:55.889 --> 00:10:58.870 are commercial breeders, most of them. You are 00:10:58.870 --> 00:11:01.460 welcome at their kennel. They will talk to you. 00:11:01.460 --> 00:11:04.000 You can play with the dog and make a decision 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:06.539 what you'd like to have on which dog you'd like 00:11:06.539 --> 00:11:10.639 to have So we do everything that veteran needs 00:11:10.639 --> 00:11:14.740 I think this is this is great. The organization 00:11:14.740 --> 00:11:20.519 is a wolf as a wolf for vets .org We're talking 00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:23.659 with uh, sue swanigan who is the founder of the 00:11:23.659 --> 00:11:27.000 organization and as soon as this does this cost 00:11:27.159 --> 00:11:31.759 me anything if you provide me with a dog? The 00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:35.379 dogs, I've got to say that our commercial breeders 00:11:35.379 --> 00:11:38.019 are the most wonderful people in the whole world. 00:11:38.679 --> 00:11:41.940 For many years I was a dog breeder and I raised 00:11:41.940 --> 00:11:46.620 Dobermans and Minpens and Pomeranians and I belong 00:11:46.620 --> 00:11:49.679 to an organization called Missouri Pet Breeders 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:54.460 and a couple of more. These people call me and 00:11:54.460 --> 00:11:56.740 say, I've got dogs, what does your veteran need? 00:11:56.990 --> 00:12:01.889 There is never a charge ever for a veteran to 00:12:01.889 --> 00:12:05.649 get a dog from our commercial breeders. And most 00:12:05.649 --> 00:12:09.509 of our breeders are inspected and is licensed. 00:12:09.929 --> 00:12:13.230 And you get papers with your dogs, all of their 00:12:13.230 --> 00:12:16.870 background. You will get their date of birth. 00:12:16.950 --> 00:12:19.769 You will get their shot records. You will get 00:12:19.769 --> 00:12:23.429 probably a veterinarian that has already seen 00:12:23.429 --> 00:12:27.120 that puppy once or twice before you get it. And 00:12:27.120 --> 00:12:30.820 so we try to get everything done. We try to have 00:12:30.820 --> 00:12:35.080 veterans see a veterinarian across the country 00:12:35.080 --> 00:12:38.519 at a discounted price. We would love to have 00:12:38.519 --> 00:12:41.759 some insurance, but so far we've not found any. 00:12:42.740 --> 00:12:46.740 The way that we raise our money is that we do 00:12:46.740 --> 00:12:50.179 a garage sales gun shows. We go to the bikers. 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:54.379 We go to the state fair. We go to your local 00:12:56.090 --> 00:12:59.490 picnic, and we will sell rapid tickets. That's 00:12:59.490 --> 00:13:02.889 how we make our money. Our biggest expense is 00:13:02.889 --> 00:13:06.809 transportation, whether it be driving the van, 00:13:08.549 --> 00:13:12.649 or airline tickets, or just gasoline to get back 00:13:12.649 --> 00:13:16.529 and forth. Our insurance, and we carry $3 million 00:13:16.529 --> 00:13:19.809 worth of insurance, and it's expensive, but any 00:13:19.809 --> 00:13:22.730 more, you've got to do that. And that is our 00:13:22.730 --> 00:13:26.240 biggest expense. When my partner passed away, 00:13:26.779 --> 00:13:31.379 she left Wolfervets a brand new minivan. This 00:13:31.379 --> 00:13:36.440 was in July. And to date, we've got 30 ,000 miles 00:13:36.440 --> 00:13:40.139 on that van from delivering puppies. Oh, I think 00:13:40.139 --> 00:13:43.279 that's incredible. So where are you in Missouri? 00:13:43.720 --> 00:13:46.139 Where are you located? We are in a little town 00:13:46.139 --> 00:13:49.580 called Buffalo, Missouri. The veterans knows 00:13:49.580 --> 00:13:53.799 where Branson is. We are 72 miles north of Branson. 00:13:54.279 --> 00:13:57.500 We are at Branson during Veterans Week. We're 00:13:57.500 --> 00:14:02.259 right there. And we do put on a show at the Mansion 00:14:02.259 --> 00:14:05.879 Theater on the 9th of November. And we usually 00:14:05.879 --> 00:14:09.139 have a little party. And two years ago, we had 00:14:09.139 --> 00:14:13.879 16 World War II veterans on stage with us brought 00:14:13.879 --> 00:14:17.539 down the house. We love those. We only have one 00:14:17.539 --> 00:14:20.929 left out of that 16. So we always have a little 00:14:20.929 --> 00:14:23.690 show and give away some gifts and talk to our 00:14:23.690 --> 00:14:26.230 veterans. And then we are at Veterans Village 00:14:26.230 --> 00:14:30.210 all that week. And so we do that. I like to meet 00:14:30.210 --> 00:14:34.009 the veterans. I am one of these that I love people 00:14:34.009 --> 00:14:37.440 and I thought this is what I need to do. Well, 00:14:37.500 --> 00:14:39.620 you certainly sound dedicated and you are one 00:14:39.620 --> 00:14:41.980 of many people across this country this will 00:14:41.980 --> 00:14:44.740 do anything to support the veteran community 00:14:44.740 --> 00:14:47.000 and we're very grateful that there are people 00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:49.740 out there just like you sue and I want to thank 00:14:49.740 --> 00:14:51.840 you for being on our program and I want to remind 00:14:51.840 --> 00:14:55.340 our audience that this is called wolf for vets 00:14:55.340 --> 00:14:57.720 org and they've got a nice website up there and 00:14:57.720 --> 00:15:00.700 you can contact them for more information and 00:15:00.700 --> 00:15:03.240 You know, maybe you can make a little donation 00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:06.399 if you would like well, we appreciate any donation 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:10.399 Sometimes money gets short, but it always comes 00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:14.200 out. We always make what we need to do. That's 00:15:14.200 --> 00:15:15.840 what you do, and that's what a lot of people 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:18.919 out there are doing. So, Sue Swenigan, I want 00:15:18.919 --> 00:15:20.879 to thank you very much for being on Veterans 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:23.059 Radio, and I hope to be in touch with you again 00:15:23.059 --> 00:15:25.659 in the future whenever I'm looking for a dog. 00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:28.799 Well, you're more than welcome, and we'll get 00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:31.759 you whatever you need, or we will try our best. 00:15:32.360 --> 00:15:35.100 Thank you very much, Sue. God bless you, too. 00:15:35.639 --> 00:15:38.620 All right, that was uh, sue swanigan. She is 00:15:38.620 --> 00:15:43.059 the director of wolf for dogs wolf like woof 00:15:43.059 --> 00:15:48.039 for vets .org Uh, boy, she sounds like a just 00:15:48.039 --> 00:15:51.639 another one of those wonderful people That are 00:15:51.639 --> 00:15:53.799 out there and I think when I really talked when 00:15:53.799 --> 00:15:55.639 I talked to her originally She said that she 00:15:55.639 --> 00:15:58.320 was really not connected with the veterans community 00:15:58.320 --> 00:16:00.519 as far as relatives were concerned It was just 00:16:00.519 --> 00:16:04.240 something that she felt she had to do That was 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:08.590 spectacular. I mean, how many times do we. Here 00:16:08.590 --> 00:16:12.429 a veteran would like a companion their best buddy 00:16:12.429 --> 00:16:15.450 being a dog either They had one and they lost 00:16:15.450 --> 00:16:19.990 it or they're they're looking for one This organization 00:16:19.990 --> 00:16:23.909 sounds wonderful I wish they were in our backyard, 00:16:24.029 --> 00:16:27.049 but I understand, you know, we've got to share 00:16:27.049 --> 00:16:31.889 the wealth But she would be interesting and I 00:16:31.889 --> 00:16:35.629 hope you put her name and her number up on on 00:16:35.629 --> 00:16:38.799 our website We will be doing that and I just 00:16:38.799 --> 00:16:40.659 said what you know that the thing that was really 00:16:40.659 --> 00:16:42.899 interesting that I thought that really got my 00:16:42.899 --> 00:16:45.519 attention Was the dogs for all kinds of different 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:47.899 reasons, you know, they're just not service dogs, 00:16:47.899 --> 00:16:50.759 right? You know if you need a you're looking 00:16:50.759 --> 00:16:53.460 for a hunting dog. We'll give you a hunting dog 00:16:53.460 --> 00:16:55.620 If you know if you're looking for a lap dog, 00:16:55.820 --> 00:16:58.600 we got we've got those too. So that's what I 00:16:58.600 --> 00:17:03.399 found So intriguing about the the wolf and I 00:17:03.399 --> 00:17:06.949 love the name. I like the wolf for vets That 00:17:06.949 --> 00:17:09.529 kind of made me smile when I saw it. So anyway, 00:17:09.910 --> 00:17:11.549 for our listeners, if you want more information, 00:17:11.589 --> 00:17:14.190 you can just go to their website. It's it's woof 00:17:14.190 --> 00:17:18.750 for vets .org. So, you know, today is our benefits 00:17:18.750 --> 00:17:20.670 program, but it's a little bit going to be a 00:17:20.670 --> 00:17:23.170 little bit shortened because one of our participation 00:17:23.170 --> 00:17:28.049 participants couldn't make it because of a issue 00:17:28.049 --> 00:17:30.089 with his house. I think it's getting ready to 00:17:30.089 --> 00:17:33.630 float away. Didn't sound good. Um, so david seems 00:17:33.630 --> 00:17:38.549 who is our washtenaw county veteran service office 00:17:38.549 --> 00:17:42.829 Director is not going to be here, but Our really 00:17:42.829 --> 00:17:46.210 resident expert i'd like to say is here. That's 00:17:46.210 --> 00:17:49.650 carolyn falzone retired air force brigadier general 00:17:49.650 --> 00:17:52.609 uh registered nurse probably a bsn and all those 00:17:52.609 --> 00:17:55.710 other things masters in nursing i'll bet and 00:17:55.710 --> 00:17:57.930 uh So we're here to answer your questions. Well, 00:17:57.930 --> 00:18:01.230 we've got a couple of uh ideas to share with 00:18:01.230 --> 00:18:03.630 you as we go along the way. If you don't call 00:18:03.630 --> 00:18:06.509 us, we're going to tell you some stories. Right, 00:18:06.630 --> 00:18:10.329 Carol Ann? Oh, absolutely, Dale. I think a week 00:18:10.329 --> 00:18:14.230 doesn't go by or maybe even a day when we get 00:18:14.230 --> 00:18:18.329 you and I and David, county counselors, a call 00:18:18.329 --> 00:18:23.049 as to what and where they could get assistance 00:18:23.049 --> 00:18:27.049 whether it's to enter a nursing home or how to 00:18:27.049 --> 00:18:30.829 get benefits but there's there's always a need 00:18:30.829 --> 00:18:33.970 and we take calls all the time well i think that 00:18:33.970 --> 00:18:37.650 that's what again that you know you and you and 00:18:37.650 --> 00:18:41.200 your husband uh jim falzone is also My partner 00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:44.099 here on veterans radio have that dedication to 00:18:44.099 --> 00:18:46.420 the veteran community and you know It's much 00:18:46.420 --> 00:18:49.720 appreciated wherever we go. They say oh, yeah, 00:18:49.720 --> 00:18:51.720 I know legal help for veterans All those guys 00:18:51.720 --> 00:18:53.940 did a great job for me and so on and so forth. 00:18:53.940 --> 00:18:56.559 And so I think that's what's fun I wanted to 00:18:56.559 --> 00:18:58.779 tell the story I wanted to tell occurred last 00:18:58.779 --> 00:19:02.299 night really and I was at a fundraiser for a 00:19:02.299 --> 00:19:05.539 local charity actually for Fisher House, Michigan 00:19:05.539 --> 00:19:09.839 And I was talking with somebody, you know during 00:19:09.839 --> 00:19:13.500 the cocktail hour and she told me the story of 00:19:13.500 --> 00:19:18.119 that her um her dad had um unfortunately was 00:19:18.119 --> 00:19:21.200 reaching the end of his life and didn't want 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:23.119 to stay in hospital anymore and they were going 00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:26.319 to send him home for hospice care but he had 00:19:26.319 --> 00:19:30.720 never filed for anything from the VA and so she 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:34.000 said I got a hold of his 214 and his power of 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:36.420 attorney and she said I went up to our local 00:19:36.420 --> 00:19:39.269 VA hospital I think she said on a Monday And 00:19:39.269 --> 00:19:43.450 we got him all registered into the system, got 00:19:43.450 --> 00:19:48.650 him a primary care doctor. And we tried to figure 00:19:48.650 --> 00:19:52.009 out that the reason that we went there was because 00:19:52.009 --> 00:19:55.210 they were going to have to pay for 24 -hour care. 00:19:56.210 --> 00:20:00.930 And she said by Wednesday, that same week, everything 00:20:00.930 --> 00:20:05.430 had been taken care of. And she said the VA just 00:20:05.430 --> 00:20:08.130 went out of their way to make sure that her dad 00:20:08.130 --> 00:20:10.869 was comfortable and that he didn't have didn't 00:20:10.869 --> 00:20:13.509 have any worries as far as you know expenses 00:20:13.509 --> 00:20:16.490 regarding um, you know around the clock care 00:20:16.490 --> 00:20:20.130 um And that's just you know, and I know you hear 00:20:20.130 --> 00:20:24.009 those stories every day And it's uh, you know, 00:20:24.009 --> 00:20:27.289 we are constantly Seems like we're you know, 00:20:27.289 --> 00:20:29.930 we're talking to the choir here. Well, if you 00:20:29.930 --> 00:20:34.460 know if we can get one more veteran to think 00:20:34.460 --> 00:20:37.700 about using these benefits that they don't even 00:20:37.700 --> 00:20:41.559 know that they have. And, you know, the VA does 00:20:41.559 --> 00:20:45.099 the best job they can to get the word out. But 00:20:45.099 --> 00:20:47.059 if you're not in the VA system, you're not going 00:20:47.059 --> 00:20:49.359 to know about these things. So that's why we're 00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:56.019 doing it. The story you brought up is unbelievable. 00:20:56.359 --> 00:20:58.920 And I think whether you're working with Legal 00:20:58.920 --> 00:21:02.420 Health for Veterans or a VSO or go to a VA medical 00:21:02.420 --> 00:21:06.259 center, it's important to talk about your story. 00:21:07.099 --> 00:21:09.700 When we get a veteran or their spouse that calls 00:21:09.700 --> 00:21:12.599 in to say, you know, they've been placed in hospice 00:21:12.599 --> 00:21:15.099 and we're waiting for a disability benefit to 00:21:15.099 --> 00:21:18.359 come through, we will reach out to that. regional 00:21:18.359 --> 00:21:22.640 office, RO, whether it's Detroit, Oakland in 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:27.599 California, Waco in Texas, and say to them, text 00:21:27.599 --> 00:21:30.519 them and get to them immediately that our veteran 00:21:30.519 --> 00:21:33.839 where they live has entered hospice and their 00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:37.180 terminal. And I think it's really important to 00:21:37.180 --> 00:21:40.619 know that if there's a financial issue, if there 00:21:40.619 --> 00:21:45.119 is a health issue and your terminal, They will 00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:49.039 expedite and try to help you and reach out. But 00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:52.619 if we don't know those things, we can't help 00:21:52.619 --> 00:21:56.160 you. And in the case of this daughter, going 00:21:56.160 --> 00:22:00.980 to the VA and then very quickly being assigned 00:22:00.980 --> 00:22:04.140 to primary care, then they're able to assess 00:22:04.140 --> 00:22:08.609 the needs and send out. home care, physical therapy, 00:22:09.130 --> 00:22:13.650 speech, all in the home. So I think it's really 00:22:13.650 --> 00:22:16.769 important to communicate whether you're working 00:22:16.769 --> 00:22:20.630 with the VSO, county counselor, or like an attorney, 00:22:21.009 --> 00:22:24.970 you need to verbalize your needs. Well, yeah, 00:22:26.089 --> 00:22:29.910 that's really important because, you know, I 00:22:29.910 --> 00:22:33.869 meet with veterans, seems like on a regular basis, 00:22:33.869 --> 00:22:37.930 of course, And every time I, there's at least 00:22:37.930 --> 00:22:40.089 one veteran that will surprise me because they 00:22:40.089 --> 00:22:42.990 have not taken advantage of what's available 00:22:42.990 --> 00:22:46.789 to them through the VA. And we wanted to talk 00:22:46.789 --> 00:22:49.809 with our, right now the VA is not in turmoil, 00:22:50.170 --> 00:22:53.109 but they're not really talking to the public 00:22:53.109 --> 00:22:56.630 like they used to here. So we gotta wait till 00:22:56.630 --> 00:23:00.029 everything calms down over there before we can 00:23:00.029 --> 00:23:02.309 get, I think before we'll be able to get a representative. 00:23:02.670 --> 00:23:05.349 come here to talk about what's going on at the 00:23:05.349 --> 00:23:09.150 VA healthcare side of everything. But it looks 00:23:09.150 --> 00:23:12.650 like... But I think the important thing is with 00:23:12.650 --> 00:23:18.289 VHA and VBA, the critical employees, Dale, they 00:23:18.289 --> 00:23:23.670 are not... Terminating or I'm asking them to 00:23:23.670 --> 00:23:27.630 leave on the health care side. I know there is 00:23:27.630 --> 00:23:30.789 an extensive amount of health care workers that 00:23:30.789 --> 00:23:34.609 are exempt And so that's great news. The other 00:23:34.609 --> 00:23:39.630 thing is to send out to the public Is I don't 00:23:39.630 --> 00:23:43.750 think any benefits or claims are going to be, 00:23:43.750 --> 00:23:48.930 you know thrown out just because of the situation 00:23:48.930 --> 00:23:53.230 that's going on. Those claims will be taken care 00:23:53.230 --> 00:23:56.869 of. I can't tell you the time frame. However, 00:23:57.829 --> 00:24:00.670 nothing should happen. And the big fear, we talked 00:24:00.670 --> 00:24:04.650 about it last time, last month. I can't believe 00:24:04.650 --> 00:24:08.609 it's already April. In March, you heard David 00:24:08.609 --> 00:24:12.750 and I say that they weren't going back and cutting 00:24:12.750 --> 00:24:18.269 veterans benefits just across the board. If you're 00:24:18.269 --> 00:24:20.710 being examined and you've gotten better, you 00:24:20.710 --> 00:24:23.930 might have a reduced rate. But then that's a 00:24:23.930 --> 00:24:27.029 different situation than what the rumor is that 00:24:27.029 --> 00:24:30.430 across the board, people were going to be taken 00:24:30.430 --> 00:24:33.369 away their benefits. Well, it's kind of the same 00:24:33.369 --> 00:24:36.289 thing with Social Security. We know how that 00:24:36.289 --> 00:24:38.430 goes. I don't think anybody's going to lose their 00:24:38.430 --> 00:24:44.240 benefits. They may investigate some things out 00:24:44.240 --> 00:24:49.980 there. It happens. A lot of stolen valor out 00:24:49.980 --> 00:24:55.259 in the world. People are trying to utilize the 00:24:55.259 --> 00:24:58.779 system to their advantage. As you mentioned, 00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:06.039 I don't see anybody losing. I think there may 00:25:06.039 --> 00:25:11.119 be a little bit more time. Patients may have 00:25:11.119 --> 00:25:14.039 to really become a real virtue out there because 00:25:14.039 --> 00:25:17.480 the, I don't think, I don't know where the cuts 00:25:17.480 --> 00:25:19.619 are coming. I don't think anybody really does 00:25:19.619 --> 00:25:21.880 know. I can't imagine that it's gonna come from 00:25:21.880 --> 00:25:26.099 the support staff because especially on the health 00:25:26.099 --> 00:25:29.859 side, I know I had something last week and they 00:25:29.859 --> 00:25:32.900 just, it seemed like they were going out of their 00:25:32.900 --> 00:25:34.839 way to make sure that the appointments were there. 00:25:35.079 --> 00:25:38.789 The people called me, everything was, Faster 00:25:38.789 --> 00:25:41.529 than anything I could and I could get anywhere 00:25:41.529 --> 00:25:45.750 that I've experienced in my medical history So 00:25:45.750 --> 00:25:47.589 I don't think that's gonna happen, you know, 00:25:47.630 --> 00:25:49.849 and I want to encourage again I want to encourage 00:25:49.849 --> 00:25:52.769 our listeners to check it out You know, you may 00:25:52.769 --> 00:25:56.630 be entitled to not only your disability benefit, 00:25:56.769 --> 00:25:59.150 you know And it doesn't have to be that you lost 00:25:59.150 --> 00:26:02.750 a body part or anything like that. It could be 00:26:02.750 --> 00:26:04.890 You know, it could be high blood pressure. It 00:26:04.890 --> 00:26:10.640 could be Maybe you're diabetic or you have migraine 00:26:10.640 --> 00:26:13.339 headaches or you bounced off a wall sometime 00:26:13.339 --> 00:26:16.039 wherever you were deployed to and you've got 00:26:16.039 --> 00:26:17.819 a traumatic brain injury that you don't even 00:26:17.819 --> 00:26:20.259 know that you have. These are the people that 00:26:20.259 --> 00:26:23.700 are experts in these treatments and stuff. So 00:26:23.700 --> 00:26:27.279 I would, again, talk to you. If you're not gonna 00:26:27.279 --> 00:26:29.920 do it and you've got some friends that you know 00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:33.009 that say, well, I'm not gonna go there. Like 00:26:33.009 --> 00:26:35.970 I can remember a guy talked to a number of years 00:26:35.970 --> 00:26:41.809 ago He couldn't hear anything and It was kind 00:26:41.809 --> 00:26:44.430 of sad and I and I said, I know you were a vet. 00:26:44.470 --> 00:26:46.670 I know you were a veteran Why don't you go there? 00:26:46.769 --> 00:26:48.750 They'll give you at the time they were giving 00:26:48.750 --> 00:26:52.390 us these really fancy hearing aids and Says no. 00:26:52.509 --> 00:26:54.730 No. No, I don't want to do that. Meanwhile his 00:26:54.730 --> 00:26:59.109 wife going go It would be nice if you could hear 00:26:59.109 --> 00:27:03.470 what I had to say and I think that's exactly 00:27:03.470 --> 00:27:07.170 true, Dale. If you don't want to do it, and I 00:27:07.170 --> 00:27:10.369 hear over and over, well, I don't deserve it, 00:27:10.609 --> 00:27:13.029 save it for another veteran. You served your 00:27:13.029 --> 00:27:16.670 country, and sometimes you don't even know what 00:27:16.670 --> 00:27:21.670 you have. Earlier this morning, I got word that 00:27:21.670 --> 00:27:25.369 somebody from Florida, who, when I teach the 00:27:25.369 --> 00:27:29.930 classes when I'm down there, called to say he 00:27:29.930 --> 00:27:33.680 thought He had a stroke and he had been taken 00:27:33.680 --> 00:27:36.539 care of before and you know, he was working through 00:27:36.539 --> 00:27:39.019 issues with his back and he thought it was his 00:27:39.019 --> 00:27:42.920 disc and he was just not feeling well. Well, 00:27:43.359 --> 00:27:48.240 he started to lose weight in December and he 00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:50.299 said, you know, this is great. I'm losing some 00:27:50.299 --> 00:27:53.000 weight. I'm feeling better. And then he kept 00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:56.519 losing weight. And finally, the middle or the 00:27:56.519 --> 00:27:59.779 beginning of February, he went in, told his doctor, 00:27:59.859 --> 00:28:05.599 and they did a CT scan, and it's metastasis everywhere. 00:28:05.900 --> 00:28:11.099 Now, he served in Vietnam. And in my conversation 00:28:11.099 --> 00:28:15.859 with him, it was, oh my God, Carol Anne, I never 00:28:15.859 --> 00:28:19.200 suspected this. He does not have a disability 00:28:19.200 --> 00:28:22.579 rating. And we're going to try to see what we 00:28:22.579 --> 00:28:26.579 can do to get this immediately processed because 00:28:26.579 --> 00:28:31.819 he might only have a couple weeks to live. And 00:28:31.819 --> 00:28:36.940 sometimes it just pops up, Dale. And I get so 00:28:36.940 --> 00:28:40.880 discouraged sometimes when I hear from a veteran, 00:28:40.960 --> 00:28:44.759 a widow, oh, the claim just passed a year. And 00:28:44.759 --> 00:28:48.670 as we talk about that, you need the wife. or 00:28:48.670 --> 00:28:51.869 the spouse needs to do a substitution and we 00:28:51.869 --> 00:28:54.970 keep those claims alive. Or, you know, somebody 00:28:54.970 --> 00:28:57.650 that dies and like the young lady you spoke to, 00:28:58.210 --> 00:29:01.109 if their loved one never had a disability rating, 00:29:01.309 --> 00:29:04.430 I never heard that before. How do we do that? 00:29:04.650 --> 00:29:07.150 Well, once the veteran dies, you can't start 00:29:07.150 --> 00:29:10.490 a new claim. And that's really discouraging. 00:29:10.670 --> 00:29:13.829 I mean, we try to think that the information 00:29:13.829 --> 00:29:16.750 is out there, but you know what? It really isn't. 00:29:17.579 --> 00:29:22.200 I just don't know how to do it anymore or any 00:29:22.200 --> 00:29:25.039 better, but I guess if we do it one at a time, 00:29:25.359 --> 00:29:28.779 we're helping a veteran. Well, that's all that 00:29:28.779 --> 00:29:33.019 we can do one at a time. And, you know, you can't 00:29:33.019 --> 00:29:35.700 drag them in the front door of the hospital or, 00:29:35.700 --> 00:29:38.839 you know, drag them into their into their local 00:29:38.839 --> 00:29:42.019 VSO's office and get them to do something. But 00:29:42.019 --> 00:29:45.309 I think if we keep reminding them. You know And 00:29:45.309 --> 00:29:47.650 I know we we talked about this last month and 00:29:47.650 --> 00:29:49.430 it's something we have talked about before is 00:29:49.430 --> 00:29:55.829 that you know, even though the veteran dies There's 00:29:55.829 --> 00:29:59.410 benefits for his family Is you know if he's already 00:29:59.410 --> 00:30:02.109 in the system and maybe he's already gotten his 00:30:02.109 --> 00:30:05.029 disability claim, you know approved and so forth 00:30:05.029 --> 00:30:07.869 If something happens to him and he he or she 00:30:07.869 --> 00:30:11.349 checks out There's stuff left there for the family. 00:30:11.549 --> 00:30:15.150 Yep And that's the substitution within a year 00:30:15.150 --> 00:30:19.819 of when that that. uh decision came across so 00:30:19.819 --> 00:30:22.779 hopefully there is an appeal if there's something 00:30:22.779 --> 00:30:25.680 you know that didn't come across say like he 00:30:25.680 --> 00:30:28.279 got worse with his hypertension and maybe he 00:30:28.279 --> 00:30:31.880 had a zero percent which means your service connected 00:30:31.880 --> 00:30:34.480 that's you got your foot in the door and that's 00:30:34.480 --> 00:30:37.779 the most important thing but you put in whoever 00:30:37.779 --> 00:30:40.579 you're working with puts in a claim to say wait 00:30:40.579 --> 00:30:42.960 a minute wait a minute his blood pressure is 00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:45.599 higher than this and he meets the criteria for 00:30:45.599 --> 00:30:51.440 say 10 percent 30 % whatever, if the widow and 00:30:51.440 --> 00:30:57.339 the family put in a claim within a year, or if 00:30:57.339 --> 00:31:00.180 they're doing it by themselves, get it in. And 00:31:00.180 --> 00:31:02.500 that's what I was talking about. The claim stays 00:31:02.500 --> 00:31:06.380 alive. But you have to touch it within a year 00:31:06.380 --> 00:31:10.099 or after a year, it's gone. Yeah. But then the 00:31:10.099 --> 00:31:12.700 other thing that I was referring to is the aid 00:31:12.700 --> 00:31:15.279 and dependence types of things where, you know, 00:31:15.359 --> 00:31:19.369 if, you know, if if your spouse had a disability 00:31:19.369 --> 00:31:22.670 coming in that when they're gone, you may be 00:31:22.670 --> 00:31:26.210 entitled to continue getting some of those disability 00:31:26.210 --> 00:31:29.630 payments. Or a percentage of them. It's a different 00:31:29.630 --> 00:31:34.319 name. I know it's a different name. How many 00:31:34.319 --> 00:31:37.799 years he's had the the rating depending on the 00:31:37.799 --> 00:31:39.940 circumstance but i think what you're really talking 00:31:39.940 --> 00:31:43.740 about is eight in attendance and if the spouse 00:31:43.740 --> 00:31:50.039 the widow now he or she needs activities of daily 00:31:50.039 --> 00:31:52.839 care which is you know somebody to help them 00:31:52.839 --> 00:31:58.059 base and eat and take their medications and shower. 00:31:59.049 --> 00:32:01.529 you know just to help them doing some laundry 00:32:01.529 --> 00:32:04.150 work and stuff like that the activities of daily 00:32:04.150 --> 00:32:07.849 living then you apply and you're if you're under 00:32:07.849 --> 00:32:11.150 the now this is an income benefit this is probably 00:32:11.150 --> 00:32:14.789 one of the only ones and your income your assets 00:32:14.789 --> 00:32:19.529 have to be lower than 159 000 you should apply 00:32:19.529 --> 00:32:23.369 for aid and attendance if you need it but just 00:32:23.369 --> 00:32:27.950 a just to kind of review so if if if i'm uh 50 00:32:27.950 --> 00:32:33.750 % disabled According to the VA. Yes, and and 00:32:33.750 --> 00:32:40.269 I die From from whatever the condition is Then 00:32:40.269 --> 00:32:43.210 my spouse would be entitled not only to aid and 00:32:43.210 --> 00:32:47.109 attendance or would she not be entitled to? Some 00:32:47.109 --> 00:32:50.970 continuation it's called BIC death indemnity 00:32:50.970 --> 00:32:55.230 compensation However, that widow he or she needs 00:32:55.230 --> 00:32:58.910 to apply for that And then there's another term 00:32:58.910 --> 00:33:03.309 called accrued benefits. So that goes along with 00:33:03.309 --> 00:33:07.690 the length of time of the disability. But DIC 00:33:07.690 --> 00:33:10.269 is pretty interesting because if the veteran 00:33:10.269 --> 00:33:13.269 died, service connection from that, whether it's 00:33:13.269 --> 00:33:17.269 cardiac, cancer of the stomach, cancer of the 00:33:17.269 --> 00:33:20.589 kidney, one of the approved, cancer of the prostate, 00:33:20.970 --> 00:33:26.660 one of those approved disabilities, then he or 00:33:26.660 --> 00:33:30.920 she would apply for the DIC and if granted would 00:33:30.920 --> 00:33:34.240 get you know depending on how many years or months 00:33:34.240 --> 00:33:36.779 it took to get they would get back pay for that 00:33:36.779 --> 00:33:42.220 and then monthly they would get um a paycheck 00:33:42.220 --> 00:33:46.759 a check that's why i have you on the program 00:33:46.759 --> 00:33:50.559 carolyn because you know a lot i think you're 00:33:50.559 --> 00:33:54.970 well you really are you know i mean You really 00:33:54.970 --> 00:33:57.710 are very qualified, obviously, to talk about 00:33:57.710 --> 00:34:00.890 these things as well. And for those of you that 00:34:00.890 --> 00:34:04.470 don't know, at the Legal Help for Veterans website, 00:34:04.970 --> 00:34:08.690 that Carol Anne has a number of ebooks that you 00:34:08.690 --> 00:34:12.070 can download that talk about pretty much every 00:34:12.070 --> 00:34:15.670 condition that's imaginable. She talks about 00:34:15.670 --> 00:34:17.610 the aid and attendance. She talks about the DIC, 00:34:17.730 --> 00:34:20.030 talks about all kinds of different things that 00:34:20.030 --> 00:34:24.320 we could spend a couple of days You know just 00:34:24.320 --> 00:34:27.599 doing a marathon of what of what is is possible 00:34:27.599 --> 00:34:31.659 Through the va it it really is a it's a maze 00:34:31.659 --> 00:34:36.559 You know for the average veteran and you know, 00:34:36.579 --> 00:34:39.619 we always encourage all of our veterans to you 00:34:39.619 --> 00:34:42.059 know Don't try to do it on your own. I mean some 00:34:42.059 --> 00:34:44.159 of us are really stubborn and we think well I 00:34:44.159 --> 00:34:46.780 can figure this out, you know, it's it's pretty 00:34:46.780 --> 00:34:49.860 easy, you know But uh, you know if you run into 00:34:49.860 --> 00:34:53.670 a roadblock And sometimes it's just a missing 00:34:53.670 --> 00:34:57.869 piece of paper that they want. I think you need 00:34:57.869 --> 00:35:01.750 a professional that knows how to, you know, how 00:35:01.750 --> 00:35:03.510 to get through the, you know, through the system. 00:35:03.969 --> 00:35:07.809 As, as Carol Anne pointed out, she's got a, well, 00:35:07.809 --> 00:35:11.030 it used to be a Rolodex. Now it's in our phone, 00:35:11.289 --> 00:35:13.789 but she's got the numbers of these people that, 00:35:13.789 --> 00:35:17.010 that you can help out. Or maybe she can, you 00:35:17.010 --> 00:35:20.929 know, call down to the local, whatever, you know, 00:35:21.050 --> 00:35:23.860 whatever the levels are out there and find out 00:35:23.860 --> 00:35:28.000 where your where your claim is Yep. Yep. They'll 00:35:28.000 --> 00:35:31.159 thank you for the the pitch of the ebooks and 00:35:31.159 --> 00:35:35.469 they're all free and there's over 30 the different 00:35:35.469 --> 00:35:39.030 topics, whether it's tax, tax exemption, when 00:35:39.030 --> 00:35:42.150 you're a hundred percent, you know, the aid and 00:35:42.150 --> 00:35:45.670 attendance. And matter of fact, soon to be out 00:35:45.670 --> 00:35:50.329 there as a podcast on Friday with one of our 00:35:50.329 --> 00:35:53.829 attorneys at the firm, we did a podcast specifically 00:35:53.829 --> 00:35:57.750 on aid and attendance because it's a call for, 00:35:57.949 --> 00:36:01.110 okay, you need a guardian, you're a state, the 00:36:01.110 --> 00:36:04.679 whole shooting match. In that aid and attendance 00:36:04.679 --> 00:36:08.539 book, there's a tree. I call it a tree, you know, 00:36:08.559 --> 00:36:11.079 the diagram where are you a veteran? Yes. Are 00:36:11.079 --> 00:36:13.440 you service connected? Yes. Then you go down 00:36:13.440 --> 00:36:17.019 that lane. Are you a veteran? Yes. Are you service 00:36:17.019 --> 00:36:19.880 connected? No. Then you go down another tree 00:36:19.880 --> 00:36:23.239 and we tell you the forms, everything, how to 00:36:23.239 --> 00:36:27.280 do and address that entity, whether it's tax 00:36:27.280 --> 00:36:32.510 exemption, hearing, sleep apnea. it's out there. 00:36:32.829 --> 00:36:36.090 So take a look and then we get, I get calls for 00:36:36.090 --> 00:36:39.309 follow up. I want to do this. How long will it 00:36:39.309 --> 00:36:42.489 take? And that's the answer. I can't tell you 00:36:42.489 --> 00:36:46.210 how long an appeal, but please don't try to do 00:36:46.210 --> 00:36:50.150 it by yourself. You know, there's many great 00:36:50.150 --> 00:36:52.869 resources out there. Go to a VA medical center, 00:36:53.010 --> 00:36:55.969 go to eligibility. There's county counselors 00:36:55.969 --> 00:37:00.170 in almost every state. There's VSOs across the 00:37:00.170 --> 00:37:03.170 board. So, and there's us and there's others. 00:37:03.989 --> 00:37:09.429 So try to get your DE214, get the necessary paperwork, 00:37:09.789 --> 00:37:14.030 and every e -book has exactly what you need to 00:37:14.030 --> 00:37:17.840 get to start the process. Have you have you heard 00:37:17.840 --> 00:37:23.519 anything? anything recently on any New claims 00:37:23.519 --> 00:37:25.639 that are coming in through you that you hadn't 00:37:25.639 --> 00:37:28.820 heard of before or anything unusual recently 00:37:28.820 --> 00:37:32.280 Well, no, but I think there's an increase because 00:37:32.280 --> 00:37:37.230 of the pack deck on a lot of the near and dear 00:37:37.230 --> 00:37:41.650 to your heart, the burn pits and the environmental 00:37:41.650 --> 00:37:46.409 issues that are coming up basically more and 00:37:46.409 --> 00:37:50.710 more. And a lot of veterans are calling in regarding 00:37:50.710 --> 00:37:55.110 the hypertension. I mean, that was a huge presumptive 00:37:55.110 --> 00:38:01.730 that's just been added. And that's huge. And 00:38:01.730 --> 00:38:08.199 we had Mike Cox on a real expert Marine, prior 00:38:08.199 --> 00:38:11.440 attorney general, who talked about, you know, 00:38:11.519 --> 00:38:18.420 what he is seeing out there with the Camp Lejeune. 00:38:18.880 --> 00:38:21.820 Yes, Camp Lejeune. And so if we get a veteran 00:38:21.820 --> 00:38:25.800 that we're helping, let's say a Marine or another 00:38:25.800 --> 00:38:29.059 branch that was located there, we will refer 00:38:29.059 --> 00:38:33.199 those to Mike. um right away as we get your disability 00:38:33.199 --> 00:38:37.400 benefits um and try to get those so um there's 00:38:37.400 --> 00:38:40.380 a dual connection sometime with different resources 00:38:40.380 --> 00:38:43.800 well you know and the thing the reminder audience 00:38:43.800 --> 00:38:47.739 what mike said is that the camp lejeune is is 00:38:47.739 --> 00:38:52.260 a separate benefit it's not run through the va 00:38:52.260 --> 00:38:54.179 or anything like that there's a fund that's been 00:38:54.179 --> 00:38:57.420 set up for people who were at camp lejeune if 00:38:57.420 --> 00:38:59.969 you were a marine or a civilian You know that 00:38:59.969 --> 00:39:01.730 lived there for a while or ever went through 00:39:01.730 --> 00:39:04.210 camp lejeune during a particular time period. 00:39:04.389 --> 00:39:08.389 I can't remember exactly when that is but um 00:39:08.389 --> 00:39:10.429 Yeah, the money's out there for you. You just 00:39:10.429 --> 00:39:14.289 may need help to get it and uh again, you know, 00:39:14.349 --> 00:39:17.090 it's it's You know, it's it's it's easier to 00:39:17.090 --> 00:39:19.349 use an expert than to try to figure out, you 00:39:19.349 --> 00:39:22.690 know become an expert on your own So, you know 00:39:22.690 --> 00:39:26.530 again You know, that's why we have these these 00:39:26.530 --> 00:39:29.989 people on veterans radio to answer your questions 00:39:29.989 --> 00:39:32.929 to hopefully anticipate some of your questions 00:39:32.929 --> 00:39:35.730 And uh, you know, I know we repeat ourselves 00:39:35.730 --> 00:39:38.550 quite often But you know, and sometimes you got 00:39:38.550 --> 00:39:41.349 to get that slap in the head to just say oh, 00:39:41.429 --> 00:39:44.170 I didn't think I forgot all about that Oh, I 00:39:44.170 --> 00:39:46.809 forgot that I wasn't I was over there and then 00:39:46.809 --> 00:39:50.050 this and then you know, oh, you know This arm 00:39:50.050 --> 00:39:52.530 is killing me and I don't know what it is and 00:39:52.530 --> 00:39:56.289 it turns out, you know that you've got some injury 00:39:56.289 --> 00:39:59.110 that, you know, if you fell off of a bunker or 00:39:59.110 --> 00:40:00.730 something like that and you didn't even remember 00:40:00.730 --> 00:40:04.670 that you did. Well, Camp Lejeune, Dale, as you 00:40:04.670 --> 00:40:07.989 know, is pretty unique because not only is it 00:40:07.989 --> 00:40:12.010 the veteran, but there are monies and there are 00:40:12.010 --> 00:40:16.789 claims for the family and children of the Camp 00:40:16.789 --> 00:40:19.949 Lejeune veteran. And so that one, when that came 00:40:19.949 --> 00:40:23.920 out, that was unbelievable. the monies they put 00:40:23.920 --> 00:40:27.860 aside to take care of literally the whole family 00:40:27.860 --> 00:40:31.940 if they were consumed during that time of Camp 00:40:31.940 --> 00:40:35.460 Lejeune. Well, there's there's an I mean, there's 00:40:35.460 --> 00:40:39.739 an awful lot out there that we want to try and 00:40:39.739 --> 00:40:42.559 continue to keep our audiences and our veteran 00:40:42.559 --> 00:40:45.199 community aware of. And, you know, there are 00:40:45.199 --> 00:40:48.380 lots of different resources for you folks. Just 00:40:48.380 --> 00:40:52.019 want to keep reminding you that to reach out. 00:40:52.280 --> 00:40:56.079 Whether it's to your local veteran service organization 00:40:56.079 --> 00:40:59.119 or if it's off, you know to a legal help for 00:40:59.119 --> 00:41:01.920 veterans type of organization There you know, 00:41:01.920 --> 00:41:03.559 that's what they're here for. They're here to 00:41:03.559 --> 00:41:06.900 help you they're dedicated to helping you and 00:41:06.900 --> 00:41:09.420 You know, you might as well as I say utilize 00:41:09.420 --> 00:41:16.340 the experts Excuse me And I think that it's incumbent 00:41:16.340 --> 00:41:19.579 upon us to keep reminding our audience of what's 00:41:19.579 --> 00:41:21.659 going on out there and what's new what's You 00:41:21.659 --> 00:41:23.619 know, what's the same what's, you know, what 00:41:23.619 --> 00:41:27.139 claims are we are you seeing that are, you know, 00:41:27.340 --> 00:41:30.840 a little unusual, or maybe it's actually something 00:41:30.840 --> 00:41:34.420 that you really do have that you didn't even 00:41:34.420 --> 00:41:37.159 you didn't even think about. Well, you know, 00:41:37.199 --> 00:41:40.579 the beautiful thing is With us and like when 00:41:40.579 --> 00:41:42.800 I was talking to Dave earlier in this week about 00:41:42.800 --> 00:41:46.179 a couple issues, if something is granted, let's 00:41:46.179 --> 00:41:49.780 say hypertension or sleep apnea, you know, we 00:41:49.780 --> 00:41:53.000 we know what our argument was. Maybe there might 00:41:53.000 --> 00:41:57.800 be a law that was set up like. or one of the 00:41:57.800 --> 00:42:00.460 attorneys, one of the secretaries that there 00:42:00.460 --> 00:42:05.360 was a ruling on. And so if you have similar symptoms 00:42:05.360 --> 00:42:09.760 and issues, we sometimes, not sometimes, we will 00:42:09.760 --> 00:42:14.179 pull up that decision for the same area and see 00:42:14.179 --> 00:42:19.739 if we could apply. rules or a ruling that might 00:42:19.739 --> 00:42:22.400 help the next veteran. But I don't think if you 00:42:22.400 --> 00:42:25.460 do it on your own, you're going to find all those 00:42:25.460 --> 00:42:28.760 case laws that now have been established. No, 00:42:28.820 --> 00:42:30.739 that's true. And that's what we're trying to 00:42:30.739 --> 00:42:35.340 do. Again, just reminding people, contact your 00:42:35.340 --> 00:42:39.019 folks. If you have issues, call legal help. If 00:42:39.019 --> 00:42:41.940 you have issues, call your county. So there are 00:42:41.940 --> 00:42:47.820 every single state. out there has a veteran service 00:42:47.820 --> 00:42:51.599 department, our office, pretty much every county 00:42:51.599 --> 00:42:55.059 has a veteran service office. There are numerous 00:42:55.059 --> 00:42:58.780 law firms out there that are designed to help 00:42:58.780 --> 00:43:03.679 you with your claim. And of course, there are 00:43:03.679 --> 00:43:06.559 all the VA medical centers that are out there 00:43:06.559 --> 00:43:09.980 to help with your health conditions and everything 00:43:09.980 --> 00:43:11.760 along those lines. There's a lot of things that 00:43:11.760 --> 00:43:14.820 are available to you. and I really would encourage 00:43:14.820 --> 00:43:19.400 you to take advantage of them because it's You 00:43:19.400 --> 00:43:21.539 know, it's you know, everybody's worried about 00:43:21.539 --> 00:43:24.159 health care costs and you know, we don't know 00:43:24.159 --> 00:43:28.679 what's gonna happen again right now, it's a Little 00:43:28.679 --> 00:43:30.519 shaky. We don't know what's gonna happen with 00:43:30.519 --> 00:43:33.539 our health care system But we do know that if 00:43:33.539 --> 00:43:35.940 if you know, we're eligible to utilize the VA 00:43:35.940 --> 00:43:39.500 health care It's pretty much the best care out 00:43:39.500 --> 00:43:43.489 there Many many of the VA centers are affiliated 00:43:43.489 --> 00:43:47.769 with major major universities major hospitals 00:43:47.769 --> 00:43:51.150 out there and You're gonna I think you'll find 00:43:51.150 --> 00:43:53.989 if you receive really great care. So that's not 00:43:53.989 --> 00:43:55.949 a paid political announcement We're not you know, 00:43:56.110 --> 00:43:59.190 nobody paid us to say that but I think it's important 00:43:59.519 --> 00:44:02.039 And I think it's really important to, even if 00:44:02.039 --> 00:44:05.320 you get a 10 % for hearing, you go to the VA 00:44:05.320 --> 00:44:09.239 for that disability. You get a 30%, say heart 00:44:09.239 --> 00:44:13.380 and heart medications, eight to $1 ,000 a month. 00:44:13.519 --> 00:44:17.679 If you get that disability awarded, then you 00:44:17.679 --> 00:44:21.119 go and you get your medications from the VA. 00:44:21.639 --> 00:44:25.800 50 % or greater, you get all of your healthcare 00:44:25.800 --> 00:44:30.300 taken care of. by the VA. So and even if you're, 00:44:30.559 --> 00:44:32.940 I can't say this word, Dale, so come in with 00:44:32.940 --> 00:44:37.199 me. Rural, rural, rural, rural out in the country. 00:44:37.699 --> 00:44:40.900 Yes. You could get if there's a specialty that 00:44:40.900 --> 00:44:43.380 you need, you could go through community care, 00:44:43.400 --> 00:44:46.280 you have to apply for it. If they approve it, 00:44:46.579 --> 00:44:50.300 that will help you also. So just knowing those 00:44:50.300 --> 00:44:55.019 numbers 70 to 100%. If you need a nursing home, 00:44:55.219 --> 00:44:59.239 long term care, That with applying will be picked 00:44:59.239 --> 00:45:03.559 up by the VA if approved in accredited accredited 00:45:03.559 --> 00:45:08.360 facility. So I think these numbers are in percentages 00:45:08.360 --> 00:45:12.920 are really important at 30%. You add a dependent 00:45:12.920 --> 00:45:17.280 and if you have children less than 18, if you're 00:45:17.280 --> 00:45:19.900 a really young man, you could add those children 00:45:19.900 --> 00:45:24.099 and your spouse to your claim and you will get. 00:45:24.219 --> 00:45:29.579 I say extra money, but it's the way it is. You 00:45:29.579 --> 00:45:32.440 will get money because of your service for your 00:45:32.440 --> 00:45:34.639 family. Well, that's what they're trying to do. 00:45:34.800 --> 00:45:37.480 They're trying to, I'm not going to say it's 00:45:37.480 --> 00:45:39.320 a reward, but they promise that they would take 00:45:39.320 --> 00:45:41.780 care of you. And this is a continuing promise 00:45:41.780 --> 00:45:43.280 that they're, you know, hopefully that they're 00:45:43.280 --> 00:45:46.280 making. So Carol Anne, thank you so very much 00:45:46.280 --> 00:45:50.230 for bringing your expertise as usual. to our 00:45:50.230 --> 00:45:52.989 program. Remember, reminding our audience that 00:45:52.989 --> 00:45:56.630 we have a benefits program on the first Sunday 00:45:56.630 --> 00:46:01.590 of every month. And so we'll be back in May. 00:46:02.630 --> 00:46:06.190 May already. May 4th. Is that what it is? May 00:46:06.190 --> 00:46:08.889 4th. It's already on our calendar. Yeah. So please 00:46:08.889 --> 00:46:11.090 make sure that you come back for that. We're 00:46:11.090 --> 00:46:14.030 going to take a quick break and then when we 00:46:14.030 --> 00:46:16.829 come back I'm going to introduce a little segment 00:46:16.829 --> 00:46:20.309 that my partner Jim Falzone did. So you are listening 00:46:20.309 --> 00:46:24.409 to Veterans Radio. We will be right back. The 00:46:24.409 --> 00:46:26.250 Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor 00:46:26.250 --> 00:46:28.210 in combat given a member of the Armed Forces 00:46:28.210 --> 00:46:31.190 of the United States. There had been over 3 ,400 00:46:31.190 --> 00:46:34.269 recipients of the nation's highest award. This 00:46:34.269 --> 00:46:38.010 is one of them. Private Dale Hanson killed 12 00:46:38.010 --> 00:46:40.489 Japanese soldiers in a one -man attack on their 00:46:40.489 --> 00:46:46.170 positions. Details after this. If you have a 00:46:46.170 --> 00:46:48.550 VA claim denied by the Board of Veterans Appeals, 00:46:48.650 --> 00:46:51.610 contact Legal Help for Veterans at 1 -800 -693 00:46:51.610 --> 00:46:55.329 -4800. They're experts in handling cases before 00:46:55.329 --> 00:46:57.650 the U .S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. 00:46:57.750 --> 00:47:01.989 Their number again 1 -800 -693 -4800. Hanson 00:47:01.989 --> 00:47:05.030 unhesitatingly took the initiative during a critical 00:47:05.030 --> 00:47:07.909 stage of the action and armed with a rocket launcher 00:47:08.300 --> 00:47:10.639 crawled to an exposed position where he attacked 00:47:10.639 --> 00:47:13.340 and destroyed a strategically located hostile 00:47:13.340 --> 00:47:16.980 pillbox. With his weapon subsequently destroyed 00:47:16.980 --> 00:47:20.280 by enemy fire he seized a rifle and continued 00:47:20.280 --> 00:47:23.639 his one -man assault. Reaching the crest of a 00:47:23.639 --> 00:47:26.500 ridge he opened fire on six Japanese and killed 00:47:26.500 --> 00:47:29.940 four before his rifle jammed. Attacked by the 00:47:29.940 --> 00:47:32.679 two remaining Japanese he beat them off with 00:47:32.679 --> 00:47:34.920 the butt of his rifle and then climbed back to 00:47:34.920 --> 00:47:38.429 cover. Returning with another weapon and supply 00:47:38.429 --> 00:47:41.230 of grenades, he fearlessly advanced and destroyed 00:47:41.230 --> 00:47:44.429 a strong mortar position and annihilated eight 00:47:44.429 --> 00:47:46.670 more of the enemy. The Medal of Honor series 00:47:46.670 --> 00:47:50.170 is a production of Veterans Radio. Military veterans 00:47:50.170 --> 00:47:52.610 touch everyone's life. I'm guessing right now 00:47:52.610 --> 00:47:55.110 you're thinking of a veteran, a close friend, 00:47:55.670 --> 00:47:58.769 relative, maybe it's you. Even the toughest of 00:47:58.769 --> 00:48:01.349 us sometimes need help but don't know where to 00:48:01.349 --> 00:48:03.710 turn for support. You don't need special training 00:48:03.710 --> 00:48:06.000 to help a veteran in your life. We can all help 00:48:06.000 --> 00:48:08.219 someone going through a difficult time. Learn 00:48:08.219 --> 00:48:11.059 how you can be there for veterans. Visit Veterans 00:48:11.059 --> 00:48:14.380 Crisis Line dot net Veterans Crisis Line dot 00:48:14.380 --> 00:48:17.099 net. A message from the U .S. Department of Veterans 00:48:17.099 --> 00:48:25.219 Affairs. We're back here on Veterans Radio. You 00:48:25.219 --> 00:48:26.980 know, if you know of a veteran in crisis, you 00:48:26.980 --> 00:48:31.619 can also refer him to the number 988. So. Remember 00:48:31.619 --> 00:48:34.039 that also if you have a veteran in crisis to 00:48:34.039 --> 00:48:36.239 get a hold of your local VA there There are people 00:48:36.239 --> 00:48:38.599 that will come out and help them get them off 00:48:38.599 --> 00:48:42.639 the street or wherever they are Here locally 00:48:42.639 --> 00:48:46.519 in the Ann Arbor area the emergency help for 00:48:46.519 --> 00:48:49.800 veterans or vet or it's called excuse me the 00:48:49.800 --> 00:48:52.860 Emergency help for homeless veterans if the number 00:48:52.860 --> 00:48:56.539 is eight seven seven four two four Three eight 00:48:56.539 --> 00:48:59.420 three eight if you see a veteran that is homeless 00:48:59.420 --> 00:49:03.369 out there and is legit, then call the VA and 00:49:03.369 --> 00:49:07.510 they will come out and get them. So remember 00:49:07.510 --> 00:49:11.130 that. So we're gonna play a quick interview that 00:49:11.130 --> 00:49:15.030 my partner, Jim Fasone, did with Steve and Adam 00:49:15.030 --> 00:49:17.829 Feldman. And Steve and Adam Feldman are Puro 00:49:17.829 --> 00:49:21.530 Clean franchisees out in Iowa. And so this take 00:49:21.530 --> 00:49:24.489 about five, six minutes, I think it is. And when 00:49:24.489 --> 00:49:26.630 we come back, we'll end the program for today. 00:49:26.989 --> 00:49:30.480 So here's Jim with his guests. Veterans Radio 00:49:30.480 --> 00:49:33.960 is spotlighting PuroClean franchisees. I'm Jim 00:49:33.960 --> 00:49:37.699 Fossone, one of the Veteran Radio hosts. PuroClean 00:49:37.699 --> 00:49:40.599 is a leader in property emergency services helping 00:49:40.599 --> 00:49:43.579 families and businesses overcome the devastating 00:49:43.579 --> 00:49:46.980 setbacks caused by water, fire, mold, and other 00:49:46.980 --> 00:49:49.840 conditions resulting in property damage. These 00:49:49.840 --> 00:49:53.039 are independently owned franchisees who do whatever 00:49:53.039 --> 00:49:55.840 it takes to respond, restore, and rescue properties 00:49:55.840 --> 00:49:59.360 all in their own communities. PuroClean, known 00:49:59.360 --> 00:50:02.559 as the paramedics of property damage, provides 00:50:02.559 --> 00:50:05.639 water damage remediation, flood water removal, 00:50:05.940 --> 00:50:08.800 fire and smoke damage remediation, mode removal, 00:50:09.000 --> 00:50:12.900 and biohazard cleanup to commercial and residential 00:50:12.900 --> 00:50:17.389 customers. Today we're going to talk to a father 00:50:17.389 --> 00:50:21.590 and son team that own a couple of PuroClean franchisees. 00:50:22.449 --> 00:50:25.809 Let's start. Steve Feldman, welcome to Veterans 00:50:25.809 --> 00:50:29.889 Radio. Thank you, Jim. I'm glad to be here. And 00:50:29.889 --> 00:50:33.010 Adam Feldman, welcome to Veterans Radio. We're 00:50:33.010 --> 00:50:35.090 catching you while you're driving away from a 00:50:35.090 --> 00:50:38.309 job. Yep. Thanks, Jim. I appreciate you having 00:50:38.309 --> 00:50:41.889 us. Well, it's a great opportunity to talk to 00:50:41.889 --> 00:50:44.690 a couple of veterans who are now in this business 00:50:44.690 --> 00:50:49.170 as a father and son team. Steve retired as a 00:50:49.170 --> 00:50:51.349 brigadier general from the US Army Reserves. 00:50:51.389 --> 00:50:53.530 He's got an interesting history we'll get to. 00:50:54.090 --> 00:50:57.590 Adam spent, I believe, nine years in the US Army 00:50:57.590 --> 00:51:02.909 National Guard. You guys have a franchise in 00:51:02.909 --> 00:51:06.940 Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Who first came up with this 00:51:06.940 --> 00:51:10.400 crazy idea of hey, let's have a family business 00:51:10.400 --> 00:51:15.559 in This area of property damage remediation Yeah, 00:51:15.559 --> 00:51:20.360 that would be me Jim Yeah, the son comes up with 00:51:20.360 --> 00:51:22.400 the crazy idea. How'd you talk your dad into 00:51:22.400 --> 00:51:26.559 it? So we my dad and I we started a properties 00:51:26.559 --> 00:51:30.900 company about five years ago We bought warehouses 00:51:30.900 --> 00:51:34.159 and lease them out and then I own a moving company 00:51:35.730 --> 00:51:40.050 In 2020, we had an inland hurricane in Iowa. 00:51:40.750 --> 00:51:45.550 It's called a derecho. Basically, it was like 00:51:45.550 --> 00:51:48.710 80 plus mile per hour winds for over an hour 00:51:48.710 --> 00:51:52.550 and took out about 70 percent of our trees in 00:51:52.550 --> 00:51:56.710 Cedar Rapids. Anyways, during that time, my moving 00:51:56.710 --> 00:51:58.829 company, we started getting a bunch of calls 00:51:58.829 --> 00:52:02.650 from restoration companies needing general labor. 00:52:03.070 --> 00:52:07.309 And that's kind of how the ball got rolling from 00:52:07.309 --> 00:52:12.610 there. So a lot of times businesses respond to 00:52:12.610 --> 00:52:15.190 the need, right? Here was a need. You needed 00:52:15.190 --> 00:52:19.969 a business to respond. Steve or Adam, who did 00:52:19.969 --> 00:52:23.010 the due diligence and how did you settle on PuroClean? 00:52:24.449 --> 00:52:28.230 Well, my moving company, we went down to Hurricane 00:52:28.230 --> 00:52:33.659 Ian in 2022. One of my managers at the time had 00:52:33.659 --> 00:52:37.199 a friend that started a Puro Clean in Chicago, 00:52:37.480 --> 00:52:41.880 a suburb of Chicago. That's how we got interested 00:52:41.880 --> 00:52:45.059 in it and saw their trucks all over Florida and 00:52:45.059 --> 00:52:46.920 really liked the name, really liked the logo. 00:52:48.039 --> 00:52:51.519 The paramedics, the property damage was awesome 00:52:51.519 --> 00:52:58.360 as their slogan. called their corporate and kind 00:52:58.360 --> 00:53:00.400 of just got the ball rolling from there. And 00:53:00.400 --> 00:53:02.639 one of the things I would point out to our veteran 00:53:02.639 --> 00:53:05.800 radio listeners is that PuroClean, which you 00:53:05.800 --> 00:53:09.719 can find at puroclean .com, has a veteran's discount 00:53:09.719 --> 00:53:12.780 for the franchise fee, the initial fee, and something 00:53:12.780 --> 00:53:16.380 like one in seven owners are veterans. So did 00:53:16.380 --> 00:53:19.440 you guys find it a veteran friendly company to 00:53:19.440 --> 00:53:27.619 work with? Yes. Oh yeah, absolutely. And as you 00:53:27.619 --> 00:53:33.139 went through this, you both had military careers, 00:53:34.099 --> 00:53:36.340 you said you have a moving company, we had some 00:53:36.340 --> 00:53:40.019 property issues, but you didn't have any expertise 00:53:40.019 --> 00:53:47.000 in remediation. How did Puro Clean Corporate 00:53:47.000 --> 00:53:54.349 educate you in that regards? We got the ball 00:53:54.349 --> 00:53:58.130 rolling with Puro Clean Corporate. We had, I 00:53:58.130 --> 00:54:00.269 think it was what dad, a week and a half, two 00:54:00.269 --> 00:54:04.449 weeks? Two weeks. Of initial like basically in 00:54:04.449 --> 00:54:07.530 processing, going through all the administrative 00:54:07.530 --> 00:54:11.429 side of things. And then we actually had a water 00:54:11.429 --> 00:54:15.789 training class for a week at Puro Clean Corporate 00:54:15.789 --> 00:54:18.769 headquarters. So they took us through, hey, this 00:54:18.769 --> 00:54:20.690 house flooded. These are the steps you have to 00:54:20.690 --> 00:54:25.760 take to get it dried out. all the moisture readings, 00:54:26.119 --> 00:54:29.079 everything that it takes to get a trucker dried 00:54:29.079 --> 00:54:33.980 out. So they really set you up for success if 00:54:33.980 --> 00:54:37.659 you are trying to, if you don't know a lot about 00:54:37.659 --> 00:54:40.739 the industry. Right, I mean you gotta get educated 00:54:40.739 --> 00:54:43.760 somehow and then gain the experience. Now this 00:54:43.760 --> 00:54:47.019 is a silly question because I just learned what 00:54:47.019 --> 00:54:51.329 you closed on today. I see that you're gonna 00:54:51.329 --> 00:54:53.510 have to go to our website to hear the conclusion 00:54:53.510 --> 00:54:56.269 of that interview with Jim Falzone running up 00:54:56.269 --> 00:55:00.829 against the end of the clock today. So our, excuse 00:55:00.829 --> 00:55:04.710 me, our God bless America today is by a group 00:55:04.710 --> 00:55:07.409 called the Singing Contractors. And these guys 00:55:07.409 --> 00:55:10.130 are really cool. It's Josh Arnett and Aaron Gray. 00:55:10.550 --> 00:55:13.130 And I think you're really going to enjoy. This 00:55:13.130 --> 00:55:15.090 version of god bless america, as you know, I 00:55:15.090 --> 00:55:17.469 think it's such a beautiful song and it's something 00:55:17.469 --> 00:55:19.369 that we all need to think about every single 00:55:19.369 --> 00:55:22.929 day Keep it going. So until next week dale thrumery 00:55:22.929 --> 00:55:26.349 for all of us at veterans radio. You are dismissed 00:55:43.099 --> 00:55:49.780 Through the night with the light from above. 00:55:50.260 --> 00:55:57.280 From the mountains, through the prairies, to 00:55:57.280 --> 00:56:08.619 the oceans, white with foam. God bless America.