Page 34 - MRN MayJune2017
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Military Reunion Network | MAY/JUNE 2017 | #militaryreunionsmatter

Continued from page 16

The Military Reunion Network also contributes to       Camp4Heroes
GallantFew, Inc. Founded in 2010, they focus on
veteran transition from military service to civilian   Camp4heroes.org
life. The goal is to help every veteran achieve a
peaceful transition from military service to civilian  Coalition To Salute Americas Heroes
lives of purpose and hope. What is special about
GallantFew is their ability to connect transitioning   saluteheroes.org
veterans with other veterans in the same local area.
No one can help a battle buddy better than another     GallantFew
battle buddy. As it states on their website:
                                                       Gallantfew.org
The core focus of GallantFew is one-on-one
mentoring by a veteran with a veteran. We share        American Legion
lessons learned on active duty, but traditional
transition doesn’t share transition lessons learned.   legion.org
We want to change that, and we want to prevent
veterans from becoming isolated and frustrated. You    Veterans of Foreign Wars
may feel that your thoughts, feelings and emotions
are unique to you, but they aren’t. We call the        Vfw.org
mentor “Guide”, and the veteran being mentored is
a “Future Guide”.                                      mortar rounds. When I was medically retired, I was
                                                       lost and really can’t think of a darker place I’ve ever
Ideally both veterans: live in the same hometown,      been emotionally. Once I talked with Karl, my life
were in the same branch of the service, had the        had a new-found purpose and a new direction. My
same Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), had        point, this is a great Organization and I’m proud to
the same units of assignment, were deployed in the     be a part of it!”
same combat theaters, have similar injuries. Bottom
line – we want our guides and veterans to have as      Before donating we do our homework. Websites
many things in common as possible because this         like charitynavigator.org or greatnonprofits.org are
generates a much quicker and stronger bond.            potential resources to better understand where your
                                                       financial contribution is going and how much of it
“Previously I used my network of friends and           reaches those in need. When using these sites, it
previous employers. I spent many months going          is critical to understand nonprofit ratings will vary
through social channels and networking but had         among the watchdog websites. The Coalition to
little success because, though my network was          Salute Americas Heroes for example, uses various
strong, the weight behind their reference was          media to connect with potential donors including
marginal towards the available jobs. The difference    direct mail, yet are downgraded on charitynavigator.
from that and GallantFew is that in one reference,     org because of it. Look at the financial information
GallantFew carried the weight and the influence        in rating the specific charity. Are the most recent
to land me an interview with a company that had        tax records used or are ratings determined based
previously, even with my social and natural network,   on information from years past? Organizations
been out of reach. While many interviews during        are also listed based on the number of years they
my entire process were textbook and routine, the       have been in existence leaving Camp4Heroes off
interview that was a result of GallantFew’s efforts    the list entirely. Our recommendation is use a few
was almost a formality as the company had already      watchdog websites to get the complete picture.
intended to hire me after the proper checklist was
completed based on a credible reference from           The next time you list your reunion on The Military
Karl Monger and GallantFew. That is credit to          Reunion Website there is an option to donate. We
GallantFew 100% and I am grateful of their work,       encourage you to do so as it allows us to continue
without question. “                                    to support the veteran community and keep a
                                                       promise to a dear friend. 
“GallantFew works for veterans making that stressful
transition. I can a test to this first hand. I was
severely wounded in Iraq in 2006 by two HE 82mm

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