DoD’s DIB CS/IA Voluntary Program Now Open to More DIB Companies

On a DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable today, Eric Rosenbach, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy, and Richard Hale, Deputy Chief Information Officer for Cybersecurity, spoke about the four-year-old program launched to better protect DOD data in Defense Industrial Base (DIB) companies.

Until now this voluntary program has been capped at 36 companies, and there are currently 36 companies participating. 

The program has now opened for other DIB companies, who can learn about the requirements at http://dibnet.dod.mil/

As the website says:

DoD’s DIB CS/IA program is a voluntary program to enhance and supplement DIB participants’ capabilities to safeguard DoD information that resides on, or transits, DIB unclassified information systems.

This program, and an expanded portion of the program started a year again that involve ISP providers, is an important component of keeping DoD information and companies' intellectual property secure from cyber attacks.

Check out the requirements now to see if your company qualifies -- http://dibnet.dod.mil/
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the online marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to utilize the Internet to attract more business. Visit her author Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/phylliszimblermillerauthor

Review of HBO Documentary "Wartorn 1861-2010"

CAUTION: There are very graphic scenes in this compelling HBO documentary.  These scenes may be too strong for people suffering from PTSD.
 
Although the HBO documentary "Wartorn 1861-2010" was first aired on HBO in November of 2010, I screened it now in connection with my proposed SOLOMON'S JUSTICE TV drama project.

The documentary traces PTSD back to the Civil War with compelling testimony in the letters home from a soldier. There is also footage from World War I and World II as well as Vietnam.

Perhaps the most graphic parts of the documentary are footage from Iraq and the stories of the veterans and families today living with the legacy of PTSD.

Actor and documentary exec producer James Gandolfini visited Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. as well as army headquarters in Iraq to question what the military is doing to help military personnel dealing with PTSD.

While there are not a lot of answers in this documentary, for people who question that PTSD wounds are real, after watching this documentary there should be no uncertainty.

And for me, having just written a blog post about my visit to the Los Angeles County Veterans Court, it was particularly upsetting to see a young veteran sentenced to six years in prison for a felony committed under the influence of PTSD symptoms.

I believe that, if the young man had been sentenced by a veterans courts, he would not have received a six-year prison term.  Instead it would be hoped that he might have been sent to a residential treatment center for his PTSD-induced violence.

Hats off to James Gandolfini and HBO for tackling this very important subject.  
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the ebook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is also the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC

A Visit to Los Angeles County Veterans Court

I had been reading about experimental veterans courts throughout the United States – courts set up to deal with crimes committed by veterans suffering from service-related mental health problems.

After four years of writing online about PTSD, I was particularly interested in this recognition that untreated PTSD can lead to all kinds of anti-society behavior.

I did some research, and discovered that for 20 months Los Angeles County has had a veterans court modeled after other veterans courts.

Checking with the court clerk, I learned sessions were held Monday and Tuesday mornings in Department (courtroom) 42 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.

I found the session I attended somewhat disorienting.  Although the courtroom opened at 8:30, the actual session did not begin until a few minutes after 10. 

And what I did not know until afterwards, when I did more research, was that Superior Court Judge Michael Tynan was handling cases from two different special courts simultaneously – the veterans court as well as another mental health-related court.

And what I suspected, but did not know until later, is that Judge Tynan had himself been in the military.  A Superior Court public affairs representative told me that Judge Tynan served as a Private First Class in the U.S. Army from 1958-1960.

One exchange between the judge and a handcuffed defendant new to Judge Tynan’s court went something like this:

Judge: What branch of the military?

Defendant: U.S. Navy

Judge: How many years did you serve?

Defendant: 5 1/2 years

Judge: Your rating?

Defendant: E5

Judge: Your job?

Defendant: Operator of satellite communications

Judge: Any combat?

Defendant: No land combatant as this was the Navy ... I received hazardous duty pay for being in a hazardous zone.

The judge later told the defendant that they were trying to get him into the Orange County VA program although they did not yet know if he were eligible.

After my visit, I spoke to the public defender assigned to the veterans court, who had been accompanied during the session by a social worker with the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department.

She explained to me that defendants must be referred from another court, and that the Los Angeles County Veterans Court is a collaborative court.  The DA participates in the decisions for defendants to be sent to the veterans court.

One thing I could tell during the session even without knowing this additional information is that Judge Tynan truly cared about the defendants appearing in front of him. 

This particularly impressed me because I had just read David Feige’s book INDEFENSIBLE: ONE MAN’S JOURNEY INTO THE INFERNO OF AMERICAN JUSTICE in which Feige describes how few of the judges in front of whom Feige represented clients seemed to care about the defendants.

I can only hope that these special veterans courts will be set up throughout all court systems in the U.S.  With more and more veterans of multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan likely to exhibit symptoms of PTSD in the coming years, these courts will be particularly important for “paying back” our veterans for their service.

My experience visiting a session of the Los Angeles County Veterans Court will be used to inform my proposed project “Solmon’s Justice.”  See www.SolomonsJustice.com if you want to know about this project.   

Help Returning Vets By Clicking "Like" on a Facebook Page

An ad in the April 7-8 Wall Street Journal caught my eye with the headline:

"In Baghdad He's a Hero; In Brooklyn He's Homeless."

Then underneath the headline:

"Help Services for the UnderServed Help a Returning Veteran."

And the link aftertheparade.com goes to a Facebook Page where for every "like" corporate sponsors make a donation.

Go here now to "like" the Page and learn more about these services.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Learn more at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com

New Orleans Will Kick Off Navy Events Commemorating the War of 1812

Although the Battle of New Orleans did not take place until January of 1815, New Orleans was chosen as the kick-off port for a four-year span of events commemorating the bicentennial of the United States’ victory in what is known as the War of 1812.

Mark Romig, president and CEO of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC) and chairman of the NOLA Navy Week Host Committee, spoke to the Department of Defense’s Bloggers Roundtable on March 29th.

As roundtable bloggers were informed:

The commemoration aims to reconnect the American people with the notion that we are a seafaring nation that depends on the ocean for both commerce and national defense.

The United States Navy, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Coast Guard, and OpSail will utilize the events of 2012 and beyond to educate the American public about the past, present, and future of our sea services.

NOLA Navy Week will take place April 17-23 with numerous fun events as well as a port call of tall ships from around the world.

Check out the NOLA Navy Week events now at http://nolanavyweek.com/ and then learn about other events planned for the next four years at http://ourflagwasstillthere.org/
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's Internet marketing blog.

PTSD News Article Gives Me Idea for TV Drama Show

Reprinted from www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com:

As those of you know who have read the PTSD-related posts here on mrslieutenant.blogpost.com or have read the information about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at my website www.insupportofourtroops.com …

I am very concerned about American men and women suffering from combat-induced PTSD as well as the families and society to which these men and women return home.

I have known about special courts that judge vets who break the law differently if the vet’s offense appears influenced by the symptoms of PTSD.

I have known about the extremely high incidences of spouse abuse from vets suffering from PTSD.

I have also known that many people suffering from PTSD do not know this about themselves or, if they do know, do not seek treatment for a variety of reasons.

Thus I welcomed the front-page March 24th Wall Street Journal article by Michael M. Phillips titled “Convicted Combat Vets Watch Each Other’s Backs to Stay Out of Prison” as a good overview of the special courts, spouse abuse and the long-term effects of PTSD.

The Wall Street Journal article begins:

SAN DIEGO—In Iraq, Chris Stavran relied on his buddies to keep him alive. On the streets back home, he relies on them to keep him out of prison.

Two years after leaving the Marine Corps, Mr. Stavran has become part of a judicial experiment, one of a group of homeless Iraq and Afghanistan veterans convicted of criminal offenses and sent to a new veterans-only court that takes into account their wartime scars. He’s living with eight other vets and undergoing treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, anger-management and substance abuse—with a lengthy prison term waiting if he slips up on probation.

Yet, after reading the entire article, I kept returning to what I also knew:

Many, many veterans (as well as others suffering from trauma-induced PTSD) do not get the help they so desperately need.

Then I read something about Suzanne Collins, author of the immensely popular YA trilogy “The Hunger Games,” getting her ideas from putting together two disparate subjects.

I also thought about how fiction can sometimes get across ideas much more successfully than nonfiction can.

The light bulb went off! And the idea for a TV drama series based on a TV drama pilot script that my husband and I wrote years ago popped into my head.

The original TV drama was “Solomon’s Justice” with the first episode titled “The Wisdom of Solomon.” This drama concerned a children’s court judge in San Diego. (Years ago when my husband was a law student – thanks to the GI Bill – at Temple University in Philadelphia, he had a summer clerkship with a children’s court judge.)

The idea occurred to me now of taking that same drama series title/setting and transposing it to a TV drama about people dealing with PTSD.

A couple of hours after the light bulb went off I had mentally developed the main characters as tweaked from the original characters my husband and I created for “Solomon’s Justice.”

Now here is my challenge:

• I know that much more has to be done to help people suffering from PTSD, and a weekly TV drama could help get out the information — and keep that information — in front of the public.

• I believe that my idea for a TV drama could be very successful as a show on network television or on cable television or even on sites such as Netflix that are starting to develop original TV series.

• I need help to connect with the people who can make this project happen.

I am going to start writing the treatment for this proposed TV drama.

And if anyone reading this post has contacts to help move this project forward, contact me at pzmiller@millermosaicllc.com

Let’s do more than nod our heads after reading about this terrible problem of PTSD – which affects so many Americans and their families. Let’s try to actually do something for these people.

Are you able to help with this project?

(c) 2012 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller on Twitter and @ZimblerMiller on Pinterest) is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks and is the co-founder of the online marketing company www.MillerMosaicLLC.com

Her screenplay DR. SOAPY can be downloaded for FREE at Amazon Studios at http://studios.amazon.com/projects/8259 and the techno-thriller ebook LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS she wrote with her husband can be downloaded for FREE from Amazon’s Kindle store.

Military Members Can Get Their College Degrees Using the G.I. Bill

Here is a guest post from MilitaryDegrees.org written by Cyn Brinks:

The G.I. Bill makes it easier than ever to get an education if you’re in the military. Whether you’re on a Navy ship, working overseas or simply stuck in the barracks in the night, you have a lot of time on your hands to do something greater for your future.

You can start working on a real college degree even if you’re not finished with your service. Your full tuition and fees can be paid for, and you receive a stipend for books and housing.

You can also start a degree at any time while you’re in the military thanks to the development of online degree programs by public and private universities.

There are all sorts of viable online courses and programs for military personnel even if you don’t have any college experience or you just want some vocational training to help transition into civilian life.

There are also some major benefits to registering for online courses and degree programs while still in the military or if you have veteran status.

Online courses and programs are just like those that you find at a traditional school. You still have to put in the work, which includes reading, lectures, taking texts, turning in assignments and talking to your professors.

The only difference is that you don’t have to report to a specific classroom, change your schedule or live in a certain area to go to school. Sophisticated technology has allowed online education to transcend multiple barriers.

For instance, you can talk to face-to-face with professors and other students, receive online tutoring, and schedule study groups with other students over the Internet. You simply follow the syllabus, turn in your work and finish your exams at the end of the semester, like any normal class from your own computer.

There is some finesse to doing well with online degree programs. For one, you have to be self-motivated and hardworking, otherwise you simply won’t get the work done on time.

In addition, you have to keep up with discussions and continue to read, studying when you have a chance.

You won’t spend all of your time in front of the computer. The class will still require book reading and completion of assignments, some of which may need to be turned into a professor by mail or campus visit, though this is becoming a thing of the past.

Not all degree programs are created equal, and some institutions do not have the same accreditation. You should make sure to research a degree so that you know exactly what you’re getting into and what kinds of colleges offer your degree.

There are plenty of military service members who share concerns about the validity of an online program. But both public and private universities make these accommodations for military personnel because it’s understood that you have extreme circumstances that require flexibility from a work-anywhere atmosphere.

For that reason, many fully accredited and prestigious schools offer business, healthcare, computer and engineering programs over the web. It is simply a question of do you want to wait to get a degree or do you want to distinguish yourself now?

Students who are in the military can come out with so many advantages, already graduated and on to a career or heading straight into a higher degree program and starting a civilian life once finished with active duty. These students didn’t put their futures on hold to get started on an education.

Now there is some complexity surrounding G.I. Bill Benefits, who is eligible for the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill and the Montgomery G.I. Bill. And more importantly what is the difference between the two?

Simply speaking, your Post 9/11 benefits kick in after your honorable discharge, and no other discharge is applicable for the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. On the other hand, the Montgomery G.I. Bill is available to active duty solider who contribute $100 a month into the Montgomery G.I. Bill fund.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.