We hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving. Here at VA, we are all thankful for our Veterans, their families and our staff that are committed to serve them.
Episode six brings us Michael Lumpkin. Michael served in the Navy and went on to work in three federal departments. He is currently the Special Envoy and Coordinator of the Global Engagement Center at the U.S. Department of State. In this role, Mr. Lumpkin leads efforts to coordinate, integrate, and synchronize Government-wide communications activities directed at foreign audiences abroad for the purpose of countering violent extremism and terrorism.
Mr. Lumpkin has more than 20 years of active duty military service as a Navy SEAL where he held every leadership position from platoon commander to Team commanding officer. Mr. Lumpkin has participated in numerous campaigns and contingencies throughout the world to include both Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
Covered in Episode Six:
This week's featured guest is Navy Veteran Brad Snyder. Snyder has been a #VeteranOfTheDay and is featured in our videos from the Team USA Awards, where Brad first agreed to today's interview.
Bradley Snyder is a swimmer on the United States Paralympic team who competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London and the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio. Snyder won two Gold medals and one Silver at London and three Gold and one Silver at Rio. He lost his eyesight from an IED explosion while serving in the United States Navy in Afghanistan. Among fully blind swimmers, he is the current world record holder for the 100-meter freestyle events.
Covered in Episode Five:
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Happy Veterans Day! Joining us on this Veterans Day episode is Secretary Robert McDonald. Secretary McDonald, who prefers to be called "Bob," is an Army Veteran and former CEO of Procter & Gamble.
An Army veteran, Mr. McDonald served with the 82nd Airborne Division; completed Jungle, Arctic, and Desert Warfare training; and earned the Ranger tab, the Expert Infantryman Badge, and Senior Parachutist wings. Upon leaving military service, Captain McDonald was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. Since joining VA, Secretary McDonald has led the Department in its ambitious transformational journey to be a world-class service provider and the No. 1 customer-service agency in the Federal government giving Veterans consistent, high-quality experiences.
Covered in Episode Four:
* The story of Medal of Honor recipient, Michael Fitzmaurice.
* Interview with Army Veteran Robert McDonald
* Bob's decision to join the military.
* Transitioning to Procter & Gamble.
* Could VA handle another influx of combat Veterans?
* Measuring the impact of his leadership after he leaves.
* How he uses his time most efficiently.
* His emotional response to Veteran homelessness
* The new Vets.gov portal.
* An ode to all Veterans
Click here for the full script of the episode.
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November is upon is and episode three of the podcast is here. This week's feature guest is Army Veteran Fred Wellman.
Wellman is a retired Army officer having served 22-years as an aviator and public affairs officer including four combat tours. He currently is the CEO and Founder of ScoutComms, Inc., a B Corp communications and corporate social responsibility firm supporting organizations addressing the needs of veterans and military families. He founded the firm in 2010 and it is today one of the first B Corp firms focused on veterans issues in the world.
Covered in Episode Three:
Click here for the full script of the episode.
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