• It was a welcome call that I received from one of my Grunt Veterans the other night when he told me that he cleared $1,900 after taxes in one week. To have a warrior go from ducking bullets and shrapnel from grenades to working in a safe environment, doing honest manual labor, and making enough money to prosper in these times is exactly what GC4Vets stands for!!!

• Congresswoman Speier held an awesome event at the South San Francisco Conference Center, every seat was filled and people were standing in the open spaces!!! Over 1,200 unemployed showed up that morning and more came in and out during the day!!! By the way, Virgin America was there and they need 3 aircraft mechanics with ANP certification. High starting pay!!!

• The Campbell Veterans Memorial is underway!!! The brick laying ceremony was very inspiring and moving. Veterans packed the halls at the Campbell City Hall in downtown Campbell and Jim Free organized such a great event as Veterans were recognized and honored at a great occasion on Veterans Day!!!

• On November 21^st GC4Vets will be attending the City College of San Francisco’s Veterans Event along with keynote speaker Major General Myatt!!! At this event GC4Vets will be presenting the Bauer’s IT program as well other internship programs that have become available for Veterans.

• Also added to the list of companies to see hiring Veterans in partnership with GC4Vets: HP, Google, Goldman Sachs, Virgin America, Facebook, and many more being added to the list. These companies are motivated to work with me and we are holding talks in the upcoming weeks. Each of these companies is looking to hire 120 Veterans in the program that we are offering.

• Expect to see a recent PBS interview featuring me to be aired in the coming months. I will make an announcement when that program will be airing.

Detailed Announcements For Those On The Go:

• This past week I have been busy with traveling and working on finding more jobs for Veterans. I had the opportunity to visit St. Louis Missouri to attend “The Mission Continues” Gala. Eric Greitens is a former Navy Seal who fought in the recent conflicts and now his organization is giving back to Veterans. Goldman Sachs now sponsors The Mission Continues to the tune of $6 Million dollars. For those of you on my Facebook you probably see me wearing a shirt that says “The Mission Continues” and that’s because I am a fellow. South West Airlines flew over 120 fellows to Missouri, at no cost, to attend the gala. Hotel accommodations were also at no cost to the fellows and fellows flew in from all parts of the country, Orlando, Chicago, Las Vegas, Colorado, Wyoming, New York, Boston, Dallas, San Diego, Phoenix, Los Angeles and the list goes on. Expect to see and hear more about The Mission Continues in the future as they expand throughout the country.

• In the past two weeks I have been very busy meeting with the Diversity Officers from various companies to discuss hiring programs for Veterans. These talks have become very productive and will lead to more jobs in the future. If Cisco, Cisco’s Collaborative Partners, Google, HP, and many more companies join together we can see as many as 2,000 jobs created in the near term with an opportunity to scale to 20,000 per year. That is the goal of GC4Vets, to create a scalable model that can create thousands of jobs and hopefully we will eventually reach our goal of 100,000 jobs for Veterans.

• The Job Hunters Boot Camp put on by Congresswoman Speier was an overwhelming success! One of the Veterans from City College of San Francisco was ambushed by Virgin America! We will be following his progress to track him and see how things go. More will follow on the successes at the Boot Camp.

• The Campbell Veterans Memorial was an inspiring event and Jim Free has mustered many Veterans to converge on the City grounds in order to create a memorial that stands in honor of the fallen brothers and sisters from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Please go their website to see the model and how the symbols of the monument are poetic and beautifully planned:

http://campbellveteransmemorial.org/

Please donate to this memorial and support this great effort to hold in remembrance our fallen brothers and sisters. If they were alive today we would be buying them drinks. Since we can’t do that for them now then donate that money that you would have given for their drinks and donate to purchase a brick in their honor. Thank you.

• Bauers IT is hiring 20 Veterans from CCSF during the winter break, for Veterans on the GI Bill this is a great opportunity to make money during the break and, starting next Semester, to earn 4 units of credit towards the GI Bill!!!

Damage Report:

• So far the largest drawback to my operations has been the fact that I am undermanned and understaffed. Since Morgane has joined the team the progress has really taken off. GC4Vets is accomplishing more and more each day. However it has taken it’s toll on my staff. We are two people doing the work of ten. Although the odds are better than before Morgane has reminded me that we cannot keep up with this pace for a prolonged period of time. In between meetings with Companies, meetings with Veterans, and meetings with Doctors I am barely able to handle my finances and keep up with my trading activities that have paid for over 75% of my mission expenses. Morgane has already cautioned time and time again that I need to hire more staff or slow down and cut my pace in half. On top of planning my day-to-day operations and advising me on my strategic options; my health needs and medical issues have particularly worn down Morgane. She is my right hand at this point and her recommendation is to start focusing on my health more. I am pursuing options to increase my staff and to reinforce my efforts so that GC4Vets can run on it’s own without me to micro manage many of the day-to-day affairs. When I focus on Veterans my work with the Corporations starts to fall behind, when I focus on Corporations then my relations with the Veterans starts to fall behind, and when I focus on my health then everything starts to fall behind. And then there is Morgane in the middle of it all trying to run damage control.

Conclusion:

• I would like to thank all of you who have supported GC4Vets, for your advice, for your words of encouragement and prayers. I am trying my best to move as quickly as possible so that I can meet the needs of the many Veterans who are waiting for me to close the loops on these careers. Special thanks to The Mission Continues, Swords To Plowshares, Project Hired, HP, Chris Beveridge, Jim Free and many other patrons who assist GC4Vets in our mission.

Sincerely,  

Jarom Vahai

Short Announcements For Those On The Go:

• There is a San Mateo County program that received grant money of half a million dollars. That program is for 35 Veterans to be trained up in engineering math and then put through a paid internship with NASA. For more details read the article below.

• Congresswoman Speier is having a Career Fair at the South San Francisco Convention Center. Lunch is FREE for Veterans. Also tables are available for employers for free as well. The Fair is on November 9^th and runs from 10am to 2pm. If you plan to attend please RSVP on this site or Congresswoman Speier’s site. Thanks

• Project Hired is having a Gala Event this Thursday evening. I will be in attendance at the event from 5:30pm to 9:30pm. At this event awards will be given to some of the most Veteran friendly corporations in the Silicon Valley. Here is the link to the event!

Detailed Announcements For Those Who Have The Time:

• The program with NASA and Veterans is a special program that will help Veterans getting out or who have real world experience. Veterans can go to the county to learn “engineering mathematics” and then can go into a paid internship program with NASA. If NASA likes them then they stay on and receive salary increases, if they do not make the cut then they will have more experience to add to their resumes. The GI Bill can be used and these classes will cover the GI Bill requirements. This program is designed to be a short cut program to fast-track Veterans who have the aptitude and do not need to go through all the courses in college. If you are interested or know anyone who is interested please email me ASAP. This program has a deadline to get the Veterans or else the funding “goes away!!!” Contact me right away!!!

• There are many programs that have funding from the government and from other sources. Like the NASA program they all can “go away!!!” These programs are “use it or lose it” programs. Also for companies who make the effort to hire Veterans, if they don’t find enough Veterans who are interested in being hired the companies can document their attempt and hire non Veterans and “still get the tax credits” as if though they did hire Veterans. It is imperative that Veterans contact me, fill out my Veteran Contact Form under my “Mission” tab, and stand up to be recognized. If Veterans do not stand up and claim these benefits, they will expire and go away.

• Currently the problem of GC4Vets is not getting jobs for Veterans. Currently the problem is not having enough Veterans to bring to the companies. As we all know, time is money and money is time. For companies to attempt to hire one or two Veterans here and there, means that company is paying money to do outreach. One of the objectives of GC4Vets is to do that outreach “for free,” so that companies can focus on doing what they already have a budget to do; which is HIRE VETERANS!!! I have put many companies on hold until I am able to reach a certain number of Veterans in the recruiting pool. After my target is reached then I can proceed to have the Veterans screened, filtered, and placed in careers that they can be happy in. So right now it is vital that Veterans fill out my contact form and then spread the word to other Veterans to get on the list!!! Here is the link to the form

• A new addition to the site is the Wall Of Fame. This addition is to recognize the Veterans who got hired on with the companies that we are working with. Also to recognize the companies that are “the most Veteran friendly!!!” I will be adding more names and more companies to the Wall Of Fame, once I feel that Veterans are hired on a permanent status and that they are happy with their new careers. There are still some companies that I am waiting on adding to the Wall as there are still details that need to be addressed before doing so. Here is the link.

Damage Report:

• I have attended some great events recently and I have the honor of meeting many great Veterans and Veteran supporters. As I have attended some events I have taken dates with me and one date made the comment that I stirred up a lot of attention with other Veterans; my response to her was “all the people who know me also know that I would die for them” and although I wouldn’t volunteer anyone to do the same for me, I feel that many if not all of the Veterans that I have met have the same way of thinking. This line of thinking has also been the cause of much of my suffering, putting myself last and my Veterans needs first. I don’t need to explain this to a Veteran but for those who don’t understand, it is the force that drives us all in our missions.

• Thanks to my assistant Morgane doing such a wonderful job I am back on my meds, going to my doctors appointments, and getting benched when I start to mess up in the game. Morgane has really improved my performance and effectiveness in all that I have accomplished so far. She has been the best Traumatic Brain Injury Counter Measure and because of her I am not blowing off any of my current employers and meetings. If anyone would like to get a hold of me and remind me of something that I have forgotten please email Morgane at morgane@gc4vets.org she will make sure that I don’t forget it. She also manages my calendar completely. She knows my abilities best and so she schedules all meetings, if I am able to do it. Many times I double book and triple book and I mess up all my appointments but Morgane will make sure that those mistakes don’t happen.

Conclusion:

• Thanks again for all of you who support me and have given me the ability to make advancements in my objectives and to conquer territory that is vital to this mission. I will continue my work and my accomplishments will be a memorial to all of your support. Soon there will be a solid system in place to deal with the obstacles of Veterans and employment in the bay area and after that this model can be used to aid Veterans in all major cities and areas of high unemployment. Thanks to all of you.

Sincerely,

Jarom Vahai

Short Announcements For Those On The Go:

• Here is the link to the 9-11 Story in the Huffington Post.
• Here is the link to the San Francisco Chronicle article with Swords to Plowshares featuring one of my comments.
• I have begun Operation Long Arm and I have met with the key players in the outreach phase of my operations.
• On October 6, 2011 Project Hired is having a wonderful fundraiser Gala in San Jose. There will be delicious food, silent auctions, excellent speakers, and awards presented to Veterans who have excelled in Project Hired’s programs.

Detailed Announcements For Those Who Have The Time:

• I had a conference call with the White House this past week. They are working tirelessly to create jobs for Americans. I am working with them and assisting them to create jobs for Veterans which will also spur the economy and help to create jobs for everyone, not just Veterans. The current Jobs Bill on the table is going to not only help the job market but also help the foreclosure market. Homeowners who are facing problems of losing their homes can expect a bailout from this upcoming Bill. This will sustain the housing market and help Americans to stay in their homes.

• Another key announcement about the Jobs Bill is that the money being set aside for Jobs development programs is now available to 501(c)3’s. So groups like Swords To Plowshares and Project Hired can participate in the grants without having to partner with schools or cities. Which means that non profits who are performing excellent service to Veterans can receive funding.

• A model is being assembled to take my efforts and cookie cut them throughout the country to produce similar results for Veterans throughout the nation. Also the model that I am constructing will be a model that will be able to duplicated by other groups and not just Veterans. In the hopes that job creation and stimulus can help to bring the nation out of our current economic stress. Once I am completed with Operation Long Arm and have gathered the numbers from my research I will submit a detailed report to the White House so that a more stable model can be created and mandated across the board.

• Operation Long Arm is continuing and will be ongoing throughout the Bay Area. The operation will be limited to the Bay Area until funding can be achieved to reach out to military bases throughout the state and country.

• As I get closer to the end of my mission to create small-scale models that function to help Veterans get hired, I am very much glad that the journey is almost over. Once I have turned on the various pipelines, the integrity of the system operating at a high level will be the only matter of concern. It is at that phase that I believe the problem will not be if there are enough jobs but instead, if there are enough Veterans to fill those jobs!!!

Damage Report:

• I am forcing myself and pushing my limits mentally. Many times the reason why Veterans with the same issues as myself often find it hard to connect with society is because trying to make such connections involves utilizing emotions or communication that can often lead to turning on all emotions. Many times Veterans returning home discover that war makes one have to shut down so many feelings in order to function in high stress or chaos. To turn emotions back on cannot be done one feeling at a time and so the result is that Veterans trying to reconnect struggle with a flood of emotions that are compounded and combined. Anger, Joy, Sadness, Guilt, Happiness, Shame, Sorrow, and the list goes on are not feelings that can be sorted out and sifted through as if though sorting mail. These things take time and dealing with these issues can be very overwhelming without professional help or medications or both in combination. Many times Veterans who don’t get help find themselves just picking the strongest emotion out of them all, which is often Anger, Rage, or Sorrow. This can lead to many problems like self-medication with illegal drugs, self-mutilation, and/or suicide. The answer is for Veterans to go to the VA and talk about them with a counselor or to share their feelings with another Veteran. So after my outreach is complete I will begin to refocus on my counseling sessions with the VA. And as I perform outreach I will remind all Veterans I encounter to do the same.

• Financially the burdens of doing this work are killing me and really slowing me down. I still have loans that I have to repay which I used to finance my operations up to this point. I am not the only Veteran who has given up personal time, money, and made sacrifices. There are many like me, for instance: Jack Jacoby, Randolph Martinez, James Small, Ryan Berg, Chris Rodriguez, Chris Loverro, just to name a few. We are all giving up time, money, financial opportunities, not taking care of ourselves, and even losing out on schooling to help our fellow Veterans. We are not getting paid to do this. Why do we do this? Because we all see that the vision that we all share is more important than the cost or sacrifice. That vision is to create a channel, a pipeline, a better path, to prepare a way for Veterans who are getting out of the military to prosper and not have to go through the same issues, problems, and obstacles that we all had to face when getting out. We want to provide leadership and direction so that men and women who are getting out of the service can get easily accessible support and services so that they don’t struggle with PTSD, TBI, suicide, drug abuse, poverty, homelessness, disabilities and many more problems which can be far too great to overcome alone. My part in this vision is to help those Veterans get great careers. To get those Vets to work with other Vets and to get the support they need not just financially, but socially and mentally as well.

Conclusion:

• Thanks to groups like Swords to Plowshares, The Mission Continues, Project Hired, and to the many supporters who help me on a continual basis. I hope to produce results that will show you all that your prayers, advice, counsel, and hugs were not in vain. Also a special thanks to A Note of Thanks, they are a great organization doing some great things for Veterans through music and song. If you would like to know more here is there link.

Thanks Again. Sincerely,

Jarom Vahai

Short Announcements For Those On The Go: 

• There is a great event, taking place, this Sunday September 11, 2011 in Atherton at the Polo Club. Please see the events tab for details.

• Various stages of the pipelines have been tested and proven with the companies that have been listed on GC4Vets website.

• GC4Vets will conduct decisive operations to muster as many Veterans from colleges, universities, and perspective Veterans from military bases. While funding issues still exist and there aren’t adequate funds to carry out the mission, I am continuing with the operation regardless, because it has to be done. Operation Long Arm will go as planned starting this Monday and it will continue until the mission is accomplished or until it can no longer continue and meets complete failure.

Detailed Announcements For Those Who Have The Time:

• Operation Long Arm is commencing, starting this Monday. There is not enough funding, so that means that I will just have to be very creative in my operations and cunning in my methods. As a Sergeant I will be truly tested in my abilities to “beg, borrow, or steal” in order to accomplish the mission. Foraging will most likely be a common task in between operations.

• The goal of Operation Long Arm will be to gather 2,200 Veterans for career placement by a process of selective screening and qualifying. I will meet with as many Veterans face-to-face and proceed to send them through the pipelines that have been established. So far small numbers have gone through individual pipelines laid in place and so the stress of the systems has been minimal.

• It is the hope of GC4Vets to place 1,000 Veterans in meaningful careers and employment before the funds required for such a mission become too exhausted to continue effective operations. To date the expenses have reached $20,000 of my own personal savings and funds to date and have only shown 8 careers created. This number was kept to a minimum to measure the effectiveness of my efforts. Now that a comfort level has been reached with the system I feel that it is time to achieve a goal of 1,000 careers created which will mean that an average of $20 was spent on each Veteran. This is my goal before the year is complete.

Damage Report:

• After careful examination of my issues I realize that despite the assistance from my Executive Assistant I am unable to maintain the pace that I am running at for much longer. Her analysis of my personal problems and finances has shown me that I cannot do the work of 10 people without paying the price out of pocket, and without paying the price of self-neglect. I mask a lot of my shortcomings and the adrenaline rush of the urgency of my mission helps me to ignore my body and mind. But, the mission is in danger if I continue to push my limits, which aren’t that high anymore and no where near as high as previous to my injuries.

• The battle tempo at this point in time is very intense. While money issues constantly exist, the issues of PTSD, TBI, and Pain are just as intense now as they were when I first was medically retired from the Marines. The difference now is that I have grown accustomed to many of my injuries, found ways to cope with them in private, and have a support group in place to catch me when I am on the verge of losing control of everything. If only I didn’t have these impediments I feel that I would really take off. But, much of my personal issues help me to remain humble and mindful of the Veterans who also suffer the same and who are out there depending on me. I know what they are going through and that helps me to never say die. In fact I would rather die than give in at this point. So I will continue with the operation, by continuing Operation Long Arm.

Conclusion: 

• I posted a list of thank you’s on my website. The list is not completed yet. I am still having Noel add names to the list. She will add them slowly until all the names can show and scroll without having glitches and issues. It is my way of trying to acknowledge those who have contributed to the battle and have made an impact on my operations and me. Thanks to you all. I wish I could be more personable and able to connect with all of you to express my gratitude. Now that my assistant is working with me she has stressed a “thank you” card campaign. It is an expense that I feel is worth it. I can just skip meals (it’s good for my weight loss anyway). Thank you to all of you, I appreciate your help, assistance, counsel and contributions.

Sincerely,

Jarom Vahai

Short Announcements for those on the go:

• Here’s my interview with 94.5 KBAY Radio on the Sam Van Zandt Show done by Sandy Stec!!!

• Bauer’s IT Limo Buses showed up at the War Memorial and interviewed Veterans from 6pm to 8pm!!! They interviewed everyone who showed up and I am following up with them. They liked 3 Veterans and we will find out if they make the cut or not.

• I will be having an SFPD job event at the Craig Newmark VRC at the War Memorial/Herbst Theater soon!!! I will make the announcement after the planning is complete.

• Don’t forget to check out the “events” tab to find out where the 9-11 Veterans Event at the Polo Club in Atherton is taking place. I will definitely be there.

Detailed Announcements for those who have the time:

• Bauer’s IT really stepped up to the plate this past Tuesday!!! They showed up at the VRC and interviewed all the Vets. Bauer’s IT will hire any Veteran with a B Class license with a passenger certification. 30 Slots are open to be hired.

• I have a meeting with Cisco on September 9, 2011. We will be discussing two issues. The first is mentorship programs that can help Veterans qualify for internships out of college. The second is jobs and job placement. For Veterans who are certified or who meet the requirements for Cisco, job placement can be almost immediate. We will set up a screening process and a process to assist Cisco with processing applications and resume’s so that Cisco does not have to assume the bulk of the cost and labor.

• I had a conference call with the White House this week. We discussed the budget and the various programs that are on the chopping block and the tax situation. Right now the situation in Washington DC is very tense and the gridlock in Congress is becoming a volatile situation. Each side is fighting to defend the funding for projects that are in need while at the same time trying to defuse the explosive situation of cutbacks and raising taxes. The President is doing his best to work with both sides of the aisle, while being mindful of the Americans who are suffering in the meantime. While I did not vote for Obama the first time, I have to say that I have really changed my opinion of him. He has mortally wounded Al Qaida by killing almost ALL of the leadership to include: Osama Bin Laden and Zawahiri, and it is not long after one leader is dead that a new one is chosen and soon after killed as well. I feel that Obama’s leadership as Commander in Chief andprotector of the safety of the American people has been demonstrated time and time again. I take my hat off to him for his valiant efforts to destroy our enemies and for his strong support for Veterans.

Damage Report:

• Items still needed for those who would like to donate, include:

1. Mileage plus miles for donation, so that GC4Vets can launch a major outreach program to all the bases in CA and Hawaii.

2. A reliable vehicle with good gas mileage. Currently the cost of fuel in my SUV is approximately $600-$800 per month. Also my vehicle has high miles and is developing problems.

3. Interest free loans or low interest loans and any donations that can help to shoulder the cost of the new outreach program that I am putting in place.

• My assistant has started this week and while it has been great to have her I am also finding out just how much I am NOT getting done or following up on. She has helped me to be on time for many of my appointments, helped me to sort through my bills/mail to get my personal life in order, and she has helped me to realize all the details that I have missed/forgotten in my work that has been hindering me a great deal. From feedback from others I estimated that I was failing in 50% of what I do. Now that my assistant has shown up I realize that I am failing in 90% of what I do, due to Traumatic Brain Injury, Pain, and PTSD. It is an eye opening and sobering experience to face the facts. Since I put her through hell all week I am letting her have a 4 day weekend so that she will want to come back to work for me.

Conclusion:

• There are some changes to GC4Vets Website which include:

 -New Jobs Tab

-Update to the Mission Statement

-Update to the “in the News” Tab which now includes the 94.5 KBAY interview

• Thank you, to all the supporters of GC4Vets, Swords To Plowshares, Project Hired and The Mission Continues. By supporting our groups and helping us with our missions hundreds and thousands of Veterans are getting aid, employment, and assistance.

Sincerely,

Jarom Vahai