2016 RVDV Pleasant Hill Adult Recreational Basketball Team

2016 RVDV Pleasant Hill Adult Recreational Basketball Team

Transition and Leadership within the Veteran Community

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My Story of War and Transition - In Pictures

Earlier today, I spoke with a friend who I served in the Marine Corps with, who is still serving, and he mentioned that he has lost nearly 30 friends to suicide in the past 16 years. There's no words for something like that. So, I wanted…
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Appreciating others' Cultures: A Marine's Perspective

Expanding cross-cultural capacity, or the ability to really connect with another's differing perspective or way of life, is a challenging task for anyone living in America. This country is comprised of different types of people from all backgrounds,…
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The Mental Duty Officer

While personal procrastination might at first glance appear to be a topic that returning military veterans wouldn't have to deal much with - I mean we once served as part of the world's most disciplined organizations - I found myself in graduate…
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The Sword of a Peaceful Samurai

A little under ten years after I came home from my second tour in Iraq, and was discharged from the one job I poured my heart into - being a Marine - I found myself relatively miserable.  I am not talking about the "I had a bad day today, I'll…
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Good Initiative, Bad Judgement

It was a bright and sunny morning in 2007, in Fallujah, Iraq, and a few men and I were tasked with helping to facilitate a “day of recruiting” for Iraqi police officers at the local police station. This wasn’t anything out of the ordinary…
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A Seemingly Normal Day in Iraq

It was a seemingly normal day in Iraq on a foot patrol alongside a dozen of the deadliest men on the planet – my fellow U.S. Marines. We were about halfway finished with a foot patrol in downtown Mahmudiyah – a deadly little town that…
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Welcome to our Blog!

This blog is hosted by Returning Veterans of Diablo Valley.  It provides a place to explore the practices and perspectives that are fundamental to enacting leadership that supports the transition from military service to civilian life in becoming…
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Warrior Love

“No matter where you go in the world people are people and they all want many of the same things”…are words I spoke while standing in front of a large gathering in my hometown Omaha, Nebraska after my first tour in Iraq as a U.S. Marine…
Michael P.

Returning home from Iraq, it took a while to realize that the fitting in thing wasn’t happening.  There were weeks at a time when I couldn’t leave the house.

Returning Veterans of Diablo Valley found a counselor for me, they said “you want to be with this guy”. They picked me up and drove me to appointments several times. They basically just listened to me patiently, took me out to eat, and made me feel like I was OK.  I wasn’t broken to a degree that I couldn’t be fixed.

Michael P.Michael deployed with 10th Special Forces in Northern Iraq in 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).
Howard

Because of RVDV reaching out to help support and guide me in my educational endeavor, I was able to attend UC Berkeley’s HAAS School of Business. They linked me up with the Cal Veterans Group, as well as transfer and mentor programs that gave applicants like me a leg up during the admissions process. Their mentorship and advice complimented my own hard work at community college – and they helped me to best represent my potential as a returning military veteran.

HowardHoward served four years as an Airborne Infantryman with the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne division. He deployed to Iraq for one year in support of OIF.
Noel

I opened up my Contra Costa Times this morning and initially saw the story about RVDV but when I glanced at the photo, I realized it was my son that you were assisting. I no longer know how to help him without becoming a helicopter parent, or maybe worse, an enabler. I am hoping that he finds what he is looking for among those who share similar stories. 

– Noel’s mother

NoelNoel served 8 years in the U.S. Navy and deployed three times to Iraq in support of OIF.

 

 

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