Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:28):
Good evening. I'm Dan Bull, and thank you so much
for joining us for this very special edition of Real
America on this Veteran's Day, honoring those who've served as
we as a nation, as a republic, say a collective
big thank you, a huge thank you to all the
brave men and women of our armed forces. I can't
say it enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you for
(00:50):
your sacrifice and for your service to this great nation.
We wouldn't be a republic without you. So we begin
the special program, which is dedicated one hundred percent to
our veterans and veterans issues with a Real America exclusive.
For years now, the Department of Veterans Affairs has had
its fair share of criticism. Let's say, from those crazy
(01:14):
long wait lines we've all heard about, to unanswered suicide
tip phone lines. How about those lazy and negligent staff
members that Trump fired in his first term, and of
course the corruption. It's a federal agency that has come
under fire and under the microscope more than once over
the years. But now with President Trump back in charge,
(01:35):
things are changing. And that's all thanks to the man
who forty seven put in charge a veteran, a man
of faith, former Georgia Congressman Doug Collins, who is still
on active duty serving as a chaplain in the Air
Force Reserve, and now the man who all of us
as veterans looked too in his new role as Secretary
(01:55):
of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and with today being
Veterans Day, Scretary Collins was kind enough to give us
nearly thirty minutes of his time in which we discussed
a wide array of issues facing our heroes every day.
Here now that exclusive interview with Secretary Collins. Secretary Collins,
thank you so much for joining us. I know you
(02:16):
have such a busy schedule these days because running the
VA is not an easy job as a veteran, but
also as a journalist, dug Over the three plus decades
I've been on television, I have reported myself alone on
dozens and dozens of not so good stories about the VA,
(02:37):
right problems with the VA. And so you're handed a
department that, let me throw some numbers out, has over
four hundred and seventy thousand employees, has over nine million
If you will customers veterans and their family members you help.
You have some of the largest hospitals in our country
and your budget is massive. So how's been the first
(03:01):
nine months for Doug Collins, the Secretary of the VIA.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Oh well, well that kind of introduction, you know, just yeah,
really it's been easy. You know, sit back, you know,
have a class t and everything's great.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Now.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
It's look, I tell this all the time, and it's
on Veterans Day. We talk about, you know, being veterans.
But I have the best job in the cabinet. Everybody
else can say they do, but I do because I
get to take care.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Of the best people in the world, that's our veterans.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
And we started it out by saying that the VA
is going to become and go back to this roots,
and that is everything we do is about a veteran.
It's that's our first and for it's our first thought
and our last thought. Is anything that we do, how
we do it for our veterans. And it's just a mindset.
And I've been looking. I was in Congress right years
I dealt with the VA through some of the troubled
(03:46):
times twelve thirteen years ago.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
I know where this you know how people interact with it.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
But what we have done is is had a really
a great time hitting the ground running and laying out
what I call standards. And the standards are that we're
going to have the system in the country. We're the
largest system in the country, and we're going to act
like it. And that means leadership has become a pigh priority.
But at the end of the day, I tell all
our senior leaders, everybody that works for the VA, you
have one job, and the only job you have is
(04:13):
because a veteran walks through our doors. And if we
don't understand that, then we thought we've lost our mission.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
You know, when you're dealing with people, and especially when
it comes to our veterans on the medical side of it, right,
there seems to be no more bedside manner anywhere in
the medical profession. And so I want people to get
to know Secretary Doug Collins. I feel like when people
know the people they're dealing with, right whether they're emailing
or calling into the VA and they're trying to get
(04:38):
some benefits, whether it's medical or gibill or whatever, or
they just want to express some problems they're having, they
want to know who they're working with and the guy
in charge is this guy. So Doug, let's back up
real quick before we get into some of the key
issues that the VA's facing today, and just tell them
who you are, right coming from Georgia, being in Congress,
being in two branches of the military. Can you back
(04:59):
up and and tell us how little Doug all started
to get into your faith because I saw a degree
in theology. You're a chaplain in the United States Air Force,
but then you got into politics. So give us that
background on who Doug Collins is first, and then we'll
get into the issues you're trying to tackle.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Well, dev I'd love to I'm a troopers kid from
North Georgia. My dad was a Georgia State Trooper. My
mom worked with senior adults. I had a foundation of
a home that valued public service that you know. I
watched my dad go out in some very difficult times
and he would come back, you know, but he always
you know, he would see the kind of the worst
of community, but yet he was always very positive. He
(05:36):
helped grow us up. He taught football, he was involved
in things in the community, and that just said that
laid the foundation for me. He was in the National
Guard earlier in his life, and for me, it became
a journey as Lisa, my wife of really over about
thirty seven years now, has been together that we have
a life of service and we believe that God has
just placed us in places that allow for that. I've
(05:59):
been in sales, but been a pastor for eleven years,
as you said, was in the Navy for a while,
went back into the Air Force in two thousand and two.
I've been there ever since. I'm a colonel, deployed to
Iraq back in eight nine time frame. And you know,
and you know also have a law degree and that
after I left the pastor. So for me, I really
(06:20):
believe this. You know, there's many people who have talked
about Trump's cabinet. They've talked about you know, who are
these people? And you know they don't have the pedigrees.
I think I've got the perfect pedigree. I think I
come from folks who understand public service. I come from
a background of being a pastor and a chaplain in
the Air Force for now combined over twenty five years.
I'm a lawyer, but I'm also I was a state
(06:40):
legislator and a United States congressman. I'm the first congressman
to serve in this roles. It's the early nineteen nineties,
so I know how to deal with Congress. I think
for this time and this purpose to make the changes
at the VA we need to make. I believe I've
been I believe God's placement at the time. And President
Trump said he wanted me to do this. He said,
take care of veterans. So for me, it's a labor
(07:00):
of love to know that we can help each other,
we can help veterans, but also raise the standard of
what everybody has thought. Yes, I've also made another statement here.
You're not only going to have for me from my heart.
My heart is is that for too long, the VA
has been the whipping post for too many in Washington, DC,
whether it be the media or Congress or other people.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
And here's what I've determined. If you lie.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
About the VA or my employees, then you're gonna get
called out, and I will call you out for lying.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Now.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
If we're doing something wrong, we will fix it. But
you're not going to just use us as political polems
and political toys anymore. The VA is going to take
care of the veterans, and we're going to cut through
the bureaucracy and the I want to play the advocate
for veterans when I want to but yet do nothing
in the past. We're going to make sure that we're
actually focused on what we need to do and take
care of veterans.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
You know, Secretary, that's interesting you bring that up about
people lying about the changes that have been being made
within the VA since you took over the helm because
I happened to find a clip of you testifying before.
I think this one was a Senate committee, because I've
got another clip of you testifying before some folks in
the House, and this was several months back. This was
(08:08):
right after DOGE was making their big recommended cuts, right
in February, March and April, and you were in the
hot seat on the hill and these Democrat of course
Democrat senators, and I can't believe it happens to also
be mister Blumenthal, the guy that lied about his military service,
decided to try to take you to task for the
cuts that you're going to be making or have made.
(08:29):
So I want to play this clip and then get
your take on the backside.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Go ahead, and then reinstate them when the courts tell you,
as they will, that they've been wrongfully terminated.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
We're talking about less than one half of one percent,
mister Ian, miss rank member, you've got you. You've thrown
out numbers of thousands. This is exactly what I'm fighting against.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
You may workforce, but they are the physicians.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
No rank member, I will not let you do that.
I will not let you sit here and scare my
veterans and scare my employs because there's been no I mean,
you must have stuff that again, you're looking at making
a prediction in the future, because no one has discussed
firing doctors or firing nurses. We have always said that
we're going to keep frontline healthcare.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
So, Doug, I have a headline here when you were
visiting the fair city I live in about a month
or two ago in San Diego talking about you defending
your staff reductions at the VA. The Democrats believe you're
getting rid of nurses and doctors. Would you now like
to set the record straight on those cuts that were
made back in the spring and summer and that may
(09:39):
still be made looking forward, because let's be real. Even
though you might hear veterans sometimes complain like I need this,
I need that, there's not enough people, there's not enough services.
That it up you're not cutting anything that would directly
affect those people, because let's be real, almost every department
at the federal level has some bloated, bloated staffing that
needs cleaning up. Oh go ahead, Secretary Collins phill Us in.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Well, I still stand behind everything I told Center Blimoth
th All, Center, Blimouthal at times unfortunately has a awkward
position with the truth a.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Lot of times.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
But here is the big part that I have with
it is I want to just correct some and we
cut no one. In fact, we now we have had
a reduction and staff of about thirty thousand people, all
of which came through a voluntary early retirement. We did
not fire anyone in the VA. They took that and
so it was and all those are outside of three
(10:33):
hundred plus three hundred thousand plus positions, and we said
you're not eligible for early retirement. That was all in
our healthcare, our disability benefits. So we found the areas
in which this department had grown in both money and people.
But we're not making the right change as we go forward.
In other words, the metrics in which we measured ourselves
by we're going in the wrong directions wait times, which
(10:55):
is not a good way to measure us. But wait
times we're not good. People are waiting too. Disability backlog
was over two hundred and sixty five thousand when I
came in on February the fifth. Today, on Veterans Day,
I can report to you that we're right around one
hundred and fifteen thousand. We've cut off almost one hundred
and fifty thousand off the one hundred and twenty five
day back law. That means our veterans are getting answers quicker.
(11:18):
But on the top end of that, we had over
a million claims pending. We're right under right at six
hundred thousand right now, so we've taken off almost four
hundred thousand of just regular claims that we're processing in
the normal fashion. So for anybody to say that we
cut which is a lie. Anything else that is, as
Bluemith all said, your firing doctors a lie. All of
(11:39):
this was a day in which we made the changes
and put the veteran first. So for us, you know, look,
I want to defend my workforce. They've done a great job.
But we had gotten to a point where money and
people were not solving the problems at the VA we
had to have leadership to put people in the right
places to use the right way we go forward. So
I'll stand behind it every bit of the way that
(11:59):
we have.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
All Right, Trey con sounds good to me. How about
another one here? Politico reported on you, oh geez, only
a few days ago in this one, promising to overhaul
a lot of the poor performing medical centers, and that
I want to dive into a little bit deeper as well.
Besides cleaning up some of the medical centers, there's also
been a call, I think with your department to put
(12:23):
some new facilities in rural areas and underserved areas for veterans.
So how are we going about that as far as
revamping ones that say don't look that well, aren't that clean,
aren't running that efficiently? Or do we close those down
and build new ones? What about getting those ural areas?
Kind of give us that overview on your plan for
taking care of the facilities we have now and potentially
any new ones that may open up.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
I love to because this is a very passionate part
of my job is making sure that we're providing the
best product for our veterans. Look, CMS is a standard
for hospitals across the country, private public, VA government CMS
has a measuring stick in which they measure from one
to five on a scale on good performing and poor
performing hospitals. I'll be I do have to say that
(13:07):
the vast majority of our VA medical centers outperformed the community,
both public and private hospitals across the country, with many
at five and four ratings. But we do have twos
and threes, and up until last year we had some ones.
I made a statement earlier this summer that said, my
standard is only fives and fours, So threes and twos
under the CMS rating system, we were going to do
(13:28):
everything we can to move them to five and fours.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Now we're one VA.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Unfortunately, many of the hospitals acted as if they were startups.
I threw away that motion and said, if you've got
VA on the side of your building, you're part of
the largest healthcare network around. So we're taking the fives
and fours and training the twos and threes to upgrade
and how they can do their facilities better. And what
political was reporting was the fact that we had all
we had the twos and threes who are administrators and
(13:54):
workers in those hospitals training in New Orleans a few
weeks ago to learn how that they can do tricks
are in trade tips from other hospitals in the VA
system to make sure their hospital gets better. And then
on top of that, we brought back the Mission Act.
The Mission Act was put in under Donald Trump's first
administration to get people, the veterans, the ability to go
into the community and get care. The Biden administration basically
(14:16):
did away with that for the last four years. We're
bringing back the law. And now if we have veterans
who need to get into the community for care that
may not be able to get into you know, have
the services at our VA facility or others, they're able
to get into the community. And we're building sea box
those clinics that are in different areas, and we've had
dozens already that we've already put together just this year,
(14:36):
and they're allowing people to get care closer to home,
closer to where they are, without having to drive into
our large hospitals.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
That is great news, Doug, That is really truly great news.
All right, So got the medical side of it. Two
other big main issues that the VA helps out with
that I would feel that some would say the VA
needs to do more. I know you personally are trying
to do all you can. And that is the issue
of veteran suicide. And then I want to touch on
(15:05):
veteran homelessness because I know that's a big one for
you and for President Trump. He's talked about eradicating it
in his next three years, and I hope to golly
we can. Let's begin with the suicide the real numbers, Doug,
you and I know I've had a lot of nonprofit
and veteran groups on this program the last five years.
The government has told us for decades it's twenty one
or twenty two. Every group I talk to says that's underreported.
(15:28):
It's almost double. It's more like forty four or forty
five one. Where do you think the number stands? And
what are you doing now? Is the top dog at
the VA to help this problem so we get it
down to zero?
Speaker 2 (15:39):
YEA, Look, I think the biggest number here is somewhere
between seven seventeen and really probably the upper twenties thirties.
It could be then the real reason there and some
people may say, well, why wouldn't you know? Frankly, death
by suicide is still in many areas of our country
not talked about is the reporting view very unfortunately shameful
(15:59):
in today we don't have sometimes the you know, the
basically the coroners and others not reporting it as a suicide. Sure,
that's how you get the disparity in numbers. But here's
what we're doing. Here's a couple of concerns. Number one,
we spend five hundred and eighty eight million dollars on
preventive work. What I found was, though, is when I
(16:19):
started asking what are we actually doing, I come to
find out we really didn't have a very focused plan.
It was sort of a scattershot And then I found
out something that really put me on edge and said,
we've got to completely rechange what we're doing. Because what
we found out was is sixty percent of those whether
you seventeen, twenty two or whatever, have never had any
(16:40):
contact with the VA. So if we're spending five hundred
and eighty eight million dollars a year for the past
four or five six years, billions over the past ten
to fifteen years, and we're still at the same number
and sixty percent of those folks have never been in
contact with the VA for mental health counseling or anything else.
Then we're going after the wrong crowd. We're like we're
at the church that talks to each other in the
(17:02):
choir and thinks that we're doing something good. What we
got to do now, and what we've done is I
reshaped that entire department.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
We've brought in new leadership.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
I we're working with our public affairs people and others
to target our messages through email to TV commercials. But
also we're partnering with folks like the NFL, like the NBA,
like the Major League Baseball UFC hunters. I go on
podcast all the time with major players in the veteran
(17:31):
because I want them to know that we're going to
go after the people that are on the fringes. Those
are the people that I want them to know that
they have a chance at the BA. And we want
every veteran to know you're never forgotten.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
We love you. There are people who want to see
you succeed.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
Thank you, Doug, God bless you for that. What about
the homelessness issue? Those numbers two you know in the
six figures, I don't know what the accurate one is
because again you google it and you ask Ai and
it's all over the map, but we know there's tens
of thousands of homeless veterans. And this was an article
from the American Legion that just dropped saying, you guys
just awarded eighty four million dollars in grants to fight
(18:08):
veteran homelessness. And the President has said, I want to
eradicate it in my last term. Doug, how are we
doing that.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
We're doing better, and I think this is an issue.
We're down to about thirty five. I think the number
that we have is between thirty and forty thousand, depending
on the chronicness nature, and some of that is SIU
as opposed to the national average the non veteran population,
we've actually been going down while the non veteran population
has actually been going up. But we're nowhere close to
where we need to be. President Trump has been an
(18:35):
amazing advocate for this. And we have a Center of
Excellence that's going to be in West la and are
across from our hospital out in Los Angeles in which
we're putting upwards of six thousand veterans over the next
few years that are going to be able to be
held there. Because southern California has one of our largest populations.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Draws them out.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Sure, we're also able to put them in as well
with the skills beside the wraparound services to figure out
why they were there. Could it be a you know,
economic issue, is at a mental health issue, is at
an addiction issue.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
We're trying to get that to the Squared away.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
But also I just want to tell you know your
listeners that from December one, well really the middle of
East November through January, we're also doing another push through
all of our hospitals and where we're going out into
the community to known areas of homelessness, and our folks
from the hospitals are going and making contact with these
veterans to get them into temporary housing and shelter. That's
(19:30):
all we call surges, and we're seeing a lot of
success in that. So we're doing everything we can to
make sure that we get them housed.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
All right. We talked a lot about the mental health,
the physical health, the homelessness, and the suicide that kind
of revolves around medical type stuff. People forget you have
a big, big job, meaning you also have to do
the financial aid. You got the GI bill, You've got
VA home loans, you've got access to different types of
loans for businesses, college, you have to be in charge
of the memorial benefits for the funeral services, and then
(19:59):
you have benefits that go to the spouses and the children,
so encompassing all that. How are we doing on making
that better for our veterans and their family members?
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Done well?
Speaker 2 (20:08):
As I said earlier in the in the interview, that
is one of the areas we made some of the
largest improvements of getting the backlogged down, getting the you know,
the answers to the veteran quicker. We shall have an
issue with you know, sometimes the appellate process goes longer
if they don't if they don't like what we said,
and again that's not uncommon, but we go by a
certain formula and that says, okay, if this is service related,
(20:29):
how much is it and if they don't like it,
they can appeal it, which is their right, but that
just takes out longer. But on those initial appeals, we're
seeing those numbers come way down.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
That's actually very helpful.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
The GI Bill for education is still one of the
best tools out there. We're making it more streamlined. They
have apps that they can work off of they're getting
paid quicker, you know, the schools are getting their money.
Vocational rehab and education know is a problem, and as
we go through a shutdown which we're in experiencing, those
are shut down right now, so some of our veterans
(21:01):
who are in transition are not able to access those
kind of things.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
But we're we're putting more people.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
We're gonna be putting almost two hundred and fifty more
people inside our VR and E programs within the next
few months after we get opened back up, so to
make sure that we're getting that that came from a
big pack back push that allowed that also in educational
benefits too, So look, I feel really good. And of
course the one that whether anybody a veteran ever uses
anything else in the BA, almost all of them probably
(21:28):
was at some point use the VA home loan, which
is one of the best things that has ever occurred
at my first house for our DA folks to get
into homes in a very reasonable way in a lower
interest rate.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
So those are the great things we are doing there.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Last question two weeks, I know you got a run, Doug.
There was an article that dropped. Well, this is just
a couple of days ago on November fourth. The trouble
with US veterans benefits isn't rampant fraud like some claim,
it's bureaucratic roadblocks. That's one headline I want to throw
up as I then throw it this sound bite clip
and we'll get your take on the backside, Doug, of
(22:03):
you and a congresswoman during a visit on the hill
a few months back, where she's talking to you and
you're responding about these roadblocks, about how hard it is
for veterans to apply for their benefits like a VA
home loan, like a GI bill. Let's get your response
to that on and after here we go.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
I've said this earlier this morning. I'll say it again,
and I may have partially said it here. The V
when a veteran has to call any one of your
offices and sixty percent of your caseload is the A
caseload when they have to call your.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
Office is a fail. It's a mission fail for us,
it's a mission fail for VA.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
It should not be this hard to get benefits that
are already earned, no matter what the bureaucracy says or
anything else.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
So, Doug, what are we doing to make it easier?
For us to apply for any benefit with the VA.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Yeah, a lot of them are We've already done in
the past by actually streamlining technology has helped our VA
home loans and our educational benefits, the disability initial disability
benefits or something that is a problem. It's like eighteen
pages most of them with legal ees. I have a
group right now that is looking at that to narrow
that down. My hope is that we get it down
to about two pages. And I truly meant what I
(23:11):
said there. I love our vsos, our veteran service organizations.
They do good folks and people who want to help
veterans get their benefits. But why do we have to
have people? This should be simple to where the veteran
can apply, use their you know what they have, provide
the minimal information that they need to to make sure
they meet the qualification, and then we are able to
process the claim. By making it more difficult, it has
(23:33):
been harder for the veteran to do it and they
feel like they have to reach out, which is just
slows things down a lot of times in the process.
So for me, we're focused on the veteran first.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
The veteran.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
What is the only reason we exist. We're making it
easier for them to get the benefits they've already earned.
They did that when they raised their right hand and
they said that I'm going in and I'm going to
serve this country. So we're taking down all the bureaucratic
maze that we can to get them the answers quicker.
And look, there's a lot of things out there that
we're still working on to do better. Of course, at
a four hundred and fifty thousand first workforce, it takes
(24:08):
a lot. But I'm on the phone every day. I'm
contacting our offices. They all know the standard now and
now we're just living to the standard.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Doug, a few seconds left. I'll give you the final word,
just as a message on this Veteran's day to all
of our veterans in this amazing Republic. Senator Doug Collins,
go ahead, sir.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
For my veterans that I've served with, I just want
to say thank you. I've served with you in combat,
in wartimes and bases across the world. I've served with
you in the States. I get to serve you now
as the Secretary of the A. Our veterans are the
ones that give us the freedom in this country. It's
not even the press, it's not the lawyers, it's not
the politicians. It is the veteran who is willing to
(24:44):
serve and stand guard. Whether you served in wartime or
you served in peacetime, you serve and you made sure
our country is strong. We owe you a debt of
gratitude and you've earned the benefit. Make sure that you
use those benefits as you've earned, and as I've heard
some veterans say, because you're humble enough to I don't
use the VA because it must be there for somebody else.
Now it's there for you, and this Secretary wants you
(25:06):
to know that wherever we can help you, come, use
the VA benefits you've earned. We've got enough for everybody.
And why you're doing it. Bring a friend along, call
a buddy. Make sure that they know that every veteran
on this Veter's Day knows that they're not left behind.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Beautiful, beautiful message. Department Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, a chaplain,
a veteran active duty right now in the Air Force,
and attorney, a dad, a husband. Now our secretary, so
many titles you have had over the years. I want
to thank you on this Veteran's Day for your service
in the military in uniform, out of uniform, Doug, God
(25:41):
bless you for helping our veterans. You take care, sir.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
Thank you so much. I'm enjoyed being here.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
Up next, if you're a veteran or a family member
of VET, do you understand and know the benefits that
are available to you and actually how to apply for them.
If not, our next guest, Kate Munroe from Vetcom's going
to fill you in, so stay with us. Viewers are
always asking me how can they watch OA in live.
The solution is simple. It's a streaming platform called cloud tv.
(26:13):
Now it's spelled KLOWDTV. Simply go to cloudtv dot com
and subscribe to watch twenty four to seven live feeds
of OAN. The live package is only two dollars and
fifty cents per month for all you can watch. Again,
simply go to cloudtv dot com and do it today. Hey,
(26:36):
did you know that One America news network has launched
a twenty four to seven Twitter like social media replacement.
We're calling it free Talk forty five. So why is
it branded free Talk forty five? Well, free talk because
you will not be censored for expressing your opinion there
and forty five because forty five is a really lucky number.
(26:58):
So join us at free Talk forty five and express
yourself with no fear of cancelation. Ever, Hey, if your
cable provider doesn't offer one American News Network, you should
get them a call and kindly demand that they carry OAN.
Now you're the customer, and without your feedback, your cable
(27:23):
provider will not know that there is a strong demand
across this country for one America News network. So please
call your cable company today and kindly ask or demand
that they add OANN to their channel lineup. Hey, everyone,
here's a question for you. What does Roku TV, Apple TV,
(27:47):
and Amazon fireTV all have in common. The answer is
that all three platforms offer you the ability to live
stream One America News Network from your Roku TV, Apple
TV or Amazon fired to simply go to the app store,
search out for an then enjoy all the great programming
offered by Olien, including my show Real America. Welcome back
(28:37):
to the special edition of Real America honoring those who've
served on this Veteran's Day. Once an active duty military
member finishes their tour of duty. The first thing they
should do is reach out to the Veteran affairs and
find out what your benefits are. But a lot of
vets don't do that or they don't understand how to
start the process. That's where our next guest steps in.
Kate Monroe is a marine and the founder of Vetcom,
(29:00):
a nonprofit that helps veterans and their family members understand
their benefits and how to get the ball rolling. Kay,
thank you so much for joining us on this such
an important day. But I always throw this out and
I'm gonna do it with I think everybody throughout this
special and I should do it more than one day
a year, since I'm ripping people for only doing something
(29:21):
one day a year, and that is bringing up issues
with our veterans. We've got to talk more about how
they're being left behind and whether it comes to what
you do at Vetcom or it's just calling a VET
to make sure they're okay, making sure it's easy to
get their benefits, get them off the streets that they
fought to protect. There's so many issues, so first and foremost,
and we had a little build up as far as
(29:42):
what you do, but you're the boss, So tell my
viewers at home what vetcom is all about, why you
started it, what the mission statement was back then, and
what it is today and moving forward.
Speaker 5 (29:54):
So Vetcom's one and only purpose is to help veterans
who are not rated or who are underrated, meaning they
are not getting compensated for their disabilities, so they're not
getting compensated enough. Our job is to take them safely
on the journey of getting compensated fully. We have helped
twenty one thousand people get almost eight billion dollars in
lifetime income by quite frankly, just offloading all of the hassle,
(30:16):
the anxiety, and all the bureaucracy onto our plate. Taking
it off of your plate. We actually guarantee our results.
Our average time to getting people rated and compensated is
only four months, which beats the average of eighteen months
by quite a lot. And we're really proud of what
we do. We do the right thing. You know, we
fill two hundred suicide calls per month. You got to
(30:38):
think those are two hundred people that couldn't reach the
VA that we are willing to take on and speak to.
We are helping veterans with their msts, their sexual traumas
getting those recognized. About fifty percent of our claims include
things like that. So we just want veterans to know
on this day, maybe this is a day for you
to heal what you've been hiding, because so many veterans
(30:58):
come to us and they just have hearts and kind
of like I did. I became a broken toy in
the Marine Corps. I was assaulted. I smashed my nose
and eye socket, broke my elbow, my ankle, all my
feelings most importantly, and I think there was some closure
I got by way of getting compensated and seen by
the VA. So why did we start it? Because it's
(31:20):
a hassle and all my brothers and sisters were going
in the ground with nothing, and I said, this can
be better. There's a better way to do this. And
that's really how it was born.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
Man, I should have had John a little bit ago
with the secretary. You could have filled his ear and
head with all the issues that might have opened his eyes.
We have taught.
Speaker 5 (31:36):
Yeah, I'm I've been to a roundtable with him in
DC and he's very bright.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Man.
Speaker 5 (31:40):
I respect him.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
Quite a lot. Yeah, I think we're lucky to have
him in charge. President Trump picked a good, good guy.
We know that for decades the VA has had its issues,
and that doesn't matter if there was an R or
a D in charge in the White House, the House,
or the Senate. The VA has had its issues. You've
had to deal with them. Your charity is based on
literally dealing with the VA to try and get the
(32:01):
veterans the help they need and the benefits they deserve.
Has it gotten any easier this year? Have you noticed
under the new administration? Is it getting better?
Speaker 5 (32:11):
I do feel like in some regard its getting better.
They are trying to truncate the amount of time it
takes veterans to be seen. But I think the real
issue at hand is that the VA operates like a
big insurance company that just quite frankly, does not want
to pay people. And because of that, they also pray
on the anxiety that veterans have. So they know if
(32:32):
they make it too complicated or too much of our hassle,
or they create mistrust, the veterans will just say, you
know what, this is not for me.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
I insurance companies to make you jump through hoops to
get your car fixed, right, just went through that crap
every month. But the minute you wreck the car and
you want it fixed. Well, now wait a minute, we're
going to use some used parts. We've got to have
an adjuster. Come look at it. That sounds like what
the VA does to our Thank god. At fifty one, kid,
I've never had to use any benefits. I've been healthy
as a horse.
Speaker 5 (32:58):
So but do you know what I want to speak
to that for just a second, because you know you
I both served and ideologically there's a breakdown of communication
between veterans understanding that your health care benefit is totally
different than you are compensation benefits. So while you might
not have needed the hospitalization part, like the medical care,
(33:20):
you could be missing out on one to four thousand
dollars a month of compensation. And when you do that,
you are ensuring that the budget gets smaller over time.
You're not doing anyone a favor. So if you're not rated, sir,
we should probably take a look at that.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Uh oh, so now I need to call my friend
Kate at vetcom and see if I'm rated. I mean,
maybe can I get some duty free stuff?
Speaker 2 (33:42):
Right?
Speaker 1 (33:42):
Because I live in commy furnia and stuff costs so much,
So maybe gets an ID to use the base. Again,
that would be a nice benefit.
Speaker 5 (33:48):
Well, that's a nice benefit, but but but really, truly,
you got to think. I said, we helped twenty one
thousand people get nearly eight billion dollars in lifetime income.
So if if you were to make a claim today,
in four months from now, you would likely make one
to four thousand dollars a month packs free for the
rest of your life, auto deposited. So I can tell
(34:08):
you you likely aren't rated because you would know if
you were getting that destance.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
So we're going to get it done. So veterans, we
got a lot of vets that watch this show. Veterans.
This is my friend Kate Monroe. Her charity is called Vetcom.
There's the website. Get yourself rated. See what this country
owes you for the years you gave in uniform to her.
I love that, Kate. God bless you on this Veteran's
Day for helping our brothers and sisters after their service
(34:33):
to this great republic.
Speaker 5 (34:35):
You take care, Thank you for your service.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Thank you. Coming up after the break, check it in
on our bravest. Did you know that the number of
daily veterans suicides currently sits somewhere between twenty two to
forty four, a staggering and chilling number. So what can
we do to reduce these horrific stats? How about picking
up the phone checking on a veteran to see if
(34:58):
they're doing okay, straight ahead a charity that's doing just that. Hey,
did you know that One America News Network has launched
a twenty four to seven Twitter like social media replacement.
We're calling it free Talk forty five. So why is
it branded free Talk forty five? Well, free talk because
(35:20):
you will not be censored for expressing your opinion there,
and forty five because forty five is a really lucky number.
So join us at free Talk forty five and express
yourself with no fear of cancelation. Ever, Hey, if your
cable provider doesn't offer one America News Network, you should
(35:43):
get them a call and kindly demand that they carry
away in Now, you're the customer, and without your feedback,
your cable provider will not know that there is a
strong demand across this country for one America News Network.
So please call your cable company today and kindly ask
or demand that they add o ANN to their channel lineup. Hey, everyone,
(36:12):
here's a question for you. What does Roku TV, Apple TV,
and Amazon fireTV all have in common. The answer is
that all three platforms offer you the ability to live
stream One America News Network from your Roku TV, Apple
TV or Amazon Fire device. Simply go to the app store,
(36:32):
search out for an then enjoy all the great programming
offered by including my show Real America. Viewers are always
asking me how can they watch OAN live? The solution
is simple. It's a streaming platform called cloud tv now
(36:52):
it's spelled klowd TV. Simply go to cloudtv dot com
and subscribe to watch twenty four to seven live feeds
of a wayn The live package is only two dollars
and fifty cents per month for all you can watch. Again,
simply go to cloudtv dot com and do it today.
(37:39):
So Veteran suicide. It's been on the rise ever since
we started those two never ending wars in Iraq in Afghanistan,
and while the federal government says the number is somewhere
around twenty two a day taking their own lives, many
veteran groups I've spoken with say no no, no suicides
amongst our bravest that are going unreported make the real
number more like forty four a day. Our next guest
(38:01):
is an Army veteran and the founder of the charity
Check a Vet. Michael Carmichael has dedicated his life now
to helping veterans get through their trauma, saving lives one
phone call at a time. Michael, nice to see you again,
my friend. This is a day when, unfortunately your nonprofit
(38:24):
probably is very busy. And how do I say this
nicely to you? I hope that we can get to
a place, Michael, where your charity is no longer needed,
meaning we're not having to check on vets who might
be thinking about committing suicide. I was speaking with the
VA secretary a little bit before you and we were
(38:46):
talking about those numbers, and you and I have talked
about him for a long time. But let's just review, brother,
what are we facing every day in this nation when
it comes to the brave men and women that have
donned that uniform that are taking their lives.
Speaker 6 (39:00):
According to Operation Deep Dive and the VA's numbers, we
lose forty four veterans a day to suicide. Forty four
get us straight. Everybody that puts us since nine to eleven,
up to three hundred and sixty thousand veterans that we've lost.
Speaker 7 (39:17):
It's time to do something.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
Yeah, it is. It truly is. If folks don't know,
and we gave a little bit of an intro to you,
what is check a Vet all about.
Speaker 6 (39:29):
So we're a national nonprofit to prevent veteran suicide by
getting to mobilize Americans to check on their veterans. You
guys need to help us out. Make sure that your
veterans are doing okay. Look them in the face, make
sure that they're okay. And for God's sakes, it's Veterans
Day coming up. Please plant something and do all that
(39:51):
you can with your veterans to uplift them.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Michael, something you and I was talking about every time
you come on is the unfortunate reality that most people
only think about those veteran family members or friends, let's say,
if they're distant, not like in the house on Veterans Day.
And that's the real problem. There's three hundred and sixty
five days a year, and if you're only thinking about
(40:14):
our veterans one day, we're going to keep losing forty
four a day. Right. So your message to people when
it comes to actually checking on them should be what Michael.
Speaker 6 (40:24):
It needs to be meaningful in person connection, not a
text go and get.
Speaker 7 (40:29):
Them, and it needs to be routine.
Speaker 1 (40:31):
There you go.
Speaker 6 (40:32):
The struggle with suicide is a daily struggle, so the
treatment for suicide needs to be daily as well.
Speaker 7 (40:40):
We need to wrap our arms around our nation's heroes.
Let's do something.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
Yeah, amen, what are the warning signs? Michael? Tell my
viewers what should they be looking for in that cousin,
that uncle, that brother that served, that's dealing with those
horrific nightmares, that PTSD, that traumatic brain injury or trauma.
What should we be looking.
Speaker 6 (40:58):
For some of the I guess ones DAN or isolation, depression,
substance abuse, disheveled appearance.
Speaker 7 (41:10):
People just letting themselves go.
Speaker 6 (41:12):
When your veteran is not acting like you're a good
old veteran, it's time to check on them meaningfully.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
Yeah. Yeah, What do you need from us when it
comes to resources? Because I got to imagine being a nonprofit,
you probably just don't have cash flowing out of your ears.
And I don't know if you get any government subsidies
or help. You should for what you're doing the VA.
I think, in my opinion, I should have said this
to Doug earlier. I think the VA, if they want
to start really helping this is start giving out some
of those millions to private nonprofit groups that are helping veterans,
(41:42):
like in the flesh out in the field right instead
of the big government VA buildings. Not that I'm saying
the VA is doing a bad job, but they could
do a hell of a lot better. So how do
you fund and how can we help fund you more
so that we can help you check on more vets
and save more lives.
Speaker 6 (42:00):
First off, every penny that's donated into check a Vet
stays with the mission. We've only got one person who
receives a paycheck, and that's our bookkeeper. Everybody else on
staff is doing it for the right reasons.
Speaker 7 (42:14):
I can't do anything about.
Speaker 6 (42:15):
The forty four that we lost yesterday, but with America's help,
please help us to give us the resources that we
can get after this mission, we literally just left Nashville, Tennessee,
and came all the way out here to hell out
to Montana because this is the worst state in the nation.
And as I'm out here in the state capitol, Dan,
(42:35):
I'm looking around. We're the only veteran nonprofit out here
that's out here for veteran suicide. We're it. So give
us the resources and I'll put them to use.
Speaker 7 (42:48):
Everything that we got goes right into the mission.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
Check avet dot org is the website. It's the organization
of my friends CEO and founder of check Evet, Michael Carmichael.
I can tell you, folks, he and I have had
many offline conversations in the evenings and over weekends. I
know where this guy's heart and head stands. And you
will be helping our brave veterans if you help Michael
check on our vets. God bless you. Thank you for
(43:14):
your service, and I'm checking in on you. You look like
you're doing well. You take care of my brother.
Speaker 7 (43:20):
Yes, sir, thank you, Thank you for your service.
Speaker 1 (43:22):
Yep, God bless you. Coming up after the break, Navy
Seal veteran Mike Cirelli's going to join us with a
special message for all who've served. Stay with us. Hey,
if your cable provider doesn't offer one America News network,
you should give him a call and kindly demand that
(43:42):
they carry away in. Now you're the customer, and without
your feedback, your cable provider will not know that there
is a strong demand across this country for One America
News Network, So please call your cable company today and
kindly ask or that they add o ANN to their
(44:02):
channel lineup. Hey everyone, here's a question for you. What
does Roku TV, Apple TV, and Amazon fireTV all have
in common? The answer is that all three platforms offer
you the ability to live stream One America News Network
from your Roku TV, Apple TV or Amazon Fire device.
(44:26):
Simply go to the app store, search out for an,
then enjoy all the great programming offered by ON, including
my show Real America. Viewers are always asking me how
can they watch OAN live? The solution is simple. It's
a streaming platform called cloud tv. Now it's spelled klowd TV.
(44:52):
Simply go to cloudtv dot com and subscribe to watch
twenty four to seven live feeds of OAN the live pack.
It is only two dollars and fifty cents per month
for all you can watch. Again, simply go to cloudtv
dot com and do it today. Hey, did you know
that One America News Network has launched a twenty four
(45:15):
to seven Twitter like social media replacement. We're calling it
free Talk forty five. So why is it branded free
Talk forty five? Well, free talk because you will not
be censored for expressing your opinion there. And forty five
because forty five is a really lucky number. So join
us at free Talk forty five and express yourself with
(45:38):
no fear of cancelation ever. Thanks foresting with us, folks.
(46:08):
I wanted to end this special program on Veterans' Day
with a message, a big message of gratitude to all
the brave patriotic men and women who've donned that uniform,
whether it's Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Space Force,
you all have done a great service to your nation
and we are indebted to you forever for it's you
and you alone who have sacrificed along with your family members.
(46:32):
Thank you, thank you, thank you. So to wrap up
this special I'd like to welcome back a friend of
the program, retired Navy Seal Officer and Chief Talent Officer
for Overwatch Mission Critical, Mike Sirelli, with a message to
all you veterans. Mike, nice to see you again, and
by the way, thank you so much for joining us
on this very very special day in our nation. And
(46:55):
you know, and I'm going to say this throughout this
entire special tonight. I don't care if I sound like
a broken record, because folks hear me say it every
year since I've been doing this show. Why do we
only honor our veterans one day a year? Mike, I
kind of have a problem with that.
Speaker 8 (47:13):
Yes, I think you and a lot of Americans, millions
of Americans, have a problem with that. You know, some
demographic scale, a whole month of celebration one day for
our living veterans. We get one day for our fallen
It seems a very It seems like a disservice to
those who are willing to sacrifice their lives and honor
(47:34):
that covenant of service to protect our constitution in our
way of life.
Speaker 1 (47:39):
Yeah, you make a great point, right, And I'm not
saying we shouldn't have these months that honor Native American,
Black History, Asian American, whatever. We have the LGBTK, we
got months for those. But you know what, in the military,
all of those people are encompassed, right. It doesn't matter
(48:00):
in color or religion or gender. The military is made
up of all those folks that get those special months
or weeks or days. So I agree with you. How
about we start pushing this administration to make the entire
month of November a month to honor our veterans. We
might be able to get it done with the current administration. Mike,
I don't know, what do you think.
Speaker 3 (48:21):
The time is now?
Speaker 8 (48:22):
You're absolutely right with this administration, and this administration has
already made so many waves of bringing pride and honor
back to our military. I mean, look at the recruiting numbers, right,
They've already recruiting numbers for twenty twenty six. And that
is that's historic. It was we called the Trump effect
and the Pete Haikseeth effect. They've restored that, and so
our service members are actually proud to be in Americans.
(48:43):
Americans again. The young Americans are are fighting to get
into the military as it should be. And you know
that is Veterans Day, man. That is one generation honoring
those who served and passing the baton onto the next.
And Dan, if you look at it, from seventeen seventy
five to this this moment in time, forty two million
(49:04):
Americans have worn the uniform. And some people may think
that's a large number. I actually don't. I think that
that number should be in the hundreds of millions. Given
our history is people should want to serve. It is
a what is service it? You know, service to me
is deciding that your life isn't your own that you
(49:25):
owe it. There's a solemn duty that covenant to your nation,
just as the past generations have to defend our way
of life. And whether you serve for four years, twenty years,
or thirty years, it's the fact that you serve, not
the tenure in which you served.
Speaker 3 (49:39):
And more young.
Speaker 8 (49:40):
Americans need to step up America as a whole. These
recognize that these men and women made a sacrifice time
away from way less sleep to serve our nation.
Speaker 1 (49:48):
Amen, it is a sacrifice, and you know it's it's
a public service, right And let's be real. This isn't
like you're running for mayor or city council or governor
or president or whatever, which, yes, those jobs can be
difficult to but let's be real, this is true, true
public service. Your pay is crap, your life is on
the line, and when you get out, which we're discussing today,
(50:11):
let's be real. We haven't always treated our veterans as
we should. We had the Secretary on earlier in this
special to discuss the massive changes they've been making at
the VA thanks to the Trump administration and the new secretary.
But obviously, you know, Mike, still more needs to be done.
You were a team leader in the Seals as an officer.
(50:32):
How do you think we should be better preparing the
active duty troops when they retire or finish their four
year tour whatever, when they become a veteran, because I
feel like we don't do enough of that. We don't
talk to them about what their benefits are and what
being a veteran means. I feel like we got to
prep them better. Do you agree with that?
Speaker 8 (50:52):
Yes, in neither the military trains you to do your
job very well, and sometimes they train you for years
to do that job. The military is not good at
transitioning people out and preparing them for life. In the
civilian sector. It's never been a course strike that it
never will be, and this is where the private sector
needs to step up quite frankly, for those that never served,
this is your opportunity to give a veteran a chance.
(51:13):
And I even hate using that language, give them a chance,
I mean veterans bring. Yeah, the number one thing that
everyone's looking for leadership.
Speaker 1 (51:19):
They've been for themselves. They can show up on time.
They can look clean cut, they can follow rules and
orders right, Like, why would you want some joe blow
off the street for your job versus a guy or
gal who for four years or twenty five years had
to wake up at the crack of dawn. Pet you know,
shave no no hair, hair is in great uniform iron
(51:40):
like I want those workers before some college grad cry baby, anyway,
go ahead.
Speaker 8 (51:46):
Mike, Hey, just show up on time and work hard.
And that's what you're gonna get with most veterans. But
the private sector, you know, the military knew they were
never going to be able to solve this, especially during
the Globe War and terror when enlistment went up in
a lot of veterans as we're getting out. So you know,
even our company, which we are predominantly you know, veteran
known company, we're forty three percent veterans. We run a
(52:07):
program called Anchors of Hope where we pull other companies
in from the data center industry and we say, just
hire one veteran between the periods of D Day, celebrating
that in November eleventh, and companies just don't hire one,
they hire multiple veterans, and the results are usually above
their expectations. They like I said, they show up on time,
(52:28):
their process oriented, they work hard, and they know how
to operate as a team, and they know how to
self educate. And that really is that it is a
tough cultural trans transition, and there's no way to sugarcoat that.
In the military, we put a precedence on conformity, loyalty
to country, team above self and that's not the same
(52:48):
in the private sector. And we're not saying that's a
bad thing, but that takes time to adjust for when
they're working along somebody who may not care about them whatsoever.
And so that justment is hard. And a lot of
times veterans don't know what they want to do. They
think they may know what they want to do. They
give that job a chance and they realize it. Maybe
it does.
Speaker 1 (53:07):
Whiches again, why we need better separation classes when you separate,
to give you some guidance on things you might want
to go into. I'm almost out of time, Mike. I
want to give you the final word on what Veterans
Day means to you and a message you as a
former commanding officer of Seal Team one.
Speaker 8 (53:23):
I think it was, but no, I was a strike
force commander at Naval Special Warfare Advice.
Speaker 1 (53:29):
Oh okay, I thought, I thought you, But which team
are you on? You're on Team one for a.
Speaker 8 (53:31):
While, so priory, Comerene, I served at Seal Team three three.
Speaker 1 (53:35):
Okay, on to your commanded troops. Different than a little
E four and listened guy like me. So I would
like to hear from officers on their messaging to the troops,
and so just give us a final word here on
on this Veteran's Day. Your message to the troops who
will be separating soon as they become veterans, and why
Veterans Day is so special to Mike's Arelli.
Speaker 8 (53:55):
Well, yeah, first off, call me Mike's Airelli at Watch
or we are Overwatch dot com. If I can't get
you a job, I can at least give you some
advice and that's free. But you know, hey, first off,
thank you for your service. You know what you've done
and the sacrifices you've made to protect our freedoms. And
I'm an old that now and it takes me five
minutes to get out of bed.
Speaker 1 (54:15):
You know it's.
Speaker 8 (54:16):
You've protected me and my family and there is nothing
I can say to truly show you the gratitude for serving,
but you know, give yourself grace when you get out.
It sometimes takes a couple of time or a couple
jobs to figure out what you want to do and
where you want to land in the right culture. But
you have been taught everything you need to know by
the military to succeed, from discipline to commitment to focus.
(54:41):
You are more powerful than you ever will believe. And
you can start your own companies, or you can succeed
within companies and continue to serve out of uniform by
building the economy, which is our most which is our
biggest strength by far. That's what allows us to defend
freedom across the world.
Speaker 1 (55:00):
Employ or military, Mike Sirelli has always retired Navy Seal
Chief Talent Officer at Overwatch Mission Critical. Thank you, brother
for weighing in on this veteran's day, and thank you
for your service to this great Republic. God bless you, Mike.
Speaker 8 (55:13):
Happy veterans dah Yeah, and.
Speaker 1 (55:16):
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(57:33):
as an Air Force veteran and a father and a patriot,
I'd just like to say to all of you out there,
from the bottom of my heart, thank you to all
who have served. And might I make a suggestion to
the rest of America who hasn't served. Don't wait. Don't
wait for just that one day a year where you
say thank you to a veteran, or that one day
(57:55):
a year when you check on that uncle of yours
who was a veteran. Trust me, if you just pick
the phone up, send a text, write an email, go
over to their house and knock on the door and
say thank you, it will mean the world to them
and bigger picture, as you heard from Michael Carmichael earlier
in this program, you just might save a life too,
(58:17):
so again, on this Veteran's Day and every day of
the year, let's remember why this nation stays free. It's
all thanks to our heroes and our armed forces. So
thank you all. God bless you, God bless America. And goodnight,
Good evening. I'm Dan Bull, and thank you so much
for joining us for this very special edition of Real
America on this Veteran's Day, honoring those who've served as
we as a nation, as a republic, say a collective
big thank you, a huge thank you to all the
brave men and women of our armed forces. I can't
say it enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you for
(00:50):
your sacrifice and for your service to this great nation.
We wouldn't be a republic without you. So we begin
the special program, which is dedicated one hundred percent to
our veterans and veterans issues with a Real America exclusive.
For years now, the Department of Veterans Affairs has had
its fair share of criticism. Let's say, from those crazy
(01:14):
long wait lines we've all heard about, to unanswered suicide
tip phone lines. How about those lazy and negligent staff
members that Trump fired in his first term, and of
course the corruption. It's a federal agency that has come
under fire and under the microscope more than once over
the years. But now with President Trump back in charge,
(01:35):
things are changing. And that's all thanks to the man
who forty seven put in charge a veteran, a man
of faith, former Georgia Congressman Doug Collins, who is still
on active duty serving as a chaplain in the Air
Force Reserve, and now the man who all of us
as veterans looked too in his new role as Secretary
(01:55):
of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and with today being
Veterans Day, Scretary Collins was kind enough to give us
nearly thirty minutes of his time in which we discussed
a wide array of issues facing our heroes every day.
Here now that exclusive interview with Secretary Collins. Secretary Collins,
thank you so much for joining us. I know you
(02:16):
have such a busy schedule these days because running the
VA is not an easy job as a veteran, but
also as a journalist, dug Over the three plus decades
I've been on television, I have reported myself alone on
dozens and dozens of not so good stories about the VA,
(02:37):
right problems with the VA. And so you're handed a
department that, let me throw some numbers out, has over
four hundred and seventy thousand employees, has over nine million
If you will customers veterans and their family members you help.
You have some of the largest hospitals in our country
and your budget is massive. So how's been the first
(03:01):
nine months for Doug Collins, the Secretary of the VIA.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Oh well, well that kind of introduction, you know, just yeah,
really it's been easy. You know, sit back, you know,
have a class t and everything's great.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Now.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
It's look, I tell this all the time, and it's
on Veterans Day. We talk about, you know, being veterans.
But I have the best job in the cabinet. Everybody
else can say they do, but I do because I
get to take care.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Of the best people in the world, that's our veterans.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
And we started it out by saying that the VA
is going to become and go back to this roots,
and that is everything we do is about a veteran.
It's that's our first and for it's our first thought
and our last thought. Is anything that we do, how
we do it for our veterans. And it's just a mindset.
And I've been looking. I was in Congress right years
I dealt with the VA through some of the troubled
(03:46):
times twelve thirteen years ago.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
I know where this you know how people interact with it.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
But what we have done is is had a really
a great time hitting the ground running and laying out
what I call standards. And the standards are that we're
going to have the system in the country. We're the
largest system in the country, and we're going to act
like it. And that means leadership has become a pigh priority.
But at the end of the day, I tell all
our senior leaders, everybody that works for the VA, you
have one job, and the only job you have is
(04:13):
because a veteran walks through our doors. And if we
don't understand that, then we thought we've lost our mission.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
You know, when you're dealing with people, and especially when
it comes to our veterans on the medical side of it, right,
there seems to be no more bedside manner anywhere in
the medical profession. And so I want people to get
to know Secretary Doug Collins. I feel like when people
know the people they're dealing with, right whether they're emailing
or calling into the VA and they're trying to get
(04:38):
some benefits, whether it's medical or gibill or whatever, or
they just want to express some problems they're having, they
want to know who they're working with and the guy
in charge is this guy. So Doug, let's back up
real quick before we get into some of the key
issues that the VA's facing today, and just tell them
who you are, right coming from Georgia, being in Congress,
being in two branches of the military. Can you back
(04:59):
up and and tell us how little Doug all started
to get into your faith because I saw a degree
in theology. You're a chaplain in the United States Air Force,
but then you got into politics. So give us that
background on who Doug Collins is first, and then we'll
get into the issues you're trying to tackle.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Well, dev I'd love to I'm a troopers kid from
North Georgia. My dad was a Georgia State Trooper. My
mom worked with senior adults. I had a foundation of
a home that valued public service that you know. I
watched my dad go out in some very difficult times
and he would come back, you know, but he always
you know, he would see the kind of the worst
of community, but yet he was always very positive. He
(05:36):
helped grow us up. He taught football, he was involved
in things in the community, and that just said that
laid the foundation for me. He was in the National
Guard earlier in his life, and for me, it became
a journey as Lisa, my wife of really over about
thirty seven years now, has been together that we have
a life of service and we believe that God has
just placed us in places that allow for that. I've
(05:59):
been in sales, but been a pastor for eleven years,
as you said, was in the Navy for a while,
went back into the Air Force in two thousand and two.
I've been there ever since. I'm a colonel, deployed to
Iraq back in eight nine time frame. And you know,
and you know also have a law degree and that
after I left the pastor. So for me, I really
(06:20):
believe this. You know, there's many people who have talked
about Trump's cabinet. They've talked about you know, who are
these people? And you know they don't have the pedigrees.
I think I've got the perfect pedigree. I think I
come from folks who understand public service. I come from
a background of being a pastor and a chaplain in
the Air Force for now combined over twenty five years.
I'm a lawyer, but I'm also I was a state
(06:40):
legislator and a United States congressman. I'm the first congressman
to serve in this roles. It's the early nineteen nineties,
so I know how to deal with Congress. I think
for this time and this purpose to make the changes
at the VA we need to make. I believe I've
been I believe God's placement at the time. And President
Trump said he wanted me to do this. He said,
take care of veterans. So for me, it's a labor
(07:00):
of love to know that we can help each other,
we can help veterans, but also raise the standard of
what everybody has thought. Yes, I've also made another statement here.
You're not only going to have for me from my heart.
My heart is is that for too long, the VA
has been the whipping post for too many in Washington, DC,
whether it be the media or Congress or other people.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
And here's what I've determined. If you lie.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
About the VA or my employees, then you're gonna get
called out, and I will call you out for lying.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Now.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
If we're doing something wrong, we will fix it. But
you're not going to just use us as political polems
and political toys anymore. The VA is going to take
care of the veterans, and we're going to cut through
the bureaucracy and the I want to play the advocate
for veterans when I want to but yet do nothing
in the past. We're going to make sure that we're
actually focused on what we need to do and take
care of veterans.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
You know, Secretary, that's interesting you bring that up about
people lying about the changes that have been being made
within the VA since you took over the helm because
I happened to find a clip of you testifying before.
I think this one was a Senate committee, because I've
got another clip of you testifying before some folks in
the House, and this was several months back. This was
(08:08):
right after DOGE was making their big recommended cuts, right
in February, March and April, and you were in the
hot seat on the hill and these Democrat of course
Democrat senators, and I can't believe it happens to also
be mister Blumenthal, the guy that lied about his military service,
decided to try to take you to task for the
cuts that you're going to be making or have made.
(08:29):
So I want to play this clip and then get
your take on the backside.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Go ahead, and then reinstate them when the courts tell you,
as they will, that they've been wrongfully terminated.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
We're talking about less than one half of one percent,
mister Ian, miss rank member, you've got you. You've thrown
out numbers of thousands. This is exactly what I'm fighting against.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
You may workforce, but they are the physicians.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
No rank member, I will not let you do that.
I will not let you sit here and scare my
veterans and scare my employs because there's been no I mean,
you must have stuff that again, you're looking at making
a prediction in the future, because no one has discussed
firing doctors or firing nurses. We have always said that
we're going to keep frontline healthcare.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
So, Doug, I have a headline here when you were
visiting the fair city I live in about a month
or two ago in San Diego talking about you defending
your staff reductions at the VA. The Democrats believe you're
getting rid of nurses and doctors. Would you now like
to set the record straight on those cuts that were
made back in the spring and summer and that may
(09:39):
still be made looking forward, because let's be real. Even
though you might hear veterans sometimes complain like I need this,
I need that, there's not enough people, there's not enough services.
That it up you're not cutting anything that would directly
affect those people, because let's be real, almost every department
at the federal level has some bloated, bloated staffing that
needs cleaning up. Oh go ahead, Secretary Collins phill Us in.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Well, I still stand behind everything I told Center Blimoth
th All, Center, Blimouthal at times unfortunately has a awkward
position with the truth a.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Lot of times.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
But here is the big part that I have with
it is I want to just correct some and we
cut no one. In fact, we now we have had
a reduction and staff of about thirty thousand people, all
of which came through a voluntary early retirement. We did
not fire anyone in the VA. They took that and
so it was and all those are outside of three
(10:33):
hundred plus three hundred thousand plus positions, and we said
you're not eligible for early retirement. That was all in
our healthcare, our disability benefits. So we found the areas
in which this department had grown in both money and people.
But we're not making the right change as we go forward.
In other words, the metrics in which we measured ourselves
by we're going in the wrong directions wait times, which
(10:55):
is not a good way to measure us. But wait
times we're not good. People are waiting too. Disability backlog
was over two hundred and sixty five thousand when I
came in on February the fifth. Today, on Veterans Day,
I can report to you that we're right around one
hundred and fifteen thousand. We've cut off almost one hundred
and fifty thousand off the one hundred and twenty five
day back law. That means our veterans are getting answers quicker.
(11:18):
But on the top end of that, we had over
a million claims pending. We're right under right at six
hundred thousand right now, so we've taken off almost four
hundred thousand of just regular claims that we're processing in
the normal fashion. So for anybody to say that we
cut which is a lie. Anything else that is, as
Bluemith all said, your firing doctors a lie. All of
(11:39):
this was a day in which we made the changes
and put the veteran first. So for us, you know, look,
I want to defend my workforce. They've done a great job.
But we had gotten to a point where money and
people were not solving the problems at the VA we
had to have leadership to put people in the right
places to use the right way we go forward. So
I'll stand behind it every bit of the way that
(11:59):
we have.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
All Right, Trey con sounds good to me. How about
another one here? Politico reported on you, oh geez, only
a few days ago in this one, promising to overhaul
a lot of the poor performing medical centers, and that
I want to dive into a little bit deeper as well.
Besides cleaning up some of the medical centers, there's also
been a call, I think with your department to put
(12:23):
some new facilities in rural areas and underserved areas for veterans.
So how are we going about that as far as
revamping ones that say don't look that well, aren't that clean,
aren't running that efficiently? Or do we close those down
and build new ones? What about getting those ural areas?
Kind of give us that overview on your plan for
taking care of the facilities we have now and potentially
any new ones that may open up.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
I love to because this is a very passionate part
of my job is making sure that we're providing the
best product for our veterans. Look, CMS is a standard
for hospitals across the country, private public, VA government CMS
has a measuring stick in which they measure from one
to five on a scale on good performing and poor
performing hospitals. I'll be I do have to say that
(13:07):
the vast majority of our VA medical centers outperformed the community,
both public and private hospitals across the country, with many
at five and four ratings. But we do have twos
and threes, and up until last year we had some ones.
I made a statement earlier this summer that said, my
standard is only fives and fours, So threes and twos
under the CMS rating system, we were going to do
(13:28):
everything we can to move them to five and fours.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Now we're one VA.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Unfortunately, many of the hospitals acted as if they were startups.
I threw away that motion and said, if you've got
VA on the side of your building, you're part of
the largest healthcare network around. So we're taking the fives
and fours and training the twos and threes to upgrade
and how they can do their facilities better. And what
political was reporting was the fact that we had all
we had the twos and threes who are administrators and
(13:54):
workers in those hospitals training in New Orleans a few
weeks ago to learn how that they can do tricks
are in trade tips from other hospitals in the VA
system to make sure their hospital gets better. And then
on top of that, we brought back the Mission Act.
The Mission Act was put in under Donald Trump's first
administration to get people, the veterans, the ability to go
into the community and get care. The Biden administration basically
(14:16):
did away with that for the last four years. We're
bringing back the law. And now if we have veterans
who need to get into the community for care that
may not be able to get into you know, have
the services at our VA facility or others, they're able
to get into the community. And we're building sea box
those clinics that are in different areas, and we've had
dozens already that we've already put together just this year,
(14:36):
and they're allowing people to get care closer to home,
closer to where they are, without having to drive into
our large hospitals.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
That is great news, Doug, That is really truly great news.
All right, So got the medical side of it. Two
other big main issues that the VA helps out with
that I would feel that some would say the VA
needs to do more. I know you personally are trying
to do all you can. And that is the issue
of veteran suicide. And then I want to touch on
(15:05):
veteran homelessness because I know that's a big one for
you and for President Trump. He's talked about eradicating it
in his next three years, and I hope to golly
we can. Let's begin with the suicide the real numbers, Doug,
you and I know I've had a lot of nonprofit
and veteran groups on this program the last five years.
The government has told us for decades it's twenty one
or twenty two. Every group I talk to says that's underreported.
(15:28):
It's almost double. It's more like forty four or forty
five one. Where do you think the number stands? And
what are you doing now? Is the top dog at
the VA to help this problem so we get it
down to zero?
Speaker 2 (15:39):
YEA, Look, I think the biggest number here is somewhere
between seven seventeen and really probably the upper twenties thirties.
It could be then the real reason there and some
people may say, well, why wouldn't you know? Frankly, death
by suicide is still in many areas of our country
not talked about is the reporting view very unfortunately shameful
(15:59):
in today we don't have sometimes the you know, the
basically the coroners and others not reporting it as a suicide. Sure,
that's how you get the disparity in numbers. But here's
what we're doing. Here's a couple of concerns. Number one,
we spend five hundred and eighty eight million dollars on
preventive work. What I found was, though, is when I
(16:19):
started asking what are we actually doing, I come to
find out we really didn't have a very focused plan.
It was sort of a scattershot And then I found
out something that really put me on edge and said,
we've got to completely rechange what we're doing. Because what
we found out was is sixty percent of those whether
you seventeen, twenty two or whatever, have never had any
(16:40):
contact with the VA. So if we're spending five hundred
and eighty eight million dollars a year for the past
four or five six years, billions over the past ten
to fifteen years, and we're still at the same number
and sixty percent of those folks have never been in
contact with the VA for mental health counseling or anything else.
Then we're going after the wrong crowd. We're like we're
at the church that talks to each other in the
(17:02):
choir and thinks that we're doing something good. What we
got to do now, and what we've done is I
reshaped that entire department.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
We've brought in new leadership.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
I we're working with our public affairs people and others
to target our messages through email to TV commercials. But
also we're partnering with folks like the NFL, like the NBA,
like the Major League Baseball UFC hunters. I go on
podcast all the time with major players in the veteran
(17:31):
because I want them to know that we're going to
go after the people that are on the fringes. Those
are the people that I want them to know that
they have a chance at the BA. And we want
every veteran to know you're never forgotten.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
We love you. There are people who want to see
you succeed.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
Thank you, Doug, God bless you for that. What about
the homelessness issue? Those numbers two you know in the
six figures, I don't know what the accurate one is
because again you google it and you ask Ai and
it's all over the map, but we know there's tens
of thousands of homeless veterans. And this was an article
from the American Legion that just dropped saying, you guys
just awarded eighty four million dollars in grants to fight
(18:08):
veteran homelessness. And the President has said, I want to
eradicate it in my last term. Doug, how are we
doing that.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
We're doing better, and I think this is an issue.
We're down to about thirty five. I think the number
that we have is between thirty and forty thousand, depending
on the chronicness nature, and some of that is SIU
as opposed to the national average the non veteran population,
we've actually been going down while the non veteran population
has actually been going up. But we're nowhere close to
where we need to be. President Trump has been an
(18:35):
amazing advocate for this. And we have a Center of
Excellence that's going to be in West la and are
across from our hospital out in Los Angeles in which
we're putting upwards of six thousand veterans over the next
few years that are going to be able to be
held there. Because southern California has one of our largest populations.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Draws them out.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Sure, we're also able to put them in as well
with the skills beside the wraparound services to figure out
why they were there. Could it be a you know,
economic issue, is at a mental health issue, is at
an addiction issue.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
We're trying to get that to the Squared away.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
But also I just want to tell you know your
listeners that from December one, well really the middle of
East November through January, we're also doing another push through
all of our hospitals and where we're going out into
the community to known areas of homelessness, and our folks
from the hospitals are going and making contact with these
veterans to get them into temporary housing and shelter. That's
(19:30):
all we call surges, and we're seeing a lot of
success in that. So we're doing everything we can to
make sure that we get them housed.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
All right. We talked a lot about the mental health,
the physical health, the homelessness, and the suicide that kind
of revolves around medical type stuff. People forget you have
a big, big job, meaning you also have to do
the financial aid. You got the GI bill, You've got
VA home loans, you've got access to different types of
loans for businesses, college, you have to be in charge
of the memorial benefits for the funeral services, and then
(19:59):
you have benefits that go to the spouses and the children,
so encompassing all that. How are we doing on making
that better for our veterans and their family members?
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Done well?
Speaker 2 (20:08):
As I said earlier in the in the interview, that
is one of the areas we made some of the
largest improvements of getting the backlogged down, getting the you know,
the answers to the veteran quicker. We shall have an
issue with you know, sometimes the appellate process goes longer
if they don't if they don't like what we said,
and again that's not uncommon, but we go by a
certain formula and that says, okay, if this is service related,
(20:29):
how much is it and if they don't like it,
they can appeal it, which is their right, but that
just takes out longer. But on those initial appeals, we're
seeing those numbers come way down.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
That's actually very helpful.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
The GI Bill for education is still one of the
best tools out there. We're making it more streamlined. They
have apps that they can work off of they're getting
paid quicker, you know, the schools are getting their money.
Vocational rehab and education know is a problem, and as
we go through a shutdown which we're in experiencing, those
are shut down right now, so some of our veterans
(21:01):
who are in transition are not able to access those
kind of things.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
But we're we're putting more people.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
We're gonna be putting almost two hundred and fifty more
people inside our VR and E programs within the next
few months after we get opened back up, so to
make sure that we're getting that that came from a
big pack back push that allowed that also in educational
benefits too, So look, I feel really good. And of
course the one that whether anybody a veteran ever uses
anything else in the BA, almost all of them probably
(21:28):
was at some point use the VA home loan, which
is one of the best things that has ever occurred
at my first house for our DA folks to get
into homes in a very reasonable way in a lower
interest rate.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
So those are the great things we are doing there.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Last question two weeks, I know you got a run, Doug.
There was an article that dropped. Well, this is just
a couple of days ago on November fourth. The trouble
with US veterans benefits isn't rampant fraud like some claim,
it's bureaucratic roadblocks. That's one headline I want to throw
up as I then throw it this sound bite clip
and we'll get your take on the backside, Doug, of
(22:03):
you and a congresswoman during a visit on the hill
a few months back, where she's talking to you and
you're responding about these roadblocks, about how hard it is
for veterans to apply for their benefits like a VA
home loan, like a GI bill. Let's get your response
to that on and after here we go.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
I've said this earlier this morning. I'll say it again,
and I may have partially said it here. The V
when a veteran has to call any one of your
offices and sixty percent of your caseload is the A
caseload when they have to call your.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
Office is a fail. It's a mission fail for us,
it's a mission fail for VA.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
It should not be this hard to get benefits that
are already earned, no matter what the bureaucracy says or
anything else.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
So, Doug, what are we doing to make it easier?
For us to apply for any benefit with the VA.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Yeah, a lot of them are We've already done in
the past by actually streamlining technology has helped our VA
home loans and our educational benefits, the disability initial disability
benefits or something that is a problem. It's like eighteen
pages most of them with legal ees. I have a
group right now that is looking at that to narrow
that down. My hope is that we get it down
to about two pages. And I truly meant what I
(23:11):
said there. I love our vsos, our veteran service organizations.
They do good folks and people who want to help
veterans get their benefits. But why do we have to
have people? This should be simple to where the veteran
can apply, use their you know what they have, provide
the minimal information that they need to to make sure
they meet the qualification, and then we are able to
process the claim. By making it more difficult, it has
(23:33):
been harder for the veteran to do it and they
feel like they have to reach out, which is just
slows things down a lot of times in the process.
So for me, we're focused on the veteran first.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
The veteran.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
What is the only reason we exist. We're making it
easier for them to get the benefits they've already earned.
They did that when they raised their right hand and
they said that I'm going in and I'm going to
serve this country. So we're taking down all the bureaucratic
maze that we can to get them the answers quicker.
And look, there's a lot of things out there that
we're still working on to do better. Of course, at
a four hundred and fifty thousand first workforce, it takes
(24:08):
a lot. But I'm on the phone every day. I'm
contacting our offices. They all know the standard now and
now we're just living to the standard.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Doug, a few seconds left. I'll give you the final word,
just as a message on this Veteran's day to all
of our veterans in this amazing Republic. Senator Doug Collins,
go ahead, sir.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
For my veterans that I've served with, I just want
to say thank you. I've served with you in combat,
in wartimes and bases across the world. I've served with
you in the States. I get to serve you now
as the Secretary of the A. Our veterans are the
ones that give us the freedom in this country. It's
not even the press, it's not the lawyers, it's not
the politicians. It is the veteran who is willing to
(24:44):
serve and stand guard. Whether you served in wartime or
you served in peacetime, you serve and you made sure
our country is strong. We owe you a debt of
gratitude and you've earned the benefit. Make sure that you
use those benefits as you've earned, and as I've heard
some veterans say, because you're humble enough to I don't
use the VA because it must be there for somebody else.
Now it's there for you, and this Secretary wants you
(25:06):
to know that wherever we can help you, come, use
the VA benefits you've earned. We've got enough for everybody.
And why you're doing it. Bring a friend along, call
a buddy. Make sure that they know that every veteran
on this Veter's Day knows that they're not left behind.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Beautiful, beautiful message. Department Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, a chaplain,
a veteran active duty right now in the Air Force,
and attorney, a dad, a husband. Now our secretary, so
many titles you have had over the years. I want
to thank you on this Veteran's Day for your service
in the military in uniform, out of uniform, Doug, God
(25:41):
bless you for helping our veterans. You take care, sir.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
Thank you so much. I'm enjoyed being here.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
Up next, if you're a veteran or a family member
of VET, do you understand and know the benefits that
are available to you and actually how to apply for them.
If not, our next guest, Kate Munroe from Vetcom's going
to fill you in, so stay with us. Viewers are
always asking me how can they watch OA in live.
The solution is simple. It's a streaming platform called cloud tv.
(26:13):
Now it's spelled KLOWDTV. Simply go to cloudtv dot com
and subscribe to watch twenty four to seven live feeds
of OAN. The live package is only two dollars and
fifty cents per month for all you can watch. Again,
simply go to cloudtv dot com and do it today. Hey,
(26:36):
did you know that One America news network has launched
a twenty four to seven Twitter like social media replacement.
We're calling it free Talk forty five. So why is
it branded free Talk forty five? Well, free talk because
you will not be censored for expressing your opinion there
and forty five because forty five is a really lucky number.
(26:58):
So join us at free Talk forty five and express
yourself with no fear of cancelation. Ever, Hey, if your
cable provider doesn't offer one American News Network, you should
get them a call and kindly demand that they carry OAN.
Now you're the customer, and without your feedback, your cable
(27:23):
provider will not know that there is a strong demand
across this country for one America News network. So please
call your cable company today and kindly ask or demand
that they add OANN to their channel lineup. Hey, everyone,
here's a question for you. What does Roku TV, Apple TV,
(27:47):
and Amazon fireTV all have in common. The answer is
that all three platforms offer you the ability to live
stream One America News Network from your Roku TV, Apple
TV or Amazon fired to simply go to the app store,
search out for an then enjoy all the great programming
offered by Olien, including my show Real America. Welcome back
(28:37):
to the special edition of Real America honoring those who've
served on this Veteran's Day. Once an active duty military
member finishes their tour of duty. The first thing they
should do is reach out to the Veteran affairs and
find out what your benefits are. But a lot of
vets don't do that or they don't understand how to
start the process. That's where our next guest steps in.
Kate Monroe is a marine and the founder of Vetcom,
(29:00):
a nonprofit that helps veterans and their family members understand
their benefits and how to get the ball rolling. Kay,
thank you so much for joining us on this such
an important day. But I always throw this out and
I'm gonna do it with I think everybody throughout this
special and I should do it more than one day
a year, since I'm ripping people for only doing something
(29:21):
one day a year, and that is bringing up issues
with our veterans. We've got to talk more about how
they're being left behind and whether it comes to what
you do at Vetcom or it's just calling a VET
to make sure they're okay, making sure it's easy to
get their benefits, get them off the streets that they
fought to protect. There's so many issues, so first and foremost,
and we had a little build up as far as
(29:42):
what you do, but you're the boss, So tell my
viewers at home what vetcom is all about, why you
started it, what the mission statement was back then, and
what it is today and moving forward.
Speaker 5 (29:54):
So Vetcom's one and only purpose is to help veterans
who are not rated or who are underrated, meaning they
are not getting compensated for their disabilities, so they're not
getting compensated enough. Our job is to take them safely
on the journey of getting compensated fully. We have helped
twenty one thousand people get almost eight billion dollars in
lifetime income by quite frankly, just offloading all of the hassle,
(30:16):
the anxiety, and all the bureaucracy onto our plate. Taking
it off of your plate. We actually guarantee our results.
Our average time to getting people rated and compensated is
only four months, which beats the average of eighteen months
by quite a lot. And we're really proud of what
we do. We do the right thing. You know, we
fill two hundred suicide calls per month. You got to
(30:38):
think those are two hundred people that couldn't reach the
VA that we are willing to take on and speak to.
We are helping veterans with their msts, their sexual traumas
getting those recognized. About fifty percent of our claims include
things like that. So we just want veterans to know
on this day, maybe this is a day for you
to heal what you've been hiding, because so many veterans
(30:58):
come to us and they just have hearts and kind
of like I did. I became a broken toy in
the Marine Corps. I was assaulted. I smashed my nose
and eye socket, broke my elbow, my ankle, all my
feelings most importantly, and I think there was some closure
I got by way of getting compensated and seen by
the VA. So why did we start it? Because it's
(31:20):
a hassle and all my brothers and sisters were going
in the ground with nothing, and I said, this can
be better. There's a better way to do this. And
that's really how it was born.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
Man, I should have had John a little bit ago
with the secretary. You could have filled his ear and
head with all the issues that might have opened his eyes.
We have taught.
Speaker 5 (31:36):
Yeah, I'm I've been to a roundtable with him in
DC and he's very bright.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Man.
Speaker 5 (31:40):
I respect him.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
Quite a lot. Yeah, I think we're lucky to have
him in charge. President Trump picked a good, good guy.
We know that for decades the VA has had its issues,
and that doesn't matter if there was an R or
a D in charge in the White House, the House,
or the Senate. The VA has had its issues. You've
had to deal with them. Your charity is based on
literally dealing with the VA to try and get the
(32:01):
veterans the help they need and the benefits they deserve.
Has it gotten any easier this year? Have you noticed
under the new administration? Is it getting better?
Speaker 5 (32:11):
I do feel like in some regard its getting better.
They are trying to truncate the amount of time it
takes veterans to be seen. But I think the real
issue at hand is that the VA operates like a
big insurance company that just quite frankly, does not want
to pay people. And because of that, they also pray
on the anxiety that veterans have. So they know if
(32:32):
they make it too complicated or too much of our hassle,
or they create mistrust, the veterans will just say, you
know what, this is not for me.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
I insurance companies to make you jump through hoops to
get your car fixed, right, just went through that crap
every month. But the minute you wreck the car and
you want it fixed. Well, now wait a minute, we're
going to use some used parts. We've got to have
an adjuster. Come look at it. That sounds like what
the VA does to our Thank god. At fifty one, kid,
I've never had to use any benefits. I've been healthy
as a horse.
Speaker 5 (32:58):
So but do you know what I want to speak
to that for just a second, because you know you
I both served and ideologically there's a breakdown of communication
between veterans understanding that your health care benefit is totally
different than you are compensation benefits. So while you might
not have needed the hospitalization part, like the medical care,
(33:20):
you could be missing out on one to four thousand
dollars a month of compensation. And when you do that,
you are ensuring that the budget gets smaller over time.
You're not doing anyone a favor. So if you're not rated, sir,
we should probably take a look at that.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Uh oh, so now I need to call my friend
Kate at vetcom and see if I'm rated. I mean,
maybe can I get some duty free stuff?
Speaker 2 (33:42):
Right?
Speaker 1 (33:42):
Because I live in commy furnia and stuff costs so much,
So maybe gets an ID to use the base. Again,
that would be a nice benefit.
Speaker 5 (33:48):
Well, that's a nice benefit, but but but really, truly,
you got to think. I said, we helped twenty one
thousand people get nearly eight billion dollars in lifetime income.
So if if you were to make a claim today,
in four months from now, you would likely make one
to four thousand dollars a month packs free for the
rest of your life, auto deposited. So I can tell
(34:08):
you you likely aren't rated because you would know if
you were getting that destance.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
So we're going to get it done. So veterans, we
got a lot of vets that watch this show. Veterans.
This is my friend Kate Monroe. Her charity is called Vetcom.
There's the website. Get yourself rated. See what this country
owes you for the years you gave in uniform to her.
I love that, Kate. God bless you on this Veteran's
Day for helping our brothers and sisters after their service
(34:33):
to this great republic.
Speaker 5 (34:35):
You take care, Thank you for your service.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Thank you. Coming up after the break, check it in
on our bravest. Did you know that the number of
daily veterans suicides currently sits somewhere between twenty two to
forty four, a staggering and chilling number. So what can
we do to reduce these horrific stats? How about picking
up the phone checking on a veteran to see if
(34:58):
they're doing okay, straight ahead a charity that's doing just that. Hey,
did you know that One America News Network has launched
a twenty four to seven Twitter like social media replacement.
We're calling it free Talk forty five. So why is
it branded free Talk forty five? Well, free talk because
(35:20):
you will not be censored for expressing your opinion there,
and forty five because forty five is a really lucky number.
So join us at free Talk forty five and express
yourself with no fear of cancelation. Ever, Hey, if your
cable provider doesn't offer one America News Network, you should
(35:43):
get them a call and kindly demand that they carry
away in Now, you're the customer, and without your feedback,
your cable provider will not know that there is a
strong demand across this country for one America News Network.
So please call your cable company today and kindly ask
or demand that they add o ANN to their channel lineup. Hey, everyone,
(36:12):
here's a question for you. What does Roku TV, Apple TV,
and Amazon fireTV all have in common. The answer is
that all three platforms offer you the ability to live
stream One America News Network from your Roku TV, Apple
TV or Amazon Fire device. Simply go to the app store,
(36:32):
search out for an then enjoy all the great programming
offered by including my show Real America. Viewers are always
asking me how can they watch OAN live? The solution
is simple. It's a streaming platform called cloud tv now
(36:52):
it's spelled klowd TV. Simply go to cloudtv dot com
and subscribe to watch twenty four to seven live feeds
of a wayn The live package is only two dollars
and fifty cents per month for all you can watch. Again,
simply go to cloudtv dot com and do it today.
(37:39):
So Veteran suicide. It's been on the rise ever since
we started those two never ending wars in Iraq in Afghanistan,
and while the federal government says the number is somewhere
around twenty two a day taking their own lives, many
veteran groups I've spoken with say no no, no suicides
amongst our bravest that are going unreported make the real
number more like forty four a day. Our next guest
(38:01):
is an Army veteran and the founder of the charity
Check a Vet. Michael Carmichael has dedicated his life now
to helping veterans get through their trauma, saving lives one
phone call at a time. Michael, nice to see you again,
my friend. This is a day when, unfortunately your nonprofit
(38:24):
probably is very busy. And how do I say this
nicely to you? I hope that we can get to
a place, Michael, where your charity is no longer needed,
meaning we're not having to check on vets who might
be thinking about committing suicide. I was speaking with the
VA secretary a little bit before you and we were
(38:46):
talking about those numbers, and you and I have talked
about him for a long time. But let's just review, brother,
what are we facing every day in this nation when
it comes to the brave men and women that have
donned that uniform that are taking their lives.
Speaker 6 (39:00):
According to Operation Deep Dive and the VA's numbers, we
lose forty four veterans a day to suicide. Forty four
get us straight. Everybody that puts us since nine to eleven,
up to three hundred and sixty thousand veterans that we've lost.
Speaker 7 (39:17):
It's time to do something.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
Yeah, it is. It truly is. If folks don't know,
and we gave a little bit of an intro to you,
what is check a Vet all about.
Speaker 6 (39:29):
So we're a national nonprofit to prevent veteran suicide by
getting to mobilize Americans to check on their veterans. You
guys need to help us out. Make sure that your
veterans are doing okay. Look them in the face, make
sure that they're okay. And for God's sakes, it's Veterans
Day coming up. Please plant something and do all that
(39:51):
you can with your veterans to uplift them.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Michael, something you and I was talking about every time
you come on is the unfortunate reality that most people
only think about those veteran family members or friends, let's say,
if they're distant, not like in the house on Veterans Day.
And that's the real problem. There's three hundred and sixty
five days a year, and if you're only thinking about
(40:14):
our veterans one day, we're going to keep losing forty
four a day. Right. So your message to people when
it comes to actually checking on them should be what Michael.
Speaker 6 (40:24):
It needs to be meaningful in person connection, not a
text go and get.
Speaker 7 (40:29):
Them, and it needs to be routine.
Speaker 1 (40:31):
There you go.
Speaker 6 (40:32):
The struggle with suicide is a daily struggle, so the
treatment for suicide needs to be daily as well.
Speaker 7 (40:40):
We need to wrap our arms around our nation's heroes.
Let's do something.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
Yeah, amen, what are the warning signs? Michael? Tell my
viewers what should they be looking for in that cousin,
that uncle, that brother that served, that's dealing with those
horrific nightmares, that PTSD, that traumatic brain injury or trauma.
What should we be looking.
Speaker 6 (40:58):
For some of the I guess ones DAN or isolation, depression,
substance abuse, disheveled appearance.
Speaker 7 (41:10):
People just letting themselves go.
Speaker 6 (41:12):
When your veteran is not acting like you're a good
old veteran, it's time to check on them meaningfully.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
Yeah. Yeah, What do you need from us when it
comes to resources? Because I got to imagine being a nonprofit,
you probably just don't have cash flowing out of your ears.
And I don't know if you get any government subsidies
or help. You should for what you're doing the VA.
I think, in my opinion, I should have said this
to Doug earlier. I think the VA, if they want
to start really helping this is start giving out some
of those millions to private nonprofit groups that are helping veterans,
(41:42):
like in the flesh out in the field right instead
of the big government VA buildings. Not that I'm saying
the VA is doing a bad job, but they could
do a hell of a lot better. So how do
you fund and how can we help fund you more
so that we can help you check on more vets
and save more lives.
Speaker 6 (42:00):
First off, every penny that's donated into check a Vet
stays with the mission. We've only got one person who
receives a paycheck, and that's our bookkeeper. Everybody else on
staff is doing it for the right reasons.
Speaker 7 (42:14):
I can't do anything about.
Speaker 6 (42:15):
The forty four that we lost yesterday, but with America's help,
please help us to give us the resources that we
can get after this mission, we literally just left Nashville, Tennessee,
and came all the way out here to hell out
to Montana because this is the worst state in the nation.
And as I'm out here in the state capitol, Dan,
(42:35):
I'm looking around. We're the only veteran nonprofit out here
that's out here for veteran suicide. We're it. So give
us the resources and I'll put them to use.
Speaker 7 (42:48):
Everything that we got goes right into the mission.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
Check avet dot org is the website. It's the organization
of my friends CEO and founder of check Evet, Michael Carmichael.
I can tell you, folks, he and I have had
many offline conversations in the evenings and over weekends. I
know where this guy's heart and head stands. And you
will be helping our brave veterans if you help Michael
check on our vets. God bless you. Thank you for
(43:14):
your service, and I'm checking in on you. You look like
you're doing well. You take care of my brother.
Speaker 7 (43:20):
Yes, sir, thank you, Thank you for your service.
Speaker 1 (43:22):
Yep, God bless you. Coming up after the break, Navy
Seal veteran Mike Cirelli's going to join us with a
special message for all who've served. Stay with us. Hey,
if your cable provider doesn't offer one America News network,
you should give him a call and kindly demand that
(43:42):
they carry away in. Now you're the customer, and without
your feedback, your cable provider will not know that there
is a strong demand across this country for One America
News Network, So please call your cable company today and
kindly ask or that they add o ANN to their
(44:02):
channel lineup. Hey everyone, here's a question for you. What
does Roku TV, Apple TV, and Amazon fireTV all have
in common? The answer is that all three platforms offer
you the ability to live stream One America News Network
from your Roku TV, Apple TV or Amazon Fire device.
(44:26):
Simply go to the app store, search out for an,
then enjoy all the great programming offered by ON, including
my show Real America. Viewers are always asking me how
can they watch OAN live? The solution is simple. It's
a streaming platform called cloud tv. Now it's spelled klowd TV.
(44:52):
Simply go to cloudtv dot com and subscribe to watch
twenty four to seven live feeds of OAN the live pack.
It is only two dollars and fifty cents per month
for all you can watch. Again, simply go to cloudtv
dot com and do it today. Hey, did you know
that One America News Network has launched a twenty four
(45:15):
to seven Twitter like social media replacement. We're calling it
free Talk forty five. So why is it branded free
Talk forty five? Well, free talk because you will not
be censored for expressing your opinion there. And forty five
because forty five is a really lucky number. So join
us at free Talk forty five and express yourself with
(45:38):
no fear of cancelation ever. Thanks foresting with us, folks.
(46:08):
I wanted to end this special program on Veterans' Day
with a message, a big message of gratitude to all
the brave patriotic men and women who've donned that uniform,
whether it's Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Space Force,
you all have done a great service to your nation
and we are indebted to you forever for it's you
and you alone who have sacrificed along with your family members.
(46:32):
Thank you, thank you, thank you. So to wrap up
this special I'd like to welcome back a friend of
the program, retired Navy Seal Officer and Chief Talent Officer
for Overwatch Mission Critical, Mike Sirelli, with a message to
all you veterans. Mike, nice to see you again, and
by the way, thank you so much for joining us
on this very very special day in our nation. And
(46:55):
you know, and I'm going to say this throughout this
entire special tonight. I don't care if I sound like
a broken record, because folks hear me say it every
year since I've been doing this show. Why do we
only honor our veterans one day a year? Mike, I
kind of have a problem with that.
Speaker 8 (47:13):
Yes, I think you and a lot of Americans, millions
of Americans, have a problem with that. You know, some
demographic scale, a whole month of celebration one day for
our living veterans. We get one day for our fallen
It seems a very It seems like a disservice to
those who are willing to sacrifice their lives and honor
(47:34):
that covenant of service to protect our constitution in our
way of life.
Speaker 1 (47:39):
Yeah, you make a great point, right, And I'm not
saying we shouldn't have these months that honor Native American,
Black History, Asian American, whatever. We have the LGBTK, we
got months for those. But you know what, in the military,
all of those people are encompassed, right. It doesn't matter
(48:00):
in color or religion or gender. The military is made
up of all those folks that get those special months
or weeks or days. So I agree with you. How
about we start pushing this administration to make the entire
month of November a month to honor our veterans. We
might be able to get it done with the current administration. Mike,
I don't know, what do you think.
Speaker 3 (48:21):
The time is now?
Speaker 8 (48:22):
You're absolutely right with this administration, and this administration has
already made so many waves of bringing pride and honor
back to our military. I mean, look at the recruiting numbers, right,
They've already recruiting numbers for twenty twenty six. And that
is that's historic. It was we called the Trump effect
and the Pete Haikseeth effect. They've restored that, and so
our service members are actually proud to be in Americans.
(48:43):
Americans again. The young Americans are are fighting to get
into the military as it should be. And you know
that is Veterans Day, man. That is one generation honoring
those who served and passing the baton onto the next.
And Dan, if you look at it, from seventeen seventy
five to this this moment in time, forty two million
(49:04):
Americans have worn the uniform. And some people may think
that's a large number. I actually don't. I think that
that number should be in the hundreds of millions. Given
our history is people should want to serve. It is
a what is service it? You know, service to me
is deciding that your life isn't your own that you
(49:25):
owe it. There's a solemn duty that covenant to your nation,
just as the past generations have to defend our way
of life. And whether you serve for four years, twenty years,
or thirty years, it's the fact that you serve, not
the tenure in which you served.
Speaker 3 (49:39):
And more young.
Speaker 8 (49:40):
Americans need to step up America as a whole. These
recognize that these men and women made a sacrifice time
away from way less sleep to serve our nation.
Speaker 1 (49:48):
Amen, it is a sacrifice, and you know it's it's
a public service, right And let's be real. This isn't
like you're running for mayor or city council or governor
or president or whatever, which, yes, those jobs can be
difficult to but let's be real, this is true, true
public service. Your pay is crap, your life is on
the line, and when you get out, which we're discussing today,
(50:11):
let's be real. We haven't always treated our veterans as
we should. We had the Secretary on earlier in this
special to discuss the massive changes they've been making at
the VA thanks to the Trump administration and the new secretary.
But obviously, you know, Mike, still more needs to be done.
You were a team leader in the Seals as an officer.
(50:32):
How do you think we should be better preparing the
active duty troops when they retire or finish their four
year tour whatever, when they become a veteran, because I
feel like we don't do enough of that. We don't
talk to them about what their benefits are and what
being a veteran means. I feel like we got to
prep them better. Do you agree with that?
Speaker 8 (50:52):
Yes, in neither the military trains you to do your
job very well, and sometimes they train you for years
to do that job. The military is not good at
transitioning people out and preparing them for life. In the
civilian sector. It's never been a course strike that it
never will be, and this is where the private sector
needs to step up quite frankly, for those that never served,
this is your opportunity to give a veteran a chance.
(51:13):
And I even hate using that language, give them a chance,
I mean veterans bring. Yeah, the number one thing that
everyone's looking for leadership.
Speaker 1 (51:19):
They've been for themselves. They can show up on time.
They can look clean cut, they can follow rules and
orders right, Like, why would you want some joe blow
off the street for your job versus a guy or
gal who for four years or twenty five years had
to wake up at the crack of dawn. Pet you know,
shave no no hair, hair is in great uniform iron
(51:40):
like I want those workers before some college grad cry baby, anyway,
go ahead.
Speaker 8 (51:46):
Mike, Hey, just show up on time and work hard.
And that's what you're gonna get with most veterans. But
the private sector, you know, the military knew they were
never going to be able to solve this, especially during
the Globe War and terror when enlistment went up in
a lot of veterans as we're getting out. So you know,
even our company, which we are predominantly you know, veteran
known company, we're forty three percent veterans. We run a
(52:07):
program called Anchors of Hope where we pull other companies
in from the data center industry and we say, just
hire one veteran between the periods of D Day, celebrating
that in November eleventh, and companies just don't hire one,
they hire multiple veterans, and the results are usually above
their expectations. They like I said, they show up on time,
(52:28):
their process oriented, they work hard, and they know how
to operate as a team, and they know how to
self educate. And that really is that it is a
tough cultural trans transition, and there's no way to sugarcoat that.
In the military, we put a precedence on conformity, loyalty
to country, team above self and that's not the same
(52:48):
in the private sector. And we're not saying that's a
bad thing, but that takes time to adjust for when
they're working along somebody who may not care about them whatsoever.
And so that justment is hard. And a lot of
times veterans don't know what they want to do. They
think they may know what they want to do. They
give that job a chance and they realize it. Maybe
it does.
Speaker 1 (53:07):
Whiches again, why we need better separation classes when you separate,
to give you some guidance on things you might want
to go into. I'm almost out of time, Mike. I
want to give you the final word on what Veterans
Day means to you and a message you as a
former commanding officer of Seal Team one.
Speaker 8 (53:23):
I think it was, but no, I was a strike
force commander at Naval Special Warfare Advice.
Speaker 1 (53:29):
Oh okay, I thought, I thought you, But which team
are you on? You're on Team one for a.
Speaker 8 (53:31):
While, so priory, Comerene, I served at Seal Team three three.
Speaker 1 (53:35):
Okay, on to your commanded troops. Different than a little
E four and listened guy like me. So I would
like to hear from officers on their messaging to the troops,
and so just give us a final word here on
on this Veteran's Day. Your message to the troops who
will be separating soon as they become veterans, and why
Veterans Day is so special to Mike's Arelli.
Speaker 8 (53:55):
Well, yeah, first off, call me Mike's Airelli at Watch
or we are Overwatch dot com. If I can't get
you a job, I can at least give you some
advice and that's free. But you know, hey, first off,
thank you for your service. You know what you've done
and the sacrifices you've made to protect our freedoms. And
I'm an old that now and it takes me five
minutes to get out of bed.
Speaker 1 (54:15):
You know it's.
Speaker 8 (54:16):
You've protected me and my family and there is nothing
I can say to truly show you the gratitude for serving,
but you know, give yourself grace when you get out.
It sometimes takes a couple of time or a couple
jobs to figure out what you want to do and
where you want to land in the right culture. But
you have been taught everything you need to know by
the military to succeed, from discipline to commitment to focus.
(54:41):
You are more powerful than you ever will believe. And
you can start your own companies, or you can succeed
within companies and continue to serve out of uniform by
building the economy, which is our most which is our
biggest strength by far. That's what allows us to defend
freedom across the world.
Speaker 1 (55:00):
Employ or military, Mike Sirelli has always retired Navy Seal
Chief Talent Officer at Overwatch Mission Critical. Thank you, brother
for weighing in on this veteran's day, and thank you
for your service to this great Republic. God bless you, Mike.
Speaker 8 (55:13):
Happy veterans dah Yeah, and.
Speaker 1 (55:16):
Folks, you're watching Real America right here on the One
America News Network. We'll be right back. Stay with us. Hey, everyone,
here's a question for you. What does Roku TV, Apple TV,
and Amazon fireTV all have in common. The answer is
that all three platforms offer you the ability to live
stream One America News Network from your Roku TV, Apple TV,
(55:39):
or Amazon Fire device. Simply go to the app store,
search out for an then enjoy all the great programming
offered by OEN, including my show Real America. Viewers are
always asking me how can they watch Away in live?
The solution is simple. It's a streaming platform called cloud tv.
(56:03):
Now it's spelled klowd TV. Simply go to cloudtv dot
com and subscribe to watch twenty four to seven live
feeds of OAN. The live package is only two dollars
and fifty cents per month for all you can watch Again,
simply go to cloudtv dot com and do it today. Hey,
(56:26):
did you know that One America News Network has launched
a twenty four to seven Twitter like social media replacement.
We're calling it free Talk forty five. So why is
it branded free talk forty five? Well, free talk because
you will not be censored for expressing your opinion there,
and forty five because forty five is a really lucky number.
(56:49):
So join us at free Talk forty five and express
yourself with no fear of cancelation. Every if your cable
provider doesn't offer one America News Network, you should give
them a call and kindly demand that they CARRYN. Now
(57:09):
you're the customer, and without your feedback, your cable provider
will not know that there is a strong demand across
this country for one America News network. So please call
your cable company today and kindly ask or demand that
they add ANN to their channel lineup. As we say goodnight, personally,
(57:33):
as an Air Force veteran and a father and a patriot,
I'd just like to say to all of you out there,
from the bottom of my heart, thank you to all
who have served. And might I make a suggestion to
the rest of America who hasn't served. Don't wait. Don't
wait for just that one day a year where you
say thank you to a veteran, or that one day
(57:55):
a year when you check on that uncle of yours
who was a veteran. Trust me, if you just pick
the phone up, send a text, write an email, go
over to their house and knock on the door and
say thank you, it will mean the world to them
and bigger picture, as you heard from Michael Carmichael earlier
in this program, you just might save a life too,
(58:17):
so again, on this Veteran's Day and every day of
the year, let's remember why this nation stays free. It's
all thanks to our heroes and our armed forces. So
thank you all. God bless you, God bless America. And goodnight,
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