One Veteran Says President Obama's New Appointment of Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald is a Mistake

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I think it’s time veterans got rid of the “disorder” part of PTSD. PTS is a natural, and treatable reaction to extreme events. We need to place that disorder label on the group that deserves it- the VA.

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) June 30, 2014

Chad Grills is one Army Infantry Veteran fed up with the recent scandals cluttering the news. Now that he’s out of the military, he’s free to speak up, and is taking matters into his own hands.

Grills says the recent headlines of tragedies and corruption at the Department of Veterans Affairs are only the beginning symptoms of larger systemic problems. He sees the new VA Secretary appointment as just a distraction, while root problems remain unchanged.

"The fact that Obama just picked a new VA Secretary doesn't matter at all. Any pick for secretary is a mistake until these individuals become interested in understanding the root challenges Veterans face."

Grills is referring to Obama's June 29th appointment of Bob McDonald, former CEO of Proctor and Gamble as the new VA Secretary.

Grills is an Iraq veteran-turned-entrepreneur, and has just launched a Kickstarter project called Veterans: Don’t Reintegrate, Rebuild America.

The project aims to create a roadmap for veterans to thrive in the 21st century. It is designed to be the book soldiers should have received prior to, and after deploying.

Grills is adamant that America desperately needs our veterans to become the leaders, entrepreneurs, and politicians of the future. However, the problems preventing this are daunting. The first challenge is the training veterans receive after deployments and when exiting the military. He says everything about the training is wrong, and even harmful.

“The information veterans receive is completely irrelevant, and sets us up for failure in a world being disrupted by technology and global competition. The preparation we receive for civilian life basically goes like this: you probably have PTSD, update your resume, and go to the VA if you’re depressed.”

Some would argue that this lack of up to date training exacerbates the difficult time veterans face after returning home. Many of these struggles are currently in the headlines: veteran homelessness, relationship turmoil, unemployment, and the staggering reality that 22 veterans are committing suicide every day. He says these challenges are addressable, but require innovative approaches.

According to him, there are few in the government who understand the root of these problems or even know what information to provide. While he faced his own challenges after the military, he said they were minor compared to what some veterans have endured.

“I was very lucky during my deployments. Now that I’m out of the military, I feel that I have a duty to speak up and help solve the problems our government and VA have created.”

The tentative table of contents and the video for Veterans: Don't Reintegrate, Rebuild America can be found on the Kickstarter page for the project.

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