Veteran's Day

Today in the United States, we celebrate Veteran's Day...a day where we honor our fellow citizens who have served in our military, past and present. As with most holidays, Facebook and other social media has been flooded with memes, copy/paste statuses and articles about Veteran's Day. I read a shocking statistic yesterday (and I confirmed it with the US Department of Veteran Affairs) that approximately 22 veterans commit suicide every day. Every Day. I was blown away.

It is unacceptable to me that anyone in my country should be homeless. It is unacceptable to me that anyone in my country should go without proper physical and mental health care. It in unacceptable to me that anyone in my country should have trouble finding work when they are willing and able. But when I think of veterans facing these problems, it is especially upsetting. These are people who risked everything because they believed they were protecting and preserving our country. Don't we owe it to them to give them the support they need when they return? While there are many resources available to veterans, these aforementioned statistics show that we are clearly dropping the ball somewhere.

I wrote this poem for my book Things I Should Have Said. It describes the life of a soldier who goes to war and comes home with PTSD, but does not have the proper resources to deal with it. It also speaks of his friends and family who didn't know how to deal with his struggles when he came home. I hope by sharing this, it will encourage you to reach out to a veteran you know. Let them know that you are here for them, and that you are listening.

If you are veteran who needs assistance, or if you want to do something to help, I will list some phone numbers and websites that are good resources:

Veteran's Crisis Line:
1-800-273-8255 Press 1
Text 838255
https://www.veteranscrisisline.net


US Department of Veteran Affairs (has many resources: health, housing, job, etc.)
https://www.va.gov

Resources for friends and Family:
https://www.oefoif.va.gov/FamilySupport.asp

In peace,
-J. M. Degamo

NaNoWriMo 2017

Well, it's that time of the year again....the time when writers (established and aspiring) come together to try to write a book in 30 days!

November is National Novel Writing Month, and this will be my 10th year participating. My first time was in 2007. I was a freshman in college, living in Seattle for the first time and still figuring out where I fit in my new community. A roommate of a friend heard that I like to write, and she asked if I had heard about NaNoWriMo (I hadn't).

She excitedly told me all about how in November, people try to write a book in 30 days. To "win", the book must be at least 50,000 words. The 30 day time constraint was supposed to encourage people to just write, because there would not be enough time to edit, or have much self-doubt. She made it seem like so much fun, and so incredibly possible that I just had to try it for myself.

I jumped right in. Between my homework assignments and social engagements, I would write. That first year, I only got to around 25,000 words before I gave up. But that was more than I had ever written before. I was proud of myself, and I was hooked.

I have participated in NaNoWriMo every year since. Some years I “won”, others I only got out a few thousand words before I gave up...But I always had fun! Participating helped me find my writing style, and like working out at the gym makes you stronger, the more I write, the better I become.

So if you have ever thought you could write a book, or you want to be a writer, or even if you want to try something new...sign up for free at www.nanowrimo.org. You can even add me as a friend so we can cheer each other on! (Username: JMDegamo)

Good luck, and happy writing!

-J. M. Degamo