Author: Jason T. Strickland Special to The Gazette
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Behind Friendly Lines: VA touts four improvements in 2025
Semper Gumby. Phonetic: SEM-per GUM-bee. Phrase: always flexible. From the Latin, “semper,” which means always, and “Gumby,” which implies flexible (adapted from a blocky green humanoid character made of clay and popularized in the 1950s kids’ television series, “The Gumby Show.”) If you wore the uniform, you know the phrase. Things change fast in the…
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Behind Friendly Lines: Connect veterans to resources they need
My team sat in the fourth row of the Strategic Operations Center on the U.S. Embassy compound located inside the Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq. We were the intelligence element of Multi-National Force–Iraq (MNF-I) and had been known as Combined Joint Task Force 7 a few days earlier. Just like all the other directorates in…
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Behind Friendly Lines: Digital platform to honor legacy of veterans
There’s a 13-mile stretch of U.S. 287 north of Denver designated as the “Spc. Gabriel David Conde Memorial Highway.” The simple brown, rectangular sign with white letters doesn’t do justice to the heroic life of this soldier. I never met Gabe, but I can tell you a lot about his time in service. After graduating…
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Behind Friendly Lines: Prepare for VA’s sign-in changes to keep your information secure
I’m matter of fact when it comes to decisions. I prefer no more than two choices. I’m confident I’ll make the correct selection. Once I decide, there are never regrets. It’s like visiting the optometrist and he starts flipping the lenses and asks, “Which one looks better: three or four?” Now, it might take me…
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Behind Friendly Lines: The 12 Days of Vet-mas
During my military career, I spent several Christmases away from family. In 1994, I was deployed with the 10th Mountain Division in Haiti. In 1998, I spent the holiday in Panama with the 7th Transportation Group. In 2003, I was a member of Multi-National Force–Iraq in Baghdad. Some of you spent more time away during…
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Behind Friendly Lines: Five upcoming events for Colorado veterans
As service members, we know how to unite around a shared mission. Whether you are an active-duty service member or a veteran navigating the civilian world, we know the immense power that lies in the strength of numbers. If you’re looking to connect with fellow veterans and optimize resources available to you, here are five…
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Behind Friendly Lines: Region’s VA committed to ‘fearless accountability’
I knew where every single armored brigade and division and mechanized infantry brigade and division of the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Republican Guard was located as we commenced operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. My team, based at U.S. Central Command forward headquarters in Qatar, used all available assets to locate the enemy: geospatial…
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Behind Friendly Lines: Five important updates about veteran health care
My wife and I (and eventually our kids) moved 11 times during my 20-year career in the Army. To say we experienced a lot of change and updated addresses in our lives is an understatement. But, hey, that’s the military lifestyle. As active service members, you expect updates; whether you’re moving residences due to a…
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Behind Friendly Lines: Which VA benefits are you eligible to receive?
Veterans, dependents, survivors, and caregivers might be eligible for a broad range of benefits and services provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. These benefits are codified in Title 38 of the U.S. Code. Which benefits are you eligible to receive? I don’t know because I don’t know your unique situation, discharge status, etc.…
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Behind Friendly Lines: Five updates about veteran health care you need to know
“Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future.” Walt Disney famously said those words many decades ago. As I found myself in the Magic Kingdom last month, waiting in line in the rain to ride Tron Lightcycle Run (my teenagers said it was definitely worth the…