Today's guest is a Marine Corps combat Veteran that has dealt with TBI and PTSD so he understands the physical and mental challenges that other Veterans have been through. He is the Co-Founder of Operation: Art of Valor helping other Veterans heal. I would like to welcome Chris Stowe. ----more---- Hi this is your host, Pete Blum. Welcome to American Heroes Network! Our core mission is Serving the Brave Men and Women who have Sacrificed to Ensure our Freedom. You will hear true stories from those that have served, learn about Veteran organizations and resources, and gain hope for your future knowing American Heroes Network, your community, and other Veterans are here and at the ready to serve and help you and your family. We will talk about the hard topics like PTSD/TBI. You will also hear military history, inspirational stories, learn about networking with the community, and more. So come join us and be part of our family. Today's guest is a Marine Corps combat Veteran that has dealt with TBI and PTSD so he understands the physical and mental challenges that other Veterans have been through. He is the Co-Founder of Operation: Art of Valor helping other Veterans heal. I would like to welcome Chris Stowe. You can follow Chris here Website: https://www.moreanartscenter.org/operation-art-of-valor/LinikedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisnstowe/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OperationAOV/ Chris thank you for serving and how are you doing today? Topics What was life like in the military for you?   Tell us more about being an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician, what you do, how you do it.   Being deployed 6 times and spending time in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations what have you had to dispose of and have you had to do that while under fire?   Was transition from the military (or military life) easy or hard for you?   You spent some time as part of the House Committee for Veterans Affairs, tell me about that. Tell us about the Morean Arts Education Center, the Morean Hot Glass studio, and Operation: Art of Valor What is the mission of Operation: Art of Valor   Tell us about your recent visit from Second Lady of the United States, Karen Pence Has your military experience helped you survive in the civilian world? Do you feel like you fit in? What were some of the challenges you faced in returning to civilian life? How do you connect with the community? What else are you doing to help other Veterans?   Talk about creative writing classes and workshops through Operation: Art of Valor For transitioning Veterans, what action items list would you give them? Where can people find you if they want to reach out? Summary In this episode with Chris we heard some great advice and even learned about some other helpful resources: National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE)https://tricare.mil/mtf/WalterReed/Health-Services/M_S/NICoE Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Networkhttps://www.arts.gov/national-initiatives/creative-forces Veterans Writing Projecthttps://veteranswriting.org/ The Boot Campaign https://bootcampaign.org/ Here are the links to books that Chris mentioned where he is an author O dark thirty (Chris's story is “One Summer Night”)https://www.google.com/amp/s/veteranswriting.org/2015/12/01/2016-pushcart-prize-nominations/amp/ Retire the Colorshttps://www.amazon.com/Retire-Colors-Veterans-Civilians-Afghanistan/dp/1944079076 More about the visit from the Second Lady, Mrs. Karen Pence The Second Lady, Mrs. Karen Pence visits the Operation: Art of Valor workshop for veterans battling PTSD in St. Petersburg to see the program in action and have a round table discussion with Chris Stowe and some of the program participants and their spouses.https://www.fox13news.com/news/second-lady-attends-art-workshop-for-veterans-battling-ptsd-in-st-petersburg?fbclid=IwAR3TnUgtxgNPld4zME6HCY24-dcp3T4SmQMYXeE7w8fc7GHft1MXniTK3rI   More about Chris Stowe Chris Stowe is a retired USMC Master Gunnery Sergeant. The