Seeking the Military Suicide Solution
Health & Fitness:Mental Health
About Today’s Guest:
Joseph R. Chenelly was appointed national executive director of the nation’s fourth largest veterans service organization in May 2016. In this capacity, he administers the policies of AMVETS, supervises its national headquarters operations and provides direction, as needed, to state and local components. Joe previously served as AMVETS’ national communications director.
Joe Chenelly is the first veteran of combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq to lead one of the nation’s four largest veterans service organizations’ staffs.
A native of Rochester, N.Y., Joe enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1998, serving with the 1st Marine Division, and was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant in April 2006. He is a combat veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, having served in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Kuwait, East Timor and the Horn of Africa.
Joe became a veterans advocate, a journalist, and a political adviser after his time in uniform. He covered military and veterans matters on staff with Leatherneck magazine, the Military Times newspapers, USA TODAYand Gannet News, reporting on operations in the Middle East, Southwest Asia, Africa, as well as disaster relief in the United States.
Joe was named one of the 100 “most influential journalists covering armed violence” by Action on Armed Violence in 2013. He was the first U.S. Marine combat correspondent to step into enemy territory after September 11, 2001, as a military reporter in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He also reported from the front-lines with American and allied forces in Kuwait and Iraq as that war began. He was on the ground for the start of both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Joe served as AMVETS’ national communications director in 2005-2007, and for eight years as assistant national director for communications for the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) in Washington, D.C., leading grassroots efforts through social networking and new media.
He has also served as president of Social Communications, LLC, and as a public affairs officer director for the Department of Navy. Joe is an alumni of Syracuse University and Central Texas College. He resides in Fairport, N.Y., with his wife Dawn, a service-connected disabled Air Force veteran, and their five children.
Links Mentioned in this Episode:
AMVETS Web Site
The VET HEAL Suicide Prevention Training Course
Firearms Access: A Loaded Topic Part 1
Join our Facebook Group:
Seeking the Military Suicide Solution on Facebook
Episode Sponsor:
milMedia Group
Shauna's latest book: Beyond the Military: A Leader's Handbook for Warrior Reintegration
Duane's latest book: Military in the Rear View Mirror: Mental Health and Wellness in Post-Military Life
How to Leave a Podcast Review
Leaving a podcast review at iTunes isn't intuitive. But positive ratings are hugely important: they help the podcast get discovered by new people. Please spend 5 minutes of your time to leave a review using one of the methods below.
How to leave a podcast review using Apple’s Podcast app
1. Navigate to Seeking the Military Suicide Solution on Apple Podcasts on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Click "Listen on Apple Podcasts"
3. Scroll down and click or tap "Write a Review." Enter your iTunes password to login.
4. Rate the podcast using 1 to 5 stars.
5. Submit a brief honest review.
Bonus: get a thank-you note
Your feedback is greatly appreciated. When you leave a review, drop us a line at info@veteranmentalhealth.com and you'll get a message with the warmest appreciation, and a bonus gift!
For Android users, Google Podcasts does not allow for ratings or reviews, but you can certainly let us know how you think we're doing on Spotify, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio
Many thanks,
Duane and Shauna
Episode Transcript:
Duane France (00:00):
Welcome to episode six of the Seeking the Military Suicide Solution podcast brought to you by the military times. I'm Duane France.
Shauna Springer (00:07):
And I'm Doc Shauna Springer.
Duane France (00:09):
And we'd like to thank you for taking the time to learn more about suicide in the military affiliated population.I’d like to thank our sponsors, milMedia Group. milMedia Group is a proven web design and digital media agency specializing in supporting organizations focusing on the military population. Find more about them at www.milmediagroup.com.
Duane France (00:35):
Thanks again to everybody for joining us to listen to an honest conversation about service member veteran and military family suicide and thank you for the response to the show. We're getting a lot of great feedback. If you want to give us more feedback rate and review the show on your podcast player of choice, we'd also like you to join us on our Facebook group, moderated by fellow combat veteran Dee James. You can find the group on the show notes or searching seeking the military suicide solution on Facebook. I'm excited to bring today's guest on the show because I think it demonstrates the importance of this issue at the highest national level. Shauna, what can you tell us about today's guest?
Shauna Springer (01:10):
So Joe Chenelly, he is the executive director at AMVETS national headquarters, but behind his public role is a man who is a servant leader. Our first conversation could have gone on for hours. Joe is a Marine who served as a combat correspondent with several back to back deployments and Joe knows the pain of suicide loss all too well. He sustained multiple losses including eight Marines that he served with in Iraq and Afghanistan and his mother who died by suicide 10 years ago as well as many others in the vast network of veterans He serves his role at AMVETS. Joe and his team have taken the late night calls from veterans in crisis. They're doing in the trenches work to keep their brothers and sisters in the fight. ...
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free