Hang out with a military veteran today
by Rachel
It was Veterans Day this past Sunday, and the media started noticing how Easter Seals is providing military service members, veterans and their families with resources they need to make smooth transitions before, during and after deployment. One example: Easter Seals Southern California’s Mervin Roxas was mentioned in a story in USA Weekend. The article talked about Mervin’s transition from the military to civilian life.
In 2004, Mervin was manning a machine gun atop a patrol vehicle when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded. Three Marines died. Mervin lost his left arm and shoulder, and his jaw and cheekbone were shattered.
Mervin spent 11 months at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., before being medically discharged. He knows the challenges veterans experience when they return home, and for the past 4 years he has been working as a Program Assistant at the Easter Seals Southern California office in Brea.
I have had the privilege of meeting Mervin. He is truly an amazing person with an inspiring story, and now you have a chance to meet him today, too. He will be part of a live webcast hosted by Google+ Hangouts and usatoday.com. Tune in TODAY at 2:00 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT, noon MT, 11 a.m. PT) to hear our veterans, experts and disability groups discuss their experiences and talk about what they see as the main priorities for the Obama administration moving forward.