A CBS2 Weekly Series
Sharing Stories Of Veterans And Their FamiliesWelcome to our new weekly series, “Veterans Voices”. Our goal is to help Veterans and their families across Southern California with stories touching on all issues- housing, homelessness, mental health, economy/finding jobs, etc. We will also highlight Veterans doing good things and any extraordinary stories that get sent our way.
Weekly Stories
Veterans' Voices: Joe LowreyTonight's Veterans' Voices takes a look at how one nonprofit and a local carpenters union are going above and beyond for a Purple Heart veteran and his family. CBS2's Suzanne Marques reports.
Veterans' Voices: Air Force Veteran Katherine PortilloVeteran Katherine Portillo spent 17 years in the U.S. Air Force. She served, sacrificed and loved every minute of it. Little did she know that the fight of her life would come away from the service.
Veterans' Voices: Infinite HeroInfinite Hero is an Orange County nonprofit working to connect active duty, veterans and military family members with innovate and effective treatment programs for service-related injuries.
Veterans' Voices: Air Force Veteran Robbie BrideVeteran Robbie Bride served 10 years in the Air Force, spending time in South America, Afghanistan and Iraq. But when he came home, he faced his toughest fight yet, struggling with with post-traumatic stress disorder and self medicating. But he found a savior in Randy Moraitis, the founder of CarePossible, a non-profit with the mission of providing free mental health and addiction care to veterans and low-income families.
Veterans' Voices: Marine Corps Recruiter Sgt. Devon EspinozaThe U.S. Marine Corps is all about honor, courage, character and commitment — all qualities recruiter Sgt. Devon Espinoza embodies on a daily basis. But Marines are also very much about family and supporting one another as Espinoza and his fellow recruiters did recently for future Marine Luis Solano when his family's vehicle broke down.
Veterans' Voices: Wounded Warrior ProjectMichelle Thompson is a peer leader specialist at the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit helping veterans and service members who incurred a physical or mental injury, illness or wound while serving on or after 9/11.
Veterans' Voices: William 'Monsoon' MimiagaWilliam 'Monsoon' Mimiaga spent 31 years as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, serving two combat tours in Vietnam and one in the Gulf War. Now he's serving his community as a middle school teacher, working with kids who come to him with pasts of their own.
Veterans' Voices: Navy Veteran Porche WilliamsNavy veteran Porche Williams, who was diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, has made it her mission to teach others how to identify people struggling with thoughts of suicide. Her company, Restore Life Global, also trains people in applied suicide intervention to help save lives.
Veterans' Voices: Medal Of Honor Recipient David BellaviaArmy veteran David Bellavia is the first and only living Iraq War veteran to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, the country's highest military honor.
Veterans' Voices: Maj. David PhamMaj. David Pham has been a Marine for 11 years, but his path to the Marine Corps as a Vietnamese American has a little extra meaning and his drive comes from his mother, a Vietnamese refugee.
Veterans' Voices: Michael BarrettMarine Corps veteran Michael Barrett is the director of the VetNet program at Working Wardrobes in Santa Ana. The program provides veterans with career navigation and training, job placement services and clothing to help those who have served transition to civilian life and career success.
Veterans' Voices: Reins Of HopeReins of Hope is a Ventura County-based nonprofit helping veterans heal with equine assisted psychotherapy.
Veterans' Voices: Veteran CoutureNavy veteran Carolina Hernandez, owner of Veteran Couture, refurbishes military uniforms to create designs that embody the strength of women while paying homage to her past. "I wanted to create a collection that it was meaningful," she says.