SIGNIFICANT UPDATES!!!!

Alright. Both the feature and audio stories are up and running.

Feature story - http://tiger.towson.edu/~aolive5/pages/guns.html

Audio story - http://tiger.towson.edu/~aolive5/audio/nyquil.wav

Comments and criticism are welcomed.

Homelessness - the battle continues

http://www.veteranstoday.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=7186

The article in question talking about the growing numbers of homeless veterans. It calls for the Veterans' Administration to support them by giving out early risk programs and extra support for veterans that are on the road to homelessness.

Quote: “Most of the VA’s existing programs are targeted to veterans who are currently homeless, by providing employment opportunities and housing assistance to help prevent repeat episodes of homelessness,” said Chairman Filner. “There is an urgent and immediate need to address homeless prevention, target high risk veterans with early intervention programs, and provide on-going evaluation and support. We need to strengthen our efforts nationally to prevent our heroes from becoming homeless in the first place.”

I would add another point of view that doesn't portray the veterans as entirely victimless. The nature of this site does take up for them. Granted,
there are some veterans that are mentally disabled and require the help that they need. The able-bodied have absolutely no excuse for their
actions.

Audio ideas

The audio story has hit a major snag. The meetings that my father goes to every Mondays and Tuesdays do not allow outsiders. I'm an outsider, so I can't go. That means that I can shadow him on days where he doesn't have his meeting. I wanted to interview one of them and see if they have experiences, but their information is confidential. I also forgot that they might be wary of journalists in the first place. Some of them could have mental disorders. You never know.

So, with that out of the way, I have tinkered with a brief idea. The guy from my feature story is married. They have been married for a long time - almost 40 years. The wife was in school during the Vietnam War. Her husband was fighting in the war from 1968 through 1972.

I also have an aunt whose husband was in a war. I could ask her stuff. I would see her Wednesday in person. I would have interviewed my uncle's wife, but phone interviews are difficult to pull off because of the quality. Can't plant a bug in the phone. I'd be put in jail or something.

Feature story idea

I'll be working on the feature story.

This one will be a profile on Victor Oliver, a veteran of the Vietnam War. He was a drill sergeant, so I will be approaching this with the angle "Once a drill sergeant, always a drill sergeant." I already have two sources, both of whom had worked with him in the military. I just need one more.


The audio story is a work in progress. I would do the whole "veterans aren't getting the help that they need" idea, but it's complex for a story that just needs two sources. That could be saved for the slideshow. I just need to find someone with a broken leg.

Now starting.

The upcoming beat idea is focused on war veterans and their descent from military life back into civilian life. Some recent veterans, with help from outside sources, have had seamless transitions to normal life. This does not apply to veterans of past wars, like the Gulf War or even WW2. The stress of being in the military can and will wreak havoc in their minds. As a result, some veterans are diagnosed with mental problems and even end up homeless. There will be a later look into veteran health systems and their overall failure.

The beat blog will be here.