The Veteran Mentor Project, Inc.

PARTY TIME! President Trump has announced HUGE news... he's already planning on throwing America’s 250th MASSIVE birthday party. “We want to make it the BEST of all time." Love this man. Game on. REPOST and let's get people excited!! #thinblueline #lawenforcement

Boots on the Ground: Change Status Quo in Suicide Prevention Let me first qualify this. I have been a SWAT Crisis Negotiator, Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) qualified and CIT instructor, and I have thousands of human contacts with people in crisis. If we are to truly stop, prevent, and reduce suicide we must change status quo. We must be intentional in our redirection of efforts. We must be intentionally uncomfortable. We must be proactive. I had two of the greatest oportunities this past month. First, with “Share the Buzz” at the Valley Hive in Chatsworth, CA. Second, with The Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation at Hollister Ranch, CA. Both were impactful in different ways. Both had a positive impact for all involved. Both have the attention of the Veterans Administration. Change Status Quo. Links to the organizations in comments. #988 #changestatusquo #suicideprevention

Boots on the Ground: Legislation in Action After my brother, Ponce (Pedro) Espinoza, died by suicide in 2018, I met with CA Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin and proposed the idea of a card or labeling be added to gun purchases with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number, (800) 273-TALK (8255), now #988. We discussed other options and the meeting was hopeful, tearful, and genuine. I'd imagined a card or sticker with this number when my brother reached for the firearm that ultimately ended his life. That did not exist at the time. Assemblywoman Irwin's office conducted research and authored CA AB 645(2019) which required the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number be posted on the walls of every gunshop in CA, on packaging, and included in the gun safety exam. Eerily, several weeks or months before my brother died, he told me, "You're gonna tell my story, James." Little did I know the depth of what he meant and what he had been going through. I can look back with a degree of sympathy and forgiveness for his choice to leave this world, but I cannot accept that I could not have done more. The decision for one to end their life can be a very spontaneous and temporary, overpowering, emotion. I know from speaking with survivors and mental health professionals who have spoke with those who survive their own attempts. The biggest irony of his death is I was going through an intense firearms instructor course a couple weeks before he died and I had sent him photos of my experience. We talked of the struggles in our lives and our desire to win in the end. All the while, he suffered deeply. To which end, I may never know and to the fault of no one. I believe he sought help but was unsuccessful or undecided on what path to take. It is too complex to comprehend. After several months of advocacy, including a press conference on September 10, 2019, AB645 was signed into law on October 11, 2019. Legislation in action: Below is a photo of one of those signs in a local gun-store that I frequent. HR5467 now sits on the floor awaiting action, https://lnkd.in/ge39QYdd, we hope to see it move further. Looking back, I took my anger and grief and turned it into action. For that, I will always be proud and I will continue to take action from a position of understanding, determination, and compassion. If you are advocating for a cause. Stay the course. You never know the impact of your ideas for change. Although, this is not the official name, I like to think of it as “LTC Ponce Espinoza’s” Law or “Ponce’s Law” for short, because he was “Ponce” to us long before West Point ever knew him. Want to learn how you can make an impact, contact me at American Freedom Consulting LLC. https://lnkd.in/e8fWDq-T #988

Boots on the Ground: In Memory of SGT Jim Lehman, US Army Viet Nam. In 2003, my Viet Nam veteran Uncle Gibby, died. I wrote a poem for him. I want to share a condensed version for our friend Jim, James M Lehmann, who passed away this past week. The Warrior by James Espinoza A Warrior in this life, God knew his heart We will always miss him Our souls shall never part Our Warrior is gone now Removed from our sight Very few knew his joy and sorrow Or understood his plight Sent to “No Man’s Land” In Viet Nam Only God knows why God knew His plan The hands of a soldier Trained to kill or be killed The mind of an innocent He did it all against his will Still, facing his fears Like a true man He lived his life to the fullest Lived a life on demand Day to day living Survival of the fittest Still he had time to show us friendship and love By all, he will truly be missed The pain of death The joy of life We strive to move forward Amid so much much strife There will be a tomorrow A new day will come The sun will surely rise And more shall be done Our Warrior is gone now Gone from this life His pain is now over No more pain, no more strife Let us live our lives to the fullest As our Warrior would do Celebrate the living Celebrate Jim, for me…and for you I’m sure Jim’s still a soldier In God’s Army now Protecting the souls of innocents The best he knows how A Warrior in life A life incomplete A Warrior in death In Heaven we will meet So, for now it’s goodbye, see you later God knew your heart We’ll see you in Heaven, Jim Our souls shall never part —- Excerpt from “The Warrior”, by James Espinoza, June 2003, adapted for SGT Jim Lehman Rest easy Jim! We’ll hold the line from here. 🫡🇺🇸👊🏽

Boots on the Ground: September is Suicide Prevention month You might recognize some folks in this PSA. Thank you to the VA and the Ad Council for this proactive approach to encourage our veterans to reach out. #reachout

In 2011, 'Yellowstone' creator Taylor Sheridan was working as an actor and down to his last $800. When his attorney attempted to negotiate a pay raise for his role as Deputy Chief David Hale in FX's 'Sons of Anarchy,' an exec told him: "He probably deserves to make more, but we’re not going to pay him more... There are 50 of him. He is #11 on the call sheet. That’s what that guy is and that’s all he’s ever going to be." That was the final insult that convinced Sheridan "I didn’t want to be #11 on the call sheet for the rest of my life.” So he got to writing, and four years later, he'd turned in a screenplay that became Denis Villeneuve's highly acclaimed 'Sicario' (2015). The following year, Sheridan racked up award nominations for David Mackenzie’s 'Hell or High Water' (2016) starring Chris Pine and Ben Foster; before making his own directorial debut with 'Wind River' (2017). The real game-changer, however, was when he co-created one of the most successful modern television franchises: 'Yellowstone.' The five-season run, featuring Kevin Costner, has already spawned two spin-off shows, and has three more under development. These results convinced Paramount to let him produce five more passion projects — 'Mayor of Kingstown,' 'Tulsa King,' 'Special Ops: Lioness,' 'Lawmen: Bass Reeves,' and the forthcoming 'Landman.' Today Taylor Sheridan is worth over $200 million and is the proud owner of the historic Texas Four Sixes Ranch, which he now rents out to Paramount to film some of his shows. How's that for being #11 on the call sheet? You own your path. No one else is going to pave it for you. What's holding you back? Make it a great day!