Jakarta Bomb Blast to the Past

Today, July 17, two bombs went off in two separate hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia, killing eight and injuring dozens more.

The group thought to be responsible for the attack is an al-Qaeda branch of Jemaah Islamiyah.

While living in Jakarta in the early 90's I never thought about terrorism and had no fear of being a potential target for a group like Jemaah Islamiyah. I was old enough to know about crime and terrorism and understood that it was a dangerous world, but Islamic extremism didn't seem like much of a threat even though I was living in a country that was mostly Muslim.

In fact, I enjoyed learning about Islam and would visit mosques, talk with Muslims about the religion and even join in during festivities around Idul Fitri. I found most Indonesians to be pleasant and easy enough to get along with, but I did face some hostilities on the streets and was aware of the mob mentality that would take over during large events like the Metallica concert where Indonesians looted and destroyed businesses after too many tickets were sold.

Of course I always thought most of the hostility Indonesians felt towards foreigners was directed at the Chinese, but I did occassionaly get harrassed for being American.

It's hard to imagine that today there are violent extremists throughout the island nation that seek to kill people like me.

What I remember of Indonesia is that I was free to do as I pleased as a foreigner, and was generally treated with kindness by the locals. I remember the tropical beauty of Pulau Seribu and Bali, the Burubudur on Java and the excitement and thrill of the big city in Jakarta.

Now that I'm older and have seen the violence Indonesians are capable of I have a different mentality about what the country really is. Perhaps it's not as safe a place for Americans as I thought it was, and perhaps it is not a place I want to return to as an adult.

It's sad that because of these violent extremists people like my self have to think twice about visiting the country which offers so much diversity in it's culture and so much beauty in it's landscape.

What N.M.'s Veteran Court Should Be Like

Thousands of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have begun to return to life as civilians in New Mexico, but many of them may not have an easy time adjusting to their new environment. Some veterans will disregard the laws of the state and may find themselves in front of a judge or in jail. The new veterans’ court that the state is creating must be designed to help these veterans get back on track, rather than focusing on punishing them for their misdeeds. It is understood that the state will not refer violent criminals to the veterans' court, although I propose that some violent cases, including some domestic violence and assault cases involving self defense, be tried in a veterans' court. The most important thing to remember when trying to help these troubled vets is that fear cannot be used to force them into compliance. These men and women were trained to be fearless in battle and faced death on a daily basis while serving overseas. The state must not try to coerce veterans into compliance through the fear of going to jail. A veteran who has served in combat will not fear the use of force by police, nor will they fear spending a few months in jail, as the allowable amount of force police can use on a suspect is nowhere near as scary as what the enemy is allowed to do in Iraq and Afghanistan and jail is more like a vacation than punishment when compared to being in a combat zone. What I propose is that the state use a carrot and stick approach when dealing with veterans who have broken the law. Law enforcement officials should immediately determine whether the suspect they have apprehended is a veteran (even better if they can do this beforehand) in order to determine the proper action that must be taken. Law enforcement should be trained in how to deal with combat veterans in order to prevent the escalation of force that is bound to occur when confronting a veteran who is faced with a fight or flight decision. If police know they are dealing with a combat vet than they should use every means possible to deescalate the situation, rather than resorting to violent force. Vets that are booked and processed into a holding facility should immediately be evaluated for mental health disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, depression and anger. A Veterans Affairs administrator should provide the evaluation at the holding facility as soon as possible. Veterans who have been determined to have a disorder related to their combat experience should be removed from general population and placed in a rehabilitation/recovery facility or on house arrest before further action is taken. While awaiting a hearing before a judge these veterans should be given proper access to treatment at the VA or through other providers free of charge. It should be determined what type of care should be given on a case by case basis. Veterans should be provided with free representation and should be allowed to explain to a judge why their experience in the military has created difficulties as a civilian. Each judge should determine what type of program the veteran will go into at this point. If the judge decides that a veteran is in need of further counseling and other medical treatment than the vet should be allowed to continue to go to the VA, the Vet Center, or other veteran outreach centers to receive treatment. If it is determined that a veteran must be placed on an extended period of house arrest or do jail time, than veteran services should be provided to the veteran at a location they can easily access, which may include medical treatment, benefits assistance, help finding a job or getting into school and financial and housing assistance. Veterans who have problems with alcohol and drugs should be tested frequently for use, but should not be thrown out of the program or placed back in jail for a first time failure. It would be more beneficial to increase counseling services. Many veterans have had success in recovery by attending programs where they leave the state to participate in a program specifically for veterans on a ranch or camp-like environment. Those who are successful in their program should be rewarded with the opportunity of completing their sentence earlier. If a veteran is placed on house arrest for six months and has met all the requirements of the program for the first two months than the state should consider decreasing the amount of time spent on house arrest. A veteran that goes above and beyond the requirements (i.e. does voluntary work on top of community service) should be the first to be considered for a decreased sentence. And the opposite should occur for those that fail in the program. More time in the program should be added on to those that do not meet the requirements and these veterans should not receive benefits assistance, financial guidance or job placement until they have proven to meet the requirements of the program, such as having clean alcohol and drug tests, completing weekly community service projects and or providing reparations to the victims of their crimes. For homeless veterans I propose a program similar to Habitat for Humanity where they are given housing vouchers for completion of a community service program involving housing development. These veterans will be taught a job skill that will last them a lifetime, such as carpentry, tiling, roofing, etc., while also giving them a place to live. Veterans who receive a voucher and who complete whatever is required of them by the court should have access to social workers for the rest of their lives if they need it to help them stay off the streets. The veterans’ court should not be designed in a similar fashion as the DWI/Drug Court. The issues veterans face are completely different than what other civilians face and should be treated as such. The DWI/Drug Court program may be successful in preventing future drug use and DWIs, but it will not work to help treat post traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and other military related problems. The veterans’ court should not be more painful than jail or whatever sentencing they would receive if they were not a veteran. If a veteran realizes that it will be quicker and easier to go to jail then to go through a veterans’ program than they will choose jail and the problems will not be fixed. Veterans who violate the law must be held accountable for their actions and should have to repay the victims and the communities for their crimes, but they should not be treated as though they have not already served their country. For those who have served in places like Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan it is difficult to understand why it is not okay to do one thing when they had previously been allowed to do things that were much worse according to local laws.

Moriarty Soldier Spreads Radio News to AfghansFirst

First published in The Independent newspaper, Edgewood, N.M., July 8, 2009.

Just as thousands of recently deployed Marines began their new mission in Helmand province, Afghanistan, fresh violence sparked off in the eastern Paktika province, near the Pakistan Afghanistan border, which claimed the lives of two U.S. soldiers on Saturday.According to reports, insurgents used small arms, rockets, mortar rounds, an explosive-filled truck and at least one shell filled with white phosphorous during an attack at a small base in the Zerok district of the province.This came just days after another soldier went missing in the same region and is believed to be held captive by Taliban forces. The Los Angeles Times reported that the capture of the soldier could provide the Taliban with a “propaganda bonanza,” which is exactly what one local New Mexican soldier has been trying to prevent from happening in the country.Moriarty High School graduate Thomas Castillo is currently in Paktia province, just north of Paktika, where he helps to broadcast news radio to the remote parts of the country in an effort to prevent the Taliban from spreading their own version of the news. A recent Stars and Stripes article explains how Castillo’s unit hands out crank-powered radios in remote villages so the U.S. can be the first to deliver the news before the Taliban has a chance to add their own twist to it.Whenever an incident occurs, like the kidnapping of 16 Afghan de-miners in Paktia on Sunday, Castillo’s unit writes a radio story and sends it to disc jockeys that broadcast the event in the local language. The head of the district where the incident occurs is also contacted to ask for advice on how to handle the situation.Castillo’s role is to work on computers and set up transmitters to ensure the broadcasts will be delivered. The idea behind the mission is to build support among the population by broadcasting information about what the Army is doing to assist civilians. The Army will inform radio listeners as to where a mortar attack is occurring so they can seek safety, or will explain how the U.S. is providing humanitarian assistance in the area. Without the Army broadcasts locals will be subjugated to Taliban propaganda which is often inaccurate and potentially harmful for U.S. Afghan relations.“The Taliban put up a lot of propaganda,” Castillo’s father, Mike Hoitt, said during a phone interview last week. “They might say America is doing this to you or America is doing that. Now they [U.S. Army] have their own radios so they can report the truth.”Castillo’s mother, Tracy Hoitt, said her son has seen some positive signs the mission is working.“He said they’re thrilled. They like the interaction with the Americans and that they’re really happy to get the radios because they’re [Taliban] attacking their people just as much as we’re trying to protect them,” Tracy Hoitt said. “The radios help them to know the truth about what’s happening.”Castillo’s grandmother, Terry Myrick, also thinks the Army is making a difference.She said the radio broadcasts are beneficial, “Because that helps people over there like us and work with us.”“You know you couldn’t breathe without getting in trouble out there,” Myrick continued. “Now we’re actually helping the people. They give food to them and go to remote villages and help people. All that the Taliban does is cause trouble and bomb people that don’t deserve to be bombed. They bomb their own people.” Myrick said Castillo cannot discuss everything he does because of the classified nature of his work, but he does talk about everyday things and asks for more Ramen noodles whenever he does get the chance to call back home.Myrick said nobody wants to see a family member sent off to war, but even so, she is proud of what her grandson is doing.“In a year he’s become a man,” she said. “When he was here this kid was going nowhere. Every time I hear something from him I’m just so proud of him.”Myrick said Castillo was the type of kid that had difficulty in school and after graduation didn’t have much going for him except a job at the Connection. According to Myrick, Castillo realized he was going nowhere and wanted to do something about it, which is why he joined the Army.“You don’t have to stay stagnate all your life,” Myrick said. “There’s more than Moriarty. There’s more in the world.”Castillo’s parents weren’t ecstatic about their son going off to war, but both seem proud of what he is doing and both are getting the support from the community to make the stress of the situation a bit easier.“Small communities do better than the larger ones,” Mike Hoitt said, adding that friends and neighbors are always asking if they need anything for care packages. For information on sending a care package to deployed soldiers contact the Rio Grande Valley Chapter Blue Star Mothers by visiting nmrgvbluestarmothers.org.“My biggest thing is whether you’re for it or against it, support your soldiers because they don’t have a choice,” Mike Hoitt said.

Remembering the Invasion: Psyops, Rockets & Confusion

The psychological operations taking place in Afghanistan today are much different than the psyops we used during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Often times we would use loudspeakers to announce our presence to the Iraqis. Although I couldn’t understand the Arabic that was blaring from the speakers, I was told that we were trying to coax the fedayeen into fighting us by insulting their manhood. It was explained that this would bring them out of their hiding spots to separate them from the civilians they would position themselves next to.
On at least one occasion the psyops had an adverse effect on me. . .
We had taken over some fighting positions that a previous unit was holding before we got there. We were still moving up the main highway on our way toward Baghdad, about two or three weeks into the invasion, and the fog of war had started to take its toll on me.
The unit before us had shot a vehicle the previous night and it was just sitting in the middle of the road all burned up. As soon as we got to our new position my machinegun team moved to a berm and dug out a good hole where we camouflaged the gun. We were in a pretty good fighting hole, but we weren’t being very aggressive. People were walking past us all day checking out our positions. I wanted to go out in front of the berm to question them but I was also scared of land mines.
When night fell I stayed up trying to be as attentive as possible. I was on post staring through the night vision when it was about time to wake up my ammo man, Bonillia. I noticed that there were lights beaming at me from all directions. I thought there were vehicles all around us.
“Wake up,” I told Bonilla.
He did quickly and I briefed him on the situation. I wasn’t sure what the lights were or who they belonged to, but, despite my apprehension, I still wanted to lie down to get some rest. As soon as I bunkered down for the night bright flashes of light burst in the air.
“Get down!” I said, “Don’t let them see you.”
I thought we were surrounded and under attack. More flares went off and then I heard Arabic blaring out from somewhere behind me. I thought the fedayeen were screaming at us and were about to assault us from all sides.
“Stay low,” I told Bonillia, and then attempted to wake my team leader. He continued to sleep however so we made do without him.
“Do you see anything?” I asked.
“No. I don’t see nothing,” Bonillia said.
“Incoming rocket!” someone yelled.
“Get down! Get down!” I told Bonilla.
We popped our heads back up and stared out into the darkness as more rockets came our way. A couple impacted directly behind us where Weapons Company was posted. I scanned the entire area with my night vision goggles on, but I couldn’t see anything. Machinegun bursts were coming from our right flank shooting tracers in the direction my gun was pointed. I kept looking through the night vision scope on our gun but still didn’t see anything. The team to our right unloaded about a thousand rounds into what appeared to be an empty field.
Eventually the shooting ended and the rockets subsided and I managed to get about an hour of sleep before being woken up to stand post again.
In the morning we were debriefed and told that two Iraqis had been killed and that the flares were ours all along and the blaring Arabic was coming from the loudspeakers mounted on one of our vehicles. If the speakers were being used to draw enemy fire than I guess it worked, but the psychological impact it had on me was probably not what our commanders were thinking of when they ordered the loudspeakers to be played.

Magnetic bombs and the future of warfare

Round-up of Daily Violence in Iraq - Sunday 5 July, 2009 McClatchy: "Diyala
A magnetic bomb was stuck to a civilian car and detonated at 11.30 a.m. Sunday in al Mualimeen neighbourhood. The explosion killed the driver and injured two civilian passers by."

Wow, this sure makes it easy to blow stuff up. Just slap this bomb on anything metal and walk away. Seems like criminals are becoming more innovative everyday. The more technologically advanced their opposition is the more creative they become. It just goes to show that if an insurgent has his mind set on killing someone than he will kill someone, no matter who it is. It's like they want to cause chaos just for the sake of causing chaos.
I'm not sure I quite understand why an insurgent would slap a magnetic bomb on any random vehicle, but I guess they think it will benefit their cause.
The longer I've been out of the Marines the more strange I find all this violence to be. . .

It seems to me like these insurgents are not just going to go away. They have managed to stay active throughout the U.S. military campaign in Iraq and have been able to spread their ideals throughout the globe. It will be impossible to capture or kill all the terrorists in the world, so what I suggest is a new strategy:
The military should cross-train soldiers in police-type work to include swat tactics, detective work and undercover operations in order to combat terrorists worldwide. The military should create more smaller special operations type units and spread them throughout the globe on sea, in the air and on the ground to combat international criminal networks like al Qaeda who continue to move from place to place without regard to borders.
It does not make sense to pile all of America's troops into one country to fight an enemy that is not restricted by borders. With smaller military units positioned around the globe the U.S. can track, kill, capture or deter more terrorists in more places. The U.S. should go at it alone and covertly in places that do not wish to cooperate and overtly and with others in places that do.

At first glance this may seem like I am proposing a world police state with the U.S. leading the way in providing the security apparatus, however this is exactly the opposite of what I am proposing. A world police state will occur if we let the war on terrorism evolve on its own. If the U.S. continues to fight this war as it has been doing than what we will see is a continuation of large scale military operations in different countries, by not just the U.S, but Russia, China and India as well. Each excursion will leave behind a militarized state with an organized police force prepared to fight alongside the larger nation which has propped it up. This is what happened during the Cold War and what is continuing to happen now.

What I propose will create a de-militirarization of nations by using small, unseen forces to do the dirty work, while the larger forces remain out of the limelight. By spreading these smaller units throughout the globe the U.S. can collect better intelligence while also building stronger relations with countries that would otherwise go unnoticed in Washington. It is important to focus on the detterrence factor that can be brought with such a restructuring of the military. Not only can these smaller units move in and out of countries unnoticed and conduct better cross-national training exercises, but they can also bring in much needed assistance to the countries they will be deployed in or near.

Many of these units will have plenty of down time to build better relations by providing humanitarian assistance to people in need. By providing this assistance the U.S. can prevent impoverished people from wandering into a life of crime. The military has the tools to provide this type of assistance, but without a strong civilian corps to do the work it may be impossible to bring assistance everywhere it is needed.

The more civilians that can be used to bring in medical supplies, books, food and infrastructure tools, the less the military will be needed in these areas and could eventually be phased out or used only as a small observatory security force, depending on the how active international criminals continue to be in these countries.
The war on terrorism really is a police action that should be fought as such, but at the same time the military should be prepared for conventinal warfare as well. If an enemy wants to fight in a designated area using traditional military frontline fighting tactics where uniforms and insignia are still worn than the U.S. should be ready for that, but they should be prepared for global police work as well, which the U.S. is not.
Yes, the U.S. military has become more accustomed to fighting a guerilla type war, but they have not beat the enemy at their own game. The enemy knows that the U.S. will stop short of sending troops into Somalia or Yemen, which is why they are fleeing there. They know they can blend in as civilians in Europe and North America without the fear of having a batallion of Marine sent after them.
The U.S. needs to be three or four steps ahead of al Qaeda and other terrorists networks, but so far they are not. As long as the U.S. military continues to send more troops into Afghanistan while ignoring other terrorists safe havens across the globe they will always remain a few steps behind.
It is time to restructure our military, not as a reaction to terrorists, but as an offensive move to prepare for the future of warfare.
Now if only we can figure out how to prevent warfare in the first place. . .

Biden to discuss long-term stability with Iraqi leaders

According to a White House press release, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is in Iraq to visit with troops and to discuss the troop drawdown with Iraqi leaders.

The press release says, "He will discuss with Iraq’s leaders the importance of achieving the political progress that is necessary to ensure the nation’s long-term stability."

I hope he is discussing what type of educational, medical, and infrastructure assistance the United States will provide to ensure this long-term stability, because without this assistance the U.S. will surely fail in creating a stable long-term ally in Iraq.

The U.S. military can proudly walk away as victors in Iraq, having accomplished the mission of destroying any means the country had to build WMDs, while also overthrowing Saddam Hussein and creating a new semi-deomocracy that is friendly to the U.S., however the American people cannot claim victory until 20 or 30 years from now when we know that the country has gained the long-term stability Biden is discussing.

Once we have seen that the country has become an active and engaged world player which seeks to cooperate with the countries surrounding it and the rest of the international community than the United States can claim victory. For this is what is in the U.S.' best interests and this is, or should be, the true goal of the U.S.' war in Iraq.

Now that the troops will be coming home the U.S. can engage in a true democratic form of nation building, using the diplomatic corps to bring fresh innovative ideas to the country in order to create a long lasting friendship between the two nations.

Fireworks cause anxiety among combat vets the best solution? Go somewhere more peaceful until the fourth of july is over.

Troops can leave but Iraq cannot be abandoned

The Troop Drawdown Could Be Costly for Iraq - WSJ.com: "Power and prestige matter. Withdrawal from Iraq's cities is good politics in Washington, but when premature and done under fire it may very well condemn Iraqis to repeat their past."

And from the Washington Post - "Obama said Iraq's future was now "in the hands of its own people," and its Sunni, Shi'ite and Kurdish leaders had to make some hard choices to resolve disputes that have been obstacles to real political reconciliation."

So the question is will the Iraqis be condemned to repeat their past? The violent politics of the past could return to the region once the United States is gone, but unlike in the past the United States now has a duty to do something about it. The U.S. cannot leave Iraq without continuing to provide humanitarian assistance as was the case in Afghanistan after the defeat of the Soviets. Political chaos and violent upheavel can be dealt with by the police and security of local forces, but no one will want to go along the democratic path if the United States is seen as abandoning the people of Iraq.
The United States must continue to provide the necessary resources that will alow the country to have a good education system, modern medicine, access to the media and a strong infrastructure. If the United States does not provide aide and guidance to strengthen the fragile democratic institutions within Iraq then we may very well see the Iraqi people be condemned to repeat their past, just as the United States will be condemned to repeat the past mistakes that were made in Afghanistan and so many other countries the U.S. has used military force in.
The military did it's job which was to fight the Baathists and the insurgents and now the forces must leave to allow local security to take over and for the people to police themselves. Rebuilding Iraq into a democratic nation is not the job of the military, as the military is the United States' least democratic institution. Now it is time for real democracy to take shape in the country which will occur as long as the Iraqi people can be shown that democracy does not abandon the people it tries to convert.
And if the country does return to a violent authoritarian regime where political violence is the only way to power, then the United States must not return with their guns blazing. Instead, the United States must rally support from the international community to take action, rather than doing it alone.
The unilateral approach the U.S. took on Iraq before the invasion only destroyed the legitimacy of the United States' claim to democracy while also tearing apart the foundations of the United Nations which the U.S. worked so hard to build.

Death Toll Totals

The Associated Press reported that there have been 4,316 U.S. military deaths in Iraq between March 2003 and June 26, 2009.

Iraqbodycount.org reports that about 100,000 Iraqi civilians have died from war related violence since the war began. The worst months for Iraqi civilian deaths were in March and April of 2003 at about 7,500 deaths for both months.
The same website says one in 160 of Baghdad’s 6.5 million population has been violently killed.

Various reports indicate that over 20,000 insurgents have been killed since the war began.

Many of the reports vary on the numbers for Iraqi civilians and insurgents killed. Numbers for U.S. deaths do not vary among the different reports.
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Veterans share Iraq and Afghanistan war experiences | FSRN

Veterans share Iraq and Afghanistan war experiences FSRN: "The White House yesterday confirmed President Obama´s plans to remove US soldiers from cities and towns in Iraq next week, despite two bomb explosions that killed two and injured more than 30 people today. And a motorcycle bomb that killed more than 60 people in Baghdad´s Sadr city on Wednesday."

Remembering the Invasion: Camp Commando

We stood twelve hour posts in a tower behind a machinegun in freezing cold temperatures. It really sucked but I will always know how to have patience now. I remember reading a book about the previous U.N. inspectors who had been kicked out while watching new ones traveling toward the Iraqi border while I was on post. When I was relieved I would go to the chow hall and watch CNN show the same U.N. inspectors inside Iraq.
I would always hope to get the post on the Kuwaiti side of the base so I could practice my Arabic, eat some of their chow, and to check out what the Kuwaiti army was all about. During Ramadan they gave me tons of food and tea. They sat around and told stories about the Gulf War.
Several of the Kuwaitis I talked to had fought against the Iraqis right from where I was sitting. One of the Kuwaitis told me he had been held captive by Saddam’s army for several years. I heard other stories from the Kuwaitis about the Gulf War. After being overran by the Iraqi military many Kuwaitis were raped and tortured. I was told about relatives who had had their ears and tongues cut off. One Kuwaiti told me about a gunfight at Camp Commando that took the lives of Kuwaitis he served with.
Sometimes we would watch the Kuwaiti Commandos train their recruits. The training included a run around the base where the Kuwaitis would spray the recruits, who were only wearing shorts, with water in the middle of the night while it was freezing cold. We used to watch them do the confidence course where they would climb way up on this tower to climb around on some ropes. The amazing thing was that they didn’t use any safety equipment at all. The thing that blew my mind about the Kuwaiti’s was that they didn’t seem to have any kind of work schedule. They would arrive in nice sports cars, stand a couple hours of post, and then leave. They told me that they not only had free cars and gas, but that they also had free education, were paid tremendously well, and had special privileges like being able to smuggle alcohol across the border without getting in trouble.

Air Force Space Program Money Passes Armed Services Committee

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 passed the U.S. House Armed Service Committe by a vote of 61 to 0 on Wednesday, June 17.

The bill will provide $25 million in funding for Kirtland Air Force Base's Operationally Responsive Space Program. The funding will be used for development and launch costs for the ORS Satellite-1.

The satellite is used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. In a recent press release it states, "The ability to provide on-demand, multi-spectral images that cover miles of terrain would give our warfighters improved enemy awareness and could ultimately save American lives.

Kirltand Air Force Base's program offers added technology to the national Operationally Responsive Space program.

Homeless Vets Getting Assistance

U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki and U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan announced that $75 million will be used to provide permanent supportive housing and VA case managers for 10,000 homeless veterans.

Approximately 10,000 rental assistance vouchers will be provided to assist homeless veterans across the United States.

"No one, especially veterans who have faithfully served our country should become homeless," Shinseki said.

The housing assistance program will allow veterans to rent privately owned housing. The VA will also provide eligible homeless veterans health care services. More than 100,000 homeless veterans access VA health care annualy.

For more information visit the veterans affairs supportive housing program website.

Sandia Labs Veterans Business Meeting

A town hall meeting for veteran business owners will be held Tuesday, June 16 at the New Mexico Veterans' Memorial at 1 p.m.

Sandia National Laboratories' Small Business Utilization Department will explain how veterans can bid on contract with Sandia Labs at the meeting.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, one out of seven small business are veteran owned. In New Mexico there are 22,000 veteran owned small businesses.

To find out more about the town hall meeting call (505) 823-2000.

Veteran Business Workshop In Las Cruces

The New Mexico Department of Veterans' Services is sponsoring a June 24 Veteran Business Development Workshop at the Henderson Fine Arts Center on the San Juan College campus in Las Cruces. The event begins at 8 a.m. and ends at noon.
Veterans will receive information about creating a business plan and the importance of marketing strategy.
Veterans will also learn how they can apply for a Patriot Express Loan, a special low interest business loan for veterans.
A federal mandate which sets a goal that 3 percent of all federal contracts be awarded to businesses owned by service disabled veterans will be discussed.
Representatives will be on hand to help veterans file for the new Post 9/11 G.I. Bill.
For more information call (505) 566-3528.