H.R. McMaster’s Battlegrounds Releases Two Episodes Commemorating Veterans Day

Hoover Institution, (Stanford, CA) - To elevate the issues facing America's veterans this November 11, Battlegrounds, hosted by Senior Fellow H.R. McMaster, will release two episodes dealing with significant challenges America's warriors face when they leave active duty.

Supporting Veterans through Mental Health Challenges

In the first episode, airing today, McMaster speaks with Dr. Alta DeRoo, chief medical officer at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, along with psychologist Don Elverd, about the addiction crisis among veterans of the US armed forces.

DeRoo, a former naval aviator, tells McMaster that alcohol abuse is the number one issue impacting US veterans.

DeRoo also speaks about working with injured veterans during Operation Iraqi Freedom at a time when opioids were prescribed to deal with their struggles with physical pain.

"We later found these were habit forming," she said of opioids.

The military has since moved away from prescribing opioids, but the knock-on effect has increased rates of addiction to heroin and fentanyl, and veterans are no exception to this disturbing national trend.

Elverd explains to McMaster that part of his treatment approach is to counsel veterans to use lessons learned in military training to overcome the challenge of addiction and pursue a path of recovery.

"In working with veterans, I will work with one and they will say, 'Well, I've never been in combat,' and I will say, 'Wrong, you are in combat now; you're in the weirdest combat of all,'" Elverd said. "And some of the things you learned in the military can help you in terms of recovering from this combat."

Helping Veterans Embark on a New Career

In the second episode, airing November 14, McMaster speaks with Bethany Coates, CEO and Founder of BreakLine, a social venture dedicated to helping women, people of color, those experiencing disability, and veterans start or advance a new career.

Coates, whose background includes service as assistant dean for global innovation programs at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, says that experience taught her that "the largest engine fueling the American dream today is our education system."

But utilizing that engine is costly, with many graduate degrees at top institutions costing several hundred thousand dollars, an expense that many veterans exiting the military cannot afford. For Coates, BreakLine's objective is to offer free support to enhance veterans' skill sets in ways they never thought were possible without going back to school.

Through the program, which typically lasts about six weeks, BreakLine helps job seekers upgrade their skill sets. Additionally, Breakline helps veterans transitioning into the private sector to secure above-industry-average salaries. Coates tells McMaster that a significant portion of the effort focuses on improving a job applicant's approach to the interview process through coaching and training.

Listen to the episodes here.

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