Home Base Nation

*To sign up for the in-person Run To Home Base at Fenway Park on Saturday, September 25th, click here.

Click here to learn more about Bekah Salwasser and The Red Sox Foundation

To learn more and connect with us at Home Base Nation:

www.homebase.org/homebasenation

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Home Base Nation Team: Steve Monaco, Marine Veteran Brendan McCaffrey, Maureen Roderick, Shea Hammond, Karianne Kraus, with COO Michael Allard and Brigadier General Jack Hammond

Producer and Host: Dr. Ron Hirschberg

Music: The Butler Frogs, Darden Smith, and James House

Home Base Media Lab Chairman: Peter Smyth

Home Base Nation is the official podcast of Home Base Program for Veterans and Military Families, a partnership of the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Red Sox Foundation.

The views expressed by guests to the Home Base Nation podcast are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by guests are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Home Base, the Red Sox Foundation or any of its officials.

Home Base Program and the Mass Military Heroes Fund are both 12 years ago this year, founded in 2009. The MMHF shares in its mission with Home Base, an initial support of post 9/11 veterans and their families, and each year the Memorial Day Flag Planting reveals 37,000 flags that represent those tied to MA who lost their lives in all wars since the Revolutionary War.

www.homebase.org

www.massmilitaryheroes.org

This year marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and on this Memorial Day, with Covid clearing, Memorial Day seems to come with a collection of emotions. As vaccinations rise, masks come off and people start to congregate more and more - Up the road at Fenway Park and cheering on the Bruins around the corner from Home Base as they make their way in the playoffs.

And looking back one year exactly, we hosted an event called Beyond The Battlefield - To bring veteran storytelling to our community, connecting civilian and military culture in a unique way. Home Base clinical psychologist Dr. Daria Mamon knew of an Israeli group called Resisim that hosts events for veterans to tell their story to their families, and their communities - The goals are simple: To help with stress of war for the veteran, while at the same time provide a way for civilians to have a deeper understanding of war and conflict. So Daria, along with clinical social worker Kat Dunford brought storytelling to Home Base, providing veterans and service members the tools to tell their own story.

Thank you Kevin Trujillo and Jessica Rivera for your service, and for all you do to continue to serve. These stories are yours but become ours to share and we hope can not only help with the healing process, but bridge the civilian-military gap that is so common in the US and other countries.

Thank you to Dr. Daria Mamon and Kat Dunford for creating Beyond The Battlefield and the forum for these narratives to be built.

The Home Base Family Outreach team is ready and available to connect, offering support and treatment to veterans and military and families. For all needs or any questions, please connect at www.homebase.org, or 617-724-5202.

To learn more and connect with us at Home Base Nation:

www.homebase.org/homebasenation

Twitter,Facebook,Instagram,LinkedIn

Home Base Nation Team: Steve Monaco, Marine Veteran Brendan McCaffrey, Maureen Roderick, Karianne Kraus, with COO Michael Allard and Brigadier General Jack Hammond

Producer and Host: Dr. Ron Hirschberg

Music: "Blessings" by Darden Smith / "Dragonfly" by Ron Hirschberg

Home Base Media Lab Chairman: Peter Smyth

Home Base Nation is the official podcast of Home Base Program for Veterans and Military Families, a partnership of the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Red Sox Foundation.

The views expressed by guests to the Home Base Nation podcast are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by guests are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Home Base, the Red Sox Foundation or any of its officials.

-This virtual conversation was originally recorded on November 18th, 2020-

Kevin Miller is a defensemen for the Boston Bruins, in his 7th season. Pre-Covid, he was injured at the knee during the 2019-20 season, and is now back on the ice for the 2020-21 season, resilient and rehabbed. Kevan came to Boston's WCVB Home Base Televent for Veterans Day 2019, bringing friend and fellow Bruin Brad Marchand to answer the phones to help our team raise awareness and funds to cover the care of our veterans and families. Kevan and Brad are good buddies in and out of the rink, one from Southern CA and the other from Canada that also share the love of fishing, hunting and just being outdoors, so they started an outdoor apparel and outfitting business called March and Mill Co. They brought along fellow hunters and veterans for their inaugural veteran hunt in 2019, and look forward to more of these trips post NHL season. Check out their adventures from Utah to Canada in March and Mill Co TV - It’s brotherhood off the ice and of of course with some good time competition - Who will pull up the biggest fish, or who gets the bullseye with the compound bow.

Since age 5, Kevan has been hooked on hockey, but his other passions for the outdoors, our veterans and military families, and of course his own growing family show how keeping well is all about that balance of work, play and giving back.

...Thanks to Kevan Miller for your time and advocacy for veterans and families, and for taking us inside your passions outside the rink - with a new business and effort to get people outdoors and connect. We look forward to coming back to the Garden to see you and your own brothers take on the competition and bring another Stanley Cup to our town, ?Maybe this year. Things are looking good I hear.

Many thanks to cohost today Army Veteran and director of WHF program at Home Base, Ryan Vander Weit.

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The Home Base Family Outreach team is ready and available to connect, offering support and treatment to veterans and military and families. For all needs or any questions, please connect at www.homebase.org, or 617-724-5202.

To learn more and connect with us at Home Base Nation:

www.homebase.org/homebasenation

Twitter,Facebook,Instagram,LinkedIn

Home Base Nation Team: Steve Monaco, Marine Veteran Brendan McCaffrey, Maureen Roderick, Charlotte Luckey, Karianne Kraus, with COO Michael Allard and Brigadier General Jack Hammond

Producer and Host: Dr. Ron Hirschberg

Music: The Butler Frogs

Home Base Media Lab Chairman: Peter Smyth

Home Base Nation is the official podcast of Home Base Program for Veterans and Military Families, a partnership of the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Red Sox Foundation.

The views expressed by guests to the Home Base Nation podcast are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by guests are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Home Base, the Red Sox Foundation or any of its officials.

At Home Base, the team has cared for more than 25,000 veterans, and we know that connected to each veteran is a family who also serves. Change and injury affect everyone, and the kids, no matter how resilient, can benefit from our support and care. April is a special month, Month of the Military Child, initiated in 1986 by the DOD - a legacy of the Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. Military children are connected through all branches of the military… and all with their own culture and color - With Air Force blue, Army green, Navy blue, Marine red, and Coast Guard blue— these colors combine as a Total Force to form purple. And this week, remember to wear Purple on April 15th for Purple Up day to recognize our military families and to thank all the kids for their sacrifice and service to us all.

As the times and needs change, content has grown, benefitting kids, adults and all caregivers. In 2019, the USAA along with the Bob Woodruff Foundation partnered to create Sesame Street for Military Families: Caregiving. It’s a hub for kids and families, with games, videos and educational material for both children and adults. And of course featuring two of our military kids, Rosita and Elmo. Rosita’s dad is Ricardo, a US veteran who was injured while deployed in 2008 and is wheel chair user and a TBI survivor. Her good pal Elmo’s dad Louie is a fellow “service-monster.” They get through tough times and have fun times together, and the same with their own families on “sunny days, cloudy days, and the stormy days…”

Thank you very much to Rocio Galarza for this conversation and for all you do for our service members, veterans and their families, and go to: https://sesamestreetformilitaryfamilies.org for everything offered to both military and civilian families going through challenging times. Many thanks to Brit Edwards, and the team at Sesame Street Workshop for all you do!

Thank you to Home Base's own Betsy Hart of the family outreach team for your personal and family perspectives, and a very special thanks to the Hart family for your service.

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The Home Base Family Outreach team is ready and available to connect, offering support and treatment kids and families. For military connected children and family needs or any questions, please connect at www.homebase.org, or 617-724-5202.

To learn more and connect with us at Home Base Nation:

www.homebase.org/homebasenation

Twitter,Facebook,Instagram,LinkedIn

Home Base Nation Team: Steve Monaco, Marine Veteran Brendan McCaffrey, Maureen Roderick, Charlotte Luckey, Karianne Kraus, with COO Michael Allard and Brigadier General Jack Hammond

Producer and Host: Dr. Ron Hirschberg

Music: The Butler Frogs

Home Base Media Lab Chairman: Peter Smyth

Home Base Nation is the official podcast of Home Base Program for Veterans and Military Families, a partnership of the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Red Sox Foundation.

The views expressed by guests to the Home Base Nation podcast are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by guests are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Home Base, the Red Sox Foundation or any of its officials.

Thanks very much to our guest, US Air Force Veteran Mike Roose for your service and what you continue to do for all of us on and off the field.

Home Base is a partnership of MGH and The Red Sox Foundation – And as we look at moving forward to spring 2021 and baseball season, these two institutions give all of us a little more hope.

To learn more and connect with us at Home Base:

www.homebase.org/homebasenation

Twitter,Facebook,Instagram,LinkedIn

Home Base Nation Team: Steve Monaco, Marine Veteran Brendan McCaffrey, Maureen Roderick, Charlotte Luckey, Karianne Kraus, with COO Michael Allard and Brigadier General Jack Hammond

Producer and Host: Dr. Ron Hirschberg

Music: The Butler Frogs

Photo: The MGH Photography Lab

Home Base Media Lab Chairman: Peter Smyth

Home Base Nation is the official podcast of Home Base Program for Veterans and Military Families, a partnership of the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Red Sox Foundation.

The views expressed by guests to the Home Base Nation podcast are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by guests are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Home Base, the Red Sox Foundation or any of its officials.

Last night on March 9th, The MGH Center for Neuroscience of Psychedelics welcomed award winning author and Professor Michael Pollan to join Dr. Jerry Rosenbaum and team to celebrate the launching of this exciting and novel effort at Mass General.

The conversation was introduced by social change activist and philanthropist Dick Simon who appropriately held up Pollan's 2018 book "How to change your mind."

It was clear that although psychedelics for mental health have been proposed and studied for about 100 years, Simon referred to what many people in the field call time periods of "BP and AP" or Before Pollan and After Pollan.

Since his 2018 book, the field continues to evolve and Pollan mentioned that a Center like this is just the right place to continue to explore and create new treatments. He said that although he expected to meet some resistance by mainstream psychiatry, on the contrary he found at MGH a willingness and openness to move forward. He noted that the "return of psychedelics" to Harvard just makes sense and is a big event, given the rich yet complicated history here.

Pollan emphasized that as clinicians and researchers, many focus on the negative changes that can occur in the brain from development forward in life. However, what are the possible ways to creating positive change? A key theme was the idea that how we change the brain is not likely facilitated by the chemicals we offer the brain, rather it is experience that can change the brain.

Towards the conclusion of the discussion, Pollan mentioned that (stuck) with me - saying that this entire field has been verypromising, but with the right investment in resources, education and research, could beprofound.

There is so much mental illness that is not diagnosed and not treated the way it can be. The veteran population as we know has significant rates of PTS and depression, with only 50% seeking help.

Two medications with the most evidence and work supporting the use in this kind of experience driven treatment are…psilocybin and MDMA. Currently, Home Base is looking at PTS with MDMA in a new study. In collaboration with the new Center at MGH, we hope to bring more to the table for the veteran population so we can help to target stress, depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions our veterans struggle with.

So how do we deliver that experience, how do we show theevidence or the state of the science, and how do we educate and endorse the public that there are indeed so many people that can be helped in this way?

I was lucky to talk with a team of people leading this effort at MGH: Dr. Jerry Rosenbaum, The Director of the new Center and Psychiatrist-in-Chief Emeritus at MGH, Dr. Franklin King (Education and Training), and Dr. Rick Doblin, a leader in psychedelic research and policy, and founder of MAPS, or Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies.

We will take a step back in time to the beginning of this journey in using psychedelics to augment experience, talk about the process of this novel treatment, and highlight the new MGH Center for Neuroscience of Psychedelics that Home Base is collaborating with. At the end of the day, the overarching goal is alleviating the pain of mental illness in both civilian and military populations and combating these complicated diseases.

Thank you for joining us for this special episode on new ways to look at the brain, and treatment of mental health conditions, specifically PTS as it relates to our veterans at Home Base.

To learn more and connect with us at Home Base:

www.homebase.org/homebasenation

Twitter,Facebook,Instagram,LinkedIn

Home Base Nation Team: Steve Monaco, Marine Veteran Brendan McCaffrey, Maureen Roderick, Charlotte Luckey, Karianne Kraus, with COO Michael Allard and Brigadier General Jack Hammond

Producer and Host: Dr. Ron Hirschberg

Music: The Butler Frogs

Home Base Media Lab Chairman: Peter Smyth

Home Base Nation is the official podcast of Home Base Program for Veterans and Military Families, a partnership of the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Red Sox Foundation.

The views expressed by guests to the Home Base Nation podcast are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by guests are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Home Base, the Red Sox Foundation or any of its officials.

Learn more: Frost Call

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To learn more and connect with us at Home Base:

www.homebase.org/homebasenation

Twitter,Facebook,Instagram,LinkedIn

Home Base Nation Team: Steve Monaco, Marine Veteran Brendan McCaffrey, Maureen Roderick, Charlotte Luckey, Karianne Kraus, with COO Michael Allard and Brigadier General Jack Hammond

Producer and Host: Dr. Ron Hirschberg

Music: "Bats" from Acadia's Second Century Stewardship - Ron Hirschberg

Home Base Media Lab Chairman: Peter Smyth

Home Base Nation is the official podcast of Home Base Program for Veterans and Military Families, a partnership of the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Red Sox Foundation.

The views expressed by guests to the Home Base Nation podcast are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by guests are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Home Base, the Red Sox Foundation or any of its officials.

Seema Reza is a 2019 President George W. Bush Stand-To Veteran Leadership Scholar. She is the author of two books and CEO of Community Building Art Works, an organization that bridges the veteran and civilian communities and combats social isolation through writing, art, improv, and music workshops in military and veteran healthcare settings.

Through her participation in Stand-To, Seema is working on bringing the programs she developed at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Ft. Belvoir Community Hospital to VA and Military Medical Center staff to reduce burnout, build resiliency, improve communication, and bridge the civilian-military divide.

Based in Maryland, shehas led writing workshops within correctional facilities, military and civilian hospitals, elementary and secondary schools, and universities. She is the CEO of Community Building Art Works, a unique arts organization that encourages the use of the arts as a tool for narration, self-care and socialization among a military population struggling with emotional and physical injuries. Reza’s work with veterans is featured in the 2018 HBO documentary We Are Not Done Yet. She was awarded the Col John Gioia Patriot Award by the USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore for her work with service members. An alumnus of Goddard College and VONA, she has had writing online and in print in McSweeney’s, The LA Review, The Feminist Wire, The Offing, and Entropy among others. Case studies from her work with military populations have appeared in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Related Diseases in Combat Veterans. She has performed across the country at universities, theaters, festivals, bookstores, conferences, & one fine mattress shop.

--Please excuse virtual connection challenges during this recording--

To learn more and connect with us at Home Base:

www.homebase.org/homebasenation

Twitter,Facebook,Instagram,LinkedIn

Home Base Nation Team: Steve Monaco, Marine Veteran Brendan McCaffrey, Maureen Roderick, Charlotte Luckey, Karianne Kraus, with COO Michael Allard and Brigadier General Jack Hammond

Producer and Host: Dr. Ron Hirschberg

Music: The Butler Frogs

Home Base Media Lab Chairman: Peter Smyth

Home Base Nation is the official podcast of Home Base Program for Veterans and Military Families, a partnership of the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Red Sox Foundation.

The views expressed by guests to the Home Base Nation podcast are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by guests are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Home Base, the Red Sox Foundation or any of its officials.

12-23-20

Dear Home Base Nation,

This second season of our show has come to an end, and so has 2020. Even though the country and world look ahead to a continued difficult situation in 2021, there is always something hopeful about a new year, along with the natural reflection that we all can use now.

Personally, I’ve learned a lot from our guests both military and civilian, especially in that with challenge, comes opportunity to build back and overcome. Resilience is somewhere in all of us and learning to adapt to change and adversity might happen over months to years, or as quickly as days to weeks. Thanks to the HBN team - Brendan McCaffrey, Charlotte Luckey, Steve Monaco, Karianne Kraus, Moe Roderick, Dan Berg, Natalie Bonelli, and DeeDee Kearney, who join weekly with one goal of bringing new episodes that we are proud of, and hope you continue to enjoy. Season 2 included conversations and stories with amazing people who in their own unique way, continue to serve those who’ve served.

HBN military guests: Army Veteran and Director of the JFK Library in Boston, Alan Price taught us about JFK’s obstacles and support of the Green Berets and Peace Corps. Green Beret Kevin Flike told his own story of resiliency post trauma, while inspiring us to push forward. Airforce Veteran Bonnie Carroll moved us with her stories and new ways to look at life after loss. Army Colonel David King told us about operating in the trauma trenches, at home in his own city, during the Boston Marathon Bombing. Lieutenant General Mike Linnington inspired us to carry our brothers and sisters on our backs both in and out of a pandemic. Navy Veteran Abby Malchow and Marine Veteran Beau Higgins educated us about the transition to work from battlefield to Amazon Warrior. British Navy Veteran and Chef Robert Irvine taught us about balance of selfcare in and out of the kitchen. Marine Veteran Alisa Johnson, Founder of Dogs on Deployment inspired us to follow our passions at all times.

HBN civilian guests: Home Base COO Michael Allard, Drs. Jeannette Ives Erickson and Giles Boland, along with Brigadier General Jack Hammond told the story of the COVD-19 field hospital, Boston Hope that treated more than 700 people during the Spring surge. Dr. Emily Silverman, writer and hospitalist at UCSF gave perspectives on all of our narratives, especially on the frontlines of a COVID unit. Ken Fisher taught us about how a family business built much more than buildings for thousands of military families both in US and abroad. Jake Tapper took us back to The Outpost in Afghanistan to tell the story of not only a battle but about the lives of 9 men who we lost. ICU Nurse Ericka Coutts taught us about a marathon of a pandemic in and of itself. And David “Big Papi” Ortiz showed us how he learned to run the bases again after fighting his own trauma.

To close out 2020, you'll hear Home Base’s Executive Director, Brigadier General Jack Hammond talk about this unprecedented year, while looking ahead at hope, collaboration, and taking care of our own body-mind-and-soul, so that we can best take care of each other. The Home Base team has done the pivot, and will continue to deliver the specialized care for those with TBI and PTS, build the Special Operations programming led by Drs. Ross Zafonte and Alexis Iaccarino / Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and promote resilience and wellness for not only our veterans, but their military families who all serve.

Thank you all for tuning in, for sharing part of your day with us and for all your support of our veterans and military families. I look forward to seeing you back in 2021 for a new year and new season of HBN, with many more inspirational conversations coming your way.

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year,

Ron

To learn more and connect with us at Home Base:

www.homebase.org/homebasenation

Twitter,Facebook,Instagram,LinkedIn

Home Base Nation Team: Steve Monaco, Marine Veteran Brendan McCaffrey, Maureen Roderick, Charlotte Luckey, Karianne Kraus, Dan Berg, DeeDee Kearney, Natalie Bonelli

Producer and Host: Dr. Ron Hirschberg

Music: Darden Smith

Home Base Media Lab Chairman: Peter Smyth

Home Base Nation is the official podcast of Home Base Program for Veterans and Military Families, a partnership of the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Red Sox Foundation.

The views expressed by guests to the Home Base Nation podcast are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by guests are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Home Base, the Red Sox Foundation or any of its officials.