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Category: The Acorn

Article

November 9, 2020

From Serving our Country to Serving Those in Need

Rafael and Leo; Mobile Veteran Outreach

By Brooke Stanley | brooke@theacorn.com Rafael Stoneman has put 30,000 miles on his blue Toyota RAV4 in the past year. Yet, even with all that mileage, the 49-year-old Army veteran who travels with his 165-pound husky-malamute mix, Leo, is doing most of his driving in Ventura County. He spends much of his time looking for homeless […]

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Article

October 2, 2020

Despite Health Issues, Homeless Veteran Helps Others

Homeless Veteran Helps Other Homeless Veterans

By Rafael Stoneman, GCVF Mobile Veteran Outreach Director I first met John Taylor, who most folks call JT, at a hotel in Ventura when I helped check him into Project Roomkey. As part of the statewide program, high-risk homeless people are placed in motel rooms so that they can shelter in place during the pandemic. JT had […]

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Article

January 10, 2020

“We All Count,” Says Census Organizer

2020 Census

I recently had the good fortune to meet with Gabino Aguirre, a member of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission and co-chair of the census campaign in Ventura County. Aguirre is a Santa Paula resident who was born to farmworkers and is a Vietnam-era veteran. We met to discuss Gold Coast Veterans Foundation’s participation in counting […]

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Article

September 20, 2019

Every Good Dog Has Its Day

Leo the Service Dog Surgery

RIGHTFUL RECOGNITION—At right, Nancy Frawley, a representative from State Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin’s office, presents Rafael Stoneman, and his Alaskan malamute, Leo, with a certificate of recognition for their work with local homeless people during a ceremony at the Gold Coast Veterans Foundation in Camarillo on Sept. 12. Above, Dennis Murphy, chairman of the Gold Coast […]

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Article

July 18, 2019

Camping an Interim Housing Option for Vets

Mikey Simpson, Army Veteran; 2018 Ventura County Stand Down; Widow of a Veteran Helps Veterans

Living at Ventura County campgrounds is a viable option for homeless veterans. This is true especially if the veteran is able to obtain a Distinguished Veteran pass, available through California State Parks, or an Access Pass, available through the National Park Service. I didn’t plan on full-time camping. I was trying to buy a house […]

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Article

May 10, 2019

Dog’s Life: Finding Comfort in a Pack

Leo the Service Dog

My name is Leo. I’m a mix, they say. Maybe part Alaskan malamute and husky. Maybe some Pyrenees or mastiff or white shepherd or wolf, even. I’m not sure. Does it matter? Not to me. And not to Papa. We met about six years ago when I was 8 months old. I was in a […]

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January 25, 2019

Local Volunteer and Army Widow Helps Vets

Rheva Acevedo watched as her husband, Carlos, put up a wall of silence around his time in the military. His reticence was understandable—the U.S. Army vet had served in the Vietnam War and may have been exposed to Agent Orange. “I (saw) Carlos break down at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., (but) when […]

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Article

October 29, 2018

Navy Vet Urges Generosity, Compassion in CSUCI Talk

Kim Mitchell Veterans Village of San Diego

ADVOCATE—Kim Mitchell, president and CEO of Veterans Village of San Diego, spoke recently to nursing students at Cal State Channel Islands about the challenges veterans face after returning to civilian life. Courtesy Kim Mitchell Noticing I was the only one not eating, she made a point to ask if I’d had lunch yet. When I […]

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Article

October 12, 2018

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Can Stem from Abuse

Instead of PTSD, maybe it should be called PTS-A-D— Post-Traumatic Stress—and Abuse—Disorder. Medical findings indicate that more veterans today report PTSD related to noncombat situations than ever before. Unfortunately, much of this is related to physical, mental, emotional, verbal and sexual abuse. This is a fact that, for me, is close to home—literally. My neighbor […]

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Article

October 2, 2018

Canine Companions Can Help Vets’ Mental Health

Service Dogs for Veterans

CONSTANT COMPANION—Leo, a husky-malamute, is a service dog for Acorn columnist Rafael Stoneman. Courtesy photo I get paid on the first of the month by the VA. But after rent, utilities, child support, etc., I’m always out of money by the last week of the month. So I took a half-day job on a low-budget […]

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Article

July 27, 2018

Formerly Homeless Vet Urges Stand Down Participation

Ventura County Stand Down

Many newspapers are running articles about the 2018 Ventura County Stand Down happening July 27 to 29 at the California Army National Guard Armory in Ventura (see related story on Page 11). I really don’t want to just write another press release, but I also don’t want to miss the opportunity to notify homeless vets […]

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Article

July 20, 2018

Rafael Stoneman: How to Listen When the Story Is Hard to Tell

How to Listen to a Veteran

My friend, a post-9/11 veteran, constantly suspects someone is trying to kill him. Afraid to start his car, he fears an improvised explosive device is wired into the ignition. Walking on the streets, he fixates on his paranoia that “the enemy” is following him so they can shoot him. Given the intense combat he faced, […]

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Article

June 15, 2018

Homeless Vets Aren’t Much Different from You and Me

Helping Homeless Veterans

This column is about putting a face to Ventura County’s homeless veterans. Each of them is, I assure you, not much different from you and me, with their own unique backstory and purpose. How do I know this? What makes me the expert? Because I am a veteran—and 11 months ago I was homeless right […]

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Article

May 16, 2018

Rafael Stoneman: New Column Takes a Closer Look at Veterans’ Issues

Mikey Simpson, Army Veteran

When I heard from the staff at Gold Coast Veterans Foundation about Mikey Simpson, 56, a homeless veteran who grew up in Camarillo, I was determined to find him. I wanted to talk to him about his story, get to know him and help any way I could to get him his new prosthetic leg. […]

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