Posted on Apr 23, 2018
COL Whitehurst, Director of the Army's Soldier for Life Office, here for a live Q&A on 4/25 at 2pm ET to discuss Soldier for Life. Questions?
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COL Whitehurst will be here to discuss what it means to be a Soldier for Life, how the Army invests in our soldiers, veterans, and family, and the value of a veteran.
Colonel Sam Whitehurst has served as an infantry officer for 28 years in various command and staff positions both within the U.S. and overseas. His command experience culminated with brigade command in the 10th Mountain Division and his most recent staff experience was as the 18th Airborne Corps Chief of Staff. His deployments include Bosnia- Herzegovina and multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
His education includes University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Louisiana State University, the School of Advanced Military Studies, and National War College. Colonel Whitehurst has been the director of the Army Soldier for Life Program since October 2017. He and his wife, Sallie, have been married for 27 years and they have four children, Olivia, Audrey, Matt and Ben.
Colonel Sam Whitehurst has served as an infantry officer for 28 years in various command and staff positions both within the U.S. and overseas. His command experience culminated with brigade command in the 10th Mountain Division and his most recent staff experience was as the 18th Airborne Corps Chief of Staff. His deployments include Bosnia- Herzegovina and multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
His education includes University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Louisiana State University, the School of Advanced Military Studies, and National War College. Colonel Whitehurst has been the director of the Army Soldier for Life Program since October 2017. He and his wife, Sallie, have been married for 27 years and they have four children, Olivia, Audrey, Matt and Ben.
11A: Infantry Officer
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COL
Government Administration
Q&A
Posted 6 y ago
Responses: 19
Thanks for letting us know COL Sam Whitehurst that you are available on RallyPoint to discuss what it means to be a Soldier for Life, how the Army invests in our soldiers, veterans, and family, and the value of a veteran on April 25.
1. What are the implications of being a Soldier for Life and how would you recommend those of us who are retired to invest in future soldiers?
Background, I am the father of an infantry soldier and a retired infantry soldier.
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs SrA Christopher B. SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SGT Philip Roncari SGT (Join to see) LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) CPT Jack Durish CW5 Jack Cardwell MSG Dan Walther
1. What are the implications of being a Soldier for Life and how would you recommend those of us who are retired to invest in future soldiers?
Background, I am the father of an infantry soldier and a retired infantry soldier.
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs SrA Christopher B. SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SGT Philip Roncari SGT (Join to see) LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) CPT Jack Durish CW5 Jack Cardwell MSG Dan Walther
Thank you COL for asking, I have no questions, just thanking you for your service to our great nation.
COL (Join to see)
SGT Groth, thanks for your service to the country and connecting with us today. I ask that you continue to stay connected to the Army and seek opportunities to tell your Army story in your community. We find that the majority of today’s Soldiers make the decision to serve after speaking with a veteran. The most positive impact you can have with your Army today is to help inspire the next generation of Soldiers.
Greetings.
I do have passing familiarity with SFL, and when I review the public website, I note that much of Soldier For Life's mission focuses more it seems around the transitioning--or recently transitioned--soldier (jobs, benefits, etc.); laudable, no doubt. Not to say that retirees and vets out of service for some time won't find value there.
If its fair to attribute a quick and dirty summation of SFL's current mission as providing support and information, with particular focus on those recently separated or soon to separate soldiers, where do you foresee the program being in terms of new directions/goals/milestones/etc in the future?
Related sidebar: I would commend you on a well organized aggregation of information with regard to assistance and benefits. I would go so far as to say its one of the better user friendly Army or governmental sites I have seen.
Thanks
I do have passing familiarity with SFL, and when I review the public website, I note that much of Soldier For Life's mission focuses more it seems around the transitioning--or recently transitioned--soldier (jobs, benefits, etc.); laudable, no doubt. Not to say that retirees and vets out of service for some time won't find value there.
If its fair to attribute a quick and dirty summation of SFL's current mission as providing support and information, with particular focus on those recently separated or soon to separate soldiers, where do you foresee the program being in terms of new directions/goals/milestones/etc in the future?
Related sidebar: I would commend you on a well organized aggregation of information with regard to assistance and benefits. I would go so far as to say its one of the better user friendly Army or governmental sites I have seen.
Thanks
COL (Join to see)
Thank you for your service and for your great feedback! For many years we have been focused on transition, but we are now looking at how we can support Soldiers across the Soldier lifecycle - from recruitment to service and to well after they take off the uniform. For example, we promote programs focused on education, credentialing, and licensing that Soldiers can participate in while they serve, and we are looking at ways we can connect veterans (after transition) to the mulitple resources that are available in communities across the country.
SGT Dave Tracy
COL (Join to see) - Thank you for the response. To meet those ends, what current and future resources can you leverage (I thinking private sector generally, but not exclusively) to achieve those?
COL (Join to see)
There are thousands of programs in the private and public space, but let me highlight a few specific organizations that provide mentorship services to transitioning military members, veterans, and their families: American Corporate Partners, Veterati, eMentor, and FourBlock.
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