Vetmade Industries – not passing the smell test.
All of these so call veteran charities have got to be looked into. If there is a veteran out there that is homeless or unemployed, cart their ass to the local VA. Companies who specailize in raising money for these people keep the vast majority of it for themselves.
Does anyone have half a clue as to how many Adirondack Chairs we can make for $5 Million? I get so sick and tired of people portraying Veterans as some kind of mentally and emotionally damaged individual that needs to be taught how to cut a stick and paint it green. That is not a job skill, that is not training a veteran to do anything he could use to feed himself and or his family.
This and many other so-called “Veteran Charities” need to be shut down. People need to be held accountable and serve some real time in a prison. The companies that are professional fundraisers by trade need to be shut down.
This constant portrayal of Veterans as helpless do nothing losers who need to be spoon-fed needs to stop.
I hope they follow through with this investigation, maybe we can help. I am sure if we dig deep enough the stench will get bad enough for someone to clean up this mess.
https://www.facebook.com/Vetmade.org/
http://www.vetmade.org/
Category: Military issues, Phony Vet Charities
Their “founder and executive director” is a retired LTC:
http://www.vetmade.org/index.php/vetmade/fact-sheets
Maybe someone needs to look and see if he is a veteran…
“B.A. Political Science, University of Maine (Orono) 1984”
I thought the name sounded familiar.
Wonder what other connections he has to the Bangor/Orono area.
Twenty seven years US Army?
More popcorn please.
“This constant portrayal of Veterans as helpless do nothing losers who need to be spoon-fed needs to stop”
Ever told someone you you were a veteran only to see that sad compassionate look in their eyes? I should start asking for a hundred bucks to “tide” me over until the VA kicks in.
Damn good idea.
I will give the graduating recruits from Great Lakes a little cash to help pay for their family’s dinner at the restaurant on the highway before I will give a cent to these ‘charities’.
Thank God, no I haven’t.
Come to think of it, I’ve seldom met a legit veteran who dove head-long into victimhood. Even the ones who did were probably a little batty before they joined up.
In other news, the $400,000 that a couple crowdsourced for a homeless veteran has “disappeared”. Remember the vet that gave his last $20 to help a girl with gas money, so they started a GoFundMe to get him off drugs and back on his feet? Gone. I guess there was some sort of financial snafu and I’m sure it’s purely a coincidence that they were also able to buy brand new cars and go on vacations shortly after that money started rolling in.
Unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on your taste for irony…) that case seems to have been scammers scamming each other. Neither side in that snafu has come off looking good. Opioid addicted “veteran” (notice the sarcastic air quotes) takes advantage of the “do nothing loser who needs to be spoon-fed” persona to garner sympathy – and two integrity-deficient individuals are more than happy to help him with it – just not happy to share the rewards. Read all about it here: https://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=81412
Heh, most all these so-called “vet charities” spend over 95 percent of their donated proceeds on staff salaries, administrative overhead, and professional fundraisers to raise more money for salaries and overhead. In the case of Vetmade, the overhead is 100% pure profit for the owner; hell of a scam if I have to say so myself…
“If there is a veteran out there that is homeless or unemployed, cart their ass to the local VA.”
As a former VA employee, I strongly echo your recommendation Dave. The local VA office should always be the first stop in accessing and receiving referrals for federal, state, and local benefits and services. VA employees usually have a wide web of contacts in city, county, and state agencies, especially involving housing programs, job/skills training, and employment programs.
While I won’t speculate about the motives of this retired LTC in forming his charity, I’ll share an observation by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (author of The Black Swan among several other noted works):
“This is the tragedy of modernity: as with neurotically overprotective parents, those trying to help are often hurting us the most.”
If nothing else, encourage a veteran in need to at least temporarily suspend his/her hostility toward or mistrust in VA just long enough to allow the agency to begin to advocate in his/her behalf.
John S. Campbell’s Military assignments and current employment can be found here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-campbell-83b35911
Chemical Officer? USAR Officer?
Hmmm, I find it kind of odd that the Company he supposedly commanded from June 90-June 92 in Baumholder wasn’t listed by number/name. (like all his other assignments)
Kinda makes you go Hmmmmm?
Claw:
Yep. Saw that with other assignments with the 75th RANGER Regiment, Fort Devins, SOCOM, etc. Looks as if he initially was an 11B, but changed to Chemical Corps. Also, 1998 Resident CGSC.
Possible 1983-1984 Commission thru ROTC since he was born in 1961.
Don’t think he was Regular Army. Probably Army of the United States.
IMHO, I do believe he served and retired as an O5 in the US Army.
Well, the reason I said that because one would think that a highly skilled Chemical Officer would have been needed for Desert Storm instead of hanging around the O Club at Baumholder all day.
Another thought was that since the 8th ID was inactivated in January 1992 there at Smith Barracks, exactly what unit was it that he continued to command until June 1992.
I sure would like to see the actual organization that he “commanded”.
Claw: Agree with everything you wrote.👍
BTW, if you go to the VETMADE Book of Face, you can see him in his Dressed Whites with his fineries. It looks as if his highest award at the time the picture was taken (at a SOCOM Ball with his wife) was a LOM or MSM.
Can’t make it out. You may have better eyesight.
The other thing, Claw, was ironically, I knew several US Army Officers who were Chemical Corps during the early part of OEF/OIF..all who wanted to be deployed and yet not one of them went forward in the Sandbox during the start of OEF/OIF.
Don’t know about Desert Storm/Desert Shield. Do know the time I was boots on the ground at the beginning of OEF/OIF, I never saw a Chemical Corps Officer. Only ran into a couple of Chemical Corps NCOs from Bragg and they were only there for the early part of OIF.
It’s a LOM.
Top row is LOM, then something else (maybe a DOD something), then a MSM.
After a closer look, the middle medal of his top row is the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.
Thank You, Claw. Am guessing DMSM for SOCOM time. LOM for retirement.
Thank You, Claw. Am guessing the LOM was retirement award…he had to have been retired in 2012, considering he is sporting facial hair while wearing the Mess Whites. Also, my error: he attended the Army Ball, not a SOCOM Ball.
He was a U.S. Army Reserve officer, with a few years of active duty. He obviously was commissioned in the Chemical Corps, so he was a very Remphy REMF. His service in Bagram, A-stan was as “Historical Officer” by his own admission. Not sure what a historical officer does, but I doubt he spent much time outside the wire of Bagram.
His utility as a chemical officer is somewhat questionable, since other than CS, we don’t use chemical weapons. But I guess we need someone to sign off on the condition of our chemical masks and detection equipment.
rgr769: Were there not Unit Historians in the field with you during your time in country Vietnam?
Reason I asked was that I was interviewed by two different Commands during OEF/OIF while I was forward. The Officers were Unit Historians; one was an O5, the other an O6. Both were TDY attached to the unit for bed and breakfast only. Don’t know if that was their Functional Branch, since they both wore Crossed Rifles, but I do know that was their mission in theater, capturing a unit’s day to day (or week or month) historical information…and earned them both a combat patch..😉
Based on your comments, now understand why I never saw a Chemical Officer in the Box. Thanks for the info.
I don’t think I ever saw a Chemical Officer. Period.
I did. Saw them all the time while we were working up the plans for our Brigade (1st Bde, 4th ID on Carson) to do a Pinon Canyon or NTC rotation during the 80’s/early 90’s.
Chemical Company (in our case the 172nd Chemical Co) are the folks that supplied the smoke for attacks/defenses.
Verification of the above can be obtained from NBCGuy54. He was there during that time frame.
Small add-on:
The Chemical Company also supplied the personnel/equipment for the decon of equipment/personnel “Car Wash” sites.
No, there were now unit historians in any of the rifle companies or two infantry battalions I served in. As an infantry officer, that kind of primary duty would be embarrassing to have on one’s record of assignments. As for Chemical Corps officers, they had no function in Viet of the Nam. I know there was a slot for them at division and possibly brigade level staff, but I bet those slots were likely left unfilled. Also, back in those days the “Comical Corps,” as we called them, had fewer officers than any other branch of the Army.
That should say “no unit historians.”
“won’t speculate about the motives” Well I will! Can we say SCAM. Gonna need a lot of popcorn. 27 years with posting in SOC and only 05? Yeah I know there is a lot of variables, but still. And Dave I sure agree that most, if not all, of the Vet help organizations need to be shut down. I don’t give to any “organized” charity, some filling of the Salvation Army Kettle and a little in the Firemen’s boot is about all. I do and have helped out some folks that I knew personally needing a hand up. In all my years and travels all over, I have never met a real veteran that was begging for charity. Notice the real veteran comment. I went years with out even mentioning my past service because of the “sympathetic” looks, and the questions on how many babies I killed and what kind of drugs I was strung out on. I personally have seen some tight times, but have always had food in the pantry, roof over the head, and cold beer in the fridge. Get off your ass, stub out your Camel, pick up your shovel, and go to work. This LTC does indeed, stink to high heaven.
The day that one actual US Dollar donated to a “Veterans Charity” is actually handed over to a veteran, is the same day that I can capture on film a US Army Warrant Officer doing PT./s
Scammers gotta scam….
It is entirely possible that Warrants do PT. If you can ever find one to ask, let me know.
Needs to be a Discovery Channel documentary where they find and follow a group of CWOs in their natural habitat.
If you really need a Warrant….
https://me.me/i/how-to-summon-a-warrant-officer-3885133
But first they will have to find them; sorta like that show searching for bigfoot.
“Vetmade Industries”
I knew it sounded familiar.
SUMP’N smells fishy and we’re a long damned way from Denmark. I too am damned sick and tired of us Vets being portrayed as damaged basket cases always in need of something. Vietnam Vets were stereotyped as drug addicts coming back from a War they were forced into, now we GWOT Vets are getting some of the same shit.
“Vietnam Vets were stereotyped as drug addicts coming back from a War they were forced into, now we GWOT Vets are getting some of the same shit”
In some respects you guys are getting it worse. And us Viet of the Nam guys saw it coming for you despite the 9/11 flag waving fest. I would like to think TAH makes a difference. We had zero voice pre internet.
“stereotyped as drug addicts” – Don’t forget to add “and baby killers.”
Never forget baby killers – that moniker made us what we are today./s
And “stereotyped” by none other than the real “baby killers” pushing Roe v Wade.
What I understand is that Vietnam Vets were not spit on as well.
AP, Sarcasm at its finest, but Feb 69 San Francisco the spit was flying – oh it was so nice to be in your uniform.
stewburner: Have always heard “spitting”, especially in San Franscisco, was a myth. Always thought troops came home from Vietnam via MAC Flights or ships and landed at Military bases instead of Commercial airports.
A NY Times reporter provided an opinion about “spitting”..good read:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/13/opinion/myth-spitting-vietnam-protester.html
On a personal level, being an Army Brat during the 60s with lots of PCS moves for my Dad and us, we always flew MAC with Soldiers on board. Even flying commercial (TWA) both West and East Coast, never saw demonstrators at commercial airports and never saw Soldiers wearing Class A’s at commercial airports.
Guess I missed all the “excitement”.
“never saw Soldiers wearing Class A’s at commercial airports”
Upon DEROS we were instructed to wear our class A’s for two reasons. 1. You are still on active duty for the next 24 hours and 2. You can’t get a military fare discount unless in uniform. Not my opinion just my experience.
And yes there were protesters at Logan circa 1970. Some with nice tits.
Pat, back in the Viet of the Nam war days, we all wore Class A’s at the commercial airports for the number one reason that one didn’t get the major fare discount for active duty unless you were in uniform. Also, most of us had no civilian clothes with us because we had been in a war zone for at least a year where we had no use for them except when we went on R&R. I wore my khaki’s on the charter airliner from RVN to McChord AFB and then regular commercial to SEATAC then to Phoenix. The only baggage I had was a small carry-on gym bag. The single set of civies I had were already sent home in my hold baggage.
rgr769, 26Limabeans & OWB:
Appreciate the feedback all three of you provided based on your personal experiences.
Guess it was timing on our family’s part that we did not see Soldiers wearingtheir Class A’s at commercial airport s (NYC airport and SF airport, both which I do not recall the name) in the 1960s or see demonstrators.
Never heard of Soldiers returning from Vietnambeing spit on. Started hearing those stories in various news media after 9-11.
Thank you for sharing.
“airliner from RVN to McChord AFB and then regular commercial to SEATAC”
Same here except a DC-8 from SEATAC to Portland OR. Just me, another guy and an Air Marshall waaay in the back. When the Captain announced there was an Air Marshall on board for our safety we looked at each other then turned around and saw the guy wave at us. Fifteen minute flight.
Reality: Not every vet was spit on at every port of entry. That is true. Many were, and some had blood/fake blood, feces and urine thrown on them. Many were verbally harassed. And some were assaulted, then the photographic “evidence” showed their defensive punch as the only one thrown resulting in incarceration of the vet.
Just because any one of us did not see it proves nothing. Many of us have seen it, felt it and seen evidence of the ridiculous things that were done. Even I have been spit on and called “baby killer,” and I wasn’t in Viet Nam.
It is very unlikely that one will find many published stories or TV news recordings in which service members in uniform were harassed, called names, given the finger, or spat at. The press was as liberal in the late 1960s as it is today. It just did a better job of pretending to be more objective and even handed. There were no cell phones to record incidents as there are today. What we do have are personal accounts of men being called baby killers and of an anti-war efforts, fed by the press, that blamed individual service members for the war, as much as they did the policy makers. Individuals were taken to task for being in the military and individuals were appealed to by the likes of Jane Fonda, Tom Hadyn, Joan Baez, and many others to burn their draft cards and for AD to flee. Those who didn’t were blamed by these same people as guilty of murder and other crimes. So, whether there are 10 or 10,000 published account of spitting incidents matters, in my view, not one whit.
My late friend, Dean Rogers, USMC vet with two PHs, told me of havin’ been spit on while walkin’ through the airport in SF while in uniform. Said he’d never come so close to hittin’ a woman.
Claw…are you talking about good ole “Killer” Killam of Tarrant County, Texas…
😉
That’s just one of them.
The other enforcer of the “baby killer” syndrome was that picture of the naked little girl running after “we” (allegedly) had napalmed her vill.
Don’t forget “homeless” as one of the stereotype descriptors. Wish I had a dollar for every time I saw some allegedly “homeless” panhandler or heard some dipshit claiming a large percentage of us were “homeless” and strung out on drugs.
^^LIKE^^
Amen and amen.
Book of Face for VETMADE. They are hiring. Possible work for the Marine with the workbench:
😉
https://m.facebook.com/VETMADE-Industries-Inc-171282227327/
They just got a new shitter!
They are in Floriduh. And Floriduh if where all the scammers and fraudsters make their domiciles (state of residence) because Floriduh is the only state that has an unlimited homestead exemption. That means if one is sued or gets a judgement against him or her, one’s home and all its contents is exempt from execution to satisfy a civil judgement. Also, the fraudster can file bankruptcy and keep his home, even if the house and contents are worth many millions of dollars, while discharging all debts and civil judgements. Many crooks own multimillion dollar homes in Florida packed with expensive furnishings and antiques; they are secure from claims by their creditors.
We have a link on our state website that allows you to instantly check out any charity. I always use it and when the telephone whinners call, they always hang up when I tell them they are spending 90% of their money on fund raising. I am sick of all the veteran and police charity scams, they should all be put in prison!
https://www.charitynavigator.org/?utm_source=Charity+Navigator%27s+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=13f949dd61-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_10_27&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b21df0343b-13f949dd61-99857925
Great site…
How ironic that this is one of the lead stores on FOX News:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/09/05/ftc-states-target-bogus-veterans-charities-in-new-crackdown-its-war-profiteering.html
Jonn also did a post on veterans charities this past July:
https://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=80709&cpage=2
If this individual is running a for-profit business, then it is not a charity.
And furthermore, Adriondack chairs are something any clever guy with a workshop can make at home at a low cost with scrap wood and a few screws and some spare paint. So, no, I’m not impressed with someone who seems to be running a single product business and labeling it a charity, especially if he’s using that term to get out of paying business and local taxes.
I never found anyone offering me work out of some sort of guilt-ridden pity party. I got work because I had real world job skills. I seldom say anything to anyone about my vet “status”. I see no reason to bring it up.
This needs to be looked at further, because it smells faintly of scam, if he’s running at a profit but calling it a charity.
Ex-PH2:
According to their Facebook site and the Charity Navigator link, VETMADE is a Non-Profit 501C3 Organization:
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.profile&ein=263415617
Their EIN is 26-3415617. They last filed IRS Form 990 in 2016.
I’m just suspicious about the “charity” angle, that’s all.
Not interested in putting him or anyone else out of business.
“Adriondack chairs are something any clever guy with a workshop can make at home at a low cost with scrap wood and a few screws and some spare paint”
More than a few years ago I was gifted one made from recycled milk jugs. Dark green and put together with nuts and bolts.
Sat in the sun and twisted itself apart.
Threw it on the burn pile but a local dropped a dime on me.
Wonder what exotic material this guy uses.
Usually, they’re made of wood.
If it’s plastic, I would be disinclined to use it. Plastic does not weather well at all.
Very uncomfortable if you don’t cover it with a soft cover. I remember them from the 1950’s and now I see Home depot and other stores selling them made out of a plastic type of material.
“Adirondack chairs are something any clever guy with a workshop can make at home at a low cost with scrap wood and a few screws and some spare paint”
That’s true, I had a friend in college who could make a nice one out of a few pallets in no time.
I ran into a guy who had taken up woodworking after he left the military. Didn’t say which branch. He told me he got most of the wood he uses from construction sites because otherwise, it’s just burned and he considered that truly wasteful.
Terrific woodworking skills, too. He could do anything from puzzle toys for kids to kitchen cabinets.
There is a truly daunting VA “certification” to be a
“certified Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business”, which relates mostly to govt contracting and getting the preferential treatment during down-select and award for govt work.
Just b/c a dude’s a veteran may not make him a spoon fed basket case, but it sure as hell doesn’t make him a fine upstanding and charitable businessman. I’m sure none of these guys started out to make a name on donations – those people are called philanthropists, that is what they do. I’m also sure none of them started out to get a bad name over it, either. I’ve seen it go both ways, esp in DVOSB govt contracting.
I worked for a company that did radio systems with a lot of government contracts at the local, state, and federal levels. “Owner”, with 51% stock in her name, was the “actual” owner’s wife. That makes it a “woman owned” business. She ran payroll. She retired. The actual owner was medically retired after 3 years military service. It is now a “Veteran Owned” business. Gotta work the system.
Well, this is interesting.
According to a July 2016 posting on their Facebook site , CDR (SEAL) USNR Dan O’Shea of Tampa, Florida was appointed as a member of the Executive Board of Directors.
Don’t see him featured on VETMADE.ORG site.
🤔
Vet charity? The only one I donate to isn’t a charity at all. In fact, you’re looking at it right now.
Holy shit. Watch the news report. Millions collected and not a single Veteran trained. Dahell? Either Campbell is the worst businessman in the history of business or he’s in it but deep. FYI. Birdhouse blueprints. Garden flag blueprints. Adirondack chair blueprints. On line. Watch Youtube.
You guys are gonna love this. WFLA article:
Caretaking what?
Tax records show that in three years, $5.5 million dollars in donations flowed into VetMade Industries.
During that same period, not one veteran received training.
“Zero goes to the veterans,” retired Army veteran Ken Cook said.
Cook was among the original volunteers at VetMade Industries when it launched in 2009.
What he found was disappointing.
“There was a high falutin’ fancy program on paper, but the reality was that there wasn’t any kind of organized training going on in any way, shape or form,” Cook stated.
The goal of the program is to train veterans and help them find work.
How many veterans successfully completed VetMade’s training program?
“I don’t have the tracking data to tell you,” said Campbell.
What Campbell does know is that he ran out of money, put the program on hold, then found a source of revenue.
“We contracted with a professional fundraising company in California,” Campbell said.
I’ll just bet he did. I do not enjoy my cynicism, but D-A-M-N!!!!
https://www.wfla.com/8-on-your-side/investigations/millions-collected-tampa-charity-for-veterans-goes-mia/1417898135
Started in 2009. 9 years later and nobody’s received any training. Cue the ‘Dragnet’ music.
Yep…that was all covered in the video that Dave embedded in the post.
According to the VETMADE Facebook and the video, VETMADE will reopen on Veterans Day 2018.
It is going to be interesting, Ex-PH2, to see what happens from 11 November 2018 and forward, especially since a radar has now been focused on Campbell. Not only is the public interested since this investigation news story, but also the Feds since they are cracking down on these type of organizations…and who knows, his employer, SOCOM, may be interested as well…😉
My state has a tuition grant program for veterans at state universities. The aim is to get you to work in a field of your choice, e.g., teaching, graphic arts, medicine – whatever, including graduate school.
I don’t know if all states have a program like that, but I did consider applying for it in regard to what I’m doing in retirement.
HOWEVER — before I went and applied for that grant, I talked to my sister, part of whose job is to point people in the right direction of the program they want to follow. She asked me if I wanted to stop doing what I do now, and I said no, I’d prefer to focus on what I’m doing and finish it before I do anything else. She said ‘that’s your answer’.
There are programs like that everywhere that get vets into the work world when they’re finished. You’re supposed to see some results when you complete it, not some sort of vacuum where you waste time with a hobby that won’t employ you anywhere.
This guy just pisses me off no end. Why wasn’t he teaching real carpentry that will get someone into construction?
Simple: he’s a con man with a hole in his pocket for other people’s money.
Amen !!!!!!
I am LTC Ken Cook the guy that broke the Vetmade story. My fat mug and comments are on the video. Campbell is a thief period.I will forward my report to the editor so he can post it here.He stole IP from me and gave it to Jacobs his employer. The States attorney, Army CID SOCOM, and the FBI are looking into this mess. Report incoming………
Looking forward to it. dave@militaryphony.com
“My fat mug and comments are on the video.” That there is 100% proof positive that the man is legit. Good job, sir.
Finally the time to make sure every swingin’ dick on here finds the motivation to stop (before 3:30 pm) at any and every State of Florida rest stop going to or returning from vacation.
https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/i-team-investigates/veterans-charity-raises-millions-of-dollars-at-florida-rest-stops-but-where-is-the-money-going
In my digging I found where Jonn had done a story on Veterans In Need Foundation in June of last year. My bad. But my personal experience with a couple of these frauds at State of Florida rest stops recently got my blood boiling to the point I wanted to attack and destroy.
https://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=72591
Well, Floriduh, where the state bird should be the Yellow-bellied Sapsucking Fraudster-loony-bird. But you have to hand it to them; they are “making bank,” with no fear of consequences.