Jonathan Crandall served eight years in the United States Marine Corps. Crandall served as a Team Leader for the Scout/Sniper Platoon of Third Battalion, Sixth Marines (3/6). Following his time with 3/6, Crandall was assigned to the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) training unit as their Chief Instructor for the Designated Marksman Course. After his 4th MEB assignment, Crandall returned home to Syracuse, NY where he served the remainder of his time with Echo Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) Battalion. While in service, Crandall earned the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon, Combat Action Ribbon, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and Armed Forces Service Medal, among others. Upon completion of his. military obligation, Crandall continued service in Iraq as a Private Military Contractor for the U.S. State Department providing protective security for diplomats working as Provincial Reconstruction Teams.

Following his time overseas, Crandall worked as a Corrections Officer before determining that his life direction was not of the standard he wanted to uphold. Crandall graduated with his Bachelor's degree in Social Work and now lives a fulfilling life as the Veteran Outreach Coordinator at the New York Council on Problem Gambling (NYCPG).

 

See if your state has a Council on Problem Gambling: List of Resources By State

Problem Gambling in the Military Affiliated Population: Operation Responsible Gambling

The PsychArmor resource for this week is the PsychArmor Course, Supporting a Veteran in Crisis. This course is designed for organizations to educate them on the differences between their Veterans and civilians and ways to support their Veteran when they may be struggling. Topics include how to recognize the warning signs that a Veteran may be heading for a crisis, how to approach a Veteran in crisis, and what steps to take to help a Veteran during an acute crisis situation. You can access this resource by following this link: https://psycharmor.org/courses/supporting-veteran-crisis/

This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor, the premier education and learning ecosystem specializing in military culture content. PsychArmor offers an online e-learning laboratory with custom training options for organizations.

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.