Latest / Newsradio WGAN / Maine Veterans Spotlight 5/10/26

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Maine Veterans Spotlight 5/10/26 · Newsradio WGAN

0:00
Welcome to The Maine Veteran Spotlight, a collaborative
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effort with The Maine. Association of Broadcasters.
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REITs Across. America Portland Media Group,
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The University of Maine System. Bennett.
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Radio Group and Rangeley Community Radio.
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I'm Jeff Pierce, director of media and military partnerships.
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For REITs across America. And on.
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This episode of The Maine Veteran Spotlight.
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We talked to John Newby, a United States Marine Corps
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veteran, and. Full time caregiver for his wife
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who has early onset Alzheimer's. We also talked with Doctor.
0:30
Sumatra Moore, Aladar about the V as million veteran program.
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Kick things off with John Newbie.
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John, thank you for joining. Us on the main veteran
0:39
spotlight. Thank you so much for having me,
0:41
Jeff. Appreciate it.
0:42
So. John, you're a United States
0:44
Marine Corps veteran, you're a doctor, you've written a book
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and you've taken a rather extensive journey with, with
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Alzheimer's that we're going to explain with your wife.
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So we've we've got A and and your dad on top of it.
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Won a Congressional Gold Medal, so we've.
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Got a lot to unpack here John in a in a short.
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Amount of time but the. First question for you Sir, is.
1:07
Why did young John decide? He was going to enlist in the
1:10
United States Marine Corps. Yeah, absolutely.
1:13
A great question, Jeff, and again, thank you and to all your
1:15
listeners as well. Yeah, for me, the decision was
1:19
kind of easy. My father was actually in the
1:22
Marine Corps along with his brother.
1:24
I had several uncles who were also Marines and growing up in
1:28
the city of Detroit, we didn't have a whole lot.
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But I knew that I wanted to seek higher education.
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And for me the Marine Corps I saw is a natural progression
1:39
soon as I have a family history. And also it would be an
1:44
opportunity for me to now go to college.
1:48
And that was my aspiration, to go in and then come out and go
1:53
to school. So before we unpack your college
1:57
experience, what did you do in the Marine Corps?
2:00
Well, I'm a trained killer. That's basically what all
2:04
Marines are, you know. So that's, that's what we do,
2:07
you know. No, but it's seriously, I mean,
2:11
I went out. I was very fortunate.
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I went in right after the, the, the blowing up of.
2:20
I'm a large embassy overseas Marine Corps barracks over there
2:24
in Beirut. Yeah, in Beirut.
2:27
This is in the early 80s. So when I went in, we were all
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trained at the possibility of, of possibly going to that
2:39
conflict. But I was fortunate I was able
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to get into the administrative side of the house and my unit
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was assigned to F eighteens. So I was with Third Mall Station
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on the West Coast, NCAS, El Toro.
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So that's right in between Los Angeles and San Diego.
3:03
So it was a, we had F eighteens, it was 531 for any Marines out
3:11
there. Arah, but Grey Ghost and I was
3:16
also assigned to the Black Sheep as well, so and well, Black
3:22
Knights, what they went by. And 3:14 So yeah, some
3:27
interesting stories and experiences during that time of
3:30
my life there. And I was a young man.
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I went in at 19 years old. We're talking to John Newby.
3:37
He's the United States Marine Corps veteran.
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Just that alone, though, John, a huge.
3:41
Time of change for all military service, right?
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Because the Beirut bombing really brought to the forefront
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a lot of vulnerabilities with, with our government, our
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basically the entire face of our government buildings both here
4:00
in the United States and overseas changed, you know,
4:05
because of, because of the. Because of that bombing.
4:11
Right with that truck bomb. You know all of those.
4:14
Barricades now in front of the. Buildings and and all.
4:17
Of that right. Yeah, yeah, it was, It was
4:20
certainly, it was. It was a period of time of
4:23
uncertainty because the United States still being a dominant
4:28
force military wise, we never expected us to be attacked on
4:35
just so openly and brazenly by by another country in which we
4:40
knew that we could absolutely annihilate.
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So, you know, there wasn't a call to arms, but it created a
4:48
type of anger for Marines worldwide because how dear
4:53
another country attack the Marine Corps.
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I mean, we're brotherhood. So it was an interesting time to
5:01
go in, you know, so. So yeah, no, it was quite
5:05
interesting. I'm talking to John Newby,
5:08
United States Marine Corps veteran.
5:09
So how long were you in the Marines, John?
5:12
Well, I was in for four years, so I was in from 82 to 86, and
5:21
that's what what I did. There was one conflict that I
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was involved in during my time in there.
5:29
And I don't know if you're aware of this job, but I mean,
5:33
certainly Marines are out out there aware of this, but the
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Marine Corps is the department of the Navy.
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So we actually work under the Navy and as such we're assigned
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to vessels and I was assigned after El Toro when we did our
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overseas, we did a Mediterranean cruise and we were assigned to
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the oldest ship in the in the Navy at that time, aircraft
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carrier CV 43 is the Coral Sea. So we spent a year and a half
6:08
over there in the Mediterranean sailing around and we end up in
6:12
a conflict with Libya and we end up attacking Libya.
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We had 150 birds on our vessel, 3000 men.
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And yeah, it was quite interesting.
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That was a scary time. I can certainly unfold that
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story for you. But that was that was some kind
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of, that was some kind of mission there to do that.
6:35
So your time on the USUSS Coral Sea, it's interesting, John, you
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mentioned the Coral Sea. I was just talking to a Vietnam
6:41
veteran who served on the Coral Sea from 62 to 64, so 20 years
6:46
earlier than you. When you say the oldest vessel
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afloat at the time, I mean that's that really adds some
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perspective. We're talking to John Newby.
6:54
He's a United States Marine Corps veteran.
6:57
So. Libya.
6:58
That's a stressful situation, right?
7:03
Yeah, no, certainly. I don't know if you've ever been
7:07
on an aircraft carrier, but it was one of the smallest aircraft
7:12
carriers as well. So not only is it old and it's
7:15
this old fuel vessel that you're loading on all this diesel fuel
7:21
out at sea, which was an interesting thing to even watch
7:24
how you can refuel a large vessel like this.
7:28
But I mean, and you're talking to like football field lengths
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of of of a vessel and it's the smallest vehicle.
7:36
So, you know, here we are sitting down in the
7:38
Mediterranean and we're we're ordered to go into battle.
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So we literally get the orders at at it's like 11 o'clock 11:30
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at night. And this is just to give you
7:54
some context around it. So we're actually heading home.
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So we're heading towards the Straits of Gibraltar to leave to
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come on back to the US and we get the orders from the
8:07
president that know we're going into attack.
8:09
And the US is known for our military strength and our
8:13
fighting abilities at night. So we turned around, lights on
8:20
the ship go immediate all red. You know, we're full battle, you
8:24
know, readiness now and we're full steam ahead.
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I'm heading towards Olivia. And then the birds start
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launching, but fully loaded up. So as they load the the bombs,
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the missiles onto the birds, you know, a tradition that happens
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is that they give all the, the, you know, all of us, some enlist
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these spray cans and you can spray your messages to the
8:48
potential adversary right on the side of the bomb.
8:53
So, you know, not getting explicit, but, you know, people
8:56
were riding in Gaddafi, this one and die.
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And this is for, you know, your parents and, you know, so we're
9:02
just literally painting these, these $1,000,000 missiles that
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we know we're going to be exploded with our epitaphs of,
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you know, well wishes of destruction.
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So it was just, it was just an interesting time of being a
9:17
young man and to live through that.
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And I thank God that I survived it.
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And there was no real retaliation at all.
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I mean, he had put all of these sea mines out in some people
9:29
attempts to try to sink some of our larger vessels and trying to
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claim 20 miles off of his coast. And, you know, we've just had to
9:38
go over and spank him a little bit.
9:42
We're talking to John Newby, United States Marine Corps
9:44
veteran. So you get out of the United
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States Marine Corps. And did you go directly to
9:49
college after I get up here? OK, I hit the ground running
9:53
man. I I registered for college.
9:56
I got out of the Marine Corps on December 6th and I was in
10:02
College in January of, of of 87 and I knew I, I wanted to become
10:10
a physician. So I was pre Med and yeah, I
10:15
just hit the ground running. You know, I don't come from a
10:17
family of college. In fact, I was the first college
10:21
attendee in my entire family, that's of all of my relatives.
10:26
So it was a new experience, but I knew that I wanted to, I had
10:30
these high aspirations of becoming a physician.
10:33
So I was pre Med and I attacked my classroom the way I would
10:38
attack any type of mission given in the service and I think the
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Marine Corps prepared me for that type of opportunity.
10:47
It's. It's interesting, John, you
10:49
know, that you went to college and the and the pre Med track,
10:54
but when you were in the Marine Corps, you know, obviously you
10:56
get your basic first aid training and all that stuff, but
10:59
but you didn't, you didn't become a medic.
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So when did your when did that epiphany that you wanted to go
11:05
to medals medical school? Happen.
11:07
Yeah, well, interesting enough, you know, in the Marine Corps,
11:10
we actually don't have a medical side.
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You know, all of our medical comes from the Navy.
11:17
So the corpsmen are Navy and enlisted and, you know, officer
11:22
ranked. And my epiphany for and
11:25
aspirations for Med school had come as a little child.
11:30
You know, my my mother was, was a nurse and she was, she was
11:36
like an LPN. And and she had always called me
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her little doctor. I'm the oldest of four.
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So, you know, as a child, I had this little medical bag, you
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know, with the plastic stethoscope.
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And, you know, so it was always in the back of my mind that if
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this opportunity did present itself, that I would try to do
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that. So yeah.
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So that's when that came about. And then when I got out, I knew
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that, you know, they want you to declare what you want to do in
12:09
college. And I did some College in the
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Marine Corps, but it was more on the business aspect.
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So, you know, I'm and that came into play later in life.
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But yeah, I was more business directed in the in the Marine
12:21
Corps. So we're talking to John Newby.
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So John, what we're going to do is we're going to take a quick
12:26
break. We're going to come back.
12:28
Your dad. Did I get this right?
12:30
Got a Congressional Gold Medal. Is that is that OK?
12:34
All. Right.
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So I want to make sure I got that right here in the what we
12:38
called the tease, so. Coming up after the break.
12:41
We will talk about your dad and in his service in the United
12:45
States Marine Corps a little bit.
12:46
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That's gocivilairpatrol.com. Welcome.
13:49
Back to the main veteran spotlight.
13:51
Today we're talking to John Newby.
13:54
John is the United States Marine Corps veteran and we.
13:57
Just got done unpacking, John. Service in the United States
14:00
Marine Corps and how he used the GI Bill to pay for at least in
14:06
part. His, his, his medical school.
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So, John, you know. First of all, I, I, I wanted to
14:12
kind of level set this conversation.
14:14
So so being the show is called the main.
14:17
Veteran Spotlight. And and and your home of record
14:21
is originally where Detroit, MI, right?
14:25
So how did you end up in the great state of Maine?
14:28
Oh, pure luck, let me tell you pure pure D luck.
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No, it's, it's actually just it's work related as I came out
14:39
and I've worked in the industry of medicine that I've been in as
14:45
as an executive administrator over healthcare systems.
14:49
So we moved here as my company acquired some work here in the
14:53
state of Maine. They needed me here as an
14:56
executive vice president. So I came to Maine to oversee my
15:02
healthcare system here. So that's how we moved here.
15:05
But as it turned out, I'm having lived all over the planet, umm,
15:11
and just meaning all over the US and, you know, primarily,
15:14
although I did spend some time in Europe of the places I moved.
15:19
I, I love this, you know, this place was just so peaceful and
15:22
it's so different. And it, it actually seemed when
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we arrived here back in 2012, almost like a step back in time
15:30
because it was just kind of, it was a slower pace.
15:32
I'm used to these big busty, congestion written noise cities.
15:39
And then I came to Maine and it was just such a different level
15:44
of of peace that I hadn't experienced in a long time.
15:48
So it was an easy transition and an easy decision to make this my
15:52
home. And this is where I they can put
15:55
me in the ground here when I'm done.
15:57
That is fantastic, thank you for sharing.
15:58
That with us, we're talking. To John Newby.
16:00
So John, we want to talk about your dad.
16:02
Your dad's a Marine Corps veteran and received the
16:06
Congressional gold. Medal.
16:09
So so can you unpack Dad's service for?
16:12
Us and what led. To the Congressional Gold Medal.
16:16
Absolutely. Sure.
16:17
Yeah, Dad. Unfortunately, he just died last
16:20
year. So in ironically that last year
16:25
this very same time I was actually in Michigan as he was
16:29
in an ICU there, but that was 100 years old.
16:34
He had turned down 100 years old year before last.
16:38
So he was a strong willed individual his whole life on, in
16:45
fact, in the, in the ICU, they said just prior to him getting
16:50
ill and needing to be intubated, he was actually showing the
16:53
nurses that he could still do pull ups.
16:55
So this was, this is a strong willed individual.
17:00
But, but dad went in the Marine Corps back in 1943 and he was in
17:07
during a time in which the Marine Corps was, was, was
17:13
segregated. So he was part of what is known
17:18
today as the the Mofford Point Marines.
17:22
So it was Mofford Point was the area in North Carolina where
17:29
they were trained. So all of all of the branches,
17:34
the Marine Corps was the last branch to integrate African
17:38
Americans becoming Marines. So they trained them separately
17:44
and it literally they had to build a whole separate base for
17:49
them to be trained on. And unfortunately they were upon
17:53
graduation of those that came out of there, they were sent to
17:57
some of the worst battles and some of the most difficult
18:02
situations to be, you know, in and under.
18:06
And during that time when he was in, he actually suffered injury.
18:11
He was burned over 60% of his body during one exercise.
18:17
It wasn't. He didn't receive a Purple Heart
18:20
for it because they said that it was not enemy fire that had
18:25
caused this injury for him, but he was burned over 60% of his
18:29
body. And then upon him being healed,
18:33
he went back to those same active war zone.
18:38
It was in the Solomon Islands back then.
18:42
And he did his four years and got out and returned back home.
18:48
And, you know, during that time and era as our country, you
18:53
know, was not treated decently. In fact, they were actually even
19:00
in uniform. He was disrespected quite a few
19:02
times and, you know, but through it all, he survived and he
19:08
decided to, you know, get married in the late 50s, early
19:12
60s and, you know, to my mom and I was born and he was 40 years
19:18
old when, when, when I was born. So I'm the oldest of 4.
19:25
So anyway to get to the metal on Jeff because that was the the
19:28
question you're asking? No, I'm fascinated by your dad's
19:31
service and life after service. This is this is fantastic.
19:34
And by the way, I was remiss, John and not I.
19:36
We're talking to John Newby, United States Marine Corps
19:39
veteran, about his dad. Your dad's name.
19:42
Yeah, my father's name is Lee Vernon Newby Junior.
19:46
Yeah, Lee Vernon Newby Junior. Yeah, but but yeah.
19:51
So pops, he got married, came home and Fast forward, Barack
20:00
Obama was elected as as a president and Barack Obama, one
20:07
of the things that he did during his during his tenure as our
20:11
nation's president, first African American president, he
20:17
recognized that there were a number of military conflicts.
20:23
You know, like the Tuskegee Airmen, these Moffer Point
20:26
Marines that contributed greatly to our success in winning those
20:32
those battles and missions. He awarded them all the the
20:37
Moffer Point Marine because of the brutalities that they had
20:41
experienced. Congressional Gold Medals.
20:45
So it was presented by a senator in Michigan and I'm a number of
20:51
these veterans had already gone on.
20:54
They had died. But you know, dad, fortunately,
20:58
you know, he was awarded while I was still I'm alive.
21:01
I mean, I actually have that medal.
21:04
And were you able to attend the ceremony?
21:07
Unfortunately, I was not able to attend it.
21:09
But you know, dad, like if anyone looks him up, you know,
21:13
Lee newbie Detroit, MI, you'll see he's, he's kind of a war
21:17
hero there. So he was recognized by a number
21:20
of senators, Congress folks. He they did a parade for him on
21:24
his 100th birthday. And he was on all the news
21:27
stations. He was even a commentator on
21:29
CNN, the, you know, the news show.
21:32
So, so, yeah. So Dad's well known, you know,
21:36
and he speaks on a lot of those adventures that he experienced.
21:40
In that time and that. Really kind of solidifies the
21:45
previous conversation that we had about your service, right?
21:48
I mean, you know Dad's time in the United States Marine Corps.
21:52
You know, you want to make Dad proud.
21:55
You join the United States Marine Corps, even though your
21:57
boyhood dream is, is to be a doctor and then I'll have a
22:00
medical program. You don't want to disappoint
22:03
your dad, right? Is is that putting words in your
22:05
mouth, John? Well, I mean, yes and no, but I
22:09
mean only from the standpoint that, you know, certainly did I
22:14
have something to live up to by going into Marine Corps.
22:16
Absolutely. You know, Marine Corps, as we
22:19
still know, is one of it's still the most difficult, challenging,
22:25
you know, of all of the services to to enter into.
22:30
I mean, our training was 12 weeks right out of boot camp and
22:33
then you go on to further trainings where's all the other
22:37
branches are 8 weeks. But in Marine Corps, I mean,
22:41
there's a reason why it's called a few in the proud, because
22:44
there's so few, you know, that actually make it through.
22:47
Like in my platoon, we started boot camp where's over 90
22:51
something of us and you know, only like 38 of us graduated.
22:56
So, you know, they have no problem in, you know, attrition,
23:01
you know, because of the fact that, you know, if you're going
23:04
to commit to being a Marine, it's, it's a little bit
23:08
different, you know, and I'm not taking anything away from the
23:11
other service members and other branches because they all
23:13
probably serve. In fact, our son is actually in
23:15
the Air Force, but he's smarter than his grandfather and myself.
23:19
So, you know, so, yeah. So he's, he's in the Air Force.
23:24
He's serving now, but yeah, no, but I I had something to kind of
23:28
live up to because that's how we were kind of raised.
23:30
You know, you got to, you know, you, you got to fold your
23:33
clothes a certain way. Everything is expected.
23:36
And, you know, I didn't fortunately I didn't grew up
23:39
with a high and tight though, you know.
23:40
But you know, do you know what that even is?
23:44
You know what that is? You know what a high.
23:46
And. Tight, yeah.
23:47
So yeah, I didn't have to have one of those.
23:50
I have too many scars. To do the high and tight myself,
23:54
I'm talking to John. Newby and I State's Marine Corps
23:56
veteran and and his dad, Lee Vernon Newby, junior.
24:02
He got the Congressional Gold Medal.
24:04
For for his service. And World War 2, long overdue.
24:08
So John, we're going to come back from the break.
24:12
We're going to talk about a book that you've wrote called.
24:16
Brownies and coffee. And we're going to also talk
24:19
about your Alzheimer's journey. Coming up next on the main
24:25
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Possible hope to donate today. Welcome.
24:59
Back to the main veteran spotlight.
25:01
And we're talking to John and newbie Marine Corps veteran.
25:05
And so much more. And.
25:07
Author. So we're going to talk to John
25:08
Newbie, the author now. So, John, you wrote a book
25:11
called. Brownies and.
25:13
Coffee. I saw the cover of the book.
25:16
But honestly I have done. 0 Research.
25:18
On this so please enlighten me on brownies and coffee.
25:23
Absolutely. Yeah.
25:25
Well, first of all, that I, I worked on this book for, you
25:29
know, over three years and it stems from, it's basically it's
25:35
a cookbook, but it's actually a love story and dedication to my
25:40
wife. My wife and I have been married
25:42
over 34 years and unfortunately, going back now, it's seven
25:48
years. She was diagnosed with
25:51
Alzheimer's and it was a early onset for her because at that
25:55
time she was only 53 years old. And you know, as a physician,
26:00
you know, obviously I recognize that dementia and Alzheimer's
26:05
can be pretty devastating to a number of families.
26:08
And I mean, just in the state of Maine alone, there's over 35,000
26:12
individuals who suffer from Alzheimer's.
26:15
And I knew that this would be a very difficult journey for us.
26:19
So I immediately started looking at alternative treatments.
26:23
As we know the traditional treatments now with medications,
26:27
they don't cure and there are a number of side effects to
26:31
include even blame brain bleeds that that are known factors.
26:36
I mean they help slow it down. And one of the things that I
26:40
discovered in my quest to look at alternative treatments was
26:44
that a number of studies have been published and out there
26:48
with strong evidence that point towards both chocolate, good
26:54
chocolate, dark chocolate and coffee, the caffeine to actually
26:59
help in stimulating brain synapse.
27:03
So along the course of researching this, I enjoy
27:09
coffee, I enjoy good chocolate and I also dabble in cooking.
27:15
I said, well, let me look at what I can do here that could
27:19
potentially help my wife. And you don't put these out as
27:25
as recipes. So I started when I started
27:27
compiling this, I was like, well, chocolate brownies and
27:31
they go well with with coffee. So along the course and, you
27:35
know, we were, you know, still getting other treatments, I kept
27:40
mirroring together different chocolate recipes and to make
27:44
brownies and coffee. And some of these recipes that I
27:48
came up with are just very unique in and of itself.
27:51
Blueberries are known to be, you know, high in antioxidants, and
27:55
they help also with brain health stimulants.
27:58
So I said, how about a brownie made of blueberries?
28:04
Espresso and pecans, you know, nuts are also good for brain
28:09
health as well. So that's one of the brownies I
28:12
did a brownie that has blue cheese.
28:15
Blue cheese is actually known to help with brain health and a
28:18
good nutrient and as well. So a number of these recipes are
28:23
they're not your traditional, just regular brownie.
28:27
All of these are gourmet over the top type brownies that are
28:32
created from a real passion for cooking but also designed with
28:38
the bottom line in essence to give caregivers like myself
28:44
something to do that can help your loved one.
28:48
And we all know and most people love to eat and who can turn
28:52
down a grape brownie, but it gives the caregiver an
28:56
opportunity to give something to their, to their loved ones that
29:00
they're caring for. And then I, I actually refer to
29:04
it as it's, it's kind of therapeutic because caregiving
29:08
is also there's an area of depression that comes along with
29:12
that too, because your loved 1 is going through something that
29:18
you can't help them with, you know, you can't change the
29:21
course of the disease, unfortunately now.
29:25
So that's why we need to continue to fight for a cure and
29:29
support each other. And that's basically the premise
29:32
of the book. And then I also go into great
29:37
depths of explaining the history of brownies.
29:40
Like brownies actually come from Maine.
29:42
I don't know if you knew that or not, but yeah, they actually
29:44
come from Maine. So that was another thing that I
29:50
did. So I I make it.
29:52
It's not your traditional cookbook.
29:55
It's a, it's a history book. It's a dedication to caregivers.
30:00
And I get into real depths of coffee and the knowledge behind
30:05
coffee and where the, the cacao beans come from for chocolate.
30:09
And, you know, and the fact that coffee beans aren't actually
30:12
beans, they're actually cherries, you know, and a lot of
30:15
people don't know that, but they're actually the cherry
30:17
pits. So.
30:19
So. Yeah.
30:19
And so there's just a lot of discoveries.
30:21
I've said a lot, but I just wanted to give it to you there,
30:24
Jeff. So we're talking to John Newby,
30:26
United States Marine Corps veteran, doctor and published
30:30
author. So where?
30:31
Can one get the book? John.
30:34
Oh well, hey, the book is available at
30:37
browniesandcoffee.com, so I'll spell it out.
30:40
All continuous brownies andcoffee.com, but it's also
30:44
available at Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Target, several other
30:50
bookstores around Maine to include Sherman's number of
30:54
coffee shops around town. I do a lot of book signings.
30:58
In fact, I'll be at Coffee by Design later this year.
31:01
I think in May, they're planning a big question and answer thing.
31:04
So I'll be there signing copies. But on the reception has been
31:08
great. 2O Sevens interviewed me. I've been in several newspapers.
31:13
So yeah, it's, it's taking off very well.
31:14
And you know, part of the proceeds, you know, I, it's my
31:20
plan to give a number and I don't make them not off of the
31:23
books, but you know, to get some to the Alzheimer's Association
31:27
as well as it kind of helps me out now too, because I'm a full
31:29
time caregiver. So I'm not really hoping to
31:35
really profit off the book, but I'm hoping to help people with
31:39
it, honestly. We're talking to John Newby.
31:41
So, so John, you, you mentioned that, right, You're a full time
31:45
caregiver now for your wife. You've been doing this for. 7.
31:48
Years, you know, it's as. Someone who's experienced.
31:55
Alzheimer's in my family recently, you know, I, I
31:59
understand, but I don't understand, right?
32:01
Because, you know, my mom lived, you know, in a facility.
32:04
You're you're dealing with that every day.
32:06
How are you taking? Care of yourself through this.
32:11
Process. Well, talking to others like
32:15
yourself now, this book certainly has been therapeutic
32:18
to me. But, you know, I've been
32:20
attacking, you know, my role as a committed husband to care for
32:25
my wife like a mission, like in the Marine Corps, you know, it's
32:29
a mission. We don't give up.
32:31
This mission is not ended. And I have a duty and
32:34
responsibility to carry out. And I love my wife very much.
32:39
We are two beautiful kids and they're they're grown adults.
32:44
They're on their own. They live in different states.
32:47
So I'm here by myself and you know, I'm just digging deep.
32:51
I call in, you know, I'm spiritual too.
32:53
So, you know, suddenly I pray about it.
32:55
But I mean, but I just, I attack it each day, you know, I know I
32:59
got to get it done and it's only me to do it.
33:03
And I just pray that nothing happens to me along the course
33:06
of this journey of caring for her and that I'm able to, you
33:10
know, hold up and care for her. But as far as what I do to, for
33:13
myself, you know, I drink a lot of coffee, I eat a lot of
33:18
brownies, unfortunately. And you know, I just, I don't, I
33:23
don't know, man. I just, I have to do it.
33:26
You know, I want us to come up with a cure for this, But
33:29
because it's, it's, it's very painful.
33:31
Let's be honest with you. It's, it's as you had just
33:34
recently experiencing Lincoln. Condolences to you and your
33:37
family because I know that that's, it's, it's hard, but
33:41
Alzheimer's is one of those diseases.
33:43
Dementia in general, you know, is one of those diseases where
33:46
you see the person every day, you're talking to them every
33:50
day, but they don't remember 5 minutes ago, you know, I mean,
33:55
some days my wife doesn't even know my name, you know, so you
33:59
know, but I, but I still have to, you know, make sure that I,
34:02
you know, engage with her and, and make her needs met each day.
34:07
Well, you're a good man, Doctor. We're talking to Doctor John
34:10
Newby. And also.
34:12
Author, United States Marine Corps veteran.
34:15
I appreciate you taking the time out of what clearly is, is a
34:18
very busy day for you in general to to be on the main veteran
34:22
spotlight and and to share some of your story with us.
34:26
I do reserve the right, Sir, to have you back on in the future.
34:29
Is that okay? Absolutely, yeah, Any, any time
34:32
if I can certainly be of service to you, you know, you know, and
34:39
any of those vets out there, if they want to reach out to me,
34:42
even through brownies and coffee, just go to our website.
34:45
I'd be happy to engage with them because, you know, our
34:49
brotherhood is strong. Think there's a great thing when
34:51
you're doing the spotlight. Those who have served.
34:56
Thanks again John. I really appreciate your kind
34:58
words and you can get the book. Brownies and coffee at.
35:02
Barnes and Noble. Walmart and of course, brownies
35:06
and coffee. All spelled out dot.
35:09
Com and you can also. As John said, if you know
35:13
someone, that's. Experiencing Alzheimer's?
35:16
And you need some support. John is there.
35:18
For you and you can go to his website Brownies and Coffee and
35:23
reach out to him. More coming up on the main
35:26
veteran's Spotlight. There are more than 29,000
35:31
Mainers living with Alzheimer's and over 51,000 caregivers who
35:35
dedicate millions of hours of unpaid care.
35:38
Your local main chapter of the Alzheimer's Association is
35:41
working hard toward the ultimate goal, a cure, by sponsoring A
35:45
Veteran's Wreath through their Wreaths Across America.
35:47
Page $5.00 of every sponsored wreath will be donated back to
35:51
help support Mainers living with or caring for someone with
35:53
Alzheimer's. Donate today by
35:56
visitingwreathsacrossamerica.org/A LZME.
36:00
Welcome. Back to the main veteran
36:02
spotlight. Recently, my Wreaths Across
36:04
America colleague Chris Chapman had the.
36:06
Opportunity. To talk to Doctor Sumatra.
36:09
Moore, Aladar. She is the director.
36:13
Of the VA's. Million veteran program.
36:17
And she is here. Today to tell us about some
36:20
milestones, I'll let my colleague.
36:22
Chris Chapman, take it away. Give us an overview of what the
36:25
purpose of the Million Veteran Program is.
36:27
Yes, the Million Veteran Program is a National Research program
36:31
that was launched by the VA in 2011 and the goal is really to
36:36
advance precision healthcare or personalized healthcare for
36:42
veterans from all backgrounds by understanding how our genes,
36:47
lifestyle, military exposures and experiences impact health
36:52
and illness. Basically this is, you know, not
36:55
A1 size fits all type of healthcare, but really pivoting
36:59
to healthcare for an individual veteran based on their own
37:04
individual genetics, their lifestyle, military experience
37:08
and exposures. So you gather up all of this
37:11
research data and then you translate it really into an
37:14
actionable road map. Share how your data helps
37:17
veterans directly. Yes.
37:19
So this research can help veterans in multiple ways.
37:23
The first is understanding are there genetic factors that are
37:28
increasing risk for a particular illness, whether it's cancer or
37:32
heart disease or PTSD? And if we understand how these
37:37
genetic markers increase the risk and understand the biology,
37:42
then we can actually find new treatments for these diseases.
37:46
And one example of that that I have is one of our recent
37:50
studies discovered what is called a polygenic risk score
37:54
for a lethal form of prostate cancer in men.
37:58
So that is the small genetic changes across the DNA that can
38:03
increase risk. And So what we're now doing is
38:06
testing to see if we add that to the standard of care screening
38:11
in men for prostate cancer, will we be able to detect this sooner
38:15
so we can actually managed it better, maybe even prevent it if
38:19
we know that someone is at a higher risk earlier.
38:22
Another way is if you provide medications for a certain
38:26
disease, not the medication doesn't work equally across all
38:30
people. Some people have, you know, bad
38:32
side effects for some people that respond very well.
38:35
And some of these is based upon the genetics.
38:38
So if we know in advance that someone has genetics that will
38:42
allow for a better treatment, then we can treat them with the
38:46
medication that works best for them or at least avoid something
38:50
that doesn't work well for them. So these are a couple of ways
38:53
that the research we do can help veterans.
38:58
Oh my goodness, it sounds like it's groundbreaking here that
39:01
you might be sharing this with more of the medical.
39:03
Community, absolutely. It is groundbreaking.
39:06
We're the world's largest research program of this kind.
39:09
We recently enrolled our millionth veteran and we're not
39:13
only the largest, we're also a diverse program, meaning we have
39:18
veterans enrolled from all backgrounds.
39:21
We have over 175,000 veterans from African descent in the
39:27
program, over 100,000 women veterans enrolled, and so by
39:33
making sure that we have veterans from all backgrounds
39:36
enrolled in the program, we can make discoveries that are
39:40
relevant to that particular group.
39:42
Well, and the numbers help because you know one or two you
39:45
really can't get a good picture. But when you're talking about
39:47
the 10s of thousands, you really can finally draw a much larger
39:51
proper picture. Absolutely.
39:53
Because of the numbers we've had, we've been able to conduct
39:56
some of the largest studies in PTSD.
39:59
We had over 165,000 veterans with PTSD that we did a study on
40:05
and found genetic markers that affect a particular RE
40:10
experiencing symptom in PTSD in veterans of African descent.
40:14
That was only possible because of the numbers.
40:18
We have also done larger studies in anxiety, for example, or in
40:22
heart disease. So let's reiterate this, doctor,
40:27
that this is a volunteer program.
40:29
Yes, it's the voluntary research program and it's a bit pretty
40:33
simple. Once veterans consent to
40:35
participating in the program, they provide a blood sample for
40:39
doing the genetics and other molecular studies, and they also
40:45
complete surveys of their lifestyle, the military
40:48
experiences and exposures. And they give us access to their
40:52
electronic health record. And the electronic health record
40:55
in the VA is one of the best in the world.
40:58
So we're able to go back 30 years in the health record and
41:01
make these associations between the genetics, the lifestyle, the
41:06
military experiences and health and illness.
41:09
Wow, Doctor Sumitra Moralidar joining us from the VA today.
41:13
And I got to imagine now that you're working on your two
41:16
millionth, because you've hit #1 million so far, who can join the
41:19
Million Veteran program? I imagine you're still taking
41:22
members. Yes, we're not stopping.
41:24
We will absolutely continue to increase diversity of
41:27
representation in the program and then start bringing these
41:30
research discoveries into the clinic.
41:33
So any veteran can join the program and there are two ways.
41:37
They can either enroll at one of our over 70 sites across the
41:41
country or they can join online. Online, the address is MVP dot
41:48
VA dot Gov. Give that address again.
41:51
I I lost you somewhere in there because I was expecting you to
41:54
say something different. So the online portal for
41:58
enrollment is MVP like familiar veteran program
42:02
mvpgotcha.va.gov. OK, we can remember that one.
42:09
So you're really at the point of the spear on seeing how the
42:12
lives of of hundreds of thousands of veterans are
42:14
impacting our next generation of veterans.
42:17
What does it mean to you personally when all of this work
42:19
you've put into the program turns around the life of maybe
42:22
just one veteran? Personally, it's been very, very
42:25
gratifying. This is, you know, hundreds of
42:28
people around the country working on this program for over
42:32
12 years and now over 1,000,000 veterans who are altruistic and
42:38
this is their service, spirit of service that they've come
42:41
forward to really, you know, it's a legacy that they're
42:45
leaving for future generations. So it's a gift to the world.
42:48
So what's? Next on your horizon.
42:50
I mean, you still have the research you're doing, but is
42:52
there something out there that you're really wanting to grasp,
42:55
you're really wanting to find? So really the biggest challenge
42:58
is now to bring all these research discoveries back into
43:01
the clinic. So in the next decade, what we
43:03
will do is focused on diversifying the cohort because
43:08
you know, even though we have 100,000 women, we can do better
43:13
than that. So we will look at controlling
43:15
more women, veterans, veterans of other backgrounds such as
43:19
Asians or American Indians, Pacific Islanders.
43:22
We we have smaller representations of those.
43:25
So our first thing is to really diversify the cohort even more
43:30
and then increase the amount of science that happens with this
43:33
database. And finally, look at how can we
43:38
bring these discoveries back to the clinic to really make that
43:42
personalized healthcare a reality for our veterans and for
43:46
all people. Do you ever get a chance
43:48
nowadays, since you're overseeing this huge program, to
43:51
look through a microscope? No, the microscope was way back
43:55
when. It seems like a past life.
43:59
Well, you're doing some fantastic work.
44:01
My goodness. Doctor Sumitra Moralidar joining
44:04
us here. Thank you for coming on radio to
44:06
chat with us about the V as Million Veterans program.
44:09
Go ahead, give us that website one more time if you would.
44:11
Thank you, Chris. It's mvp.va.gov.
44:16
OK, we got it. Anything else that you'd like to
44:20
pass along to folks who might be listening about the program?
44:22
Now I just want to say I want to thank all the veterans who've
44:25
joined the program for their service.
44:28
And I also want to let them know that this is a trust they have
44:31
placed in the VA and in the program.
44:34
So we make protecting their privacy and security of the data
44:37
that they donate our highest priority.
44:40
And we make take measures right from the point of collection to
44:44
the point of views that it's very secure.
44:47
We'll keep up the great work on behalf of our nation's veterans,
44:49
and please keep us informed when the, you know, new things pop
44:52
up. We can't wait to hear about all
44:54
the work you're doing. Absolutely.
44:56
Thank you so much. Thanks to Doctor Sumatra Moore
45:00
Aladar, the director of the V as Million veteran.
45:04
Program for being on with us on the main Veteran spotlight.
45:08
What wonderful work they are doing.
45:11
The main veteran spotlight is a. Collaborative effort with News
45:14
Radio W. GAN, the main.
45:16
Association of Broadcasters. And REITs across America.
45:20
I'm Jeff Pierce, director of broadcast and media Partnerships
45:23
for. The national nonprofit REITs
45:25
Across America and if. You would like to be featured on
45:29
a future. Episode of the main veteran
45:31
Spotlight. All you need to do.
45:33
Is reach out to me. My e-mail is the letter.
45:36
J Pierce. Pierce at REITs Across America.
45:41
Dot ORG that's the. Letter J Pierce at Wreaths.
45:46
Acrossamerica.org. We look forward to featuring
45:50
your story of service or the great work you're.
45:52
Doing to help our veterans in our community on a future.
45:56
Episode of the main Veterans Spotlight.