The newsletter provides information on: 1) A new housing development called Mission Bay that will provide homes for 62 veterans and 57 families in 2019. 2) Swords to Plowshares' outreach team that engages with homeless veterans on the streets and their partnerships with other organizations. 3) Upcoming holiday events including a meal and backpack giveaway for 325 homeless veterans in San Francisco and Oakland.

1. INSIDE SWORDS: Fall/Winter 2016
Mission Bay Housing Development Slated for 2019 Opening!
More inside on page 4
Rendering of Mission Bay Housing Development Provided by LMS Architects
Partnerships

2. OUR MISSION
War causes wounds and suffering
that last beyond the battlefield.
Swords to Plowshares’ mission is
to heal the wounds of war, to
restore dignity, hope, and
self-sufficiency to all veterans
in need, and to prevent and
end homelessness and
poverty among veterans.
OUR VISION
All veterans will have access to the
care and services they need to
rebuild their lives.
···
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Stephen Plath, Chair of the Board
Yaniv Newman, Vice Chair
Peter McCorkell, Secretary
Julie Cane
Paul Cox
Michael Dekshenieks
Michael Fassler
Rick Houlberg
Kristina Lawson
Deleano Seymour
Stephen Snyder
Stacey Sprenkel
Michael Thiel
Robert Trevorrow
ADVISORY BOARD
Mike Cerre
Steve Fields
Chris Kanios
John Keker
Dudley Miller
William Millichap
Major General J. Michael Myatt
(USMC Ret.)
Craig Newmark
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Mark Solit
Joanette Sorkin
Carol Wilder
Roger Walther
···
Main Office
1060 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-252-4788
www.Swords-to-Plowshares.org
#SupportVets
Dear Supporters & Advocates,
Partnerships and collaborative activities are rooted in the heart of the mission at
Swords to Plowshares. We cannot do the work we do without the close alliances
with community partners. Our veteran clients collaborate with us as well, as we
determine together, the best path to take as they continue their journey toward
self-sufficiency.
As you read through this newsletter, you will find examples of partnerships large
and small; relationships in their infancy and some, years in the making. New
partnerships with the National Veterans Legal Services Program and Harvard Law
School to address how the VA wrongfully excludes veterans with “bad paper”
strengthen our ability to advocate for the veterans we serve. Long-standing
partnerships such as the one with Chinatown Community Development Center
have resulted in projects such as Veterans Commons, permanent supportive
housing for veterans and the new Mission Bay building slated to open in 2019.
Swords to Plowshares is honored to have members of the community engaged in
our mission to help heal the wounds of war. When our organization was founded in
1974, we knew we had to rely on each other—veterans helping veterans.
The same approach still rings true 42 years later. It is our supporters, donors, and
community members who have helped us further our mission year after year. As
we approach the holiday season and reflect on the year, we ask that you keep
Swords to Plowshares in your thoughts and year-end charitable giving. Our work
not only relies on partnerships and collaboration, but also the philanthropy of our
supporters.
Thank you for being on this journey with our staff, our partners, and most
importantly, our veteran clients.
Best wishes,
Michael Blecker Stephen Plath
Executive Director Chair of the Board
IN THIS ISSUE
Micheal Blecker: 40 Years of Service • pg. 3
Housing Development • pg. 4
Homeless Outreach • pg. 5
Profiles of Courage • pg. 6
Veteran Pro Bono Program • pg. 8
Underserved • pg. 9
Remembering Jon Paulson • pg. 10

3. Inside Swords Fall/Winter 2016 Newsletter • Page 3
Michael Blecker served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969 as a combat
infantryman in the U.S. Army, 101st Airborne Division. After returning
from Vietnam, he packed up his brand new Volkswagen Beetle and drove
across the country to start college in California. Michael attended UC
Berkeley and later went on to earn his J.D. from New College of California.
Michael has been associated with Swords to Plowshares since 1976; only two years after its founding in 1974 by fellow Vietnam
veterans. He began as an intern, fresh from New College of California, and his work was dedicated to helping veterans access VA
benefits earned from their service.
Swords to Plowshares was granted recognition from the VA in 1978 to represent veterans seeking benefits, and in 1979 while
heading up Swords to Plowshares’ Legal Department, Michael won one of the first cases that acknowledged post-traumatic
stress disorder as a service-connected disability, eligible for VA compensation. Michael worked with fellow advocates across
the country to develop the Agent Orange Self-Help Guide, providing veterans with the resources and legal help to make their
case for payment out of the largest-class action tort case settled at that time. The magnitude of that work is felt today, with the
lasting effects of PTSD, Agent Orange, and Depleted Uranium continuing to disable our suffering, aging veterans.
In 1982, Michael became Executive Director of Swords to Plowshares, and has since guided the agency from its small grassroots
origins into a new arena of veteran services—providing supportive housing for a growing homeless veteran population. His
appointment to the San Francisco Mayor’s Homeless Task Force was precipitated by a survey of homeless shelter residents
in the city. Over 40% of respondents indicated they had served in the military. Never before had rates of homelessness this
significant been seen among veterans.
Replicating the activities held in San Diego, Swords to Plowshares held three annual Stand Downs from 1990 to 1992, bringing
services, healthcare, and a sense of community to homeless veterans who sat on the fringes of society. The ideas and activities
hosted during Stand Downs would be replicated in the Permanent Supportive Housing models Swords to Plowshares operates.
Ripples of Michael’s work and advocacy were felt across the country, along with the tireless work of fellow veteran advocates.
In 1989, Michael and other veteran advocates formed the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, focusing on sharing best
practices that address veteran health and homelessness across the country.
Michael has developed a nationwide reputation for dedicated service and an authority on veterans’ services and rights. He
served on the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans, which advised the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He has served on
the Congressional Commission on Service Members and Veterans Transition Assistance, the California Senate Commission on
Homeless Veterans, the San Francisco Mayor’s Homeless Planning Committee, the National Agent Orange Settlement Advisory
Board, The Agent Orange Information Center, and the Veterans Speakers Alliance.
Most recently, Michael served as a Commissioner on the Presidential Commission on Care, examining veterans’ access to
healthcare and how best to organize the Veterans Health Administration, locate health resources, and deliver healthcare to
veterans during the next 20 years. His dissention against expanding the “VHA Choice” Program paved the way for a nationwide
discussion on what the future of veterans care can and should be.
Swords to Plowshares and veterans around the nation are forever indebted to Michael’s dedication, service, and tireless work to
improve the lives of veterans. Swords to Plowshares is honored to celebrate his 40 years of service in 2016.
Michael Blecker 40 Years of Service to Veterans

4. Page 4 • Inside Swords Fall/Winter 2016 Newsletter
New Housing Facility to Provide Homes, Community to 62 Veterans
We are thrilled to announce our latest permanent supportive housing project: Mission Bay!
A joint venture of Swords to Plowshares and Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC), the new site, situated in
the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, will house 62 homeless veterans and 57 low-income families, with on-site
supportive services offered for the residents.
This is our second housing development project with CCDC.
The site’s preliminary plans include three building wings and a
central courtyard with a terraced garden. We expect to break
ground by summer 2017, with the building ready for occupancy
in 2019.
“A big part of our mission is to provide veterans with a sense of
community at our housing sites, and Mission Bay is the perfect
intersection between veterans and families to restore that
community," said Leon Winston, Chief Operating Officer and
Housing Director at Swords to Plowshares.
The project is the latest step in our ongoing effort to end
veteran homelessness. Since opening our first Transitional
Housing Program in 1987, we have provided thousands of
homeless veterans with the stability and support they need to
rebuild their lives. Today, Swords to Plowshares operates three
transitional housing programs and four permanent supportive housing sites for 476 veterans at any given time.
We know that increasing the number of available permanent housing units to support the needs of the most vulnerable
veterans is an effective tool in the fight against homelessness. We currently operate 370 permanent supportive housing units,
and we look forward to significantly increasing this number with the opening of Mission Bay.
Swords to Plowshares’ Permanent Supportive Housing for Veterans
2000 –
2012 –
2012 –
2014 –
2015 –
2016 –
We opened the Veterans Academy, the first Permanent Supportive Housing Program for veterans in the
country. 108 units of housing
In collaboration with Chinatown Community Development Center, we opened Veterans Commons.
76 units of housing
We opened twelve 2-bedroom units for veteran families on Treasure Island.
12 units of permanent family housing
In partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Housing and the VA we opened The Stanford Hotel.
130 units of housing
We began operating a new site – part stabilization housing and part permanent supportive housing – at the
Fairfax Hotel. 20 units of permanent housing
With a “housing first” approach we converted former transitional housing units on Treasure Island to
permanent housing, The Macco May Apartments. 24 units of housing
Housing Development

5. Inside Swords Fall/Winter 2016 Newsletter • Page 5
Meeting the Needs of the Hardest to Serve Takes a Team
Since 2011, San Francisco has housed over 40% of all homeless veterans in the county, while efforts by Alameda county
providers have housed over 21% of the county’s homeless veterans. However, there are still nearly 600 unsheltered homeless
veterans in both counties, and they are undoubtedly the “hardest-to-serve.” These veterans typically experience significant
barriers to accessing services.
To better serve this population and to help our community partners
understand how to reach them, Swords to Plowshares formed an Outreach
Team. Mostly veterans themselves, the team plays an instrumental role in
the Bay Area’s activities to end veteran homelessness, and they are often
the first to engage with veterans living on the streets.
“Conducting outreach to veterans on the streets is near and dear to my
heart because I have been in their position before. At the end of the day,
it’s about making sure my veteran peers are taken care of and that their
needs are met,” said Dennis Johnson, SSVF Outreach Coordinator and U.S.
Army veteran.
We aren’t alone in the work to end veteran homelessness. Our strong
relationships with groups like the San Francisco Department of Public
Health and SF Homeless Outreach Team mean heading out as a team to
engage with homeless veterans at encampments. Tuesday mornings are
dedicated to partnering with BART police to sweep the BART stations and divert homeless veterans to services. A growing
partnership with the Oakland Police Department helps to peacefully engage with homeless veterans who have been identified
by the police.
Ittakesavillagewhenitcomestosupportingourhomelessandverylow-incomeveterans!
It’s with the support of our donors and partners that for 30 years Swords to Plowshares has hosted a holiday meal and
backpack giveaway for homeless veterans in San Francisco. This year we are excited to host a second holiday party in Oakland
and bring some needed holiday cheer to homeless veterans.
A warm holiday meal will be enjoyed by 325 veterans who will also receive a backpack filled with many of the necessities for
surviving on the streets, especially during these cold nights.
We extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our donors, partners and volunteers who help make this annual event a festive day
for the many veterans who attend.
Google.org will match dollar-for-dollar raised – up to $15,000 – for our Cold Nights, Warm Hearts
fundraising campaign. Please consider pledging your year-end donation online at:
www.handup.org/campaigns/ColdNightsWarmHearts
Homeless Outreach
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Homeless Veterans inSanFrancisco

6. Page 6 • Inside Swords Fall/Winter 2016 Newsletter
Profiles of Courage
On November 7th
, more than 500 community supporters came together to honor the work of Swords to
Plowshares and the thousands of Bay Area veterans we have served at our 20th
Anniversary Veterans
Day Dinner. Thanks to our generous supporters, we raised over $460,000!
The annual event is centered around the Profiles of Courage awards. This year we honored Daniel
Ramirez and Isaac Baires. You can watch their full stories on our YouTube channel at:
www.youtube.com/vetshelpingvets
Daniel Ramirez U.S. Army, 1949 – 1952
At age 17, Daniel Ramirez of Oakland enlisted in the U.S. Army. A few months later, the Korean War began and in July 1950 he deployed
to the front lines. He was quickly promoted up the ranks to Sergeant and was responsible for keeping his fellow soldiers alive in incredibly
harsh conditions. After sustaining a shrapnel wound, he was awarded the Purple Heart on November
26, 1950 and was sent back to the front line.
After an 11-month deployment, he returned
stateside where alcohol became his crutch and
mechanism for coping with his “shell shock.” When
his alcohol dependence interfered with his military
duties, he was stripped of his rank and separated
with an other than honorable discharge.
When his grandson, a fellow veteran, returned
home from a deployment to Iraq, he shared with Mr. Ramirez about his experience living with combat-
related PTSD. From these conversations, Mr. Ramirez realized that he too has suffered from similar
symptoms – nightmares, hyper–vigilance, anxiety, and flashbacks of his time in combat. He came to
Swords to Plowshares because he hoped to start PTSD treatment at the VA and needed help obtaining VA eligibility despite his less than
honorable discharge status.
Swords to Plowshares’ Staff Attorney Maureen Siedor represented Mr. Ramirez in his Character of Discharge Determination at the VA
in which she successfully argued that his military service should be considered honorable. As a result, Mr. Ramirez now receives VA
healthcare along with VA service-connected disability compensation for his combat-related PTSD and hearing loss. After 60 years of being
turned away and denied benefits, he is finally considered a veteran by the VA.
I don't think anyone who's
been in combat wants
to keep bringing it up –
you’re trying to forget it.
All those years [60 years] the Army never accepted me nor did
they acknowledge the fact that I was sick from Korea.

7. Inside Swords Fall/Winter 2016 Newsletter • Page 7
Profiles of Courage
Isaac Baires U.S. National Guard, 2008 – 2014
Isaac Baires is a 34-year-old single father to three children – Malachi (9), Jazlyna (12) and
Gabriel (14). In 2008 with a new baby and two small children at home, he decided to
join the U.S. National Guard to provide more opportunity for his career growth, ensure
he could put food on the table, and to further his education with GI Bill benefits. During
basic training, his relationship with the mother of his children began to unravel and he
eventually became a single parent. For six years, Isaac juggled his Guard duties, school,
part-time jobs, and caring for his children.
Shortly after he completed his military
service in 2014, Isaac and his children
became homeless. For several days they
lived in their car until they were given a
private unit at Raphael House, a shelter for
families in Lower Nob Hill. There the family
made their home for five months. While
living at the shelter Isaac was referred to Swords to Plowshares for help to get his family
back on their feet. What he most wanted and needed was a stable, good paying job.
At the time, Swords to Plowshares was recruiting veterans to participate in a job training program in partnership with PG&E
to gain the skills needed for jobs as utility inspectors; a job with highly competitive wages. Out of 1,000 applicants, Swords to
Plowshares selected Isaac to be one of the 15 veterans to go through the training program. He is now working for PG&E earning
more than he ever has and is able to better provide for his family. While employment has turned things around for Isaac and
his children, they have been living in temporary housing at Hamilton Family Transitional Program since December 2015 and are
challenged to find an affordable home in San Francisco, where he works and his
children attend school. Isaac hopes that in the near future they can purchase a
home and he can take his children on a much-needed vacation.
I began parenting alone in
2008 when I got back from
AIT (basic training).
I wasn’t financially stable to really give them what they wanted. I had to
work hard to get just the little that we could at that time.
I am (now) able to take
my kids out more and
really see them enjoy
themselves.

8. Page 8 • Inside Swords Fall/Winter 2016 Newsletter
Veteran Pro Bono Program
Pro Bono Attorneys Help Hundreds ofVeterans with Disabilities
Since 2013 we’ve more than doubled the number of veterans that staff
and pro bono attorneys serve each year!
2013 – 452 veterans served, 87 cases placed with pro bono attorneys
2014 – 732 veterans served, 107 cases placed with pro bono attorneys
2015 – 1,068 veterans served, 147 cases placed with pro bono attorneys
Bill Brockett Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award
In recent years, since our Pro Bono Program has flourished, we began honoring an attorney with the Bill Brockett Pro Bono Attorney of
the Year award at the offices of Keker & Van Nest during our Pro Bono Legal Reception. This year, Emily Aldridge, an associate attorney in
the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher received the award for her outstanding dedication to helping veterans.
"Swords to Plowshares has an exceptional Pro Bono
Program, and they make it easy to get involved -
whether it's an hour or two staffing a legal clinic or
dedicating more time by taking on a full-scope case,"
Aldridge said. "I am grateful to my firm for supporting
Swords to Plowshares' work on behalf of veterans and
I encourage every attorney I know to get involved with
their Pro Bono Program.
Emily Aldridge serves as an active member on Swords to
Plowshares Pro Bono Advisory Board and has dedicated more than
230 total pro bono hours to help veterans with disabilities obtain
service-connected disability benefits through the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
In 2010, Swords to Plowshares launched the Veterans Pro Bono Program to increase our capacity to reach more low-income
and homeless veterans with disabilities. Our in-house Legal Services and the Veterans Pro Bono Program helps veterans seeking
to access Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) benefits and assistance with military discharge upgrade applications through the
Department of Defense (DoD).
The program has grown tremendously in the past three years. In 2013, we formed the Pro Bono Advisory Board with
representatives from over 30 law firms and corporations committed to joining our efforts to help more veterans. Today, we
have 300 pro bono attorneys who provide full legal representation to veterans and staff Legal Drop-in Clinics around the
Bay Area.
$1 spent
to fund the Legal Services Unit
$20 in benefits
directly to veterans leveraged=
(From left to right) Michael Blecker, Kate Richardson, Maureen Siedor,
and Emily Aldrisge at the Pro Bono Legal Reception

9. Inside Swords Fall/Winter 2016 Newsletter • Page 9
Underserved
Report Finds How the VA Wrongfully Excludes Veterans with Bad Paper
Swords to Plowshares, in partnership with National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) and the Veterans Legal Clinic at the
Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School published, Underserved: How the VA Wrongfully Excludes Veterans with Bad Paper
this year. This report is a follow-up to the Rulemaking Petition that Swords to Plowshares, with NVLSP, Legal Services Center
of Harvard Law School, and Latham & Watkins LLP, submitted to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary McDonald in
December 2015. In it, we lay out the history and analysis of Bad Paper and request simple amendments to the VA’s regulations
which would open up access to the care and benefits that we owe veterans.
Not all who have served are considered “veterans” in the eyes of the Department of Veterans Affairs. If a veteran has less than
a general discharge or “bad paper”, the VA has created obstacles for them to access VA healthcare, disability benefits, homeless
resources, and other veteran-specific services. Most of these veterans are simply turned away.
Congress never meant for VA eligibility to be so exclusive; it intended that only veterans who served dishonorably be denied
access. The VA’s own discretionary policies unnecessarily deny hundreds of thousands of veterans benefits, who are often those
most in need of the VA’s support.
We ask the VA to revise its regulations to more accurately reflect congressional intent that only those who served
“dishonorably” be excluded. It should require consideration of positive and mitigating factors and not disqualify veterans
for minor misconduct. We also believe the VA can and should grant access to basic healthcare while it makes eligibility
determinations so that veterans can receive prompt treatment for service-related injuries. Access to this healthcare can mean
the difference between maintaining stability and entering into a spiral of homelessness, addiction, and suicide.
Key findings from the report
Marines are nearly 10 times more likely to be excluded from VA services than their
counterparts in the Air Force
Current era service members are excluded at higher rates than other eras─ more than twice
the rate for Vietnam era veterans and nearly four times the rate for World War II era veterans
Mental health and combat have little effect on eligibility
Three out of four veterans with bad paper discharges who served in combat and who have
post-traumatic stress disorder are denied eligibility by the Board of Veterans’ Appeals
·
·
·
·
Board of Veterans’ Appeals Character of
Discharge Determinations 1992-2015
Ineligible
87%
Eligible
13%

10. Page 10 • Inside Swords Fall/Winter 2016 Newsletter
In Memorium
In Memory of Jon Paulson April 23, 1942 - October9, 2016
On October 9, 2016 our community lost a dear supporter, Jon Paulson. For nearly 25 years, Jon
and his wife Dianne Paulson have been dedicated supporters of Swords to Plowshares. Jon was
a Vietnam veteran and served on Swords to Plowshares’ Advisory Board. At the 2013 Veterans
Day Dinner, Jon and Dianne were awarded with the Community Hero Award for their tireless
dedication to Swords to Plowshares and the veterans we serve through fundraising, advocacy and
volunteerism. Jon delivered a powerful and deeply moving speech which is reprinted below.
As a 19-year-old sophomore at Rutgers, to get out of a second year of then-required ROTC, I joined the Marines and spent
that summer in boot camp. Three years later I was leading an infantry platoon of 42 Marines and a Navy Corpsman in An Hoa,
South Vietnam, west of DaNang, known as “Arizona Territory.” From 1965 to 1972, several thousand Marines and tens of
thousands of Vietnamese, soldiers and civilians, were killed and wounded in a failed attempt to occupy and control “Arizona
Territory.”
We pulverized nearly every standing structure in the area. We killed and wounded, and we were killed and wounded, for
seven long years. It was just day-to-day patrolling, constant fighting, knowing we would lose a Marine or two each week,
sometimes each day. And, when we departed in 1972, An Hoa returned to what it was before the Marines landed in 1965,
occupied and under the control of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese.
An Hoa was only one example of what occurred all over South Vietnam. Americans came and fought furiously for seven years.
At least 400,000 Americans were killed and wounded and we claimed to have killed and wounded at least ten times that
number. And then we left.
Our leaders in the rear came up with the brilliant concept of search and destroy, because we couldn’t find the Viet Cong
and/or North Vietnamese. They’d order troops into the hills, jungles, sugar cane fields, rice paddies and villages—using us as
bait so that the enemy would find us—which they did. When we were ambushed and/or Marines were killed by snipers, we
would call in jet fighters and bombers, naval gunfire, artillery, helicopter gunships, napalm, sometimes even B-52s—anything
to destroy Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers. Sadly, even though we killed many of our adversaries, whole villages,
livestock, old men, women and children ended up collateral damage. Patrolling fields after saturation bombing by B-52s,
executing orders to count dead enemy soldiers and witnessing the utter obliteration of entire hamlets and villages numbed
my senses then; it haunts me to this day.

11. Inside Swords Fall/Winter 2016 Newsletter • Page 11
In Memorium
Eleven very young Marines and two Navy corpsmen from my original platoon were killed—almost all were still teenagers—
and all were wounded at least once. I trained with these young men for six months before we shipped out for Vietnam. I
knew each and every one of them and felt that we were brothers. When I returned home, I visited their families and together
we tried to believe each of their sons died for a cause…any cause.
I never got over my tour in Vietnam—the killing, maiming, carnage, the body counts, search and destroy missions. Every day
we stumbled over the dead—American and Vietnamese—and carried broken bodies and body parts to aid stations where
doctors and nurses made decisions every hour of who got treatment, and who couldn’t be helped. I couldn’t understand how
I lived. I felt guilty I lived.
I was wounded and survived three times while kids next to me suffered their first and last wound. For years I wondered why
so many died and I didn’t. Horrific memories haunted me. When I got home, I searched, hunted, screamed for a cause that
would justify America’s venture in Vietnam; all that carnage; all those deaths, American and Vietnamese. I never found that
cause.
We call it the Vietnam War; the Vietnamese say the American War. Villagers didn’t know or care that we were fighting to
stop worldwide communism. To them it was only ten years in a thousand-year history of conflict and occupation, mainly with
the Chinese. Nearly 50 years later, the young Vietnamese have forgotten, or never learned. Those of us in the foxholes never
forgot…never will forget.
During my last year of active duty and the next two years, I devoured every book I could find on the history of Indochina and
Vietnam and France’s and America’s involvement in that region. In the late 1960s I spoke before many Veterans of Foreign
Wars and American Legion chapters, as well as college and university audiences. I came away disillusioned by every group—
their ignorance of history and our involvement in Vietnam and their blind allegiance for or against the war.
It made no difference that I understood the history or that I had actually been there in the trenches—had witnessed firsthand
what war does to a country. I was vilified by nearly every group for either being un-patriotic or un-American or a baby-killer. I
was stunned.
For the next 30 years I rarely spoke of Vietnam. I hid my shame for what carpet bombing, napalm and constant shelling did
to the Vietnamese people and their country, my guilt for killing, watching my men die, wondering why we were there. I know
my wife, Dianne, tried to reach me but I resisted. I felt she would never understand; how could she?
We met three weeks after I returned from Vietnam. She asked me so many times what she could do to help me with my pain,
but I couldn’t answer and burden her with my guilt and shame.
Was I bitter? Yes. I resented guys I knew who were big cheerleaders for the war, but through their connections, never served.
And, I despised the Jane Fondas and the anti-war protesters who blamed the troops.
I suppose I never would have addressed this hidden part of me if I hadn’t met Michael Blecker and his incredible staff and
volunteers at Swords to Plowshares in the late 1990s. To them it didn’t matter if you were for the war, or against the war. All
that mattered was advocacy for veterans to help them get off the streets, get the benefits their own government was denying
them and to turn their lives around.
Though I never feel we’ve done enough, getting involved with Swords to Plowshares gave me the chance to give back, to do
something more than just remember those sad days and feel sorry for myself and my dead and injured Marines and friends
who never got the chance I did...to live the additional 45 to 50 years they were denied. Memories of Vietnam still haunt me,
but knowing that Dianne and I can give back a little, through a noble organization like Swords, that does so much for veterans,
helps to assuage my guilt, somewhat.
Forty-five years later, because of my constant exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam, I encountered my own health issues.
Swords and their incredible staff attorneys, including Larry Divinsky and Becca Von Behren, helped me deal with the VA—
successfully. So, not only are Dianne and I involved with Swords; I am a client—a satisfied and lucky one at that.
— Semper Fidelis, Jon Paulson

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INSIDE SWORDS: Fall/Winter 2016
Ways to Give
Set up Monthly Donations
Will you consider donating $42 each month in honor of our
42 years of service? It is easy to do on our website and will
go a long way in helping our veterans in need.
Visit: www.swords-to-plowshares.org/donate and select
“make this a recurring donation.”
Double or Triple Your Donation
Many employers have a matching gift program. Some
employers may even have a double match, making your
$100 donation worth $300. Talk to your Human Resources
department for more information and consider participating
in the matching gift program. This is an easy way to make
your donation go further.
Join the Veterans Legacy Circle
By joining Swords to Plowshares Veterans Legacy Circle and
including Swords to Plowshares in your Will or Trust, you
can leave your legacy and give back to veterans for decades
to come. Your testamentary gift expresses your abiding
commitment to healing the wounds of war. You can also
access free resources, information and customized guides at:
www.VeteransLegacyCircle.org
1060 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94103