Q&A with John `JJ’ Pinter, Deputy Director of Team Red White and Blue
Tell us about your service.
I served in the Army and left active duty in the mid-2000s. I got involved in the veteran space after seeing my friends and coworkers struggle with their transition out of the military, even those with solid support systems. Watching them work through those challenges made me think, “If these guys are having a tough time, what about the soldiers without that backup?” My friend Mike Erwin founded Team RWB and my other friend was the Executive Director, and they gave me a shot to get involved professionally. I’ve been working in this space ever since.
Please tell us about Team RWB’s mission and what motivates your work with veterans and military families.
Team RWB’s mission is to enrich veterans’ lives. We do that by forging America’s leading health and wellness community for veterans. Our events, training, and programs, delivered through the Team RWB app and our chapters, offer veterans over 19,000 opportunities to build a healthy lifestyle each year.
Our work is driven by growing physical health, mental health, relationship, and purpose needs among the military and veteran community. We are both inspired and motivated by helping them connect with each other and prioritize their health each and every day with our “upstream” approach.
How did Team RWB become involved with the Veteran Wellness Alliance?
We’ve been part of the Veteran Wellness Alliance from its inception in 2016. We’re still proud to be part of this alliance that’s connecting veterans and service members to the mental and brain health services they really need.
How has your organization utilized Check-In to help veterans get connected to mental and brain health care?
We’ve used Check-In in all sorts of ways. During COVID, we started calling our members to see how they were doing and if they needed any mental health support. That worked so well, we realized we could do even more. We started asking about mental health in our yearly member surveys and trained our local volunteer leaders to help members get the right support. But our biggest success? It’s our Enriched Life Scale in the Team RWB member app. Members can check in on their physical health, mental health, relationships, and sense of purpose. If the app spots any mental health needs, it automatically suggests Check-In.
What advice do you have for veterans and their families struggling with transition?
People have been studying transition since after World War II, and there’s a lot of research and available resources out there. Personally, I’ve found these to be three tips that work:
- Keep yourself healthy. Stay in shape, exercise, eat well. When you’re healthy, everything else gets a bit easier.
- Put yourself out there and make some friends. Having people around you is super important.
- Find something that gives you purpose. Maybe volunteer, coach a team, or get involved in your local community.
The best part? You can do all three of these things as a Team RWB member.
What are signs people can identify when a veteran may need help, and what is the best way to help them?
The easiest thing to do? Just talk to them. When someone’s having a hard time, you can usually tell if you take the time to really connect. If you want something more specific, there’s this thing called the “7 Signs” by Give An Hour that’s pretty helpful. But honestly, there’s a lot of impact in just getting to know someone and having those deep, real conversations. That can be a really helpful way to spot if someone needs a hand.
What are you most looking forward to or what gives you hope for the future in the veteran and military service space?
In the last 10-15 years, we’ve seen so many people with big hearts starting nonprofits for vets. That’s awesome, but it’s also made things a bit confusing for veterans trying to find the right resources. Things are starting to change. We’re seeing resources come together more, which I think is a good thing. It’ll make it easier for vets to find what they need.
I’m also really excited to see what AI and all this new tech will bring to help veterans. The future’s looking bright, and we’re ready to keep pushing forward to support veterans in the best ways we can.
Learn more about the Veteran Wellness Alliance.
