La Lettre de l’Audiovisuel Interview: Timothy Pena, veteran and journalist

"Writing saved my life"

INTERVIEW SEEN FROM THE US. Timothy Pena is an American veteran who has been in prison and homeless. He helps his peers to reintegrate and access social assistance. He also became a journalist, to help make America and the media understand the plight of veterans.

 Can you introduce yourself ?

              My name is Timothy Pena. I have an organization called the Veterans Justice Project, which is a non-profit organization. I began helping homeless and incarcerated veterans receive veterans benefits. I also participated in programs to help veteran journalists find work. I write myself.

What is your background ?

              I come from a military family in Arizona. My grandfather served in World War II with the Navy Seabees, a special forces amphibious group. My father was in Vietnam. I had several uncles who were in the military. And I have a sister who just retired from the Air Force after 22 years. So it was sort of understood that I was going to join the army and follow in the footsteps of my family members. I enlisted in 1977. I entered active duty in 1978.

And how did you get into journalism?

              In 1980, I was in the Persian Gulf, we were part of the Iranian hostage siege. We were there for the rescue attempt, which failed. But just before, a Marine, who had received a letter with bad news from home, committed suicide in front of us. It’s something that still haunts me today, 40 years later. I left the army in 1981 and things were not easy for me. In 2014, I was arrested for driving under the influence and possession of marijuana and ended up serving two years in prison. Talking to Marines, I realized that a lot of them were addicted too, because going back to real life and finding a job is very difficult. That same year, I suffered severe depression and seriously considered suicide. I got help through veterans. But I fell, and eventually found myself homeless. Then I did a transition program for veterans in Phoenix. When I was released in 2019, I started my organization, Veteran Justice Project and started helping these veterans process their claims forms, process their residency applications, their employment applications, everything they needed to transition from prison to the civilian world.

How did you become interested in journalism and become part of an NGO specializing in journalism?

              In 2021, I was in contact with a person here in New York who was a journalist in Vietnam, I believe. And he invited me to work on a documentary currently being filmed for suicide prevention among veterans. So I came here in July 2022. I had nowhere to go. While I was in a shelter, I began writing a series of articles called “Be the Story”: instead of writing about homeless veterans, I was actually the subject of the article. Subsequently, I was invited to join military veterans. Then I was invited to participate in Military Veterans in Journalism (MVJ, read box).

What were you doing at this veteran journalists convention in October 2022?

              The conference was incredible. It lasted three days. There were easily two to three hundred people who participated in the various workshops, various panels, discussions. It was about all aspects of being a journalist and how we could integrate as veterans.

How can your veteran experience help you as a journalist?

              We veterans particularly understand the mental health issues faced after service. Our job is to explain what we experience in a way that the public can understand. Companies such as IBM or Google want to integrate veterans into their organizations: there is a real love for veterans in this country.

Do you think writing your story will save you?

              That's a good question, because I hadn't thought about it, but yes, writing saved my life. Writing my story and those of other veterans is incredibly therapeutic.

Do you think you could be published one day?

              I have solid experience in writing. I have worked for magazines in the past and am therefore familiar with the subject. I also wrote a white paper in 2016 on the association between homeless veterans, mental health and prison and the state. I am currently working freelance. You can read my stories on this website, https://www.vetjuspro.com/bestory. I am writing a resource guide for veterans entering the New York City system. The good thing is that I work with the Department of Veterans Services and other veterans organizations that gather different types of information. Finally, I gained solid experience.

Comments collected by Sandra Muller in New York

MVJ: another look at veterans

Military Veterans in Journalism (MVJ) was founded in 2019 by Corps veteran of the United States Marines, Russell Midori, and veteran of the United States Navy, Zack Baddorf. To ensure veterans are covered appropriately and ethically, Military Veterans in Journalism, in collaboration with News Corp Giving, the nonprofit organization, provides a range of resources to journalists covering military and veterans issues through an online resource portal. MVJ provides standards, guidance and guidance to journalists navigating on sensitive subjects using this portal. The organization offers a directory of experts on topics such as post-traumatic stress and veteran suicide. MVJ also created a style guide with explanations of technical terms to help journalists avoid stereotypes.                  S.M.


La Lettre de l’Audiovisuel  Interview: Timothy Pena, Veteran and Journalist (pdf)