Mighty People Garden

This week Rick Rousseau joins me to discuss the topic of veteran claims. As a retired Army JAG Colonel, Rick Rousseau from Rousseau Legal Services in Texas joins us to discuss his experiences in representing veterans in the Veterans Affairs Claims Appeals process. He has represented thousands of veterans and surviving spouses as a VA accredited attorney. We also discuss some of the latest observations and challenges with claim sharks. Rick covers his his most recent yet favorite case where he got to notify a widow (since 1983) that she is entitled to DIC benefits. 

 

Rick served in various positions, including four times as a Staff Judge Advocate, including twice as the Staff Judge Advocate for Fort Hood.  He served as a full-time law professor at The Judge Advocate General's (JAG) School in Charlottesville, Virginia where he taught estate planning, taxation, and veterans & survivor benefits.  He deployed three times as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.  Rick was a partner in the Criss & Rousseau Law Firm in Harker Heights, Texas, from 2015 to July 2025.  Following the appointment of his law partner and wife, Susan Criss, as an Associate District Court Judge in Bell County, Texas, the law firm was renamed Rousseau Legal Services.  Rick’s practice focuses on Veteran’s benefits law.

 

Rick earned his Bachelor of Science (BS) in Education (1982), from The University of Texas, Austin, Texas, Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) (1987) from South Texas College of Law, Houston, Texas, Master of Laws (LLM) in Taxation (1992) from the University of Alabama School of Law, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Master of Laws (LLM) in Military Law with a Specialty in Administrative & Civil Law (1997) from The Judge Advocate General’s School, U.S. Army, Charlottesville, Virginia, and Master of Arts (MA) in National Security and Strategic Studies (2011) from the U.S. Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island.  Rick is also graduate of the Army Command & General Staff College and the Naval War College.  

 

For Rick’s complete bio: https://militaryveteranlaw.com/attorney/richard-w-rousseau

 

Join Eva and Darrell as we discuss Genesis Chapter 50. This is the last chapter of Genesis which covers how Joseph grieves his father Jacob/Israel and how his brothers then reacted to their father's death as well. Joseph does his best to to reassure them of his intentions however, fear creeps in. The finale is the death of Joseph. 

From the moral injury perspective, we can all say and do the best of our intentions however, how it is received it just that - up to the receiver. How they (the brothers) act is reflective of their "ite" culture. No doubt that we all experience grief differently. This situation also covers the aspect of forgiveness and whether to forget - or not. 

Keyani Washington (Navy Veteran) joins me this week to discuss her pain to purpose journey in becoming an entrepreneur! She started her own company after leaving the military but soon discovered that she had more questions than answers. However, question after question about her business became her new purpose in helping other entrepreneurs understand the architecture behind being a business owner. That is why she calls herself a Business Operations Architect and started her business Keyani Siobhan. She will soon be taking names on her waiting list to start the next cohort in the Fall! 

This week Eva and Darrell are hosting together and we continue sharing about the end of Jacob's life and the context of the blessings he leaves for the rest of his sons. Israel is pretty clear about what he thinks about each son. He spends the most time blessing Joseph, the one who walks with God. He has something to say about each one. He is provides us some context or moral healing and recovery because while he exhibits discernment and cognition about what he thinks of each son, its also a bit prophetic as we know that each of these sons represents one of the 12 Tribes. Then, after all that exhortation, Jacob brings his feet up, says his goodbyes and passes away peacefully. 

There is recognition that moral injury has occurred in this family. The loss of years in being separated, while so very difficult, much like that of military families and deployments, the reunion is just as important to begin the healing and recovery process. The moral injury to healing and recovery is nearly through for this family. In episode 50 we will shift to how Joseph deals with his father's death. 

This week I don't have a guest. I explore some recent conversations I have had with strangers. One stranger I met the day before in a hardware store. We struck up a conversation about whether we were having a divine appointment. This woman, who sat on a scooter and rolling around the lumber section wandered about starting a project. Yet here we were two strangers and then it hits her, that she is having a divine appointment and not a dis-appointment. Both are appointments and that was the point of her struggle. She had been putting the expectations of others as the driving force on why she was disappointed. But she recognized that she had to switch the narrative in her head - from disappointment to divine appointment. When she has divine appointments then she is not disappointed! What can you do to not be disappointed in others? Manage your expectations. 

Join Eva and Darrell as we start the discussion about the final scenes of Jacob/Israel and what he (via God) has to say about each of his sons. While using a bit of metaphorical reference for each son, he is careful yet illustrative about his descriptions. Some he is able to outright say that they are trouble, others he uses a mix description and then he saves the best for last both Joseph and Benjamin. We recognized that this chapter is pretty impactful so we chose to only cover half of it during our discussion. The moral injury healing and recovery aspect starts with Jacob knowing his own children. Recognizing that he has missed Joseph and is still trying to reconcile his own feelings and how that figures into his thinking about each son. It's a struggle to not jump into a worldly response. 

Join Eva and Darrell as we continue reading the story of Joseph and the reunification with his father Jacob. Chapter 48 explores the very personal blessing that Jacob/Israel shares with Joseph. Israel shared a very earnest blessing on his son that God has been the best blessing ever, for him and the entire family. While Joseph may have also expected the typical "oldest son" blessing for his son, Israel says no. I may be nearly blind but I know which boy is which and the "oldest" does not get best. Nothing wrong with his elderly thinking, there is a purpose in why he put the opposite on each boy. 

Join Eva and Darrell as we continue the reunion story of Joseph with his entire family. He presents his family to Pharoah who provides all that they could need including the best land to raise their livestock - oh and to take care of his livestock as well. As a promise to his father Jacob/Israel, Joseph promises to return his father to his homeland and some preliminary burial plans. 

What we witness in this chapter is the reunion of father and son. A reunion which crosses the bridge from moral injury into healing and recovery. While the years may have prevented them both from enjoying each other's company, both were on the paths that they were destined to live and it is Joseph's youthful dream come true at last.