Prescript. 3/14/2021– This post, still alive after all these years, was published on 11/20/2012. Comments on my site never close nor get censored. Please note that before you begin a diatribe telling us about how magnificent President Brian Foster is. I cannot speak to what it (the site) has become in the last nine years. I joined USAA in 1966 under my father’s policy and still belong. I have no idea what they (USAA) find appealing in hanging out with this TWS outfit. I have nothing against him or them. I merely reported my personal experience in 2012. You may decide from your own encounters what it is (or isn’t) now in 2021. As my grandmother used to say, “If you can’t say something nice about somebody, come on over here and sit beside me.”
Dateline- November 20th, 2012
How about Together We Sever you from $19.95 a year (or until you find the cancel button).
Just a little update on the website from one of our members. Apparently Togetherweserved has an interesting hook for new members. In order to pickpocket you for the one year $19.95 membership, they offer it free. The hook? Why, they just need your credit card to confirm your identity. In the small print it says if you do not opt out in 10 days then you agree to pay the $20.00 for a year. So free suddenly morphs into an Andrew Jackson coupon. They’ll continue to dun you yearly until you find the little “Cancel” button disguised up in the upper left corner of your site stats. It’s easy. You gave them your credit card info.
Their financial office does put up a good argument for the $20.00. They connect you with all your buddies- assuming they join too. They have several “disabled Vets” working there diligently counting your cash as it rolls in. Disabled as we know can consist of 0% for Tinnitus. So Ladies and Gentlemen Vets. Forewarned is forearmed. Don’t fall for the ploy. For 0 dollars, you can dig around on Facebook. For $39.95 you can find anyone in the United States for a year. It’s called a CBI or criminal background investigation check. They sounded like a genuine outfit but alas. There’s a P.T. Barnum born every day. Some Vets sites (I’m not naming any here personally) are even low enough to take Vets for a ride. Sure, no one can debate they provide a “service”. I’m certainly not saying they don’t. I’ll let you folks weigh in and comment on if it’s worth the dough.
For the next year, you can go on my profile page and post outrageous medals and claims! I don’t care. I have wiped mine clean.
P.S. 3/10/2019-Five years after this post, I find this blurb in a #wired post dated in 2008:
“
TogetherWeServed.com… launched its Air Force site last December. President Brian Foster said at that time the California company had been operating its popular Marines and Navy sites for years without complaints.
But after signing up more than 50,000 [Air Force] members in the first few weeks, participation in the site suddenly slowed as a PowerPoint presentation from Air Force Maj. Mark D. Hedden began circulating online, Foster said.
50,000 Vets at $20 each-just in 2008 for just Air Force Veterans. That, ladies and gentlemen, is One million dollars. I guess it takes a lot of money to put up a good website. I pay WordPress about $100 a year for asknod.org. Maybe I should require everyone to pay to absorb my incredible legal wit and knowledge. Not. I enjoy being able to sleep at night with a good conscience. There are no pay walls here nor will there ever be.
P. S. Here’s an email from one of my readership re trying to exit TWS this week (11/14/2021)…
Admin@togetherweserved.com
12:13 PM (1 hour ago)
to me
Thank you for reaching out to us. I understand you may feel that politics is being thrown in your face. I happen to be right there with you. My political PTSD meter is about pegged. This, however, is not about politics. This is about the survival of our website. If more members would see the value of TWS and support us through a paid membership, we would not have to go searching for advertisers. You see in this day and age where Facebook has made it seem like the internet should be free, (though you sell your soul and all your information to anyone by using their “free” website), TWS is struggling to keep afloat. We also have a huge number of vets that feel it should be against the law to charge for a veteran website, even though it costs millions to build these websites and hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep them running. Throw a pandemic and the average age of our members in there and you get the idea.
So, I hope you can forgive us for trashing your inbox with a note from Fox. I’ve removed Fox from your preferences so you should not receive another one. I truly wish that you would reconsider, your military history profile on TWS is your legacy to family and future generations to come. If you still wish your profile to be deleted, we will honor that request. You have to open each photo to download. There is no easy way to download them all
Thanks for reaching out. We appreciate it.
Diane Short
TWS Admin
asknod
kcraveiro
robinhoodesqvetsatty
Veterans Claims Help 
It’s sickening this website (“together we served” or TWS) has the nerve to try and charge veterans that are just trying to connect with one another…isn’t it enough that we’ve given up our lives; now you want our wallets too?
This is loooong, but very revealing.
Let’s update this Train Wreck Situation (TWS). Last year, I had run across some promotion claiming to easily find others you served with. The website even stated a Veteran could connect with other Veterans for free. Well, I signed up free and poked around the site for 5 minutes. I found one person I worked with, but could not get in touch because I was not a paying member. Then I dug around a little more, finding the details about the membership fees. I decided to not use the site and tried to delete my account. Needless to say, I could not remove any info. The best I could do was change the info I input with alternate info (a ‘junk’ email and units I was not connected with). Emailing the Admin for help was exhausting. TWS did not want to delete the account. The responses I received were desperate sales pitches. After a week of back-and-forth, I finally told them to delete it or not, that I didn’t care anymore (I had changed most details, so my REAL info was not in the forefront of the account). I checked today and it was nice to see that their system does not recognize my email address, but I don’t know when in the last year they deleted my info. No results when I did a search for a person(me and my false me) either.
Just today, 1Dec2022), the VA News email was advertising a free Military Service plaque. Surprise, it’s TWS! A Veteran has to join to enter the info and print the “plaque”. It’s not really a plaque, it’s just a image populated with category-specific info that the Veteran enters and then prints out. Basically a powerpoint slide to frame.
After reading this asknod page, I did a little research. TWS is nothing more than a money-maker for an entrepreneur. Yes, a few disabled Veterans may be employed, but with the amount of money brought in, ALOT of disabled Veterans could be employed to achieve the goal of helping Veterans. Ms Kin Craft had this in her email to me last year:
“That 20.00 a year pays for:
1/the 5 admins that provide 24/7 service for up to 1.9 million Veterans
2/the immense advertising to help bring more Veterans to TWS, in hopes of connecting more people
3/the immense programming that goes into running a site such as TWS”
**Note: TWS website reports 2 different #s: “1.3 million members” & “2,168,770 VETERAN MEMBERS”
–So, nearly $40M gross and only *5* disabled Veterans employed? For running a website? Also, TWS markets itself to Genealogy professionals but doesn’t state the number of non-Veteran paying members. Sooooo, why bleed Veterans for $20/year, crying poor-mouth?
Back to TWS being a money-maker. It seems as though the owner is pushing for exponential growth. Many times, that translates to a sale in the future. And with an acquisition goes the database. We all know the database is where the money is, not the façade.
Mr Foster is also Founder and Owner of Creative Marketing and Media LLC, created 2 months BEFORE TWS. From his own profile:
“President and Founder
Creative Marketing and Media LLC
Apr 2003 – Present19 years 9 months
Beijing, China
With offices in Beijing and Los Angeles, Creative Marketing and Media (CMM) is the authorized representative for Paramount Pictures for the Peoples Republic of China. CMM has been engaged in the licensing of Paramount film titles to major Chinese Television, Pay Television and Video on Demand networks since 2006.”
Now, think what you will, but it seems Mr Foster SHOULD have the ability to make TWS free for veterans. The rep for Paramount Pictures in China? That’s not chickenfeed.
Again, why bleed Veterans for $20/year, crying poor-mouth?
I was just about to say that at least they’re not claiming non-profit status or some kind of ‘veterans aid’ 501c3 organization. Then I decided to do a check and found this:
“TOGETHER WE SERVED: Training, Inc.
IT Services and IT Consulting
PONTIAC, MI 11 followers
View all 2 employees
About us
TOGETHER WE SERVED: TRAINING, INC. is a non-profit organization that specialises in…”
My fist thought was ‘THERE it is’. Then I saw “11 followers” & “View all 2 employees”. No CEO or Founder identified. Now, how many Veterans are you serving with **2** employees? Doing IT training that is also **Certified**? Last FB post over 5 yrs ago. On VolunteerMatch, but “no active opportunities.”
Are they connected? A ghost non-profit?
You, asknod followers and Veterans can decide for yourself. I did a year ago. And today I am even more convinced…. TWS is not there for Veterans as promoted, and my data would be on the auction block, AGAIN.
**Note: The NCOA already sold out its members to MemberPlanet, requiring a MemberPlanet registration for NCOA activity. The American Legion sold member info to a advertising/marketing company and then more recently to a cremation company.
asknod, please edit or remove links as you see fit:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianafoster
https://www.linkedin.com/company/together-we-served-training-inc-
https://news.va.gov/73552/together-served-provides-virtual-base-connecting-veterans/
Matt, you’ve pretty much confirmed everything I saw and everything I did in 2012. In fact, right down to “reimagining” my service history for posterity. Hell, most of the guys I served with had names like Ben Franklin and Jack Smith. I never got my $20 back either.
Seriously…. make it easy to leave. Membership should allow that regardless of what kind of site it is. Togeather it will stand or fall. Put a simple STOP to bail out none of go here or there on the opening page have a STOP. If your true it won’t hurt you.
Let’s all get along bury the hatchet in each other and have fun. GOD BLESS VETS
PRAYERS FOR ALL.
October 18, 2021. Where are Bruce and Monica ??? TWS keeps sending me emails to join the paid version. I guess it is time to unsubscribe from them.
Bruce and Monica have been supplanted by their CEO, Mr. Bfoster, sir. I guess they were a wee bit too coercive in their approach to Veterans’ stupidity and the need for “Critical Veteran Training” (CVT)…
Hmmm, I think the truth is in the fine print. Generally, I believe most web-sites could do a much better job of illuminating their ‘membership’ details but to Bruce’s point above, ‘asknod’ comes accross [sic] as a perpetual complainer. ‘asknod’- I think your time is better served trying to be an influencer for good in the world. And no, the above is not what I call being a good influence,
<<>>
Sorry I missed this comment, Dave. Actually, I’m far more than an “influencer” which I have no desire to become. You bet I come accross [sic] as a perpetual complainer. This is how we effect (sorry Monica) change in the Veterans Administration. The world is awash with influencers of every stripe already. I chose the far more onerous path to represent Veterans as a private nonattorney practitioner. In that endeavor, I’ve been incredibly successful beyond my wildest dreams. Perhaps Dave, it is you who might choose to become one of these influencers. If you have time to peruse my site, your talents may be going to waste. Be sure to brush up on your spelling prowess before launching a blog.
If anyone is looking to cancel their TWS membership, and you’re trying to deactivate the account, don’t bother, you won’t be able to find it – it doesn’t exist (at least for the “free” plan). Instead, if you read the terms of service, under the “7. Termination/Cancellation Policy” section, you’ll find that in order to cancel, you have to email the site admin: admin@togetherweserved.com.
I have zero affiliation with this site, nor TWS, I’m just trying to save fellow vets some time. Lastly, watching “Monica” respond to a seven year old post, without taking into consideration the state of the TWS site between 2012 and 2019, was hilarious. And sad. The amount of gaslighting and backwalking was as enjoyable as watching a train wreck in realtime, but then again, I know what the word “sever” means – and the context in which it was used, so my expectations were met. It certainly wasn’t a high bar.
Your mileage may vary. I personally found TWS somewhat helpful. That said, I looked for a coupon for a discount and submitted a small fee for membership (using a credit card that will expire before the membership). You are right to be careful on the public internet. And thanks for the info on some of these outfits like Wounded Warrior that are really not at all what they claim.
Thanks for saving me $20/year.
where is the page on their site to disengage from their service….I cant find it
I am one of those disabled vets that volunteers with Together We Served. All the people I work with, both paid and volunteer, are military veterans and some of us are also disabled.
I first joined Together We Served some years ago when I was still active duty and have never paid a dime nor was ever asked for my credit card info. I did not start volunteering with them until after I retired, so that is not the reason I hadn’t paid anything. The reason I hadn’t paid anything is because I READ THE DIRECTIONS.
I would suggest that before you go spouting such vitriol that you have your facts straight.
Your first mistake is in the very first line of your rant where you misspelled served. The next mistake is one of omission in that you omitted to mention which type of account: TRIAL or FREE. From what I gather you chose the TRIAL version, which is NOT the same as the FREE version. Maybe you missed the Saturday morning info bits about RIF – Reading IS Fundamental because had you fully read what a trial membership is versus a free membership, you would not be espousing this half truth.
I firmly believe in people expressing their opinion, but when it is not based on facts, is a half truth, or omission of facts, that’s when I have a problem with it.
Monica, Monica, Monica. What can I say? Did you graduate high school or did you get an exemption to serve? The word ‘sever‘ is defined as “divide by cutting or slicing, especially suddenly and forcibly.” That adequately describes the Together We Served method on 11/20/2012-the day I wrote this article- of separating you from your $20 dollars. Trust me. It is not misused in context nor misspelled. What you need to do is accurately accomplish a longitudinal review of TWS’s practices seven years ago-i.e. 2012. There was no trial membership. It was free but you still had to give them your credit card number regardless. If you chose to opt out, you had to fight to extricate yourself and your wallet. I had to call these folks and ask where the exit door was—in 2012. Apparently, my griping and that of others caused these alleged gentlemen to revamp their procedures. Reading IS fundamental. I agree with you that far. However, reading comprehension is even more important. If you cannot absorb the context of what you read, reading anything is futile.
I hope in the future you will learn that proper research of what you desire to bitch about will save you immense embarrassment and the ridicule of your fellow Veteran peers. Had you squandered a few more minutes reading other comments below yours, you would have discovered there was a different method of divorcing you from your money in 2012. In fact, had you read the comment from your fellow employee Bruce Larsen, you might not have exposed your ignorance or lack of reading comprehension. Say hi to Bruce for me.
Thank you for your service, too. Relax. I spellchecked this for you.
asknod, asknod, asknod, I know what my name is and I am glad you took the time to write it out several times just to ensure you knew how to spell it correctly. At least I don’t hide behind some nonsensical moniker. How did I know you would come back with some smart-ass retort because your point was missed (perhaps because it was poorly made as in this case). If you have to explain a joke, then it is not funny.
You are crying out for attention. From your rants, it is clear to me that you lack maturity and like to think you have mastered the English language. Anyone can open a thesaurus and dictionary nowadays, but that doesn’t mean they are educated. Poor, lonely baby. You’re sad.
If YOU had read and comprehended what I wrote, you would not have called me an employee. I AM A VOLUNTEER. RIF/RCIF!!!!!
I personally have no contact with Bruce and until I read this libelous post of yours, I had no idea who he was.
I expect another tirade from you. Why don’t you try getting off the internet and try living a life in the real world?!
And by the way, I didn’t have to use spell check because I went to and graduated from elementary, middle, and high school, as well as several colleges and learned how to read and write.
Ah, now it’s Monica the gaslighter/troll. Since you profess to be a pseudo-representative of your beloved TWS, everyone who has a complaint can now contact you at nicabill@aol.com to voice their displeasure. I commend your for your educational pursuits. I guess they don’t teach big words like ‘sever’ in college. Try Phonics and sound it out Monica. It appears your college education was mostly Poli Sci and devoid of psychology courses if you pity me.
No. I don’t need to write for my site these days but I can’t let anyone labor under a misconception. At 290% VA disabled, I chose to become accredited and then sought admittance as a nonattorney practitioner at the Federal level. I’m easy to find. Google my nonsensical moniker. Asknod Inc is one of the more successful VA law firms in the country now. We’ve never lost a case yet, baby (no misogyny intended)
It’s too bad you haven’t chosen to help Vets in a meaningful manner, too. What’s with this insane desire to make Brian Foster a millionaire for a pay-to-play social media site? Every year if 50,000 Vets ante up $20 each, it makes him another million dollars.100,000 Vets would be $2 million. Idiot’s delight! And you seriously are saying you volunteer to help lower his costs? What kind of drivel did they fill your mind with in college? And yes, drivel is a word.
That’s pretty tricky glossing over the difference between the original TWS site in 2012 and the current one. The fact is, Monica, I don’t believe you’re a Veteran of anything more than harrassing legitimate Vets. Veterans do not treat one another with derision or disdain and we are not class conscious. Maybe that’s par for the course over at TWS but not here.
Wow, now at the level of a 12 year old with name calling and posting an email address. I never said I represent TWS. I am a volunteer with them and only speak on my own experience. You’re sad and you need a life. Attack, attack, attack. How lonely you must be.
Monica (X3), how soon we forget who came to my site to attack me and my reading comprehension. This has devolved downwards to the level of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Perhaps you’re off your meds and need vindication of your anger. At any rate, the conversation is no longer productive nor on point. Sadly, I must desist and return to litigating for real Veterans with real disabilities. I do wish you the best-assuming, arguendo-you truly are a disabled Vet and not some Stolen Valor type. Please give President Brian Foster my regards. It’s rumored he drives the latest model of the newest Tesla- the one over $150 K. That might be an indicator of his income from TWS… but I digress. My name is Alex Graham and I am easy to find. There’s a thing called Google if you need to confirm that. To be fair, my email is gagraham51@gmail.com. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.
Monica your wrong, asknod validated my suspicions of their free premium one year offer. No link to activate and i wont be suckered by another possible asian based fraud company stealing my Benjamins or Jeffersons, Thank You Nod
I had to cut her off, Kelly. She is beginning to advertise on my site. We don’t accept any advertising $ nor do I allow my name to be used to sponsor this kind of behaviour. It appears Mr. Brian Foster has had to reduce his preposterous get-rich quick scheme costs to inveigle more Vets to join. No longer do they dink you $20 as they did me in 2012- but at the remarkably low-priced 60 cents a day or $9.95 per year. We wish them the best. I find it most odd that Mr. Foster is forced to send unpaid volunteers like Monica Primus or Bruce Larson here to asknod.org to put out all the negative press eruptions. Their “troll” or “gaslighting” technique is especially obnoxious.
🤣
At first, like so many of you out there, I was convinced that TWS was a great way to (hopefully) get in touch with some old buddies from 60 years ago . . . but THEN I was bombarded with all kinds of ‘reminders’ to pay up or get kicked off . . . so KICK ME OFF! I’m DONE with TWS!!
BASTARDS probably sold our info too..
Thanks I’ve forwarded this
There are many out there that uses this tactic, RestMods is one, you really need to read the terms before you sign, RestoMods got me for months before I caught it!
I’ll be Damned…… Thanks…
Please look up ” GoFundMe,com/ BUILD the wall” let me know this is $80
CC IS NOT NEEDED… Unless of course you’re one of those folks using the Internet with ZERO education on HOW it works, never actually paying attention and STOPPING TO READ the instructions… but instead just click away.
The epitome of intellectual laziness…
Typical of someone thinking NOBODY HAS TO WORK TO PROVIDE IDIOTS FREE ACCESS to the Web-service the owner(s) must PAY to provide. Do you think that the people providing the web-service togetherweserved does so MAGICALLY?
What are you a welfare whore or a veteran? Do you think that you are entitled to the production of others?
I went to college with my education benefits and became an engineer building the Internet for the past 30 years after serving 8 years as an Airborne Pathfinder Team Leader, and multiple TBIs…
All I had to do was follow the instructions to create a free account and NEVER ONCE was I ‘required’ to provide my CC info! I just read the simple instructions for opening a FREE LOADER account.
What is your excuse? Clearly you did not read the instructions, and instead signed up for the TRIAL MEMBERSHIP and it renewed EXACTLY AS THE INSTRUCTIONS STATE THEY WILL. Very clearly. And with puerile simplicity. So that even a child could understand them. As long as they pay attention to WHAT they are reading.
Like I learned in Pathfinder School… Not even the military can fix stupid. Fortunately, however there is always a latrine to be serviced and therefore a home for all manner of feeble minded functionary in service of the brave.
YOU are the contrived ignoramus perpetrating misfeasance of veterans in abject arrogance. That much us axiomatic.
Bruce Larson
army.togetherweserved.com
i.piss.n.ur.coffee@gmail.com
Ah Mr. Larson the Pathfinder in 2018. But not the pathfinder in 2012. Sir, you have shit for brains if you do not annotate the year the blog was posted. We call that “contemporary perspective”. Look it up. After six years of mulling the ill effects my post has had on your bottom line, TWS clearly decided to revamp the format. But, troll that you are, your much vaunted college education was useless when it was critically required. Considering it took you six years to find this post, I suppose we shouldn’t revoke your Pathfinder status but award you the Turtle Medal with two OLCs for your dogged perseverance-however tardy. 30 years building the Internet? Not much of a testimonial to your trade, Bruce. Too bad you skipped English 101. For the record, it’s “as” I learned in Pathfinder School, not “like”. Jez, what do they teach you pukes in college? Narcissism?
Another point. Somehow, I manage to provide this website to all-free of charge. We have no members, no dues and certainly never sell our user’s information. I pay for my WordPress site out of my own pocket. You might also notice there are no advertisements for Viagra or Russian wives here. I could make thousands each month just on that alone. Why is it TWS has such high overhead? Do they need expensive CPA/accountants to count the money and figure out where to hide it? God forbid they have a 501(c)(3) and charge an entrance fee.
I was going to give it a try, see if I can find some old Army buddies. Felt like I was exposing a lot of personal info. Got to the CC part and scrolled over that info. Got to the free part and they still wanted my cc info. Instead I decided to google it and see if they’re legit? Yes it appears the free is after they get your cc info you get the trial but have to cancel within that 10 days or they’ll ding your cc. I’d like to give it a whirl but who knows if my old ranger buddies are even members here…
I’ve received email from the purported “ownership” threatening me with legal action. I won’t call it a scam as they obviously provide something. What, I’m not exactly sure. Best of luck in finding your buddies.
On the 4th step of the membership process, you do NOT have to pay the $19.95 or even use your credit card. You can click “No Thanks” and get “Free Member privileges with limited access only.” I know that it’s NOT FULL access, but it doesn’t cost $19.95 per year either.
They said free and then nicked my credit card. I had to jump through hoops to get out of it and they did get my $20. That was a number of years ago in 2012. It could be that enough Veterans complained that they instituted the “free/limited” access after they fleeced me. I guess they had to find a new way to inveigle members with an easier ejection handle.
As I point out, always investigate the people you associate with. Assume nothing. “Always have a plan to kill everyone in the room” as one of my SF buddies said once in a country north of Thailand that rhymed with “mouse” where I never served… together… with anyone.
Good to know. Thank you.