Posted by Phillipa on November 18, 2007, at 17:39:19
My Son Donald Overton is in DC again this weekend for the Diasabled Veterans.He himself was blinded and lost two finger tip. Please read article proud of him!!!!!! Phillipa
November 17, 2007 - 11:13PM
Local Vietnam vets help organize veterans of current wars
By David Anderson
Vietnam veterans who once had to fight and scrape to obtain federal medical assistance are now organizing to help a new generation of warriors navigate the system.
The advocacy group Vietnam Veterans of America formed in 1978 to aid the survivors of an unpopular war, who found themselves shunned in their hometowns and feeling out of place in such traditional groups as the American Legion.
Those same veterans are now helping to organize groups such as Veterans of Modern Warfare, formed to aid participants in U.S. military engagements between the 1991 Persian Gulf War and the current Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts.
“We are here to bridge a gap until they are able to charter their own units,” said Eric Cantu, president of VVA Chapter 892 in Kinston.
Cantu said today’s veterans must navigate the federal bureaucracy to obtain mental and physical health care for conditions such as Gulf War syndrome-related illnesses, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, traumatic brain injuries from roadside bombs and others.
The afflictions are similar to what Vietnam veterans still experience, but Iraq and Afghanistan vets have the advantage of widespread support in their communities.
“People have looked after them,” Cantu said. “Our country hasn’t turned its back on the soldiers.”
Iraq veteran Jeff Stephens, who spent several months stationed in northern Iraq with the Air Force Reserves, has been involved with American Legion Post 504 in Falling Creek.
Members of the post, most of whom are Vietnam veterans, make regular trips to nursing homes around the region to provide food, wheelchairs and other amenities for disabled veterans.
Stephens also benefits personally from his American Legion membership, because he can talk to others who have experienced war.
“I can talk to them about things I couldn’t talk to other people about, because they’ve experienced the same types of things,” he said.
The Legion also raises funds to support military families – local post members aided Stephens’ family while he was away.
“Veterans tend to stick together and look out for each other,” he said.
Cantu is spearheading a two-pronged effort to encourage Iraq veterans such as Stephens, and fellow Vietnam veterans, to become involved in advocacy groups.
“We are doing it, one at a time at a very, very slow pace, but we do want the youth to come in and put a spark of life back into the organizations,” Cantu said.
Donald Overton, a representative of the still-forming North Carolina chapter of Veterans of Modern Warfare, which is located in Greenville, said the organization is designed to meet the specific culture and needs of the “modern warrior.”
The group is still adding members to meet a quota of 3,000, which will allow organizers to obtain recognition from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and a congressional charter, Overton explained.
The VMW offers online support networks along with the traditional support groups, which are ideal for veterans confined to their homes by illnesses such as multiple sclerosis.
Organizers are also creating a membership that is equal parts male and female, since women are filling more and more military roles, and are now finding themselves in combat, Overton said.
Overton, who is himself a wounded Gulf War veteran, said those who have served in the Middle East during the War on Terrorism will find kindred spirits in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm veterans.
“We can relate,” he said. “We know where they were. We know what the terrain was like; we know what the people were like.”
Stephens said it takes a major time commitment to participate in a veterans’ group, which could prevent more Iraq veterans, who must commit to their jobs and families, from getting involved.
“When they get older and get more time to do things like that they may get involved,” he said.David Anderson can be reached at (252) 559-1077, or danderson@freedomenc.com
poster:Phillipa
thread:795804
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20071026/msgs/795804.html