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Issue 1455 March 25, 2012
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Volunteers for the Michigan Veterans Foundation gather at a recent fundraiser.

I.A.V.A.: Newest Yankee Doodle Boys (& Women) Take Center Stage

Wave of Veteran Suicides Prompts Congressional Accord on Legislation

February 13, 2015       Leave a Comment
By: Dave Rogers

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They don't want to be called heroes.

They don't consider their "plight" the overwhelming concern of society even though some are in wheelchairs or using crutches.

They just want to get jobs or start businesses and get on with family life. Who are they?

I.A.V.A. -- Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America -- our newest group of men and women who have served their country in conflict and have returned, and are continuing to return, to civilian life.

Unfortunately to say the least, recent returning veterans have been committing suicide at an alarming rate, estimated at a tragic 22 per day nationally.

And a greater percentage of veterans than any nation should have are paralyzed or have lost limbs in horrific battlefield incidents and face lifetimes of agony and rehabilitation.

The Detroit Veterans Center reports that 6.8 percent of the population are veterans and 35 percent of the homeless are veterans.

Vulnerable veterans took the national news spotlight Tuesday, when by a 99-to-0 vote, the U.S. Senate approved a bill to improve suicide prevention and mental health treatment programs in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Members of Congress cast aside partisan bickering when the newest veterans' issue arose.

The measure, which also unanimously passed the House, is named for Clay Hunt, a Marine who battled depression and post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and took his own life in 2011.

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (I.A.V.A.) campaigned for the bill along with Susan Selke, Mr. Hunt's mother. The group took a survey that found that 31 percent of responding members considered taking their own lives and 40 percent said they knew another veteran of their generation who had committed suicide.

Michigan Iraq veterans Ingrid Tighe and Nick Cook took a break from their jobs at the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) to "Storm the Hill" with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of American (IAVA) in Washington, DC. to urge adoption of the Hunt bill.

Storm the Hill is also described as "a training resource designed to empower member veterans to become leaders, organizers and spokespeople for the New Greatest Generation."

The I.A.V.A., the newest group of veterans, joins a long line of Congressionally chartered groups formed in the wake of wars: among the best known are the Grand Army of the Republic after the Civil War, whose members have all died out just as have the Spanish American War Veterans; then came the American Legion and the Forty and Eight after World War I, organizations continuing with membership of more recently serving veterans as well as sons, daughters and grandchildren of veterans.

After World War II among numerous groups formed were the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars), AMVETS, GI Forum, Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Disabled American Veterans, Marine Corps League, Military Order of the Purple Heart, National American Indian Veterans, National Association for Black Veterans, National Association of Atomic Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Polish Legion of American Veterans (PLAV). More recently the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) has formed and become a positive force in American society.

The list goes on for six pages, winding up with the Wounded Warrior Project that has garnered considerable public acclaim through television advertising.

In Detroit, 16 recently returned veterans, many of them homeless, completed a three-week REBOOT workshop aimed at providing them skills to adapt to their new status as civilians.

REBOOT Workshops are designed to help veterans and members of the armed services acclimate to civilian life. Whether they have recently transitioned out of uniform or are looking for a way to transform their lives after hardship, veterans taking part in REBOOT Workshops are provided with personalized training to address personal, social and professional aspects of civilian life. Graduates are provided with job matching assistance, career coaching and ongoing support.

Many of the 16 graduates are formerly homeless veterans currently living at Piquette Square in Detroit, and the REBOOT Workshop graduation ceremony is a time to share their personal stories and celebrate their accomplishments.

Through REBOOT Workshops and other initiatives, National Veterans Transition Services, Inc. (NVTSI), has helped more than 1,000 veterans make a successful transition from military service to civilian life including employment, education, personal outlook and well-being. NVTSI has a proven 98 percent success rate of linking veterans with meaningful employment.

MVAA connects those who have served in the U.S. armed services and their families to services and benefits throughout Michigan. The agency stresses the values of inclusion, integrity, transparency, innovation and respect and aspires to provide the customer service experience that veterans deserve. To learn more, visit www.MichiganVeterans.com or call 1-800-MICH-VET.

The Michigan Veteran Resource Service Center (MVRSC), is a collaborative partnership between the agency and the Michigan 211 system. The resource service center provides Michigan veterans and their families access to federal benefit programs, state services and local resources 24/7.

"The resource center uses the same phone and database technology as 211," said Scott Dzurka, president and CEO of the Michigan Association of United Ways, which funds 211 programs across the state. "We handle calls to the center outside regular business hours, ensuring there is a live person available to provide support to veteran callers every minute, every day."

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Dave Rogers

Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read,
respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City.
(Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com)

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