Lessons Learned: Veteran Affairs

As I near the end of my semester in my Specialized Reporting for the TV and Web course, I realize how far I have come since the beginning of that first class. I remember sitting in that chair thinking to myself how hard it would be to get through a class reporting on a topic I know virtually nothing about. Contrary to my beliefs, I can finally say I have reached the end of the course I was somewhat dreading and have come a significant way. Reflecting on everything I have accomplished has led me to believe I can do anything I put my mind to. I learned a lot of valuable information about veteran affairs that I had no clue about before and met a lot of nice individuals along the way. Throughout the course, we had to come up with three story ideas from Salisbury's veteran community and execute them in a timely fashion. Here are two of the stories I did and the outlook I had after completing them:

Veterans & Meals on Wheels

This was the very first topic I decided to tackle for my story assignment. We as a class were required to define a specific problem veterans as a whole face. I’ve always had a passion for food, so I wanted to try and find a topic that specifically dealt with vterans in this. While doing research, I found came across the Meals on Wheels Association of America and how they deliver meals to seniors who are either too old to cook for themselves or are disabled. I ended up finding alocal station here in Salisbury to visit for my story. They informed me that a lot of veterans utilize their services, but they could be left starving because of federal budget cuts known as the sequester. After finding out this information, I thought it would be important to meet some of these seniors face-to-face. I ended up having the opportunity to ride with a Meals on Wheels driver, Wayne Earp, as he delivered meals to about 30 seniors. It was truly an eye opening experience to see struggling veterans in need of a meal as well as a gracious human being delivering meals to them. I ultimately walked away with a sense of gratitude for this organization and their work as well as a hope for a bright future for the program.

Veteran Disabilities – Voiceless Piece

Salisbury has a huge veteran community, which I was very unaware of. Almost anywhere you go in the city, everyone seems to either know a Veteran personally or are knowledgeable about an issue they face. Even though this population is huge, there are still some issues that get swept under the rug and aren’t brought to public attention. Some of these include sexual assault in the military and even children of veterans. The issue I decided to tackle was disabled veterans. We hear a lot about parties or get-togethers of veterans returning home after war, but it’ rare to hear the issues they face afterward. It’s been a struggle for a while for these veterans to get the benefits they need and deserve, especially here in Maryland. As I talked to veteran James Somers, he also told me that VA clinics around the area get crowded often and the staffing is not adequate to the number of patients. Overall though, he says he’s had no real problems himself, but he definitely sees improvements that need to be made. After talking with Somers as well as community officials, the issue of disabled veterans and benefits they deserve continues to be a hurdle needed to conquer. I believe at some point this will be brought out to the forefront as many people continue to fight for their rights.

Those were some adages from the stories I did during my time in this amazing course. I learned so much valuable information about veterans that I wouldn’t have known at all if not for this class. I encourage anyone reading this blog to get out into their communities and find some veterans to talk to. It really gives you an appreciation for the service they have given for the country they love. Check out some of my work below!

 

Homeless Veterans

           Homelessness is a serious issue. The fact that homelessness is affecting our Veteran communities makes this an even bigger problem. When the people who put their lives on the line to serve our country come back to the United States, finding a place to lay their head should be the least of their worries. Unfortunately, this is the reality, affecting more than 60,000 veterans nationally according to a January 2012 national census. This number has the potential of getting even higher since this time because of the recent influx of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

            After seeing this as a major issue, Governor Jerry Brown of California recently signed a number of bills to help combat homelessness among these veterans. California makes up a quarter of the homeless veteran population in our country. In fact, there are over 1200 homeless veterans in the cities of Santa Clara and San Jose alone. Imagine how many more are in this country, let alone the state itself. With this in mind, voters in California will head to the polls in June to vote on legislation that will allow the state to use $600 million of current military bond funds for multifamily housing. This bill, along with about a dozen others will go toward helping homeless veterans find housing.

            My main reason for even exploring this topic is because I recently came in direct contact with some homeless individuals. Locally here in Salisbury, a homeless shelter called Halo operates completely off of donations to provide housing for homeless people. Although it was not disclosed to me if some of them were veterans or not, due to confidentiality, the issue as a whole still stuck in my head. The shelter looks like an old strip mall from the outside, but inside the remodeled space are over one-hundred beds for women and children to stay and a spotless cafeteria and pantry to provide food for any homeless person. Their main goal is to provide a service to these people all while spreading the message of Christ.

            And as important as giving a service to anyone while providing the message of Christ is, many people still give a stigma to homelessness especially in veterans. Not all homeless veterans look like the same middle-aged white male who is single. Some veteran you may come in contact with are homeless and you may not even know it. The video below profiles about three homeless veterans in the California area who have completely different stories. It was made by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs in an effort to attract an interest from the public for help. After seeing this video, will you make a contribution to help a growing issue? Do you think homelessness is really as big as an issue as reports are saying? Take a look at the video below.