Yesterday I reviewed the book, The Ghosts of Arlington by D.G. Gass.
In case you missed it you can see my review here.
The book tells the story of a recent widow, struggling to cope with the strains of the military. Ms. Gass shares with us, in her book the importance of supporting our troops. I know it is easy to do the simple things and go back to your daily grind. These brave servicemen and women, who sacrifice so much to protect our freedoms, deserve more from us. I contacted Denise, after reviewing her book and asked if she might write a guest post on some of the things we can all do to help make a difference in the lives of these important people. I want to thank Denise for putting this thoughtful post together on such short notice. I truly appreciate the time and effort she took in writing this piece, that I have the pleasure to share with you. Here is Denise Gass with a few words on how you can help.
A Little Help Goes A Long Way
When Heidi asked me to do a guest post about the possible ways that the general public could best be of service to the men and women in uniform, I had to sit awhile and think on that. With everything that's available to the men and women of our Armed Forces, it should be easy to come up with a variety of ways to pitch in. Yet, it's not that simple.
After all, military members benefit from a strong support system within their units, commands and service branches; as does their families. In a sense, it's a large community that tends to look after one another, well, because they're in it together.
Then you have the guard and reservist, once known as “weekend warriors”. These are the individuals who are called up at a moments notice at times to assist in disaster areas, patrol the boarders or get sent to war zones for 18 months. These men and women train to transition from civilian to military life and back again in the blink of an eye. While there is the same support “military speaking”, it's often limited. The constant transitions can play havoc on marriages and morale.
Finally, you have the veterans. The men and women who either enlisted voluntarily or ended up being drafted. These are the service members who, for whatever reason, choose to get out after honorably serving their term(s) of enlistment. Once out, the support system that they once had has disappeared and they're often left to transition back into civilian life and traverse the maze of veterans benefits alone. Many adjust well, then again, many don't.
So when we're talking about the ways civilians can “serve” the service member and veterans, one specific way comes to mind. It doesn't require a donation, it doesn't require volunteer time. It can be done while sitting at the computer or with a phone call. All one has to know is their state and federal elected representatives.
I'm recommending being a thorn in the side of your congressman, especially when they start discussing cutting funding to departments such as the Veterans Administration, VA hospitals and educational benefits. It's one thing to ask a service member to contribute two dollars a month to help cover their families health insurance, it's another when the elected officials who supposedly support the troops want them to pay for treatment for injuries that were service related. Funding for the military and veterans programs is ultimately the responsibility of Congress.
Of course, there are other ways to help out service members and veterans. Depending on location, time one is willing to expend and/or any money/items one wishes to donate.
The one thing that puts a smile on a deployed serviceman or woman's face (beside a letter/card/call from loved ones) is the care packages. Several organizations are setup specifically to send care packages to the deployed troops. Operation USO Care Packages, Operation Gratitude and TroopCarePack.com are just a few. (The USO also has a program like this for military families).
Want to write a letter or send a card? AmillionThanks.org and Letterstosoldiers.org are two of many organizations that can assist.
Want to donate books and movies? You may want to check out Booksforsoldiers.com
Have time to volunteer? Become a “Donut Dolly”. The USO is always in need of volunteers to assist with events on and off bases. Actually the USO provides a lot of services to men and women in uniform and their families.
There are many other organizations out there to assist and support the deployed and injured soldiers and their families. From making pillows for the soldiers who've suffered traumatic brain injury to victory quilts for the soldiers and their families to seeing the deployed off and welcoming them home.
Two special organizations I would like to touch on for those wounded in battle. The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), which provides peer-to-peer aid for injured service members by injured service members. The other is the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF). The SOWF provides full scholarship grants and educational and family counseling to the surviving children of special operations personnel who die in operational or training missions and immediate financial assistance to severely wounded special operations personnel and their families.
While the SOWF is basically a monetary donation organization, the WWP accepts both volunteers and donations.
As far as helping the veterans? Let me give you an example of what one first grade class did. The first graders at one school in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania many years back, made homemade Valentines Day Cards to be given to the patients at the VA Hospital in Pittsburgh. I had the privilege of being one of the people to help distribute those cards. You'd be surprised at the smiles those cards brought.
If you have a VA Hospital in your area, they're always looking for volunteers.
Want to assist the homeless veterans? Call your county veterans administration. They'll be able to tell you of shelters. Coats, warm clothes and blankets are always helpful. Volunteer to serve food at the local church soup kitchen or Salvation Army, be prepared to wear a smile and offer a kind word.
If you're really ambitious, organize a veterans health fair in your area. Or if there is one being planned, take a few hours and help out. You'd be surprised how a friendly face can make someone's day.
One of the most important things that you can do, if you know of a military member or veteran who is struggling with depression, anxiety or other signs of mental stress outside the norm of the day to day stress. Tell them it's okay to get help. Let them know that what they're experiencing is not a sign of weakness. In 2010 it was reported that approximately 950 veterans and active duty military attempted suicide ever month. That's 11,400 suicide attempts in a year among veterans alone. That's reported cases. Out of that number, approximately 216 were successful. In 2011, the VA estimated there were approximately 800,000 veterans and active duty military, suffering some form or level of ptsd related symptoms. One out of five soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer some form of mental illness.
I'd like to thank Heidi for the opportunity to step on my soapbox for a few moments, and thank you, reader for taking the time to read this.
About D.G. Gass: Inspired by Walt Whitman and Carolyn Keefe, author D.G. Gass, from a young age, has always loved to write. It just took 40-years for her to believe in her work enough for it not to find the trash when she finished. Originally from Jeannette, PA, the Yankee transplant, currently resides in Columbia, SC with her husband and daughter, not to mention, three cats that own her.
A veteran of the US Air Force, whose day job is in healthcare IT, the author has a passion for veterans issues, which is the driving force behind her first book, “Ghosts of Arlington”. When she’s not writing, she can be found curled up with a good book, working on handcrafts, or staring blankly at walls in a catatonic state.
D.G. Gass released her first poetry compilation, “Twilight Ponderings, Midnight Musings” at the beginning of 2011. The compilation is a series of poetry and prose that was born out of loving someone with diagnosed chronic depression.
Thank you Denise, for all your time and effort. I learned so much from your post. How about it book bloggers and readers, I know many of you have extra books lying around, pack them up and donate them to the troops. Send a letter, make some one's day a little brighter.
Pick up a copy of Denise's book, The Ghosts of Arlington, on Amazon and other ebook retailers for $2.99.