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Vietnam Vets Donation Is Still Important Today

By Christine Parker


It may seem strange for those not old enough to remember, but there was a time when returning soldiers were not treated with open arms. The war in Southeast Asia was a conflict that many citizens found immoral, and the men and women who chose to fight were thought by some to be a symbol of everything wrong about the choices politicians made. Soldiers were often greeted with contempt and disrespectful comments. It could be very difficult to be a veteran during this time. Many found adjusting hard and needed the services a Vietnam Vets donation helped provide.

There are a lot of nonprofits that have been organized to help retired service people with various problems they face after combat. Many soldiers return with debilitating physical challenges that require multiple surgeries and rehabilitation that can last for years. For the majority of these veterans holding a full time job is impossible, and their families suffer financially as a result.

Not all conditions veterans suffer from are physical. The Southeast Asia war produced a great number of returning soldiers diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Veterans from this era were exposed to deadly herbicidal chemicals known as agent orange. This exposure has caused disease and early death. Veterans commit suicide at much higher rates than civilians. Nonprofit agencies work with troubled soldiers to get them the help they need.

Understanding what benefits they are entitled to and how to go about getting them, is very confusing for a lot of veterans. One of the things donations help nonprofits do is to make sure benefit paperwork is filled out correctly and goes to the right agency, so the veteran can begin to receive assistance as soon as possible. They keep up with the legislation going through Congress that will affect soldiers and contact representatives on these veterans' behalf.

A lot of young people who graduate from high school, but aren't ready to go to college, enlist in the military. After they have completed their tours of duty, many don't know how the skills they learned fighting will translate in a civilian workplace. Nonprofits help a lot of these young people with resumes, counseling, and interview techniques. They even help them apply to colleges if they are interested. The staff of these are experienced in getting the financial aid packages that help these veterans find work or higher education.

Veteran's nonprofit groups work on Capitol Hill to lobby for benefits and rights concerning these soldiers. They meet with committees and are in constant contact with the Armed Services committee members in Congress.

Making it possible for service people to have somewhere to go to talk with others who have experienced the pressures they deal with is important, and one of the things nonprofits do is to establish outreach programs that help veterans avoid the feeling of isolation.

Whether the men and women who have served have volunteered or been drafted, they have done their part to keep the country safe. Helping them reenter the civilian world successfully is an obligation everyone should take seriously.




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