Last night, in an intimate setting at Community Foundation Boulder County, a panel of local veterans and leaders of veteran programs engrossed a standing-room only audience with their personal experiences in the military, and their insights on the challenges and opportunities of vets’ reentry into civilian life.
Support our local vets by donating to the Veterans Fund at the Community Foundation by Veterans Day, November 11.
Last night, in an intimate setting at Community Foundation Boulder County, a panel of local veterans and leaders of veteran programs engrossed a standing-room only audience with their personal experiences in the military, and their insights on the challenges and opportunities of vets’ reentry into civilian life.
Community Foundation CEO Jeff Hirota kicked off the evening, which was facilitated by Elvira Ramos, our Vice President of Programs and Inclusive Leadership whose father served in WWII. Also central to the evening’s program were members of the Advisory Committee of the Veterans Fund at the Community Foundation, including Vietnam vet Ray Meyers and his wife Judy Nogg; the couple founded the erstwhile nonprofit Veterans Helping Veterans Now.
“What do I mean when I say we need to ‘communalize’ the veteran experience?” asked Ray, who served as a radio operator with Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines – and who narrowly survived the Battle of Khe Sanh. “It’s allowing vets to tell their stories, which is restorative for both vets and the communities we live in.
“The first time I spoke about my experiences was 15 years ago to a group of 8th-graders at Casey Middle School.” Voice cracking, leaning against a wall for “a little support,” Ray then read a letter from one of those middle-schoolers who was so inspired by Ray’s storytelling that it moved her to speak more openly and directly with her grandfather, who had served in Korea.
“Community makes a big difference, and communalizing trauma helps everyone get out of their safety zones toward better understanding … and healing,” Ray said.
Rex Laceby – whom we recently featured on our blog – agreed. “There’s a lot we’re doing to help vets recover and transition, but we could be doing better,” he said. After 21 years’ service with the Marine Corps, Rex now serves as Employer Development Specialist at CU Boulder Career Services, Co-founder and President of the CU Boulder Veterans Alumni Association, and a member of our Veterans Fund Advisory Committee. “We need to help people connect the dots among the many good programs and organizations in our community. Too many vets don’t know the supports and services that are available to them.”
A step in this direction is the soon-to-be-launched Veteran’s Resource Network of Boulder County that Rex is spearheading. Having survived several near-death experiences – and now blind in one eye and suffering from nerve damage – Rex has overcome the odds and found a new purpose: both advising fellow vets, and making local employers and other community members aware of the strengths and advantages of vets in the workplace and in civilian life.
“In the Marine Corps, I was in charge of so much,” he added. “But when I got out, I couldn’t land a job at Boulder Ski Deals. I’m working to change that.”
Another panelist – Captain Caleb Ra, also featured on our blog earlier this month – described how boot camp in San Diego was his ticket out of Chicago as an 18-year-old. But then the stressors of his deployments led to substance abuse. Enrolled at the University of Illinois, but failing as an animal sciences major, Caleb needed a miracle.
“The Assistant Dean and her husband, Brent McBride, were among those who buffered me and supported me along the way. It was their flexibility and willingness to give me a chance that set me on my path to be a social worker,” he said.
Today, Caleb is a clinical case manager serving chronically homeless veterans via the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Eastern Colorado Health Care System. “I see my clients as my brothers,” he said. “The VA provides a lot, but there are gaps. I want to help fill those gaps for vets with scars, who are struggling.”
Rex added that some 20 to 22 vets kills themselves every day. “Without treatment if they need it, a purpose, a task, and a sense of community, our vets are going to continue to have issues,” he said. “If they don’t find their way, they kill themselves.”
Indeed, according to an NPR report this spring, the suicide rate for female veterans has soared 85% in recent years.
Rounding out the panel was Karen Townsend, Boulder County Veterans Service Officer with the Boulder County Area Agency on Aging & Community Services, and also a Veterans Fund Advisory Committee member. “In the past 36 years doing this work, I’ve heard thousands of stories from thousands of vets. Their scars – visible and invisible – are deep and real. They may fade over time, but they never go away.
“It’s important to remember that families of vets need support, too – almost as much as vets themselves.” Specifically, Karen works to connect the 17K vets and their families in Boulder County to area services, “from healthcare and education to mental health counseling, employment, home loans, survivor benefits, and burial benefits,” she said.
Audience members like Brian Coppom – a Leadership Fellows alum and Executive Director of Boulder County Farmers Markets – brainstormed opportunities for local veterans with the panelists, including hortitherapy. For Brian, last night’s insights were particularly relevant as his 19-year-old daughter recently graduated from Parris Island and plans to be a military “lifer.”
Said Hillary Johnson, former Co-Executive Director of Veterans Helping Veterans Now, and currently a donor and Advisory Committee member of the Veterans Fund: “My husband and I give money to the fund because we know the awesome work of our Community Foundation, and because we know that 100% of the fund goes directly and exclusively to the vets in our community who need support.”
