thedrifter
09-02-09, 08:05 AM
Military bonds, social services can ease lingering horrors of war
By Daveen Rae Kurutz
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
If there's a wounded veteran in Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia or nearby Ohio, Buzz Bryan and Bill Smathers want to find him or her to offer help.
Veterans themselves, Bryan and Smathers once approached a man in a Sheetz parking lot with the hope of easing his transition back to civilian life.
"War can be very horrific, and these young men and women have seen some horrible things, and now they come home and have to deal with that," said Bryan, 40, a retired Marine from North Huntingdon. "We don't wait for them to find us — we track them down."
Bryan, Smathers and Tod Conner received recognition Tuesday from the Wounded Warrior Regiment for their work with veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Col. Timothy Frank, Marine Corps liaison officer with the regiment, presented the men with certificates of appreciation for their work during the past two years at VA Butler Healthcare.
"There's lots of very dedicated people out there in the VA, and I've become one of your proponents," Frank said. "These men make sure nobody slips through the cracks."
Bryan and Smathers travel across the state to meet with injured veterans and help them with needs such as medical or financial services. They estimate they are visiting 200 to 220 veterans currently.
Conner, an outreach coordinator for the Department of Veterans Affairs, makes sure veterans sign up for benefits they're entitled to.
Smathers, an Army veteran, never saw combat. Bryan and Conner served overseas with the Marines: Bryan in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Conner during Operation Desert Storm. The veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq are facing a tough transition, the men said.
"It's that constant hyper-arousal, not ever being able to relax," said Conner, 42, of Grove City. "The same person you're helping by day, by night could be the enemy."
Bryan said he logged 45,000 miles on a car he bought last year after coming out of retirement to work as a patient advocate with Smathers. Bryan tackles the region from West Virginia to Erie, and Smathers covers the area from Erie east to Punxsutawney.
"We have our success stories," Bryan said. "It's a smile, a hug from a mother or spouse, or a veteran shaking your hand and blinking back tears."
But it's not always that easy, said Smathers, 51, of Punxsutawney. Some veterans don't want help, and some miss out on the help that might have been available.
"When you have a mother call you up saying her son committed suicide last night, you feel that you could have done something different," Smathers said. "We get paid for a job we should be volunteering for."
Jeffrey Richard Dryden is one success story. He worked with Conner and Marine Gunnery Sgt. Michael Palarino after returning injured from his second tour as a Marine Reservist in Iraq. He was grazed by a bullet when he and his corporal came under fire while searching houses in Fallujah.
He works at VA Butler and credits the outreach program with smoothing his reintegration into life in the United States.
"You can sort of get lost in the shuffle," said Dryden, 32, of Butler. "If nothing else, it gives you a sense of belonging again, for any military person. You know you're not alone."
That's why having veterans become advocates is important, Conner said.
"Even though they may be out, we're still taking care of our own," Conner said. "It's a brotherhood."
Daveen Rae Kurutz can be reached at dkurutz@tribweb.com or 412-380-5627.
Ellie
By Daveen Rae Kurutz
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
If there's a wounded veteran in Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia or nearby Ohio, Buzz Bryan and Bill Smathers want to find him or her to offer help.
Veterans themselves, Bryan and Smathers once approached a man in a Sheetz parking lot with the hope of easing his transition back to civilian life.
"War can be very horrific, and these young men and women have seen some horrible things, and now they come home and have to deal with that," said Bryan, 40, a retired Marine from North Huntingdon. "We don't wait for them to find us — we track them down."
Bryan, Smathers and Tod Conner received recognition Tuesday from the Wounded Warrior Regiment for their work with veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Col. Timothy Frank, Marine Corps liaison officer with the regiment, presented the men with certificates of appreciation for their work during the past two years at VA Butler Healthcare.
"There's lots of very dedicated people out there in the VA, and I've become one of your proponents," Frank said. "These men make sure nobody slips through the cracks."
Bryan and Smathers travel across the state to meet with injured veterans and help them with needs such as medical or financial services. They estimate they are visiting 200 to 220 veterans currently.
Conner, an outreach coordinator for the Department of Veterans Affairs, makes sure veterans sign up for benefits they're entitled to.
Smathers, an Army veteran, never saw combat. Bryan and Conner served overseas with the Marines: Bryan in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Conner during Operation Desert Storm. The veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq are facing a tough transition, the men said.
"It's that constant hyper-arousal, not ever being able to relax," said Conner, 42, of Grove City. "The same person you're helping by day, by night could be the enemy."
Bryan said he logged 45,000 miles on a car he bought last year after coming out of retirement to work as a patient advocate with Smathers. Bryan tackles the region from West Virginia to Erie, and Smathers covers the area from Erie east to Punxsutawney.
"We have our success stories," Bryan said. "It's a smile, a hug from a mother or spouse, or a veteran shaking your hand and blinking back tears."
But it's not always that easy, said Smathers, 51, of Punxsutawney. Some veterans don't want help, and some miss out on the help that might have been available.
"When you have a mother call you up saying her son committed suicide last night, you feel that you could have done something different," Smathers said. "We get paid for a job we should be volunteering for."
Jeffrey Richard Dryden is one success story. He worked with Conner and Marine Gunnery Sgt. Michael Palarino after returning injured from his second tour as a Marine Reservist in Iraq. He was grazed by a bullet when he and his corporal came under fire while searching houses in Fallujah.
He works at VA Butler and credits the outreach program with smoothing his reintegration into life in the United States.
"You can sort of get lost in the shuffle," said Dryden, 32, of Butler. "If nothing else, it gives you a sense of belonging again, for any military person. You know you're not alone."
That's why having veterans become advocates is important, Conner said.
"Even though they may be out, we're still taking care of our own," Conner said. "It's a brotherhood."
Daveen Rae Kurutz can be reached at dkurutz@tribweb.com or 412-380-5627.
Ellie