One In Seven Veterans Seeks Treatment
KGO By Pamela Tom
abc7news.com - San Francisco,CA
{Video can also be found at article site}
KENTFIELD, Calif. Oct. 19, 2007 (KGO) - One in seven soldiers returning from Iraq is seeking treatment for mental illness.
This week, the Department of Veterans Affairs said that more than 100,000 soldiers have requested help in the past 12-months.
But a group of parents and veterans supporters say they can no longer wait for the government to provide the help the soldiers need.
If it takes a village to raise a child, it may also take a village to heal U.S. veterans. Many veterans say when they come home from Iraq, the government isn't helping them transition back into civilian life.
'I got a little flag folded up in an oak case, a plaque, some paperwork. I needed guidance as to where to go when I started having problems,' said Iraq war veteran Steve Edwards.
Veteran Steve Edwards' problems are typical of post traumatic stress syndrome: PTSD. The war is embedded in his made.
On Friday, Edwards joined a small group of peace activists tonight to help dedicate the new veterans village in Guerneville, opening in January. For Nadia McCaffrey, the village is a labor of love. Iraqi soldiers shot and killed her son, Sgt. Patrick McCaffrey three years ago.
'They need a support system and they also need to know that people care,' said Gold Star Mom Nadia McCaffrey.
The privately donated site includes a four story building for up to 20 veterans.
'They can stay from two weeks to two months to six months,' said McCaffrey.
Through therapy and activities, veterans suffering from PTSD will learn how to cope, how to be well.
Two acres of land will also be put to good use: Farming.
'They're young, they're strong and they're physical and they might not have all gone to college and they're looking for the type of work that we do on farms,' said Veteran Coalition farmer Michael O' Gorman.
The Guerneville site is the first satellite post of the Veterans Village model. Up to now, volunteers around the country have been helping veterans in private homes. The long term goal is to raise $120 million dollars to build a national Veterans Village center 1,000 acres outside of Charlotte, North Carolina; A true welcome zone.
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