Whatever We Can Do for Our Veterans

Whatever We Can Do for Our Veterans

By Senator Chris Brown

George Washington reminded us, “The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by our nation.”

Although we presently have dedicated men and women willing to serve, we are at risk of losing future generations if we don’t heed the lessons of General Washington. We must always ask ourselves if the care and appreciation of our veterans equals the commitment and sacrifice they have made. Clearly we must do better if we want to earn the privilege to have dedicated men and women volunteering to enlist to fight for our country in the future.

With the ongoing war on terrorism increasing the demand for help for our returning heroes, it would be a sin to let any veteran in need of mental health counseling, a decent place to live or even job training fall through the cracks.

I always keep in mind the heartbreaking words of veterans like George Brenner from Somers Point, who said, “I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t know what to do.”  Mr. Brenner, a veteran of the Vietnam War, reached a moment in his life when he had no job and no home and no answers.  Mr. Brenner didn’t ask for a parade.  He didn’t ask to be part of a photo-op.  He asked for help.

Thankfully, Mr. Brenner got back on his feet through a combination of government housing assistance and donations from non-profits.  Most veterans, like Mr. Brenner, rely on a safety net of public and private services.

To help strengthen this safety net, I’m sponsoring a bipartisan bill to create the “Veterans Assistance Grant Program” to offer grants to non-profit organizations and government entities that provide mental health services, family counseling services, job training and employment services, and housing assistance to our veterans. The grants will be funded with: (1) moneys that the Legislature may appropriate; (2) moneys received by the department as gifts, grants, or donations; (3) any return on investment of moneys deposited in the grant fund; (4) fees collected from applicants; and (5) other moneys made available including, but not limited to, funds provided by agreement with private investors, the federal government, banks, and other lending institution.

“Whatever we can do” should be the standard in helping our veterans.  We have to take the initiative and get creative in how we, as a State,  meet the needs of our veterans. There are a number of groups dedicated to improving the lives of our men and women who served, and this bill can help make sure a wide-variety of veterans’ services are available, accessible, and obtainable.

Chris Brown is a decorated combat veteran of Operation Desert Shield/Storm, while serving with the 82nd Airborne Division. 1Lt. Brown was awarded the Bronze Star and Combat Infantryman Badge for his service while spearheading the ground offensive into Iraq.  In 2008, Chris was activated to war a second time to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom.