Background

When it’s time for war, there’s plenty of money for guns, tanks and whatever else may be needed, but when the men and women who fight abroad return home, they are often ignored, forgotten and left to fend for themselves. For a country that claims to honor and love it’s veterans, the amount of support these people are given when they come back home is shockingly limited. War leaves not only physical but mental and emotional scars.

• Only 50 percent of returning vets who need mental health care upon returning receive it

• The number of veteran health patients has nearly doubled, from around 260,000 in 2007 to around 400,000

• 25 percent of returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan have substance abuse problems

These people are regular men and women who decided to risk their life for their country. They did so selflessly and ask for nothing in return. They left their mothers, fathers, wives and husbands to defend what they believe in, yet when they return they are often cast aside and their duty served forgotten. Plus, there are millions of veterans who were discharged for “less than honorable” reasons and receive no support whatsoever. Is this how we repay those who sacrificed themselves for our freedom and security? These forgotten people are friends, brothers, daughters and sons just like everyone else, and it’s time they started being treated like it.

Purpose

It’s amazing how much can happen by just sitting down and listening to someone. Our efforts with veterans aims to build connections with these courageous men and women. We want to hear their stories, tell them “thank you” and ask them, how can we help?

We cannot hope to look to the future if we do not first look to the past, and these people are the past. They helped build what this country is today and it’s time we took some time to honor this.