FEATURE
WE MAY NOT KNOW THEM ALL,
BUT WE OWE THEM ALL Veterans’ Resource Center being established in Alabaster
When you think about a stereotypical veteran, you may picture an older man with decades of service to the country. Someone like Paul Gonthier or Jim Billings. Both gentlemen gave 30 and 33 years, respectively, to the U.S. Army and retired as Lieutenant Colonels. However, as they pointed out, the United States has been at war since 2001, so there are young men and women – some in their late 20s and younger – who are also veterans. Many of these individuals of all ages have struggles that sadly come from their military experiences. “Some are without arms or legs, psychological issues, traumatic brain injuries, PTSD… It’s not just about the old veterans anymore. It’s about every veteran out there that needs help,” Jim said. Paul agreed, pointing out that suicide also continues to be a problem, to the tune of 22 veteran lives lost a day. “A lot of veterans come out of the military – not just ones that put in over 30 years, like us, but even just three or four years – and they come back and just feel lost. They feel like they’re in a community that doesn’t understand what they’ve been through. They don’t know how to function in a civilian society – it’s not the same as when they left. They aren’t sure where to go or what to do. So, we want to be here for them. We felt we had to do something.” So that is exactly what they are doing. Along with an executive board and a team of support personnel, the Veterans’ Resource Center is now under development in the upper floor of the Municipal Annex building. Initially, the duo strived to utilize the location where American Legion Post 138 previously met. However, after over eighteen months of unsuccessfully attempting to fix up that facility, they decided they needed a change of venue. “There was always something going wrong with that building – and the upkeep and insurance was so expensive – it prevented us from actually doing
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things for the veterans in the community. After we closed that building, we were allowed to meet in the council chambers a few times. But we were looking for our own place to hang our flags and call our home.” The Municipal Annex building has become such a place for them. “We went to the mayor, the city council, and administration and shared our vision with them. Their support was overwhelming! It was approved by the City Council on July 6th for us to move into this building and that has relieved a lot of stress,” Jim said. “I just have to believe that if we do our job, the city will be happy to keep us here in this location long-term,” Paul added. Doing that job will be no small feat, though. There are approximately 3,700 veterans in Alabaster. Shelby County has about 14,000. In the state of Alabama, there are over 400,000 veterans! Paul shared, “Currently if you are a veteran and you need assistance from Veterans Services, you must go all the way to Columbiana, which isn’t very accessible to a lot of people. But this
