Support Groups
A New Kind of Vet Veterans groups have had to change significantly in the past decade to keep up with demand. The DAV is one of those groups who has successfully made the transition. by Tara Puckey Ten years have passed since a single day changed the landscape of America and the hearts of its citizens. During that time, another thing has changed: the faces of thousands of fresh, young veterans, a new generation with wounds and scars, some invisible to the naked eye. Although new organizations sprang up following 9/11, long-time organizations like Disabled American Veterans immediately realized the impact of the attacks and ensuing wars: more and more disabled veterans would be joining their ranks in the years ahead. The organization ran a full-page ad in the New York Times expressing their support and began working on concerns that the VA wasn’t ready for a huge influx of patients, a scenario that rang familiar with many of the organization’s Vietnam era vets. “We couldn’t have known at the time that survivability rates would be as high as they have turned out to be,” Daniel Clare, DAV’s Communications Director, said. “Of course, with that comes even greater needs for the returning soldiers and their families.” As soon as patients began making their way back to Walter Reed and other military hospitals, DAV used their own DAV Magazine, and steady media outreach, to get out stories about wounded veterans and their struggle. The organization was at Palo Alto’s Polytrauma Center early
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in the war to begin profiling veterans, especially those with traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The Psychiatric Times shows that “TBI has been associated with 59 percent of blast-associated injuries at WRAMC [Walter Reed Army Medical Center], and military statistics reveal that more than 1,700 soldiers have sustained a TBI since the beginning of the Iraqi and Afghan operations.” TBI, with symptoms ranging from fatigue and headaches to problems with speech and writing, serious depression, behavioral problems and even total memory loss, can make it difficult for people to understand the full effect of the injury. “It’s hard to explain the impact of these injuries through raw statistics,” Clare explained. “So our mission was to introduce injured individuals to our audiences by telling their stories. When you introduce people to a woman who can’t remember her husband, or a parent whose entire life has changed when her son’s TBI forced her to become a fulltime caretaker, the public makes a real connection with those who are bearing the burdens of these wars.” The National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics reports that the number of veterans under age 35 is growing, despite the fact that less than 2 percent of the population have served in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The DAV is working to connect with veterans of both wars, recognizing the importance of reaching a newer generation. They manage a large, engaged social network, and held a Virtual March for veterans care through their website and on Facebook. With a focus on rehabilitation, the organization co-sponsors the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, the largest rehabilitation sporting event of its kind. Even while reaching out to new members, the DAV hasn’t forgotten its most important mission. “We’re maintaining our membership and our relevance by focusing on what we do best: service,” Clare said. “We’re in VA regional offices fighting for veterans every day. We’re helping them file claims. Our volunteers and the vans are getting them to their hospital appointments.” Even with the continued mission, the DAV recognizes the generational gap, realizing the current struggles of younger veterans. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2010 unemployment rate of Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans was at a staggering 14.7 percent, leaving a generation of veterans searching for ways to provide for growing families. “The new generation of veterans are struggling to take care of their families and establish themselves professionally,” Clare said. “They don’t have a lot of free time. And if
U.S. Navy Cmdr. Scott Laedlein, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans executive officer, talks to retired Navy Cmdr. Mike Olson, a volunteer pilot for the Disabled American Veteran’s Association (DAV), about the challenges of flying the B-25 bomber aircraft during the N’Awlins Air Show in New Orleans, La. The plane was made famous following the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, Japan during World War II. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Shawn Graham
they do, they want their spouses involved and someone to watch the kids.” And so the organization responded to their needs, with some chapters opening the doors to the whole family. Younger veterans are encouraged to become engaged in chapter leadership and use their tech-savvy experience to further the organization as a whole.
stereotypes that come with aging fraternal organizations,” Clare explained. “They don’t want to hear war stories from a bygone era. They want a voice. They want to make a difference.”
But blending the more than 1.2 million members on DAV’s roster was a matter of more than just involving families and updating technology. Leaders had to determine what younger veterans look for when joining an organization.
And what a difference DAV has made. In 2010 alone, the organization represented nearly 250,000 veterans and their families in claims for VA benefits, resulting in more than $4.5 billion in new and retroactive benefits. The organization’s transportation program provided rides to and from medical appointments to more than 670,000 veterans and volunteers provided more than 300,000 hours of service through the DAV’s VA Volunteer Service Program.
“We know that younger veterans don’t identify themselves with the
Even with its large number of successful programs, the DAV
knows more challenges lie ahead. As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, DAV is fully aware that their job is never done. “We know there is a momentum behind our movement that we need to take advantage of now,” Clare said. Historically, we know that the welcome home this generation of veterans has enjoyed will fade. No parade lasts forever.”
Tara Puckey is a military spouse and freelance writer who recently was awarded the Julie Galvan Outstanding Graduate in Journalism Award from The Society of Professional Journalists. She lives in Indiana with her family.
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