It can sometimes be hard to take, but not every veteran has a family around to honor them when they pass. Thankfully, Californians have proven definitively that when family can't do it, strangers will.
On Wednesday, strangers gathered at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery to attend a ceremony honoring 169 fallen veterans whose remains were never claimed by friends or kin. Under dozens of American flags snapping proudly in the wind, people the veterans never knew made sure that their service wasn't forgotten.
According to Fox 40, Sacramento's cemetery hosts this type of commemorative service several times throughout the year, but usually on a much smaller scale. Craig Allen, operations foreman at the cemetery, pointed to the laudatory efforts of the Missing in America Project – a group that locates veterans without families – for the expanded scope of the ceremony.
"They actively sought out these veterans that have somehow not been accorded the honors that they deserve," Allen told Fox 40.
Three of the veterans buried on Wednesday who were found by MIAP were from or near Napa County, the Napa Valley Register reported. Two of them – Waightsel Lumpkin and Keith Sipma – were Army veterans who served during World War II. The third was Quenton Nickell, who served in the Army during the Vietnam War.
Craig Hall, another Army veteran, was appointed Napa County's very first veterans remains officer last summer. He worked with the county sheriff's office and MIAP to locate the three men, who were taken to the national cemetery via procession.
There, along with all the other fallen, the Register reported that they received a full memorial service complete with rifle volleys, taps, and a presentation of the American flag to a veteran in attendance.
Some missions last a day, some a month, some a lifetime. For Veterans on Patrol, helping homeless veterans is their vocation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The group just recently established a new camp in Mesa, Arizona, ABC 15 reported, that bears the signs of a military operation – rigid tents and an American flag.
"Homeless veterans coming – when they see military structures like this – it's a familiarity with them," Lewis Arthur, co-founder of Veterans on Patrol, told the news channel. Arthur said that he hoped veterans seeking shelter would soon find the tents stocked with donations from the Arizona community.
"So, if a vet comes walking down this street at 3 o'clock in the morning, he'll see the flag lit up at nighttime in the camp and he knows he can walk over here to get food, water and a blanket," Arthur continued.
While Mesa may be the group's newest location, it certainly isn't their first. According to Tucson News Now, back in December Veterans on Patrol was going out of its way to put a roof over the head of homeless veterans who had somehow slipped through the cracks in their life after service and who weren't receiving aid.
"In Tucson, we've found 18 veterans so far that are either not in the system or the VA themselves are looking for them," Arthur said at the time.
Mesa's camp now brings the total Veterans on Patrol sites in Arizona to four. Operating with a team of dedicated volunteers, the group posts requests for the items it needs to Facebook, then relies on donations from the community to fulfill them. But there's more to the operation than just handing out supplies.
"Once we develop a relationship with them, if they need help transitioning, we'll help them," Arthur told ABC 15. "If they want to stay homeless, we'll gear them up good."
Homeless and low-income veterans are a group that people overwhelmingly want to help in any way they can, and cities and states nationwide are now doing more to make sure those servicemembers are receiving help in the form of permanent housing. The state of South Dakota is just one of those entities, but it is finally poised to take a huge step forward in this regard.
Three years ago, the South Dakota state legislature signed a bill that allocated about $41 million – including $17 million from the VA – to a home for veterans who are struggling financially, according to a report from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, television station KELO. Now, after a lengthy period of construction, the facility is just about ready to open.
The aim of the Michael J. Fitzmaurice South Dakota Veterans Home, located in Hot Springs, South Dakota, with more than 100 beds, is to take care of older veterans in particular, who may not have the financial wherewithal to appropriately take care of themselves any more, the report said. It will replace an older, smaller facility that had a similar goal.
"Everybody will move in here, so most of what's remaining of the old campus will be shuttered, for lack of a better term, for the time being – until we move into a different phase, and after our new construction is complete," Brad Richardson, superintendent of the facility, told the station. "And as I finish up more of my suites, I'll move more and more of my staff into [the older facility]. Long term, a floor previously used for administration in the building will be turned into a museum area."
Many veterans may be able to get some sort of assistance from government agencies or private organizations in their area, and often they just need to know where to look for help when and if they need it.
Many cities across the country are pouring money, attention, and love into efforts to help get homeless veterans off the streets. Meanwhile, a number of tribes of Native Americans have similar problems in dealing with this issue, but a few in the American Southwest recently received some federal funds to help them address it.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, along with the VA, recently awarded some $6 million to 26 tribes and associated groups to help them tackle homelessness among veterans, according to a report from the Associated Press. That includes $1.1 million for tribes in Arizona and New Mexico alone.
The tribes in the Southwest that will be receiving a share of that money include the Navajo and Hopi in Arizona, as well as the San Carlos Apache and Tohono O'odham, the report said. The Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico also will get some of those funds.
In all, the above-mentioned tribes are expected to be able to help get 80 homeless vets off the streets with housing assistance and vouchers, as well as new support services, the report said. These grants were allowable under new changes to the law.
Fortunately, these kinds of efforts often go a long way toward helping veterans in need, and whether it's tribal governments, cities, or states, the impact of helping even 80 can be immeasurable. Veterans who are in need of some sort of assistance, whether it's related to housing or just getting through the day sometimes, may be able to reach out to a number of organizations in their areas, either governmental or private. There is almost always going to be someone who is able to lend a hand, and often all veterans have to do is ask.
Though their incarceration rate is lower than that of the civilian population, veterans struggling in their life after service sometimes wind up on the wrong side of the law. In the past, that's meant one thing – jail time. But in Johnson County, Kansas, an alternative has been introduced that could, with time, have ramifications nationwide.
According to The Kansas City Star, the first of its kind Veterans Treatment Court will supervise and support troubled veterans through a diversion program with the assistance of a court staff and mentors.
"The idea is to evaluate those people to try to identify those with needs, and what we are looking for is people with PTSD, traumatic brain injury, with depression, with substance abuse issues," Judge Timothy McCarthy told KSHB in Kansas City. "These aren't the most serious crimes, these are lower level felonies and misdemeanors."
McCarthy was primarily responsible for the court's creation. The Star reported that he researched what would be required to establish it, then organized it, and now, he will hear cases involving veterans every other Wednesday afternoon.
Two main goals motivated McCarthy – getting veterans the help they need, and reducing the number of people serving time for low-level offenses. To avoid a jail sentence, accused veterans must commit to a 12- to 18-month program filled with drug and alcohol testing, court appearances and case-specific treatments.
There have already been some success stories emerging from the courtroom. One of them comes from Joshua Boley, a former Marine who deployed three times in four years.
"It definitely saved me, and that's why I definitely believe it's going to save a lot of veterans' lives," Boley told KSHB. "I was in the regular court prior to this, and it didn't help me at all. I just kind of kept getting worse."
Now, surrounded by other veterans with experience undergoing the same trials, Boley and others like him have found a new path.
Just one year ago, Cynthia Dias was a homeless veteran struggling in her life after service in Las Vegas. On Tuesday night, she was a special guest of First Lady Michelle Obama at President Barack Obama's final Sate of the Union address.
"It was an outstanding speech," Dias told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Dias was reportedly captivated by what the President had to say regarding improvements made to veteran care over the last few years, and the long road still ahead.
Attending the speech wasn't Dias' only objective, however. She and Arnold Stalk, founder of Veterans Village – a non-profit former motel in Las Vegas with more than 120 housing units where, according to Huffington Post, Dias lives and works as a voluntary advocate for homeless veterans – both traveled to the White House to meet with Valerie Jarrett, Obama's senior adviser, and the first lady.
A nurse who served in the Vietnam War and who subsequently suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, Dias is one of the many veterans who found long-term residences following the Mayor's Challenge, an effort spearheaded by Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden to end veteran homelessness.
Dias and Stalk also met with Julian Castro, secretary of U.S. Housing and Urban Development, to discuss VASH vouchers – a joint program between HUD and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Stalk pointed to Dias as the embodiment of what the program can do to improve the fortunes of the chronically homeless.
"She was great backup for me today," Stalk relayed to the Review-Journal.
Working together, the two veterans advocates relayed the same message to lawmakers – with affordable, stable housing and access to health care, homeless veterans can turn their lives around and do incredible things. For evidence, look no further than Cynthia Dias.
Talking to family and friends about deployment, combat and post-traumatic stress disorder is one of the hardest things a veteran can do. The Tennessee State Council of Vietnam Veterans knows very well just how difficult it can be. That's why on Tuesday, Jan. 12 they held a "Victory Over PTSD" town hall meeting at the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center.
According to WCYB, a local news station, dozens of veterans and their families attended the meeting. Everything from PTSD indicators, coping methods, treatment providers and the high suicide rate among veterans was discussed openly and thoughtfully. There was a tone of encouragement and support among everyone present.
"We want you to live, we want you to succeed – we want you to have victory!" said Barry Rice, a Vietnam veteran and organizer of the town hall.
After his rotation to Vietnam was up, Rice returned to the states and served as a notification officer. Charged with the responsibility of informing spouses and parents that their husbands and sons had been killed took a significant toll on Rice, leading to a deep sense of survivor's guilt. Talking with fellow veterans about it helped Rice make it through.
Discussing the threat of PTSD – and ways of treating it – are arguably more important now than ever before.
"More American servicemembers, both veterans and active-duty, have committed suicide over the past decade – tragically it's 22-plus per day – than who made the supreme sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan combined," Rice said in a statement to The Greeneville Sun.
"Years ago, when called to duty, young men and women from across Tennessee answered. Now, as Vietnam veterans, we are answering the call for our brother and sister veterans, active-duty military and their families, to share our experiences with and recovery from PTSD, our strength and hope in their time of need," Rice continued.
Many cities across the country are now starting to figure out what they can do to help get homeless veterans off the streets and into permanent housing. The cities of Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi, are no exception.
Those two cities on Mississippi's Gulf Coast recently got word from the U.S. Department and Housing and Urban Development that they had effectively ended their veteran homelessness problem, but some local experts say there are at least a few more of these servicemembers still on the streets, according to a report from the Biloxi Sun Herald. While more than 240 of them were put into housing from January to November last year – nearly 20 per month – some believe that the problem lies in more veterans being on the streets than can be housed in a given month.
"But the services that are available now, I would say, are probably enough to where, if a veteran seriously seeks housing, there will be some avenue that he or she can pursue to receive housing," Everett Lewis, executive director of the Gulf Coast Housing Initiative at Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, told the newspaper.
Often, veterans who need help with something will just need to seek it out to find assistance from one organization or another.
Many veterans come home from service with injuries both apparent and invisible, and need a lot of help to deal with the rigors of everyday life as a result. Fortunately, there are organizations and volunteers who are there to help.
Indeed, a group of dozens of volunteers recently came together to create a new entrance to a Florida facility that helps veterans with severe brain injuries, so that the building could be wheelchair-accessible, according to a report from St. Petersburg television station Fox 13. At ABILHouse, veterans can learn to cook for themselves, use computers to search for jobs, and do other practical tasks that will help them in their daily lives.
"We have staff on site that can do counseling, help them with resume writing, career counseling, that kind of thing," said Diane Duncan, director of Service Source. "It's just a nice stepping stone. Instead of just going out and finding a job, they have more of a safety net here."
The more that veterans dealing with any number of difficulties in their lives can do to ensure they're in good shape and have the help they need, the better. There are, fortunately, many organizations that exist to help them on their journeys, and often all they have to do is reach out.
In a contentious decision, a federal appeals court on Monday threw out a case involving a veteran convicted for wearing military medals he hadn't earned, stating that doing so was a form of free speech protected by the Constitution. According to the Associated Press, an 11-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court was specially convened for the occasion.
The Marine at the center of the case is Elven Joe Swisher of Idaho. In 2007, he was convicted for violating the Stolen Valor Act – a law signed by President George W. Bush in 2006 that made it a misdemeanor to falsify military achievements. In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled the act unconstitutional based on free speech violations. Congress passed a new law the following year, however, that made it a crime to make money from false claims of military service.
Court House News reported that, back in 2007, the Department of Veterans Affairs accused Swisher of making false statements, forging documents to obtain veterans benefits, stealing government funds and adorning himself with unauthorized military commendations.
Investigators first began to take a look at Swisher's military record after he testified in 2005 that another man had approached him to kill a federal judge. Swisher wore a Purple Heart in the court room and told stories of how he was severely injured in a fire fight while on a secret mission during the Korean War. Marine Corps officials later testified that such a mission never occurred.
Judge Sandra Ikuta, who wrote for the majority on Monday, noted that there is no evidence Swisher's deceitful behavior ever hurt someone or convinced them to pursue an action they wouldn't have taken otherwise.
"We see no basis for [concluding] that wearing a medal is more probative than speaking a lie," Ikuta said, according to Court House News.