APPLETON, Wis. (WBAY) – On the heels of the mass shooting in Maine, advocates for veterans’ mental health want men and women who serve to know there is help available.
Over and over, we’re told it’s hard for veterans to ask for help, but those who serve as liaisons for veterans and resources to help them cope want to encourage those men and women to speak up, and veterans say making those connections really do make a difference.
In the Vietnam War, all gave some, and 58,479 gave all.
A reminder to veteran Nick Patoka of his time in the army, serving in Vietnam and the men he saw die fighting alongside him:
“I couldn’t sleep after that – that’s all it was seeing him,” said Patoka.
The images still fresh in his mind – even years later it takes a toll.
“Just like that it will go thru my head all over again.
With the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, Ken Corry serves as a navigator for veterans like Patoka and he has a message to share:
“I’d say it’s okay to ask for help ok to reach out it’s not a sign of weakness it’s a sign of strength,” Corry.
Corry helps vets find resources to help deal with everything from the trauma of war to the stress of living as a civilian again:
“I’m able to provide them resources and I’m getting guys 100 percent service connection for their disability they were struggling didn’t know where to reach out and I get them connected to mental health or the VA or to file for a disability claim or get them hunting or fishing to do something fun,” said Corry.
Any branch of service any warn and veteran no matter who you are there are dozens of ways to get connected from the Vet Center to the Fox Valley Veterans Council.
In Wisconsin, there are 72 veteran services officers – one in each county. There are also organizations like Hooah Wisconsin that hosts the suicide awareness march.
In Sheboygan Falls there’s Dogs to Dog Tags on a mission to pair vets with rescue dogs to help them battle anxiety.
“It is listening and being able to figure out what it is they need help with and connecting them with these people,” Corry said.
For Patoka he says connecting with soldiers from different wars made a difference.
“The new guys we want to hear their stories,” said Patoka.
He says for every veteran – there is help – there is hope:
“They’ve gotta hook up with another vet,” said Patoka.
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