Stories From Main Street: Veterans, Servicemen Getting Help In Piscataway, Parsippany
PISCATAWAY, NJ (CBSNewYork) - In Piscataway, there is an office that looks like any other, a maze of cubicles, except for one thing. Each desk is marked by an American flag. This is the home of Vets for Warriors.
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"It's a help line, a 24/7, 365 help line that covers all 50 states and four territories for veterans, service members," said program coordinator John Nun. "I hope the V.A. is ready because over a million have served in Iraq, if I'm not mistaken, since the beginning of the war to the end of the war. A lot of them two or three tours, four tours."
The number is 855-VET-TALK. Nun says they've received calls from Iraq and Afghanistan.
"People in crisis have called us and we'll refer them to the vet center. We have six clinicians, who will try and stabilize the person. A lot of the people will call and ask for combat veterans. They'll ask for people who have served in Iraq, Vietnam. They'll even go so specific to ask for somebody that's been hit with an IED - improvised explosive device," Nun told WCBS 880 reporter Sean Adams. "A lot of times, we have repeat calls and they'll call back and just talk with a peer. Sometimes they can't sleep at night and they just want to talk."
Sometimes the callers just want someone to listen. Other times, they're seeking help for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
"A lot of people are diagnosed with it. A lot of people have it and don't realize it. For some soldiers, the adrenaline rush is gone. You're back to a normal life and they can't cope with not being stressed and you're going from overdrive down to first gear," said Nun.
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Once home, shifting gears back to civilian life can be difficult.
In Parsippany, there is help from www.militaryvetjobs.com. Sales director Michael Mamsport says vets can upload their resumes and search the job board for free.
"This service is absolutely free to the veteran. It is a pay service for corporations nationwide to gain access to the resume database. But we've seen a trend in the last two years - a great surge in veterans returning and looking for work," he said.
He says they have 193,000 veterans in their database, many with unique skills.
"There's a lot of technical skills that they bring back, and along with the technical skills, they bring back a discipline that you don't see in the regular work world," he said.
Do you know of any other services for veterans? Please share them in the comments section below!
