Tag Archive for: #formeractivemilitarybootsontheground

TownTalk: National Cemeteries

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Military veterans and their families may know about particular benefits that are available to them because of their service to the country, and those benefits extend to burial in a national cemetery.

Through perseverance, carefully documented research and the help of a genealogist, Phyllis Maynard is planning a springtime memorial service at Salisbury National Cemetery for her grandfather, who served during World War I.

The cemetery is the only one of its kind in the state that is currently open for burials and memorial services, according to Phillip Smyre, cemetery director. And, in fact, Maynard’s grandfather is taking the very last spot in the memorial section of the historic cemetery. Plans for an expansion are underway and that project could begin next year, Smyre told guest host Maynard and John C. Rose during the monthly installment of “Former Active Duty, Still Boots on the Ground segment of TownTalk.

Genealogist Kim Knight helped Maynard, herself a military veteran, locate information regarding her grandfather, Willie Maynard. He died under tragic circumstances when Maynard’s father was only 4 years old. And his service to his country was not acknowledged. Until now. Maynard said she and Smyre are planning a service to officially recognize her grandfather’s military service during warmer weather to accommodate elderly family members who want to attend.

Usually, cemetery officials can confirm a veteran’s service through social security numbers, army ID numbers or the discharge DD-214. But Maynard’s grandfather was not issued a social security number when he was born, so the process took a bit longer. Knight, the genealogist, first found a death certificate and then had to work back from that point to find information about his military service.

“He deserved to be memorialized with honors,” Knight said.

Smyre said it was a group effort, with Knight’s and Maynard’s input, along with the scheduling office in St. Louis, MO “to confirm that Mr. Maynard was indeed a member of the Armed Forces during WWI.”

No matter the need, Smyre said he and his outreach staff are ready to help family members who have questions or need assistance. Phone 704.636.2661 to learn more. Staff conduct ongoing outreach programs with local churches, community centers and veterans’ groups to get the word out about the services that are available to military veterans.

On land that once housed a prison during the Civil War, the Salisbury National Cemetery originally interred both Union and Confederate veterans; it had to continue to evolve, however, at the conclusion of World War I, then World War II, then Vietnam.

About two years ago, pre-placed crypts were placed to give more room for burials, Smyre said.

National cemeteries are held to slightly stricter “standards of upkeep” than state cemeteries, he said. “Headstones are set at a certain height, the grass, depending on the type is cut to a certain height,” he said, adding that there’s “a little bit more of a microscope on the national cemetery.”

State cemeteries do a great job, he said, but often don’t have the funding that a national cemetery has, which affects resources and staffing.

Sonya Leazer, administrative specialist at the cemetery, said a national cemetery will accept any eligible veteran, regardless of where they lived. State cemeteries require that a person live in the state for at least 10 years to be eligible for interment. National cemeteries accept interment of a spouse of the veteran at no cost to the family.

“They can be interred as long as they’re eligible,” Leazer said, and if the veteran is eligible, the spouse also is eligible. There are certain additional requirements for a child to be interred in the cemetery with parents.

 

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TownTalk: The Role Of Red Cross In Ukraine

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When disasters happen across the world, whether they are natural disasters like typhoons and tornados, or whether they are manmade like the war in Ukraine, the Red Cross steps into action.

The Red Cross organizations across the globe adhere to the same seven guiding principles, and a longtime volunteer and military veteran shared some insight on Town Talk’s recurring “former military, still boots on the ground” segment with co-host Phyllis Maynard.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Charlie Brown recited those seven guiding principles that serve the Red Cross and Red Crescents across the world: Humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, universality and unity.

Though largely self-explanatory, sometimes those principles are misunderstood, Brown told Maynard and John C. Rose.

The U.S. has pledged billions of dollars of relief to Ukraine as it defends itself from neighboring Russia’s advances, and Brown said the Red Cross has deployed volunteers to help, too. That’s the “humanity” principle kicking in, she said. The Red Cross is “responsible for alleviating and eliminating human suffering whenever possible.”

That being said, the “neutrality” principle is what some may have difficulty with. The Red Cross may not take sides or engage in controversies, Brown explained.

So while the Red Cross is sending people to help, they aren’t going into Ukraine, but to countries where displaced Ukrainians are re-locating.

Some of the volunteers have experience working with refugees; others are young people just out of college. The experienced volunteers can provide support for the younger volunteers.

“Most of us have been through all sorts of things, so we are here to be a sounding board for them. It can be a shock, she said, to see refugees fleeing their country with only the clothes on their backs and running from fighting.

“People who are deploying out for service to the armed forces have tended to be at both ends of the age and experience spectrum,” Brown said. She said other veterans, as well as military spouses are among those who volunteer for service.

The Red Cross volunteers keep in touch with families of deployed personnel – “we find out what’s needed and get things to them,” Brown said.

Visit https://www.redcross.org/ to learn more about the organization and the services it provides here and across the globe.

 

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TownTalk: Veterans Find Assistance with Butner Organization

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The Veterans Life Center in Butner is a nonprofit agency that helps 21st century veterans with the skills and support necessary to become self-reliant and to become productive members of the community.

As part of the ongoing series “Former Active Duty, Still Boots on the Ground” segment of Town Talk, Phyllis Maynard and John C. Rose spoke with two men who work at the VLC to learn more about what it offers former military personnel.

VLC Executive Director John Turner is a veteran of the U.S. Army and Coast Guard. Martin Woodard is the VLC program director who served in the U.S. Air Force and has a long career in counseling and is affiliated with the UNC School of Medicine and the NC Division of Mental Health.

The VLC services offer a unique approach in several ways, Turner said. Firstly, it’s designed especially for 21st century veterans – which is defined as those who served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Secondly, the veterans receive care, counseling and other support from fellow 21st century veterans, who understand the particular challenges those vets face. And thirdly, the services are provided in a caring environment that cares for the whole veteran. We talk about goals, and opportunities and the future,” Turner said. “That’s what sets us apart.”

The VLC is a residential program that helps veterans be proactive in their recovery. Woodard said by beginning with a culture of respect and a holistic approach to care, veterans experience a positive support system that promotes that self-reliance.

“We strive to build a foundation,” Woodard said, that incorporates physical health, behavioral health and mental health. A veteran who suffers from PTSD, for example, may also have other underlying health concerns that need to be addressed as well. Or a veteran with substance abuse problems may also need counseling for having suicidal thoughts.

That’s another unique asset that the VLC has – it’s located just a few hundred yards from the R.J. Blackley Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center.

Having partnerships with other agencies, from substance abuse treatment centers and the VA is key to helping veterans get back on the right path, the men noted. The facility also is close to the South Campus of Vance-Granville Community College, where participants can take classes and find a career.

Woodard said the investment comes from all sides, including from the residents, who are learning how to deal with untreated or unresolved issues that stemmed from the military. They are learning how “to re-engage in society in a way they deserve,” Woodard said. Having support from the larger community is a tangible way to say “Thank you for your service.”

Just five years ago, the VLC was nothing more than an idea, Turner said. A working group met a couple of times a month, put together a vision for a facility whose primary goal would be to give veterans an outcome of self-reliance.

Then it was a matter of working backward to get all the pieces to come together. The result is a nonprofit VLC is a collaboration of state and local groups and the VA to be able to provide resources alongside the other existing services – all with a similar goal: serving the veterans who have served their country.

“We value partnerships,” Woodard  said. “No one program can meet the needs by itself.”

The VLC program is for veterans with honorable discharges. But whether they ultimately are accepted into the program or not, Woodard said he wants veterans to know two things: they will not be judged and their diagnoses don’t have to define them or affect what they can achieve.

According to Turner, “If they’re calling in, they want to be heard and understood.”

“If they call us, we’re going to do our best to give them hope,” Woodard said.

Visit www.vlcnc.org to learn more. Call VLC at 919.803.5516.

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