Veterans Entering Transition
Tax deductible
I am not a Veteran...I am the daughter of a three-tour Vietnam Vet and former spouse of a Desert Storm Vet. I cannot begin to comprehend the depth of experience seen by our military veterans while serving our great country — the United States of America. I can and do imagine those experiences by viewing videos and pictures as seen through the eyes of those who were there and saw it all.
My father met my mother while serving in the Vietnam War. He was on a weekend pass and had gone to Thailand. They married in 1966 and I was born in 1968 on base at Fort Campbell, KY. Shortly thereafter, my father was released from his post and we had moved to the Chicagoland area to be closer to his family. I am not an army brat, however, I am someone that has witnessed — from the periphery — the devastating effects of war.
As we all know, Vietnam Veterans were treated like the enemy when they returned home. There was little outward expression of respect for our servicemen and women — those that followed their orders to go to war to protect us all. Many came back completely ‘broken’ with no resources to aid in their transition back into family, community, and workforce readiness. The same is true today.
Seeing things as a family member has shed, for me, a lot of light on the topic of “what constitutes true transition.” Because of my father’s personal pain and scars from war, and many years of watching him drinking, being verbally abusive, emotionally unavailable, and at times having violent rages, I have come to realize that we need to make a CHANGE. And we need to do it now! Unfortunately for me, I cannot have the uplifting father-daughter relationship with my father as my younger sister does.
I went through a very similar experience with my former spouse. I had to leave because I was not willing for our son to live a childhood that looked anything like my own.
For more than three decades I have volunteered with nonprofits … always drawn to working with those in service to our veteran communities. I have a compelling Vision for both our veterans and their families. While there are many nonprofits providing workforce readiness for our veterans, there are gaps that we can fill, thereby improving and streamlining the challenging and inevitable transition for veterans and their families. Here is my plan to do to make that Change.
I intend to find a way to implement peer-to-peer counseling for our military men and women at least three to six months before they exit our military, preparing them in advance for what is waiting at home (and while dealing with any other stresses from being at war). Next, I intend to make available family therapy to aid loved ones with their veterans’ transition. I will not forget that while our men and women were away fighting for our freedoms, lives back home kept moving forward. We will bridge the divide and re-introduce the family to their veteran. Once the veteran is comfortable and stable at home, we will provide training to specifically re-integrate them into their communities, while educating the community about what a transition looks like for a veteran. We will create teams of support from before discharge all the way to and through final and satisfactory transition has been achieved. Following that, the next steps are for our veterans to find a new passion and purpose for their lives.
This is why I have formed Veterans Entering Transition — to provide these vital services. The need is greater than ever today, with more and more veterans coming home with little if any support for their personal and familial transition. ‘No veteran will slip through the cracks’ is my personal mantra. It’s our turn to take the reins in hand and steer our veterans back to family, community, workforce readiness, and a life they love.
With Endurance to Defeat Obstacles and Challenges, we’ll Achieve, Realize, and be Empowered.
Our Mission
VETERANS ENTERING TRANSITION (V.E.T.) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization committed to empowering exiting military and veterans with the tools to create fulfilling careers, healthy family lives and supportive community environments. We accomplish our mission by building a consortium of specialized resources designed to address the most critical unaddressed challenges facing veterans as they enter the civilian world. We are creating new pathways for our military community by infusing purpose, passion, and mission into their lives for a well-rounded transition.
Our Guiding Philosophy
We should always work our strengths and acknowledge our weaknesses. For when we do, the right people come along and build up our weaknesses from their strengths. In turn, our strengths will do the same for them. We should be very grateful for those that surround us. We share a common goal of building each other up as a whole and building a stronger sense of community. It’s when we see and accept each other for who we are that forward progress is made.
We can only do this with YOUR support. Any donations will be greatly appreciated
www.myusvet.org
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My father met my mother while serving in the Vietnam War. He was on a weekend pass and had gone to Thailand. They married in 1966 and I was born in 1968 on base at Fort Campbell, KY. Shortly thereafter, my father was released from his post and we had moved to the Chicagoland area to be closer to his family. I am not an army brat, however, I am someone that has witnessed — from the periphery — the devastating effects of war.
As we all know, Vietnam Veterans were treated like the enemy when they returned home. There was little outward expression of respect for our servicemen and women — those that followed their orders to go to war to protect us all. Many came back completely ‘broken’ with no resources to aid in their transition back into family, community, and workforce readiness. The same is true today.
Seeing things as a family member has shed, for me, a lot of light on the topic of “what constitutes true transition.” Because of my father’s personal pain and scars from war, and many years of watching him drinking, being verbally abusive, emotionally unavailable, and at times having violent rages, I have come to realize that we need to make a CHANGE. And we need to do it now! Unfortunately for me, I cannot have the uplifting father-daughter relationship with my father as my younger sister does.
I went through a very similar experience with my former spouse. I had to leave because I was not willing for our son to live a childhood that looked anything like my own.
For more than three decades I have volunteered with nonprofits … always drawn to working with those in service to our veteran communities. I have a compelling Vision for both our veterans and their families. While there are many nonprofits providing workforce readiness for our veterans, there are gaps that we can fill, thereby improving and streamlining the challenging and inevitable transition for veterans and their families. Here is my plan to do to make that Change.
I intend to find a way to implement peer-to-peer counseling for our military men and women at least three to six months before they exit our military, preparing them in advance for what is waiting at home (and while dealing with any other stresses from being at war). Next, I intend to make available family therapy to aid loved ones with their veterans’ transition. I will not forget that while our men and women were away fighting for our freedoms, lives back home kept moving forward. We will bridge the divide and re-introduce the family to their veteran. Once the veteran is comfortable and stable at home, we will provide training to specifically re-integrate them into their communities, while educating the community about what a transition looks like for a veteran. We will create teams of support from before discharge all the way to and through final and satisfactory transition has been achieved. Following that, the next steps are for our veterans to find a new passion and purpose for their lives.
This is why I have formed Veterans Entering Transition — to provide these vital services. The need is greater than ever today, with more and more veterans coming home with little if any support for their personal and familial transition. ‘No veteran will slip through the cracks’ is my personal mantra. It’s our turn to take the reins in hand and steer our veterans back to family, community, workforce readiness, and a life they love.
With Endurance to Defeat Obstacles and Challenges, we’ll Achieve, Realize, and be Empowered.
Our Mission
VETERANS ENTERING TRANSITION (V.E.T.) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization committed to empowering exiting military and veterans with the tools to create fulfilling careers, healthy family lives and supportive community environments. We accomplish our mission by building a consortium of specialized resources designed to address the most critical unaddressed challenges facing veterans as they enter the civilian world. We are creating new pathways for our military community by infusing purpose, passion, and mission into their lives for a well-rounded transition.
Our Guiding Philosophy
We should always work our strengths and acknowledge our weaknesses. For when we do, the right people come along and build up our weaknesses from their strengths. In turn, our strengths will do the same for them. We should be very grateful for those that surround us. We share a common goal of building each other up as a whole and building a stronger sense of community. It’s when we see and accept each other for who we are that forward progress is made.
We can only do this with YOUR support. Any donations will be greatly appreciated
www.myusvet.org
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Organizer
Anne Showalter
Organizer
Raleigh, NC
OUTSIDE THE WIRE GROUP FOUNDATION INC
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.
