GREEN BAY (NBC 26) -- Like many of us, there are some veterans dealing with stress and hardships as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Unlike most of us, a number of those veterans also have to deal with extra difficulties like post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression from their time in the service. Leaders of the local veteran community said that despite those challenges, many veterans have a hard time reaching out for help.
“In the military, when we ask for help it’s kind of looked down upon," Kenneth Corry with the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs said. "You’re kind of looked as weak, but it’s actually strong. Being strong right now is reaching out.”
Even for veterans who do reach out, the pandemic has created challenges. Some of those services were shut down, and veterans may have not been able to get valuable counseling.
Despite those difficulties, Corry hopes to help veterans find a place to turn to for help. His agency, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, is available. Another resource is a local county veterans service office. Joe Aulik runs that office for Brown County. He said roughly half of people in the veteran community aren't getting benefits that they're entitled to.
“We can hook them up with those benefits, we can meet with them via the phone, we can file everything electronically," Aulik said. "So we did not stop our services at all.”
Aulik said those benefits can make a major impact on a veteran and his or her family.
“It’s a healing piece, and economically it’s just massive,” he said.
Other resources to help veterans are also starting to open back up. Corry encourages veterans to pick up the phone and make a call.
“It took me a long time to reach out for help but when I did it felt like there was a weight lifted off my shoulders," he said. "It was so, it felt so good.”
Below is contact information for a few area resources:
- Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs - (920) 246-7277
- Brown County Veterans Service Office - (920) 448-4450
- Oneida Nation Tribal Veterans Service Office - (920) 869-1133
- Veterans Crisis Hotline - 1-800-273-8255
