CARMEL – Veterans in Putnam County, especially those with severe needs, will never be forgotten.
That was the message delivered recently by John Bourges, program coordinator of the Putnam Chapter of the Joseph Dwyer Vet2Vet program as well as by Karl Rohde, director of Veterans Affairs when the two men appeared before the legislature’s Rules Committee.
Legislature Chairwoman Toni Addonizio called on Governor Andrew Cuomo and members of the state legislature to fully fund the county’s Vet2Vet program in all future state budgets.
“Each year the governor tells us he is going to put money in the budget but then at the 11th hour it is eliminated. Vet2Vet is extremely important,” said Rhode.
“To turn our backs on our veterans is disgraceful. Our motto is ‘one team–one fight.’ There are no barriers to our work,” said Bourges.
The PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Veterans Support Program was created in 2012 and Putnam County is one of 16 chapters across the state aiming to bring vets together in a secure, anonymous setting in order to assist one another with the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.
The program is named for PFC Joseph Dwyer, a war hero, who despite the support of a loving family, passed away due to complications of PTSD upon his return from service in Iraq.
“Dwyer was there to help but due to his PTSD and drug abuse, he took his own life. Twenty-two veterans per day commit suicide nationwide. Sadly, 50 percent of veterans with PTSD do not seek treatment. We are vets helping vets,” said Bourges.
Megan Castellano, executive director of the Mental Health Association of Putnam, has emphasized that Vet2Vet was a peer-to-peer program. “The model builds on the mutual support framework that has been recently recognized as a best practices model on a shared lived experiences and an inherent trust that cannot be achieved through clinical intervention.”
Bourges charged that Vet2Vet is “not Republican nor is it Democratic. It must stopped being used as a bargaining chip. We have saved lives from suicide and drug abuse.”
Rohde, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and past New York State VFW Commander, reminded the audience that veterans affairs was “not a political issue. Party politics is out when it comes to veterans. Many vets need help. Others are homeless. Veterans’ issues must not be debated by throwing money at them. We must work with our vets and put the money where it will do the most good.”
