by Bea Peterson
Gail Smith reported some interesting statistics at the Hoosick Falls Community Alliance Church Veterans Breakfast on Saturday, April 13. Hoosick Falls has 333 veterans, or about ten percent of its population. That is a large percentage compared to other County towns. Yet the majority of veterans services are located on the other side of the County.
PTSD And Suicide
In her work with various veterans programs she learned that no Rensselaer County soldier has been killed in the wars in the Middle East. However, 11 of these returned County veterans have committed suicide. Obviously there is a need for help and support for returning veterans and their families. The mission of the Voice of a Vet ministry of the Alliance Church is “to provide a venue, through varied programs and activities, where veterans and their families will be recognized, honored and served; where they can have a voice, connect with comrades and support one another; convey their needs and be given an opportunity to share experiences.” The breakfast was the first event of this ministry.
The tables were decorated with red, white and blue. Church young people served juice, coffee and tea. There was a delicious buffet breakfast, fantastic music by the HFCS Jazz Band, conducted by Bill Brown, and a program that included the history of military music, followed by a sing-a-long.
Welcome Home Initiative
Deanna Aldrich was a nursing WAC (Woman’s Army Corps) during the Vietnam War. She was 18, trained in nursing and stationed at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center. “It was a 1,000 bed hospital and it was full,” she recalled.
Many of the wounded, she said, arrived with the original dressings put on them before they left Vietnam. It was a tough job for a young girl, and it left its mark. She recalled an incident in that same era when she was stationed at Ft. McClellan in Alabama. She and a girlfriend went into town in uniform to have dinner. On the street they encountered two sets of Vietnam War protestors, one group was black, the other white. “There was all that civil rights stuff, too,” she said. The two groups, ranting and hollering, chased after the girls who were fortunate enough to hop onto a bus and get away. “They wanted our hide!”
Deanna has been treated for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder more than once. She has several health issues. Many of the issues are the result of an auto accident in 2010 in which she was severely injured and her husband was killed.
A while back she took part in a Welcome Home Initiative, a ministry of Christ the King Spiritual Life Center in Greenwich. The goal of this program “is to minister practically and prayerfully to combat veterans of the armed forces and their families, providing support and resources to help them heal and thrive.” The Center is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany, but it welcomes people of all denominations. They offer a three day retreat where there are talks by veterans and trauma specialists, discussion groups, optional marriage and family counseling and plenty of free time to enjoy the 600 beautiful acres there for recreation and relaxation. Best of all, the program is free. To learn more about the Welcome Home Initiative, contact Sandra at welcomehomeinitiative@gmail.com or call Christ the King at 518-692-9550 x 201. The next retreat is May 20 to 22.
Intense Retreat
On May 23 through May 26 there will be a retreat focusing on veterans now in the justice system as a result of PTSD and their families. The Soldier’s Heart to Head Veterans program begins Thursday, May 23, with a small but intense war healing retreat. On May 24 there will be a conference on restorative justice for veterans, ending on Sunday with a Presentation of Colors and family barbecue. Again, veterans and/or their families must register by April 30.