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For all the Veterans and their families.....
As the daughter of an Air Force Korean War veteran and the ridiculously proud mother of a sergeant in the Army, I just wanted to share a few things. I can remember taking my dad to the VA in Durham for nearly three years for his battle with multiple myeloma. His care was phenomenal. Any cancer is the enemy, but the one thing that gave me hope in his fight was meeting the veterans and their spouses every Thursday for chemo.
I can remember one certain day going in and the TV channel had been changed to the Food Network, and I asked why. The sweet lady at check-in told me two guys had gotten in an argument over politics the day before so they changed it. I had to laugh, but at the same time it showed no matter how sick they were, they still had "fight" in them. It was more than an honor to sit near them and hear their stories.
Since middle school, my son always wanted to join the military. Both grandfathers served, and it was his dream. I was blessed to be able to hand my son his high school diploma since I was on the board of education, and then a few days later he left for Fort Jackson. He was gone just like that. I remember that 10-second call out of basic training saying his name, and basically I knew he was alive. It was truly one of the hardest experiences of my life, but beyond worth it. You don't sleep, you pray all the time, and you are insanely proud. I had every kind of Army mom shirt you can imagine, and I still wear them.
He served at four bases: Fort Jackson, Fort Lee, Fort Benning and Fort Stewart. He went to several places on deployment. He was in the heavy armor unit – the war unit. You try not to think about it, but mothers do. I met and loved the soldiers in his unit as though they were my own. They will be brothers for a lifetime. The American military is amazing no matter who the commander in chief is. They volunteer and run toward the danger for you and me.
After his service of four years in the Army ended in 2020, he went to the Veterans Service Office in Alamance County to get his DD214 and be processed. Transitioning out of military life is not always easy. Your whole identity has suddenly changed. They treated him with absolute professionalism, respect and thanked him for his service. I often say going to deployment is NOT the same as coming back from deployment, and our VSO understands that completely.
Our VSO office served 8,453 veterans and dependents last fiscal year. They helped 98 out-of-county veterans that did not get what they needed in their home counties. Our last census estimated 11,463 veterans in Alamance County. Alamance County veterans/dependents received $137,178,000 in total benefits. This has a huge impact on our county’s economy.
The VSO office offers free services to those eligible for benefits. The following area few of the many services offered.
Military Records/Medals, Intent to file, Compensation,Veterans Pension, DIC/Widow Pension, Aid & Attendance, Dependency, Appeals (lawyers can charge up to 40%), Burial/Marker, ChampVA, DOD, NC Benefits (vehicle tag, hunting & camp; fishing, property tax exclusion),Debt Management, Chapter 35 Education
If you are a veteran, no matter where you are from, they serve you as they should. It is not an Alamance County veteran or any other county veteran, it is a United States of America veteran. I think it is crucial to know what your local VSO does and how important their presence is for our veterans. The United States military has served us proudly so you and I have freedom. Not every country has that, but we do, courtesy of the men and women who wear the uniform. I say they deserve a red carpet to walk on any time, anywhere. I will always support them. God bless our military and their families who serve beside them!
