Phone bank: Volunteers answer veterans' questions

Call: 313-298-WDIV

Bob Short is spending his retirement with fellow veterans, making sure they're successful when they return to civilian life.

He is one of 124 Buddy To Buddy volunteers staffed at 40 MIARNG armories in the state.

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The program falls under MSPAN, the Military Support Programs and Networks at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Under the program, veterans are trained to offer peer support and connect veterans to resources. It was initially designed to help post-9/11 service members, but Buddy-To-Buddy helps every veteran who asks for assistance.  So far in 2016, 747 service members and veterans have received help under the program. 

Short served as an infantry squad leader in Vietnam and now has a passion to help other veterans.

"I think it's invaluable," Short said.  "As a Vietnam veteran, I think like a lot of others, felt the need to do, play some part in making sure they got the services they needed that maybe we didn't get. It's not a matter of sour grapes, it's a matter of just wanting things to be different. and they are."

Bianca Racine credits Buddy To Buddy for helping her get her life back on track when she returned to civilian life.  As a specialist with the U.S. Army National Guard, Racine spent 22 months overseas in Kosovo. 

"I had a lot of anger issues, I came home an alcoholic I was always getting in fights, I was always being rebellious," Racine said.  "I was having a very hard time trying to become a civilian."

Short helped Racine find a job and connected her with the right services to help her with her drinking.

"I now work full time at an auto supplier in Auburn Hills, I go to school full time at Macomb Community College, I actually volunteer with Buddy To Buddy now," Racine said.

Short is very proud of Racine's accomplishments.

"She's done the hard work, but knowing we had a little part to play in getting her started, getting her connected, getting her assistance, it doesn't get much better than that," Short said.

Among the top concerns for veterans are employment, financial, legal and health.   Short said no problem is too big or too small for them to help.

"They don't know where to go or have difficulty making a decision or making that call asking for help that's difficult there is a stigma attached to that," Short said.

Veterans who act as volunteers in the program are trained in communication skills and available community resources so they can help other service members with challenges that might come up.

"When we identify those things, instead of saying, 'Oh, you should go sign up at the VA, or here's the 1-800 number,' we actually try to connect them to that service, so whether that's a person inside the VA that can help them enroll, sometimes that's meeting them at the doors of the VA and taking them through the whole eligibility process, sometimes that's telling them about benefits they might not even have known existed," Zarb said.

For example, returning combat veterans get free health care for the first five years they're home.

If veterans or their families have questions or concerns, Zarb encourages them to reach out. Buddy To Buddy volunteers will research the answer if they don't know it. 

Call this evening

The volunteer group will be manning the Local 4 phone bank Wednesday from 4 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. The number to call is 313-298-WDIV (9348). The volunteers will also be answering questions through a web chat on ClickOnDetroit.com starting at 4:30 p.m.

David Leonard, Field Consultant from the MyVA Veterans Experience Office, will also be on hand as an additional resource for volunteers taking calls.

JOIN THE WEB CHAT HERE

For more information on the program, click here.

Buddy To Buddy relies on donations to operate.If you would like to help, click here.  


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