SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF- The San Luis Obispo County Veterans Service Office just received over 58-thousand dollars in funding that will go directly to mental health help for veterans. Mental health help is what many soldiers need, each day at least one soldier commits suicide. That total is actually more than the amount of troops that are dying in battle.
Dana Cummings, a Veterans Service Officer helps to get these veterans back on their feet. "You recognize it, seeing how these people have suffered from the service, they may look completely whole but they are all torn up inside," says Cummings.
A difference in current the war, is the new generation of soldiers are deployed for longer periods of time. "They are living it for so much longer than in past generations that have gone into battle," says Cummings. One vet Cummings has worked with had been on the battlefield for nearly 10 years. "When they come back here they are going from being in that environment for multiple years to coming out here and trying to function in regular society and that's a huge transition."
Two new veteran service offices throughout the county have been added within the last year, and will be reaching out to even more veterans. Part of their daily mission is to get the word out in the community, to make the transition a little easier. "A lot of times people won't seek it, unless it is brought to them and that's what one of our goals is here. bring those services to the veterans to get them plugged in that much faster."
