After they put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms we enjoy as Americans, soldiers and veterans return in need of a service to help them to readjust to life at home. In the Peoria area there are many support systems welcoming home our heroes.<\/p>\n
By Jenny Sharron<\/p>\n
PEORIA, Ill. \u2013 At the end of a strip of businesses sits a small facility where many Peoria-area veterans can get help.<\/p>\n
After returning from active duty, many soldiers and Marines come home with injuries both visible and not.\u00a0 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is one of the scariest and most overwhelming things that almost all military personnel struggle with after returning from active duty or experiencing a traumatic event.<\/p>\n
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can be caused by many things, the most common among veterans being repeated flashbacks of being in war zones and witnessing so many deaths or just a singular death of a great friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just returned from a funeral,\u201d said Staff Sergeant Kenneth Corbitt. \u201cA buddy had committed suicide and we don\u2019t know why. He was a good man and always seemed happy; I just wish I knew why.<\/p>\n
It is the mission of Vet Centers to serve Veterans and their families by providing a continuum of quality care that adds value for veterans, families and communities at no cost to the veterans.\u00a0 The Peoria has served the area since 1979, having several locations along the way.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe not only offer services to those who suffered a traumatic event while in boot, but also to anyone that suffered sexual trauma,\u201d said Readjustment Counselor C.W. Speight.<\/p>\n
Services offered by the Vet Center include counseling, financial advising, and counseling for the families to help returning soldiers adjust to life at home.<\/p>\n
Speight also stressed that many people confuse Vet Centers and Vet Clinics.\u00a0 He says that Vet Centers are more specific to readjusting men and women of service, as well as helping their families learn how to cope and make the adjustment as pleasant as possible.\u00a0 Vet Clinics are actual hospitals, the nearest being in Danville. Speight described the facility as a super clinic that houses not only a hospital, but an in-house pharmacy, lab, hearing and eye clinic.<\/p>\n
Michael Brooks is the superintendent for the Peoria Country Veterans Assistance.\u00a0 He not only assists veterans with filling their paperwork, but he helps with monetary things as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important that they [veterans] know that they are not alone,\u201d Speight said. \u201cWe\u2019re here to help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speight stated that the number of service members he sees on a weekly basis fluctuates because some come in on a weekly basis, bi-weekly basis, and some just drop in as need be.<\/p>\n
The Peoria facility is open during business hours Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If anyone military member or family member is seeking help, they are urged to call the Peoria Vet Center at (309) 689-9708. For more information on Veteran Affairs, visit www.vetcenter.va.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Members of the Theta Chi fraternity host an annual philanthropy week. In the spring 2013 the fraternity chose the Wounded Warrior Project as their beneficiary. Colby Tapling, a senior member, speaks on what the philanthropy week entails.<\/p>\nBradley Fraternity gives back to Wounded Warriors<\/h2>\n