Get Involved With Issues Facing Veterans
The young men featured in the documentary Where Soldiers Come From face a variety of issues while trying to return and reintegrate into their community, from dealing with traumatic brain injury (TBI) to receiving education benefits for their service. Learn ways you can get involved with veterans and educate your communities about the issues they face in returning to civilian life.
Host a screening of Where Soldiers Come From as part of a Veterans Day observance. Use the opportunity to raise awareness of local agencies and organizations that support returning soldiers and their families.
Host a panel discussion with veterans of different eras of service and combat experience to discuss the utilization of an all-volunteer force and its effects versus other military service options used in previous wars, such as the Vietnam War. Compare and contrast the experience of soldiers returning after Vietnam with the experience of soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.
Arrange to correspond with and/or send care packages to troops serving in Afghanistan.
Convene a panel to discuss the relationship between economic status and military enlistment.
Host a debate about the pros and cons of using National Guard units for regular and repeated deployment overseas. Include a discussion of the differences between National Guard service and service in other branches of the military in terms of pay, benefits and requirements.
Host a caregiver summit to discuss community support, response and resources for families of military veterans and those wounded in war.