MINUTES for 2021-08-24 FINAL - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes August 24, 2021 Page 10 Chair Doolittle: (Introduces topic, defers to Deb Lewis for discussion). Lewis: It's a topic that we need to be keenly aware of. You can read a lot on it on the web and elsewhere, VA. There're significant concerns. What's happening in Afghanistan is one of those trigger things where, especially you Michael from Vietnam. It's like deja vu were here again and the veterans are getting very angry and upset and the interview I had on KITV was basically focus on what we can do. It's terrible but it's going to get worse. Just like COVID seems to keep coming around again and whapping us on the side of the head getting worse but that doesn't mean you can't operate and function and focus on what you want instead of what people are starting to do is getting angry at everybody. The depression, suicides, everything. Isaac can talk about this. It can go off the charts. We were already on the edge before and as the scenes unfold and watching the children crying. The people who fell off the aircraft. Are you kidding me? We're looking at that thinking in today's world those things are still happening. People are suffering and people feel it deeply and we don't know what to do with it. And we want to make sure that we don't get even triggering. I feel like it's an electrified field and its takes nothing for people to go postal, either explode or implode. I'm not sure all the safe cards but in the VFW our Commander has basically said, hey, we have veterans all over the communities who are willing to lend an ear. There are resources for you to get help, go seek that. This is a time where we need to get together, call people if people are already disturbed. But I'm telling you given what I've seen and heard, you know that people who may have been handling it, just like having two combat tours and then the third tour they just lose it. It's just enough to go above and beyond. Also, Johnny with his religious support. This is a time we have to be very active, and our messaging needs to be that. We need to keep ties, not go back into our fox holes, and not help others. That's the reason I don't have any answers. I just know there's a ton of resources out there, but if we're not talking about it, and connecting with our veterans and talking to family members. Because if you think about the family members that lost a loved one in Afghanistan, I know the Commander that was commissioned, not commissioned but I promoted a young lady to lieutenant that died in Afghanistan and I talked to her Battalion Commander who, she died in his arms. The family is ... her grandfather was a classmate of mine from West Point. We're all connected. When you see those scenes and you think about those who gave their lives, try to help the Afghanistan people have a better world and now you see people evacuating. Maybe we need to find out where they're going to in this COVID age, how can we help, how can we send funds, how can we send support. Those are things we want to redirect the toxic energy to the many people who are out there, the doers and making things happen. Rather than gnashing and doing exploding, imploding. So that's it. Chair Doolittle: I know from my own personal experience, what's disturbed me the most in these last few days is the political rhetoric on both sides of the divide of America and how insensitive a lot of the comments have been. So yeah, I understand and has infuriated me to no end. So, I thoroughly understand what you're saying. Gray: Can I add something?