Counseling Technician Scott Meece sits with his dog Duncan inside the living quarters of the Vet Center Mobile Unit. Duncan was instrumental in helping Meece deal with his own Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Photo by Holt Menzies

by RACHEL DINKIN
Intern News Reporter

With Veteran’s Day approaching Nov. 11, Boone welcomed the Johnson City Vet Center to Legends parking lot Monday to discuss veteran-related issues and concerns.

Organized by Veterans Affairs Coordinator Teresa S. Johnson, this first-time event for Appalachian State University included such guests as Scott Meece, counseling technician; Stephen Crowe, licensed clinical social worker counselor; Watauga County Veterans Service

Officer Donna Lyons and representatives from the Red Cross, who were all available to answer questions and detail services provided by their respective offices.

“Over 200 veterans go to school [at Appalachian], so we wanted to come out and make them aware of the benefits and help we can offer, like readjusting to society,” Meece said, who manned the Johnson City Vet Center mobile unit.

A combat veteran of Iraq, Katrina, Desert Storm and Grenada, Meece said the mobile unit has on-site counseling if needed, but is mostly used for emergenacy responses.

The 247 Vet Centers around the United States provide many services to veterans including, but not limited to: readjustment counseling, marital and family counseling, substance abuse information and referral, job counseling referral and community education. All services are confidential and free to eligible veterans and their families. 

“Typically, there are three main concerns of veterans when they return to the United States: what type of health care they are entitled to, if they can file a claim for an injury from overseas, and what type of educational benefits they are eligible for,” Lyons said, who has been a

Watauga County Veterans Service Officer for almost 29 years. 

To answer those concerns, Lyons said each veteran is entitled to five years of medical care through a Veterans Affairs facility, and educational benefits are dependent upon the veteran’s military situation, such as if they served a regular four-to-six-year term or if they are a returning militant. 

A Student Veterans’ Association is available to provide student veterans an avenue to meet fellow veterans, as well as socialize.

“When I was growing up, I always thought veterans were old men, but now I see 18 and 19 year olds coming home all the time who have been in combat overseas,” Mark Antonitis, president of the Student Veterans’ Association said.  “A lot of these kids are more mentally hurt than physically, and that’s why we created this organization – to give them a chance to speak with fellow vets and maybe open up a bit more.”

Photo by Holt Menzies  |  Chief Photographer

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Show/Hide comments