Page 3 - Aerotech News and Review, September 3, 2021

Veterans Outreach roars back after COVID setback

by Larry Grooms event’s first, longest tenured and ma- censed marriage and family thera-
special to Aerotech News jor source of volunteer services to pists and U.S. Army veterans Dennis
veterans, showed up early and stayed Anderson and Gerry Rice.
LANCASTER, Calif.—In the 18 late with adult Rotarians led by With the outbreak of COVID-19
years since the first Antelope Valley president and 18-year member Celia in 2020, sessions met in Zoom for-
Veterans Stand Down was held at An- Gray. And Lancaster High School’s mat. Bertell said Point Man AV
telope Valley College, the region’s mis- Rotary Interact Club came out in is now looking for a new donated
sion to help, heal and house men and force to serve breakfast and lunch meeting space with room for up to
women who came home with outward and keep four 60-cup capacity coffee 15 persons every Tuesday from 6
and inward scars of war was much the pots available. Coffee consumption to 7:30 p.m. He can be contacted at
same at this year’s AV Veterans Out- for the day was around 300 cups. 661-435-7695 or via email at mike@
reach on Aug. 28. Adopting the Rotary International avwall.org.
Despite having to cancel the 2020 motto, “Service Above Self,” Inter- In addition to its direct work
Outreach due to COVID-19 restric- act membership is in some cases a with veterans, Point Man AV is the
tions, Steve Baker, director of co- family tradition, as in the case of guardian for maintaining, storing
organizing Grace Resources, said the Acevedo sisters. Aileen, a senior and displaying the Mobile Vietnam
the event bounced back from the member of the club, was joined for Memorial Wall, a source of emo-
18-month hiatus with no losses in the day of volunteer service by your tional healing for many Vietnam
volunteers, participants or services younger sibling, Mia, an 8th-grader veterans.
to veterans. at Amargosa Creek Middle School. Although new veterans support
Joane Sampson, who signed-in A cornerstone in the foundation of
veterans, said 86 registered by 10 the AV Veterans Outreach Commit- services have been added over the
a.m., and 10 more vets arrived be- tee is Point Man Antelope Valley, a years, many of the original features
fore lunch. Baker said more than non-profit serving spiritual, physical for immediate care of veterans in
7,000 military veterans have attend- and emotional needs of veterans and difficult circumstances remain.
ed the event since its beginning. He their families. Vets 4 Veterans provided multiple
estimated that more than 50 volun- Mike Bertell, decorated Army tables stacked high with free wear-
teers provided support services for combat veteran of the Vietnam War, ing apparel. Barbers and stylists
the day, in addition to officials and has served as Point Man Outpost provide free haircuts and grooming.
staff representing more than a dozen Leader for nine years, succeeding A dental team was on hand, along
local, county, state and federal of- the Valley’s first Point Man, George with representatives of Alcoholics
fices and agencies. Palermo, now serving as Point Man Anonymous, the Honorable Service
This year, as in the past, motiva- Arizona. Career Center, Lifeline for Vets and
tion to attend was for many veterans Bertell leads weekly meetings the Veterans Peer Access Network.
the hope of getting timely action, or in which military veterans meet in And many organizations continue
failing that, the opportunity to find a safe environment to share stories to offer personalized help and sourc-
advocacy for improvements in veter- and help each other heal through a es and resources to vets, including
ans service programs at every level combination of therapy and chat. Blue Star Mothers, VFW 3000 Aux- Photograph by Larry Grooms
of government. “What’s said there stays there,” iliary, and Grace Veterans Fellow- Vietnam Veteran Mike Bertell, leader of Point Man Antelope Valley, was on
Lancaster Rotary Club, one of the Bertell said. He is assisted by li- ship, among others. hand for the Aug. 28 AV Veterans Outreach.
Keeping score on Veterans Affairs services

by Larry Grooms Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield.
special to Aerotech News Also present with staff at the Veterans Outreach was 36th
District California Assemblyman Tom Lackey, accompanied
LANCASTER, Calif.—This year, as in every year since the by Field Office Representative Anna Zarley, who specializes in
AV Veterans Outreach began, an underlying question was how helping veterans at the state level.
much better or worse veterans are served by the government they Homelessness among veterans returning from war is noth-
fought to protect and defend. ing new. Huge numbers of veterans were homeless in America
Opinions vary, but the official scorekeepers, elected lawmak- after the Civil War, World War I, in the Great Depression of
ers, have both inside information on agency performance and the the 1930s, and following World War II. Today, the nation’s
opportunity to fight for improvements and reforms. distressed and homeless veterans are the warriors from subse-
Congressman Michael Garcia, representing California’s 25th quent conflicts in Korea in the 1950s, Vietnam in the 1960s and
Congressional district and the highest-ranking federal official at 1970s, NATO conflicts in the Balkans in the 1980s, and subse-
the Aug. 28 Veterans Outreach, shared with Aerotech News his quent combat throughout the Middle East, culminating now in
assessment of performance by the Veterans Administration. He Afghanistan.
said the VA showed modest improvement in delivering physi- Despite last week’s expressed level of concern for finding
cal care of veterans in its hospitals and clinics, and to a lesser solutions to end homelessness among veterans, statistical evi-
extent, better treatment of veterans suffering from emotional dence about causes, remedies, numbers, successes, failures and
war wounds. even geographical distribution of the phenomenon varied widely
“The VA has improved since 2017, the difference being that from place to place across the country. Because of differences in
once you get into the system it’s easier to work with the VA,” reporting methods and statistical methods used between report-
he said. ing agencies it’s not always possible to compare and contrast
But for the decades’ old and seemingly intractable issue — numbers to find a one-size-fits all solution.
chronic homelessness among veterans and their families, Garcia This year the VA sent a diversified group of agents to Lancast-
and other regional lawmakers remain unsatisfied. er, each prepared to deal face-to-face with veterans on matters
Former Navy fighter pilot and decorated Iraq war veteran Gar- of VA benefits, medical issues and housing. Once again, VA-
cia gives the VA negative reviews for its reluctance to recognize contracted Mental Health America of Los Angeles sent a Health
and replace outdated policies and procedures that lead to delay Care Navigator, Veronica Wright, from its Operation Healthy
and frustration for vets trying to navigate the system. Homecoming office in the Military Resource Center in Palmdale.
Garcia said that because of systemic VA incompetence, Con- Operation Healthy Homecoming focuses on housing for vet-
gressional office staffers spend countless hours interceding with erans and their families who are homeless or at serious risk of
the VA on behalf of frustrated constituents. Pointing to his AV becoming homeless. Photograph by Larry Grooms
District Officer Staff Director Christine Ward, who accompanied Challenges of finding housing for homeless vets and the de- Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., talks with a veteran at the Aug. 28 AV
him to the Aug. 28 event, the congressman said, “Chris Ward pendents are often widely different. One couple arriving early Veterans Outreach event.
here is the best. She has the heart for it” He estimates 25 to 30 in the day presented an uncommon challenge: The husband is
percent of his staff’s time is spent dealing with veteran issues a Navy veteran and unemployed glazer, whose wife works as Just after 1 p.m., as the event was closing, the couple sat in
that could and should have been resolved at the VA. Garcia said a schoolteacher. Because of crushing debt she incurred when conversation with a VA Housing representative under a shade
fortunately veterans living in this region of Southern California abandoned by her former husband, a military vet, the couple fixture in the courtyard between the host Calvary Chapel and its
have a powerful advocate and strong ally in House Minority now classified as working poor, has been homeless for two years. events building. Outcome to be decided.
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