Changes at veterans group focus on next generation

Source: Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass.迷你倉尖沙咀Dec. 28--HYANNIS -- A few days before Christmas at Nam Vets Association of the Cape and Islands, a shopping cart full of donated bread dwindled quickly as a handful of people -- veterans or their families -- picked up free loaves.Another room where the tables are usually piled with food pantry items was nearly empty.The office of the organization's president, Bob Servidori, was filled with hand-knitted scarves for children, snacks and toiletries for deployed troops, and basic necessities for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.After 30 years in operation, the clients and their needs at the nonprofit veterans outreach group are changing -- and now, so is its name."Younger vets have started to come through the door. But when you see a sign that says 'Nam Vets,' people assume it's Vietnam vets helping Vietnam vets. And we need to let them know we're out there for them," Servidori said.On Dec. 19, the board of directors of the 212-member nonprofit voted unanimously to change the organization's name to reflect its commitment to all veterans, Servidori said. The board will vote again in January to decide the new name, and the group hopes to have new signs up by February.When Nam Vets started in 1983, it occupied the top floor of a now-condemned building on Main Street, just a short way from its current offices at 569 Main St.It was more a clubhouse than a streamlined organization, Servidori said -- just a small group of guys, "a lousy couch, a few chairs and a Mr. Coffee."They came together for camaraderie and the support available only from others who'd experienced the Vietnam War and the era's prevailing negative attitude toward its veterans.Over the years, the organization has grown to now having an annual budget of $100,000. It owns six units in the complex, as well as two houses in Hyannis that provide transitional rooming for homeless veterans. A Toys for Tots drive at Christmas this year helped 30 children in Hingham and 15 families on Cape Cod.Though several setbacks, such as severe water damage, have delayed the opening of the group's $1 million Grace Veterans Center in Mashpee, the group still hopes to open in the spring to offer counseling and nontraditional therapies.Since July, more than 300 veterans have gone into th倉 Hyannis center seeking help of some kind, Servidori said.At the same time, the organization's core membership -- Vietnam vets such as Servidori -- is dwindling. Since last summer, the group has lost nearly a dozen members through death and illness, he said."When we leave this organization, it has to be turned over to somebody ... and with new blood comes new ideas," Servidori said.Those carrying on the mission will be veterans of the first Gulf War and those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, he said.They have only recently become involved at Nam Vets, but Servidori and other veterans' advocates say they need as much help as their Vietnam-era counterparts."It's been a small force with multiple deployments," Edward Merigan, veterans agent for the town of Barnstable, said. His office is currently handling about 6,000 cases for veterans of all ages across the Cape, he said.Post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries are extremely prevalent among the newest returning vets, who can benefit from the counseling and camaraderie offered by places like Nam Vets, Merigan said."We generally recommend that any combat veterans come back ... to get some re-adjustment counseling," he said.Joe Jennings, 30, of Plymouth, a U.S. Army veteran, considers himself one of the lucky ones, despite seeing "horrific" things during his yearlong deployment to Iraq in 2003."You see bodies, you see death, you see gruesome things," he said."And I guess I deal with things better than some people. But it still took a while for me to get used to it here, to get used to being around a lot of people."Jennings started volunteering at Nam Vets in 2012 as part of a project for one of his classes at Cape Cod Community College.He's now the secretary of the Nam Vets board of directors and its pantry manager, and wants to see more Iraq and Afghanistan veterans get involved."A lot of us, especially active duty, are used to being around people like them. ... Visiting your regular friends isn't the same, and a lot of families don't understand," Jennings said. "Without places like this on Cape, you have to drive off-Cape for help."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Cape Cod Times (Hyannis, Mass.) Visit the Cape Cod Times (Hyannis, Mass.) at .capecodonline.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesmini storage