West Philadelphia: Veterans Manage PTSD With The Hope For A Brighter Future
When Thomas Adams was just a child, he was frequent witness to his mother’s ferocious fights with her boyfriend. Adams, now a Marine Corps veteran, was so afraid that his mother would be hurt that he’d dart across the street to ask the bar maid to call 911. Another time, he woke up to the […]
Old City: Thank-a-Vet Helps Veterans Put Best Foot Forward
An ‘80s cult classic movie gave Shannon Drake one of her first ideas for Thank-a-Vet. The therapist, who works with veterans in a Northeast Philly housing program, said she was talking to a veteran who was struggling with depression. “He was talking about giving service to the country but then it was over and […]
Juniata Park: Puerto Rican Veterans Honor Successes
Latin American Veterans in Philadelphia are remembering their success after a long history of service to their communities. “We need role models,” said Juvencio Gonzalez, outreach coordinator for State Senator Mike Stack. “When they went [to war] they didn’t have Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks.” The veterans of United States’ 65th Infantry, nicknamed […]
South Street: Words are Mightier Than the Sword for Veterans
Lamont B. Steptoe said that when he returned from Vietnam, he was ready to buy a gun. In the wake of a much-debated war, the veteran was so frustrated with his country that he said he was ready to become a “home-grown terrorist.” Instead, Steptoe picked up a pen. He joined Warrior Writers, a veterans-focused arts […]
Veterans Affairs’: VMC Says Fairwell To E.D. Tim Meserve and Welcome’s Tim Williams
The Veterans Multi-Service Center is changing leadership. The new executive director of the VMC is Tim Williams (pictured above), taking over from Tim Meserve, who served as the executive director for two years. Meserve, a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel, started as a volunteer before becoming the executive director in 2013 and is now leaving […]
University City: Richard Kydd and A Legacy of Service
During his 19 years in the Philadelphia School District, Richard Kydd always wanted his students to feel open asking questions in class. Now as a science teacher for veterans at the University of Pennsylvania, he said nothing’s changed. “There have been a lot of science teachers that didn’t answer questions,” said Kydd, who joined Veterans Upward Bound, […]
Veterans Affairs: The Philadelphia Guide to Veteran Resources
With so many organizations, figuring out whom to trust for help can be difficult for Philadelphia veterans. Some services will even come to veterans directly, like the mobile resource center based out of the Philadelphia Regional Benefits Office on Wissahickon Avenue (pictured above). Here are five essential resources that aim to help veterans with everything […]
Powelton Village: Hope and Refuge for Struggling Veterans
The Veterans Group, located at 32nd and Baring streets, is an organization that provides help to former soldiers dealing with homelessness in Philadelphia. The goal of the program is to give them place to live and the necessary tools to transition into productive members of society. “We help the guys coming from divorces or whatever […]
Powelton Village: Vietnam Vet Opens Up About Life After War
Sam Hampton, a Vietnam War veteran, never took a moment for granted since his Marine Corps days. In June 1968, the then-18-year-old went to war and has since suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Sitting in a computer chair in the office of the Veterans Group in Powelton Village, an organization that lends help to veterans […]