About Us
WHO WE ARE
As V.E.T.S. Who are we? Simply put, we are a military veteran-based community helping military veterans’ organization. All our initial members in this non-profit start-up have served in the United States Marines. Derived from our service engrained the core values of honor, courage, and commitment. These are the ethos that embolden us as humans to be our brothers/sisters’ keepers. We continue to serve today in a different capacity.
WHAT WE DO
Veteran Enrichment Task-Force Services (V.E.T.S.) is a dedicated group of prior-service Marines. V.E.T.S. is currently being formed to assist any veterans in need. V.E.T.S is focused on the State of Michigan with the desire to expand in all 50 states as our organization grows. V.E.T.S. was formed after learning of the higher need of our veteran-based community extends to thousands of veterans that do not have some of the basic necessities for everyday living. Many veterans suffer from the threat of homelessness and experience unique mental health challenges. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates that over 1.7 million veterans received care for mental health services last year. It is well-documented and known that there are not enough care workers to meet the growing demand for mental health care. This shortfall of mental health care providers has been discussed and noted for many years, and the number of psychiatric vacancies is expected to be 31,000 by 2024, according to the National Library of Medicine. The development of new and more effective strategies for treatment and improvement of overall well-being for those who suffer could be an effective method of meeting this need with only the current providers.
According to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, 22 veterans a day commit suicide. That means using the number 22 vets, over 365 days a year, over 8030 veterans tragically take their own lives. Unfortunately, this number is higher because not all 50 states record veteran suicides. The realistic number is speculated to be doubled at 44 veterans a day who take their lives. Also, another unfortunate thing is, their death does not just affect them, but it takes a little of the lives they affected. These warriors are someone’s mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister, or best friend. These deaths are not attributable to the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Viet-cong, or any other enemy. They are a reflection on our failure to give our safety briefing, to monitor/mentor ourselves and our peers. It is a reflection on us as leaders.
It is okay to not be okay.
That is why we adopt and live by the leadership principles instilled by the Marines. These are principles that not only guided us in the Marines but in our everyday life. They also push us to be a better version of ourselves and a productive member of society. Their principles are:
1.
Know yourself and seek self-improvement
2.
Be technically and tactically proficient
3.
Know your people and look out for their welfare
4.
Keep your personnel informed
5.
Set the example
6.
Ensure that the task is understood, supervised, and accomplished
7.
Train your Marines and sailors as a team
8.
Make sound and timely decisions
9.
Develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates
10.
Employ your command within its capabilities
11.
Seek responsibilities and take responsibilities
WHAT WE DO
CONTINUED.
An article sited in the Veteran Affairs news sited a statistic from the Department of Housing and Urban Development that stated; The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the results of the 2023 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, the annual effort to estimate the number of Americans, including Veterans, without permanent housing. The data showed that on a single night in January 2023, there were 35,574 Veterans experiencing homelessness from 2022. Many veterans, especially female veterans, are afraid to ask for housing assistance because they think their ex-husband(s) will contact the authorities and have a court remove custody of their children. This is an understandable fear because if a mother cannot provide a suitable home for her children, then the child/children may be subject to removal from the mother’s care and placed in a foster home situation. For this reason, many veteran mothers will reside with their children in their vehicles. V.E.T.S. believes wholeheartedly that our organization can help fill this gap. We know from experience that we can connect to these veterans. We believe that we can help them however they have a need. We can find a way to fulfill it. We have been doing this out of pocket, devoting our energy, resources, and time on an individual basis; however, as the need has expanded, so have our dreams, goals, and aspirations.
Our organization is looking to make a difference in veteran concerns, such as homelessness and mental health being a top priority. Secondary corners are veteran’s career placement, disability claims, elderly care, physical health, recreational therapy, transportation for veterans, and more. This will further our tax-exempt purposes with larger donations. V.E.T.S. hopes to make a major difference in people’s lives as well as our community!