Veteran's Services and Benefits have to be Earned

Let’s talk. I’m not sure if you’re aware of all the services available to you in this great County we call Aroostook. You have the services of the Maine State Veterans Service Officer; the Maine Veterans Center; the Caribou VA Medical Clinic at Cary Medical Center; the Homeless Veterans Program and the Maine Veterans’ Homes. As for my services as the Maine Dept of Labor’s Veterans Representative, I provide assistance with employment services; job searching techniques, networking, resumes, cover letters, interviewing, thank you notes and so on.

Now, that’s a lot of people and a whole lot of programs just for you as a Veteran!

In my travels around the County, I am constantly amazed at how many Veterans tell me that they don’t use any of these available services because they feel other Veterans may be more deserving or be more in need of these services than they are. They seem to feel that they would be using up the resources and by doing so would deprive someone else.

Here’s the long and the short of it. All of these services provided by the above Veterans groups are yours and yours alone. They cannot be shared. They cannot be transferred. They cannot be given away. They can only be given to you and used by you and you alone. Nobody is more deserving than you.

All of the Veterans benefits that these folks provide must be earned. They can only be earned if you served on active duty for at least 180 days for reasons other than training and you received a discharge from military duty for reasons other than dishonorable. If you have any questions, please call me at 760-6322 or 1-800-635-0357. I’ll be more than happy to discuss them with you.