Home is Where the Heart Is raises more than $40,000 for veterans

Ms. Madaras greets 1st Lt. Zach Alessi-Friedlander, an Iraq War veteran.

Feb 7, 2008
Home is Where the Heart Is raises more than $40,000 for veterans

By Colleen Flaherty —Hersam Acorn Newspapers

The dangers of active military duty should end once a soldier returns home. For too many, however, a new battle — that of reintegration into civilian life — begins once he or she touches American soil.

“People are sending care packages and things to the soldiers over there,” said Wilton resident Shalini Madaras, who’s son, Pfc. Nicholas Madaras was killed in Iraq in September 2006. “That’s fine and that’s great, but there’s a lot that they come back with that you don’t realize.”

More difficult to diagnose than their physical counterparts, psychological and emotional war wounds can make maintaining a job or personal relationships impossible for some veterans. Additionally, many find their skill sets do not easily translate into the working world.

Both factors have financial ramifications and make for a grave statistic, said John Wiltse, deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs.

“On any given night, somewhere between 25 and 30 percent of the homeless citizens in Connecticut may have served honorably in the United States military.”
go here for the rest
http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/wilton/28633.shtml