Disabled veterans concentrated in Tacoma area

Disabled veterans concentrated in Tacoma area
The communities surrounding Tacoma have the highest per capita population of seriously disabled Iraq and Afghanistan veterans on the West Coast, according to Department of Veterans Affairs records obtained by McClatchy Newspapers and analyzed by The News Tribune.

By ADAM ASHTON
The News Tribune

TACOMA, Wash. —
The communities surrounding Tacoma have the highest per capita population of seriously disabled Iraq and Afghanistan veterans on the West Coast, according to Department of Veterans Affairs records obtained by McClatchy Newspapers and analyzed by The News Tribune.

Veterans come to the region for reasons that are obvious on a drive down Interstate 5. Some finish their military careers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord; others seek medical care at the base's Warrior Transition Battalion before they leave the service.

They stay for the resources at Puget Sound Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics, as well as for the region's diverse economy and its generally supportive attitude toward veterans.

"They live here because they're welcome here. I honestly believe that," said retired Army Lt. Col. Jake Holeman, 66, a Vietnam veteran and an officer in Lakewood's chapter of Disabled American Veterans.
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