Thanks to the Veteran Services Center on UW’s campus, many Laramie veterans can find assistance with these problems among others, as well as an opportunity to communicate with other veterans.
Aaron Rousey, an employee for the center, was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011.
“A lot of the veterans that contact the center on campus are usually looking for information regarding the university,” Rousey said. “The veterans center also hosts a lot of activities for Veterans like fly fishing to introduce them back into the community.”
Project Coordinator of the Veteran Services Center Marty Martinez spent 29 years in the Army and also served in the Wyoming National Guard.
“I am originally from Guernsey, and the army was a great way for me to expand and experience the world,” Martinez said.
For this year’s Veteran’s Day ceremonies, the Veteran Services Center set up a roll call of veterans’ names outside the union.
“The roll call of names of Veterans began at Eastern Kentucky University and is currently done at 70 universities in the nation,” Martinez said.
This year a total of 6830 names were called during the event, 60 more than last year.
The Veteran Services Center does more than just work with veterans and handle ceremonies, though.
The center also works with dependents and the reserves to help with their transition back into society.
“A lot of the military personnel that I have encountered don’t have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but they all struggle with returning to the freedom that they have here,” Martinez said. “The military takes up about 70 percent of a person’s day, and the stress from leaving a combat environment to civilian life is what usually causes the stress for PTSD.”
For Rousey, all of the services provided at the center make it a great outlet for him.
“The veterans center is great since we can all really help each other through our struggles,” Rousey said.
