Celeste: Streamline help for vets (Letter to the Editor)

Everybody wants to help our Iraq War veterans, and that's the problem. Is the right kind of help behind Door No. 1, Door No. 2, or Door No. 3? Or maybe 4 or 5?

In "Ohioans should do more to show they appreciate vets," a July 12 letter to the Columbus Dispatch, State Rep. Ted Celeste called for "a unified, streamlined system to respond to the enormous challenge presented by so many young (and not so young) men and women returning from war in desperate need of assistance."

In talking to vets and their families, Ted discovered that there are programs from local government, county government and state government. But each program is basically working independently -- a confusing, tiring and frustrating situation for people trying to get back to a normal life.

And you have to take a deep breath before jumping into the whirlpool created by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Ted notes the Ohio National Guard's "OhioCares" program is a great first step. But it is staffed by volunteers! We need to do more.

Help Ted streamline aid to veterans in Ohio and beyond. Contact him at ted@tedceleste.com with your ideas. Together we can and will make a difference.