STEVENSVILLE — Two years into a successful start of VAMSA, the Veteran and Military Support Alliance organization, retired U.S. Army veteran Joe Candella, who serves as president of VAMSA, and retired U.S. Air Force Medical Administrator Eric Johnson, Jr., VAMSA executive director, explained their vision for veterans care, going forward. VAMSA seeks to make sure all local veterans receive the benefits they’ve earned in service to our nation.
“Through statistics provided, 30% of all veterans don’t receive any benefits from the Veterans Administration they’re entitled to. That is shameful,” says Candella.
This coming May, will mark the first anniversary of the VAMSA’s resource center, located in office space located at Bay Bridge Marina, 337 Pier One Road, Suite 101, Stevensville, provided free by owner and veteran Walt Petrie. The resource center provides a place where military veterans who are experiencing any type of concerns obtaining their VA benefits, or services they may need, can find immediate help. The center also provides a 24/7 hotline, 1-844-MIL-VETS, for any veteran suffering from PTSD and immediate assistance for suicide prevention, which several years ago was considered an epidemic among military veterans.
Johnson said, “There’s been a slight decline in the suicide rate going down the past two-years, when veterans were dying on average of one every hour. However, those still dying in this way is unacceptable, and the need for help for veterans suffering is still urgent.”
“This resource center is for all veterans and their families,” Johnson said, “The VA benefits veterans earned also cover family members. We want to help their families too.”
Both Candella and Johnson are pleased with the quick coming together of VAMSA and what its been able to accomplish thus far. The resource center is what Candella called “Phase 1 of what we want to do for veterans. Phase 2 would be to have a small community where veterans could live and have the resources right there within the same property.” They’re looking ahead to complete that vision of veterans care.
Candella explained, “There are those in Queen Anne’s County who own large farms/acres that they might be able to afford to donate to help create such a small community for veterans. We have an architect working on a drawing/design for such a community of tiny small homes, starting at 300 to 500 square feet for one veteran to reside. For two people to reside, the home would be slightly bigger. We’re thinking we’d have 25 to possibly 50 tiny homes within the 25-acres, a center for services veterans need, an exercise room, and a swimming pool. This community would be veteran centered for their needs.”
Johnson referred to the community as, “Operation Thank You for Your Service”.
“Fellowship is so important for veterans,” Johnson said. “All of them lived by a moral code — ‘I’ll die for you, you’ll die for me,’ if it came to that. Those in combat learned to live by that code.”
Candella said, “As soon as we get the resource center staffed full-time, we’ll be ready to move forward with the living community, and I’m expecting with the support we’ve received thus far, that will be in a matter of a few months” Since the interview, the center is now staffed full-time. He added, “There are communities like the one I’ve described already in existence in Brunswick, Georgia, and in Alabama. Those communities for veterans were put together by local people wanting to assist veterans in need.”
Johnson praised the local American Legion’s and VFW for significant financial donations last year to help get the resource center up and running. However, there needs to be ongoing support from the community in general. Even the county commissioners donated a grant of $50,000 last year, lead by U.S. Marine Corps veteran, commissioner Jim Moran.
Also serving on the VAMSA board of directors, Dr. Sushma Jani, professional psychiatrist, of Centreville, who wrote the clinical practice guidelines for both the Department of Defense and Veterans Administration.
Johnson said, “We’re blessed to have such people working with us. Many of us believe that the mission of their project to care for veterans has been divinely inspired. Everything that has happened thus far has been the answer to many peoples prayers.”
The mission statement for VAMSA is to provide accessible and free resources uniquely tailored to the needs of military members and veterans, their families, and their caregivers.
If you know of anyone who would be interested in helping with the donation of 23-acres for a veterans community, please call the phone number listed above or email to executive.director@vamsa.us .
