Pennsylvania Post 123 works with Rep. Susan Wild to put on Veterans Resource Fair.
In the rural area of Carbon County, Pa., veterans often have to drive long distances to meet face to face with those in local, state and federal positions who can assist with benefits assistance and other resources. That’s why American Legion Post 123 in Lansford recently teamed up with U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, and county and federal veteran services staff to bring those resources to veterans in the area.
On Feb. 15, Post 123 hosted the Carbon County Veterans Resource Fair, bringing together Wild’s staff, representatives from the Carbon County Office of Veterans Affairs, Valley Health Partners, Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center, CareerLink and other local officials, along with members of both Post 123 and Post 316 in Summit Hill.
The 60 or so veterans who attended the event were able to meet one-on-one with experts in the field of veterans benefits, mental health and other critical areas difficult to access in Carbon County.
“It’s hard for our guys to go out and get care and benefits, being an aging population and how landlocked we kind of are up here,” Post 123 Commander Nate Krajcirik said. “The biggest thing for (area veterans) is not having to drive. Getting into seeing a (veterans service officer) to get the ball moving. Some guys who have gotten denied in the past have got no interest in seeing what else is out there for them now that the PACT Act has come out.
“This was the first step in a long process in which we hope we’re going to be able to get some more help up here in the rural area we live in.”
Krajcirik said that around the first of the year, representatives from Post 123 met with Maureen Caporaso, Wild’s Veteran and Military Liaison, about the needs of area veterans and what the post and Wild’s could collaborate on to meet those needs.
Krajcirik credited Caporaso and Post 123 First Vice Commander Christine LeClair, who serves as the Carbon County Director of Veterans Affairs, with reaching out to multiple agencies about sending reps to the event.
"Carbon County has the highest veteran suicide rate in the entire commonwealth, so having an event like this is so important to just get into underserved towns and boroughs where veterans might have issues with transportation and things like that, to provide local resources,” LeClair told the Pocono Record. “Just kind of a one-stop shop so veterans can come together and get what they need.”
The number of veterans that showed up for the first-time event is evident of the need in the area, Krajcirik said. “We had a full house for a while,” he said. “We did a lot of word of mouth, but we put it together in only about two weeks. Maureen dug in and reached out to a lot of folks, and I put it out to the (American Legion) county and district officers to get their folks to reach out to other folks. We definitely have a need for something like this.”
Having a resource like LeClair as a member of the post, where she also is the service officer, working on the county level is a boost to Post 123’s outreach and assistance efforts.
“It’s excellent. She’s helped our guys out immensely, as well as other veterans throughout the county,” Krajcirik said. “She’s a wealth of knowledge and has networked all over the place, doing the best she can for our veterans here.”
- Veterans Benefits