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MacArthur 5K Run to Benefit Vets in Crisis
May 4, 2011
by SARAH CRICHTON / sarah.crichton@newsday.com
From Newsday.com
Joseph Dwyer didn't want to die. Like so many post-traumatic stress disorder sufferers, the former Army combat medic took a fatal overdose of drugs to get "some peace -- to forget the horrors of war," his older brother Brian Dwyer recalled.
Dwyer was on hand Wednesday for the launch of this year's Long Island MacArthur Airport 5K Run for Veterans. The race, which is set for June 4, benefits Long Island 9-1-1 Veterans, a charity that provides financial assistance to veterans in crisis in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
"Life can be really tough for returning veterans," race director and airport employee Arthur Turner said at the event, where a painting replicating a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of Pfc. Joseph Dwyer, then 24, carrying an Iraqi child from battle to safety was presented to town and airport officials.
The photograph, by Warren Zinn of Army Times, ran on the front pages of U.S. newspapers in the initial days of the Iraq invasion in 2003. Dwyer, originally from Mount Sinai, was with the U.S. Army 37 Cavalry at the "tip of the tip of the tip of the spear" as American forces marched up the Euphrates toward Baghdad, said Chris Delaney, who heads 9-1-1 Veterans.
The painting, by Angelo Marino, a disabled Air Force veteran now in his late 70s, has hung in Brookhaven Town Hall for the past year and now will be displayed at the airport in Ronkonkoma, which regularly welcomes home Long Island veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.
"Joe Dwyer saw and smelled and experienced the horrors of war," Delaney said. "He served with honor and when he came home, we as a nation failed him. . . . This iconic image and heroic story
turned tragic. We're hoping -- with Long Islanders turning out to run this race and support us -- that we can turn this back into a hero story again."
Last year's inaugural race on MacArthur's taxiways and runways drew 1,255 entrants and netted $45,000 for the nonprofit. Delaney said the charity raised almost $200,000 overall last year, 95 percent of which was spent on veterans' needs. The charity's checks for such things as heating costs, electric bills, rent and mortgage payments go directly to the providers.
Airport Commissioner Teresa Rizzuto said BAE Systems of Greenlawn and Ronkonkoma-based vitamin manufacturer NBTY had each pledged $15,000 in support of this year's race, "a testament to the commitment of the local community to our veterans."
Kathleen Walsh, Brookhaven deputy supervisor and councilwoman, who attended the event, spoke of her own 27-year-old son who returned from Afghanistan in 2007 suffering a traumatic brain injury and PTSD. He and Dwyer became close friends with three other former Long Island servicemen during their time spent in treatment at the Northport VA Medical Center. "Of the five young men, just two of them are still alive," she said, her voice wavering. "The other three of them have succumbed to PTSD or its side effects." Walsh said her son continues to receive treatment at the hospital.
The Story Behind the Street Sign:
Wounded Warriors Whom We Will Never Forget
Excerpted from
Smithtown Messenger
September 16, 2010
Port Jefferson's Main Street was filled with its usual boisterous sounds, while inside the First Presbyterian Church, voices and instruments soared. "An hour of Service...Healing the Wounded Warrior", was nearly sold-out on Saturday, September 11 at 7PM and Sunday at 5PM.
Two concerts were performed under the direction of Conductor-Composer, Michael Bessewitz-Quarm and Long Island Voices(LIV), a volunteer group of musicians: many of whom are veterans, know people who serve in Iraq or lost friends at the World Trade Center attacks.
In honor of the heroic men and women who responded to the attacks, the country soon became speckled with monuments in the form of plaques, stones, walls, park benches and street signs. Not far from the performance venue is a street sign named Pfc. Joseph P. Dwyer Road that was added to the Pipe Stave Hollow Road sign in Mount Sinai in December 2008.
During his daily commute to work as a music teacher, Bussewitz-Quarm saw the street sign and after doing some research, he decided to host a memorial concert in honor of the soldier. He contacted 9-1-1 Veterans, a Long Island organization, and decided that they would receive 100 percent of the proceeds.
Bussewitz-Quarm said he felt a great loss after the towers fell and was compelled to write Dies Magna, a contemporary version of a Requiem Mass in honor of those who perished; their families, rescue workers and clean-up crews.
Private First Class Joseph Patrick Dwyer's older brother Brian spoke to the audience Saturday evening and said that Joe signed up two days after the Twin Towers attacks and was part of the initial wave of soldiers going into Baghdad. He served as a medic in the Army's 7th Cavalry regiment. Not unusual for the military, Dwyer said his family didn't know where Joe was located until they saw him in a USA Today photograph carrying an injured child.
Dwyer said an Iraqi man came into the military camp pleading for the Doc to retrieve an injured boy from the front lines; Joe and 11 others immediately went out into the field, Joe grabbed the boy from his father and sprinted back. Dwyer said he once asked his little brother, "How many people have you actually patched up?" Joe responded, "I don't really know, but I just remember everybody that I couldn't." When he came back to the states he was never really the same Dwyer said. "It's an injury you don't see, it stuck with him."
Joseph Dwyer was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and died from its complications at his home in North Carolina on June 29, 2008. His wife Matina told newspapers, "He was a very good and caring person" and she hoped his death would bring more awareness about PTSD.
Chris Delaney from the 9-1-1 Veterans organization spoke to the audience before the music continued and said that PTSD has been around for a very long time. Through the years it has affected hundreds of thousands of soldiers who were diagnosed as having "nostalgia","shell shock", or "war fatigue".
Delaney who is in the military and recently came home said that it's tough to reintegrate into civilian life with only 24 hours to decompress;even driving a car can be a challenge. He said that he got involved with 9-1-1 Veterans because he is a friend of the Dwyer family. "I took it as a personal offense," said Delaney, "We let him down; he went to the front lines , we as a nation, and we as a community, let him down. He died in our care and on our soil - that to me is unacceptable."
When soldiers return home, they go through an extensive process of applying for service-connected disability and have no other means of support. The purpose of
9-1-1 Veterans is to fill that void.
The church was filled with thunderous applause and standing ovations as the concert ended with "America the Beautiful." Choir members presented Bussewitz-Quarm with a plaque and a donation to 9-1-1 Veterans made in his name.
"Our message is often sorrowful yet always strong in spirit, said Bussewitz-Quarm, "through sharing our united voices with those surrounding us, we will be richer."
The doors to the church were re-opened as the people gathered in small groups after the concert. "It's about people taking care of people; by Michael doing his small part, he generates attention to what we do." Delaney said that 9-1-1 Veterans has a staff of three volunteers, "We can't do it all; we need people to help us get the message out to the community."
At 9:00 PM on September 11, 2010 as the sun set across the country, monuments like the Pfc. Joseph P. Dwyer Road sign glistened in the moonlight to mark the selflessness of the thousands of service men and women who gave their lives to serve our country.
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Nonprofit groups fill aid gap for veterans
From NEWSDAY
- November 11, 2007
In the days after his return from serving in Mosul, Iraq, with the Army's 773rd Transportation Company, Cris Benitez suffered from pounding headaches, sleepless nights and chronic anxiety.
Benitez knew the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Northport was the place to find help for what turned out to be a traumatic brain injury from driving trucks on crater-pocked roads in the chaotic war zone from January 2006 through this spring. And at the VA, Benitez could receive medicine for his post-traumatic stress disorder.
But when he had trouble regaining his civilian job and struggled to pay the rent on the West Babylon apartment where he lives with his wife and three children, Benitez, 32, needed assistance beyond the VA.
He needed Steve Clark.
Clark, 51, is a Suffolk police officer and Navy veteran who started 9-1-1 Veterans, a nonprofit organization he runs from his Shoreham house to help returning soldiers and ease their transition to civilian life.
Long Island is home to 4,000 to 5,000 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters, according to Thomas Ronayne, director of the Suffolk County Veterans Service Agency. While most work with the VA, many also rely on volunteers or small nonprofit groups such as Clark's. With more goodwill than resources, the groups can often provide services government agencies usually cannot - a rent payment, a restaurant gift certificate, even a lawyer.
"The VA is great, but with today's war there are many more injured soldiers," said Kristin Bostic of the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, a nonprofit group in Westchester that provides financial aid and counseling mostly to injured veterans, including some on Long Island. "The government is really trying ... but they don't have the resources to give them vans to get around and build them a handicapped-accessible house."
Soldiers coming home after a lengthy absence may find adjustment to civilian life difficult, Ronayne said. For many, the combat mentality is difficult to shake.
"You're cautiously distrustful of so many things around you, and it's difficult ... to turn that mode off," Ronayne said.
For Benitez, his soldier readiness translated into anxiety at home, where he did "a lot of walking around, making sure everything is safe," he said.
To help returning veterans, the VA and related county and state agencies offer counseling and employment help, but their vast services can be both overwhelming and insufficient.
"It's fine to have all these things available," Clark said. "But you need someone to point you in the right direction."
Clark's nonprofit is tiny. He is its sole employee, and he runs it with just a few thousand dollars raised so far. "I think there shouldn't be a need for 9-1-1 Veterans," he said. "But a lot of these guys need an advocate."
Clark gave Benitez more than $1,000 for food and bills. He also helped Benitez regain his job at the state Department of Transportation as a highway maintenance crewman.
Federal law mandates that employers allow workers to serve in the military without sacrificing their jobs. A DOT spokeswoman said Benitez's job was waiting for him, but he was required to notify the agency that he had returned. Benitez said he was unaware of his rights and responsibilities - until Clark and others helped him.
"My advice for veterans is to have hope, but you have to look for help," Benitez said.
The advocacy can extend to legal assistance to help veterans navigate the arcana of benefits. Massapequa lawyer Genevieve LoPresti volunteered her services to the Nassau County Veterans Service Agency. "These people need immediate attention," said LoPresti, daughter of an Air Force veteran. "These guys are heroes."
She has taken about 10 veterans' cases pro bono. The matters range from divorces to evictions to a lawsuit Chris Sinatra wants to file against a group of men who assaulted him.
Sinatra, 22, of Westbury, who served in Baghdad as a cannon crew member with the Army's 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, said he was assaulted by three men in an East Meadow bar Aug. 17. He went to Nassau University Medical Center for treatment and a CAT scan.
Sinatra filed a complaint and three people were charged with misdemeanor assault, Nassau police said. LoPresti now plans to sue to recover Sinatra's medical expenses.
"She says it's her service to me because I served the country," Sinatra said.
The Nassau County Bar Association's military law committee also began a pro-bono program for veterans in October.
Even soldiers such as Yale Reisman, 25, of Lindenhurst, who seem to have made the transition back to civilian life with few problems, have used community resources.
Reisman served in Iraq with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines. When he returned to New York in 2005, he at one point struggled to pay bills. Then a friend told him about the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes. Reisman said the group gave him a cash grant to help with his car payments. "The VA, I couldn't ask them for that. I didn't even know if they had a program like that," he said.
David Ollivierre, an Army Reserves infantry veteran who served in Iraq with the 10th Mountain Division in 2003, was happy to learn so many people wanted to help him. But he wished he'd heard about these groups earlier when he had trouble paying his bills.
"All you ever hear about is the VA, the VA, the VA," said Ollivierre, 33, who grew up in Riverhead and now lives in the Bronx. "They never told me about anything else."
While private groups can offer invaluable assistance, John Sperandeo, chief of the Northport VA center's social work services, urged veterans to still register with their local VA facility. "What we generally find with someone who's having a housing problem or a financial problem," he said, is "that may just be the tip of the iceberg."
CRIS BENITEZ
32, of West Babylon
Veteran of: U.S. Army Reserves
Issue: Financial worries and problems regaining his job
Solution: Money and assistance from 9-1-1 Veterans
9-1-1 Veterans