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Veterans gather for more help

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray reacts to a comment after a discussion about economic challenges faced by military service members Monday morning, while Air Force veteran Robby White, right, waits to have his photograph taken with the senator. (Holly Pickett / The Spokesman-Review)
By Kevin Graman kevingr@spokesman.com
Democratic Sen. Patty Murray reacts to a comment after a discussion about economic challenges faced by military service members Monday morning, while Air Force veteran Robby White, right, waits to have his photograph taken with the senator. (Holly Pickett / The Spokesman-Review)

Veterans, their advocates and labor and business representatives called for increased help for military members returning from duty abroad during a roundtable discussion Monday in Spokane with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.

Among their concerns were extending the GI Bill for training and education of veterans beyond 10 years after military discharge and applying college credit for lessons learned in military service.

Murray said she has heard from veterans that their service as medics in Iraq did not count toward completing a four-year nursing degree. Ron Weber, a veterans’ representative for the state’s WorkSource program in Walla Walla said applying military experience to civilian life was a real concern among returning service personnel he has counseled.

“They apply for a job at the Veterans Medical Center and don’t qualify,” because of lack of college credit, Weber said.

Chuck Elmore, a WorkSource veterans’ representative in Spokane, said many returning National Guard and Reserve soldiers may have missed out on opportunities for employment or medical benefits for lack of timely information.

“Some of this information is so critical” that it cannot wait until six months after return from active duty, Elmore said.

He criticized cuts in federal funding that have resulted in only three state veterans’ representatives serving 60,000 veterans in Spokane County.

Murray also heard about veteran service programs that work, including the Transitional Assistance Program at Fairchild Air Force Base and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters’ Helmets to Hardhats program, which trains service personnel for careers in construction.

Robby White, an Air Force veteran who left the service last January, is one of six Persian Gulf veterans receiving training under the four-year Helmets to Hardhats program.

He will come out of the program a union carpenter earning a living wage, said Roger Johanson, chairman of the apprentice program for Carpenters Local 98.

“We have an aging workforce in construction, and it’s beginning to be a problem,” said Johanson, whose union welcomes young veterans looking for civilian careers.

He said White got credit for his military experience and entered the program as a second-year apprentice.

The union local also helped White with his training expenses, including books and tuition, while he waited six months to begin receiving GI benefits.

Monday’s panel discussion on veterans’ issues was at Avista headquarters on Mission Avenue. Later in the day, Murray met with farmers and agricultural business representatives in Spangle, where she spoke about the 2006 Agriculture Appropriations bill, drought relief and gasoline prices.