First award credits Joint Chiefs chairman

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Adm. Michael Mullen

HOLYOKE - Jack Downing, president of Soldier On, was certain the first award given by his homeless-veterans aid organization would have to go to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael G. Mullen.

Mullen, who oversees the nation's entire military, was at the Log Cabin in Holyoke Thursday night to accept the award and talk about the needs of soldiers once they have completed their service to the country.

Downing said Mullen's commitment to veterans was evident upon their first exchange in January 2008, when Mullen called him to set up a meeting in Washington. Mullen wanted to discuss Soldier On's novel approach to providing services to homeless veterans, Downing explained.

At the event's podium before an audience of 450 military men and women, Solder On beneficiaries, and community supporters, Downing told the story of his first meeting with Mullen.

Deep within the Pentagon, Downing said, Mullen stood before a wall of television sets tuned in to coverage of overseas wars. Mullen pointed to the screens and noted he faced many pressing issues, but there were two things that troubled him: the military men and women who become homeless after service, and the families who lose loved ones during their service to the country. The military does not do enough to help these families, he said.

"I saw in his eyes the passion for these men and women," Downing said. "He said, 'You need to tell me what you know that I don't so we can bring dignity to all these people who serve their country.'"

Mullen said he accepted the award, a bronze statue of a soldier with an American flag bundle, for the 2.2 million men and women serving in the military. The ceremony was also attended by Bob Woodruff, an ABC TV reporter who was wounded while covering the war in Iraq; Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray; State Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield, who is also Downing's nephew; Peter H. Dougherty, director of homeless programs for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Gordon H. Mansfield, retired deputy secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"When you're discharged from the military you go to the VA system then you make it back to the community and through the community. We need to make this a more seamless transition," Mullen said in an interview before the awards ceremony. "There are a lot of deep-rooted challenges associated with this."

Mullen was appointed chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by former President Bush in June 2007 and was reappointed to that position by President Obama. Since becoming chairman, Mullen has sought to integrate the medical records system of the military and the Veterans Affairs systems to make it easier for veterans to get accurate medical treatment after being discharged from the service. He is also working to develop exit strategies that better address the needs of soldiers reintegrating into the community, Downing said.

"First you have to recognize there is a problem, then leaders have to go after it," Mullen said.

Today there are about a quarter-million homeless veterans in the United States, Downing estimated.

Soldier On, formerly the United Veterans of America, is a nonprofit agency launched in 1994 and headquartered in Leeds. Soldier On operates a shelter for 180 homeless veterans in three buildings leased from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Leeds, as well as the Berkshire Veterans Residence, with space for 71 homeless veterans, in Pittsfield. The facilities help provide drug and alcohol treatment as well as counseling and connection to other aid programs that can help veterans secure training and jobs. The shelters are managed by formerly homeless veterans like Harold Rawlings, a 53-year-old Air Force veteran who sits on one of the governing cottage committees at the Leeds Soldier On facility.

When it comes to Soldier On, Rawlings doesn't mince words. When asked where he would be if he hadn't found Soldier On he quickly replied: "Dead."

"I was on my last leg," he said.

In 2001, Rawlings was living on the streets of Hartford, Conn. when a social worker told him about Soldier On. With only the clothes on his back and $1 in his pocket, Rawlings got in touch with Soldier On, a van from the nonprofit picked him up and his life was forever changed.

"I haven't had a drink since," said Rawlings who said his addiction to alcohol led him to the streets. "They came and got me and saved my life."

Other Soldier On beneficiaries had similar stories to tell. Joseph Marino, 39, of Westfield, found Soldier On in 2007 after he was released from jail for a drug possession conviction. An Army veteran, Marino's life spiraled out of control when his family was rocked by a suicide. Marino started to drink heavily. Then came jail.

Marino said Soldier On was a good fit for him because it was a focused, sober place for him to get his life back on track. It was also helpful to share his living environment with fellow veterans who, he felt, could understand him better.

"I was offered support and I went to school," Marino said. "I found my own way."

Marino is now attending his senior year of college in Springfield and plans to graduate in the spring with a bachelor's degree. He is currently doing an internship at Soldier On as a case manager/drug and alcohol counselor.

"I can't say enough good things about Soldier On," Marino said.