Jan 09, 2017 — Under the Trump Administration, overseeing care for military veterans will continue to be a huge issue. Thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have experienced big failures in their federal health system.

In Watertown, near Fort Drum, veterans have been taking their well-being into their own hands to supplement government support.

The Vet Peer-to-Peer counseling center sits on Watertown’s Public Square downtown.

Dave Robertson found lifesaving support at the VETS Peer to Peer Outreach Center in Watertown, NY. All photos: Meredith Turk

Veterans Tim Cryster and Dave Robertson lead a team at the center that helps other veterans. They provide food, clothing, help navigating veterans' benefits and, sometimes, an ear for veterans who need to talk.

Cryster says the center offers an experience that is "reliably unique" compared with what most veterans face when they look for support. He says they rewrite the mission every time a new person walks through the door.

"Veterans don't ask for help," Cryster says. "They're less likely, I think they're almost two times more likely to not ask for help even when they need it. But when they do, they'll let go. So you grab on to their thing, and they say, 'OK, you've got me.' And I say, 'Roger, I've got you.' "

Use the audio link above to hear the full story.

This piece was produced for NPR's All Things Considered by Meredith Turk of Localore: Finding America, a national production of AIR, the Association of Independents in Radio.

Explore more stories from Meredith Turk's Finding America project, Homefront: Fort Drum.

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