Your life is changed forever at that point. When you meet another combat veteran, you know he has shared that same feeling. Veterans look out for one another, not unlike police officers and firefighters who depend on each other when their lives are on the line, said DeFoor, a onetime police officer and the Taylor County veterans service officer. DeFoor helps veterans every day. His office assists veterans filing for benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Some claims take months to be processed, causing financial hardship for struggling veterans.
Local veterans' groups often step in and offer assistance. Word spreads fast among veterans if a former serviceman needs a job or a wheelchair, DeFoor said. Choking back tears, the Sweetwater veteran described leaving home for the first time to fight a war. A navigator on a submarine-chasing ship stationed in the Philippines, he said boot camp didn't prepare him for the atrocities of war, including kamikaze pilots crashing into nearby ships. When his three-year Navy stint ended, he left the military and didn't look back.