AMVETS LAUNCHES WARRIOR TRANSITION WORKSHOPS
National partnership with Freedom & Honor to benefit veterans coast to coast

ELKINS PARK, Pa., May 14, 2010—This afternoon AMVETS along with Freedom & Honor team launched the new national series of AMVETS Warrior Transition Workshops at Elkins Estate in Elkins Park, Pa. Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), and retired Army Maj. Gen. William Terpeluk joined AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin, Freedom & Honor program director Martin Richardson, and local veterans to introduce the new program.

The mission of the AMVETS Warrior Transition Workshops is personal to Cmdr. Miskulin, who has sought to establish a transitional program since he was selected as AMVETS National Commander last summer.

“Over the last year we have seen veteran suicides eclipse battlefield deaths and unemployment among young Iraq and Afghanistan veterans rise to almost twice the national average,” said Miskulin. “The brave men and women who volunteer to defend our nation deserve better, which is why something had to be done.”

The new workshops, designed by combat veterans for combat veterans, are experiential, helping today’s veterans successfully transition from military life back into civilian life. Miskulin stressed that the workshops were designed to allow veterans to bond over their shared experiences, recognize changes in themselves as a result of their time in combat, and discover ways to turn potential negatives of war into positives moving forward.

Freedom & Honor has been hosting similar workshops since 2005 and viewed the partnership with AMVETS as a critical next step in expanding the program to help veterans nationwide.

Former Army Sgt. Angel Fernandez, a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan who now facilitates workshops for Freedom & Honor, called the weekend-long workshops key in helping him move forward from his wartime experiences.

“After serving five tours of duty, this program gave me my future,” Fernandez said. “I am a staff member now and can say to my fellow combat vets, trust me on this one. With a son who has served in Afghanistan and Iraq, I am glad this program will be here for him."

Rep. Fattah, Pennsylvania’s senior member on the House Appropriations Committee who has continually supported ground-breaking veterans’ benefits such as the recent veterans’ caregiver bill and continued increases in VA funding, applauded AMVETS’ efforts in finding new ways to serve today’s veterans.

“Our obligation to the courageous men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan is only beginning when they return home,” Fattah said. “AMVETS is constantly striving for new and better ways to perform this vital work. The national program that we inaugurate today, AMVETS Warrior Transition Workshops in partnership with Freedom & Honor, is a major advance in this effort.”

AMVETS and Freedom & Honor are looking to host five additional workshops for veterans around the country this year. AMVETS is currently accepting donations to help finance the additional event. All donations are tax-deductible and 100 percent of every dollar donated goes exclusively to the program.

To become involved or to learn more about AMVETS Warrior Transition Workshops and Freedom & Honor, visit www.amvets.org/warrior.

About AMVETS:
A leader since 1944 in preserving the freedoms secured by America’s armed forces, AMVETS provides support for veterans and the active military in procuring their earned entitlements, as well as community service and legislative reform that enhances the quality of life for this nation’s citizens and veterans alike. AMVETS is one of the largest congressionally-chartered veterans’ service organizations in the United States, and includes members from each branch of the military, including the National Guard and Reserves. To learn more visit www.amvets.org.