Sep 23, 2008 3 min read

Rosemary J. White, director of the veterans affairs office, is accepting applications for interested veterans to participate in the workshop, slated for Nov. 7, 8 and 9 at Touchstone Center for Crafts in Farmington. White said all expenses will be paid for the weekend. She said it is not counseling, nor is it therapy. It’s a peer support group dedicated to promoting a healing from the negative aspects of war.

White said Vets4Vets, a national organization, is offering the weekend. She said the group has successfully facilitated many workshops throughout the United States and the response from participants has been extremely positive.

“I believe the workshop offers something for everyone. Whether you’re just someone who likes to sit back and listen or you need to get a load off your chest, this is the venue,” White said.

Local organizer Manuel Carvalho, a Vietnam veteran who served with the U.S. Marines, said the event is an opportunity he didn’t get when he returned from serving our country.

“There will be good food, good fellowship and a chance to talk to one another,” Carvalho said.

“I was allowed to be on one of these weekend workshops in Pittsburgh some months back and I was so excited that here was a outfit who cares about returning Iraq and Afghanistan servicemen and what they have been through,” Carvalho said.

“They need time to talk to one another like we didn’t in Vietnam. This Vets 4 Vets organization is giving them the chance to do so at no cost to them,” he said. “We need to pick these guys and women up. It’s a great time to share with one another their experiences of combat and survival.”

“This is a Fayette County tryout,” Carvalho said, adding that it if goes well and garners a lot of interest, it could be only the beginning. He said he is hopeful it is successful so additional retreats can be held.

Vets4Vets (www.vets4vets.us) is a non-partisan peer support organization for veterans dedicated to helping veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan support one another in healing from the negative effects of service and war. Vets4Vets is a national community of Iraq-era veterans who have served after 9/11. Through weekend Vets4Vets workshops, one-on-one interactions and local groups, veterans take equal and uninterrupted turns sharing their experiences and expressing their feelings in a confidential setting. More than 300 Iraq-era veterans have attended one of the 11 workshops over the last year. Many have returned to their home communities and have established Vets4Vets groups.

The workshop is designed to train veterans to establish local groups. Participants will learn to identify appropriate locations, to market Vets4Vets and to run group sessions. Throughout the weekend, veterans learn through participation and by sharing their personal experiences of their service with veterans of similar service.

The veteran’s travel, lodging and meals will be provided. Vets4Vets seeks leaders. Interested veterans are asked to attend all workshop sessions, participate fully and come with the intention of establishing a Vets4Vets support group in their area. Priority will be given to those Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom veterans who have not yet attended a Vets4Vets workshop.

There are only 20 spaces available, so any interested person is asked to call White at 724-430-1241 or Carvalho at ManuelC@mailstack.com.

Because space is limited, interested participants are asked to submit an application as soon