Mount Pleasant Magazine Nov/Dec 2019

72 www.MPMcalendar.com | www.BestOfMP.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com feature in crisis through outreach partnership events. The national statistics they share are sobering: 40% of our military returning home struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury, and even more alarming, every 80 minutes a veteran commits suicide. Every night, approximately 50,000 veterans sleep in the streets. TCVSN recently collaborated with MUSC’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences to host the Vet Fest Music Festival, a fundraiser to honor all who served our country. This family-friendly day of live entertainment, kids’ activities, vendors, food trucks, raffles and prizes raised money and awareness for local veterans in crisis. The nonprofit also recently hosted the fourth annual Veteran Benefit & Auction. Find them online at tricountyveteranssupportnetwork.org . RALPH H. JOHNSON VA MEDICAL CENTER In addition to serving as the local health care facility for veterans East of the Cooper, The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center offers a cognitive behavioral therapy partnership program that provides a resource to help veterans who are enrolled in therapy with the hospital for PTSD. If veterans are open to it, they are provided the opportunity to take a field trip to Patriots Point to visit the exhibits and museum. This is an experience that allows veterans to get out of their comfort zone, explained Dr. Bethany Wangelin, director of the PTSD Clinic at the VA Medical Center. For Vietnam veterans, this might mean touring the Vietnam Veteran Experience. The trip is an option for any veteran with PTSD enrolled in therapy at the VA though, not just Vietnam. Since most volunteers at Patriots Point are veterans themselves, “it’s a supportive environment,” noted Wangelin. The entry fee is waived for veterans enrolled in therapy as part of their treatment through the VA. “It’s been a nice partnership,” said Wangelin. You can find more information on the VA Medical Center at charleston.va.gov. PATRIOTS POINT Patriots Point honors the stories and sacrifices of our nation’s heroes and offers a naval and maritime museum located on Charleston Harbor, with the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier serving as the centerpiece. Additionally, there is a fleet of National Historic Landmark ships, a Cold War memorial and the only Vietnam experience exhibit in the U.S. It also houses the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s official Medal of Honor Museum. Patriots Point hires a significant number of veterans who are pivotal to the success of the museum, according to Chris Hauff, Patriots Point media relations spokesperson. They partner with the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center on the aforementioned cognitive behavioral therapy program, with the objective of helping reintroduce veterans to a normal life. Patriots Point also hosts special Memorial Day and Veterans Day events and holds free symposiums on specific battles where people can meet veterans and learn about history. In October, they held a USS Yorktown reunion, where veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Cold War gathered. Additionally, there are meet-and-greets where the community has an opportunity to meet people who served on the ship. “We were created to foster patriotism in the community,” stated Hauff. Visit them on the web at patriotspoint.org . VETERANS ON DECK Veterans on Deck is a nonprofit sailing program for veterans based in Charleston that offers a free therapeutic outdoor recreational activity for members of our armed forces suffering from PTSD. The program was created to provide a forum where veterans could socially interact