Eduardo Zamora said he regrets not being deployed to Vietnam during the war. Instead he served in the U.S. Army in West Germany for two years. But now he says he is fulfilling a different role.
“I live for those who did not make it back,” Zamora said.
Serving as service officer in Pflugerville’s first American Legion post, he said he is also aiming to help the veterans who have returned from war. Zamora helped found American Legion Kerlin-Lyerly Post 154, which was chartered in 2013. Zamora organized 15 U.S. military veterans, the minimum required to set up a post, to become its first members.
The post is one of a number of local organizations aiming to help a growing population of area veterans address the health care and daily needs many face.
Among the post’s objectives is to direct veterans to the resources and benefits available to them, such as housing, education and health care. As the veteran community in the area grows, assistance for discharged service members is becoming increasingly needed, Zamora said.
Zamora said Vietnam War veterans were previously denied benefits in connection to medical complications from Agent Orange, a chemical the U.S. used to remove massive areas of foliage and jungle in the Vietnam War. Zamora said they had developed diabetes because of exposure to the chemical. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, veterans who are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes after exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides during their time of service are now eligible to receive VA health care and disability compensation.
Zamora said through the guidance of the American Legion post soldiers were able to get disability compensation from the VA.
“I was amazed they had to wait 40 years to get disability,” Zamora said.
Post Commander Brian Allen said the post has about 65 members.
“Overall we have been very fortunate with setting up this post here,” Allen said. “It’s amazing, really, how many veterans are living in Pflugerville.”
The American Legion is one of many organizations throughout Central Texas addressing veterans’ needs.
The TexVet Initiative began in 2009 with the mission of collecting information and referring veterans and their families to available resources, Manager Perry Jefferies said.
The Travis-Williamson County area comprises 89,000 veterans, Jefferies said. More than 60 percent of them are veterans of the Vietnam War or older conflicts, with Vietnam War veterans aged 60 and older, he said.
“A lot of their needs are different than the new, younger generation coming back,” of which there are 13,000 in the area, he said. “Common among a lot of them is we need to get health care, if necessary, for service.”
Many veterans are unaware of the separate processes for receiving veterans’ benefits and registering for VA health care, Jefferies said. To register for benefits a discharged member of the military may go to his or her county veterans service officer and fill out a one-page form, which will give him or her access to educational and housing assistance, among other federal programs.
Receiving health care requires a veteran to go to a VA health care facility with his or her discharge information, he said.
Jefferies said area veterans must register with the Veterans Benefits Administration so the VA can see the growing need in the Round Rock-Pflugerville-Hutto area.
“There is no reason the VA couldn’t offer more services on the north side of Austin if they can see there are more people that need them,” he said.
Area resources
American Legion Kerlin-Lyerly Post 154 Services: Aims to provide fellowship and support for the veteran community in the Pflugerville; Members participate in volunteer opportunities in the community. The post meets every second Monday from 6-7 p.m. at the Pflugerville Library, 1008 W. Pfluger St., Pflugerville. How to help: Become a member, and participate in volunteer opportunities Contact: www.kerlinlyerly154.org • [email protected]
American Legion Post 302’s Duffle Bag Services: Provides donated dining room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom items to service members, veterans and their families. Goods are distributed from 1-3 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month. To receive goods one must provide documentation of military status and live or work within a 50-mile radius of Hutto. How to help: If eligible, join the post, and participate in volunteer opportunities Contact: www.americanlegionhutto.org
Bluebonnet Trails Community Services Services: Provides group support, educational outreach and crisis follow-up for service members, veterans and family members experiencing a behavioral health crisis, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or substance abuse How to help: Participate in volunteer opportunities Contact: 1009 N. Georgetown St., Round Rock • 512-255-1720 • www.bbtrails.org/veterans-services. Contact Jaime Cervantez, Military Veterans Peer Network services coordinator, at 830-305-1882 or [email protected]
TexVet Initiative Services: Provides information and referral services to service members, veterans and their families How to help: TexVet accepts financial gifts through the Texas A&M Health Science Center’s website. Contact: 3950 N. A.W. Grimes Blvd., Round Rock • 512-341-4924 • www.texvet.org/donate • www.facebook.com/texvet • [email protected]
Veterans Connection Thrift Store Services: An initiative of the Texas Association of Vietnam Veterans, the store provides free or limited-cost merchandise to homeless and disabled veterans. All proceeds from the store benefit homeless and disabled veterans. How to help: Donate lightly used clothing, household items, furniture and appliances, or participate in volunteer opportunities at the store Contact: 1601 S. I-35, Ste. 330, Round Rock • 512-218-1372 • www.facebook.com/veteransconnection
