WHEELING, W.Va. (WTRF) – One of the main missions of the Northern Panhandle Veterans Council is to advocate on behalf of veterans for needed services, at the state, federal, and local level.
To work towards accomplishing this goal, the veterans council hosted a roundtable discussion with local legislators to discuss core issues like veteran suicide awareness and prevention, adding a state funded crisis manager, and even free hunting and fishing licenses for veterans.
Several bills were submitted last year, but they were turned down.
The council was able to give good reason and understanding into why these things are so important for veterans.
”We have so many veterans in this state and in this valley, and they have a lot of issues, whether it be homelessness, whether it be substance abuse, whether it be mental health issues. It’s something that’s ever present. It doesn’t just happen when war is over. I mean, these things these things continue to go on. And we need to we need to pay more attention to it and help other people understand what’s really going on.”
Jeremy Harrison – Founder, Northern Panhandle Veterans Council
In the future, the veterans council is hoping to have private meetings to talk specifically about what they want to accomplish and also include other legislators in the state that are on committees turning down some of these bills.
