Community Corner
Saline American Legion Helps Veterans Year-Round
"They deserve every honor," Post Commander Tim Driscoll said.
On Sunday, people all over the U.S will honor military veterans on Veterans Day.
“Veterans Day is a way to honor our own and fly our country's flag,” said Tim Driscoll, post commander of American Legion Post 322 in Saline.
But Driscoll and others at the Legion know veterans remember their time in battle every day of the year.
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"It’s an experience never forgotten,” Driscoll said. “War takes its toll on your body and mind, and the horrors of war are endless.”
While many soldiers never come home, many return wounded both physically and mentally. Those returning home injured, are forced to rebuild a life much different than the life they once knew.
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That's why groups like the American Legion are committed to supporting veterans all year round.
In 2011, Chris Ochs, 20, of Flat Rock, was wounded in battle and paralyzed from the waist down while serving in Afghanistan.
When Ochs returned home he faced challenges living at home because his bedroom and bathroom were located upstairs.
“The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) wanted to put me in an assisted living facility,” Ochs said. He said he and his family didn’t even know where to begin to seek help.
Ochs said the Saline post was instrumental in helping him cut through red tape to get the help he needed. Crews worked on Ochs’s house and provided a handicap ramp, a special bed and an addition to the house. The project also made his bedroom and bathroom accessible.
Ochs said the Saline post also helped with fundraisers and rally contractors and secure supplies.
Driscoll said there are many men and women like Ochs that return home wounded, and need help. Volunteers, and fellow veterans like members of the Saline post, recognize the hardships veterans face and work to honor their fellow soldiers year-round.
“No matter where they go or what they do, veterans are brothers and sisters in arms,” said Driscoll.
If a veteran is in need of help, places like the American Legion can help arrange a variety of services.
“We have wonderful men and women that leave their family and friends to fight for their country,” said Driscoll. “They are the best in the world, and they deserve every bit of honor they receive from the community."
