By Heather Aveson | Ryan Lennon is the face of the new American veteran. He is thirty-ish, college educated, has a young family, served in Iraq and knows the pain of losing friends and fellow soldiers to an IED attack on a dusty road. In many ways this is the story of military men and women through out our history. That shared story is part of what makes Ryan passionate about serving other veterans.
Ryan Lennon
Lennon knew the value of serving his country from an early age. He grew up at Fort Devens where his father was career army in the Special Ops division. Ryan joined ROTC at Northeastern University and become the fourth generation of army officer in his family, and a third generation paratrooper. During 2006 and 2007 he spent a sixteen month deployment on a combat tour in Iraq. His combat experiences and family background strengthened his commitment to the armed services and his fellow soldiers.
Ryan Lennon in Iraq
In April of this year Ryan stepped into the role of Veteran Services Officer for the Town of Lexington. It was a natural fit. “My unit, the 82nd Airborne, had some of the worse losses in the war. It wasn’t unusual to get 6 – 8 catastrophic IED strikes during your deployment. Several guys on my team had TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). When we got back I was helping a lot of them get benefits. It was just rewarding,” says Lennon.
Now he has the opportunity to help many more fellow servicemen and women. There are over 1.200 veterans living in Lexington according to the 2010 census. Most of them served in World War II or Korea. Add to that the surviving spouses and dependents and the number grows much higher. There is also an influx of those who qualify as veterans since 9/11, including National Guard reservists.
One of the challenges Lennon faces in his new position is finding those people who would benefit from the programs offered by the Veterans Administration. Because of strict privacy laws he isn’t notified when a service member returns to town. He can only help those who reach out to him. Lennon realizes how tough that can be for a returning soldier, “Veterans by nature are stoic, they don’t want to search out help. Unless they know benefits are out there or their neighbor knows they need help, they’re not necessarily going to contact me or I’m not going to come across them in my daily travels. I know there are older widows and dependents in town who need services and don’t want to ask for them.”
On the other side, HIPAA and other privacy laws ensure that all communication and services are kept confidential.
Massachusetts is unique in its support of veterans and their families. Chapter 115 of the General Law guarantees veterans and their families, need based financial assistance for everything from a heating allowance and help paying a mortgage to medical co-pays and insurance premiums.
According to a 2011 Bureau of Labor Statistics report the unemployment rate for veterans who served since 2001 was just over 12%. That’s 50% higher than the national average. New educational and job training programs are available to unemployed Massachusetts veterans. Lennon knows firsthand the importance of having job programs available to vets once they’re back in the community. “When I was getting off active duty I went through the standard out-processing procedure. They tell you about job search programs and other helpful stuff. I just wanted to put Fort Bragg in my rearview mirror,” he remembers, “It’s kind of like telling an 8th grader how he has to save for an IRA.” That’s where programs like Veterans, Inc. of Worcester are stepping in. Job skills and training in growing fields such as green and renewable energy, healthcare, security, construction supervision, and technology are offered for free. Many of the programs lead to licensing and certificates and job placement services are available, Veterans Inc. also serves very low income, homeless or at risk of becoming homeless veteran families across New England through a Veterans’ Administration grant.
Also on the federal level, The Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 is enhancing medical care benefits by providing veterans’ caregivers with training, counseling, supportive services, and a living stipend as well as guaranteeing health care to the family caregivers of injured veterans.
Right now the Veterans’ Administration is facing a perfect storm that is causing delays in processing federal claims says Lennon. “The World War II guys are getting older, needing more services. The Vietnam Vets are realizing they should get their benefits set up. At the same time young guys are coming off 4 -5 deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. A typical flash to pay can take two years.” That’s one reason Ryan encourages local veterans to seek out services under the Massachusetts statutes, they can be a valuable lifeline until federal benefits come through.
With so many programs available, Lennon is putting a lot of effort into getting the word out to both older veterans and those just returning about the benefits available to them. He has a full line up of meetings with community groups, including the Lion and Rotary Clubs and the Interfaith Council. This October he will reinstitute the Veterans’ Day Breakfast in conjunction with the Lexington Rotary Club (see inset). It’s a great way for veterans from all eras and all branches to come together and be honored. Working with the community to bring veterans together is a facet of the job that Lennon is trying to grow. He points out that the Veterans Services Officer isn’t there just for benefits assistance, “There is so much stuff I can pull into my job.” On a recent day he helped an older veteran navigate through the technology of mobile banking, then he was at the cemetery checking on a headstone he had ordered for a widow in town and an hour later he was visiting the mental health clinic at the Bedford VA Hospital.
Ryan can’t say enough good things about the work of the Massachusetts Veterans Administration. “The Mass VA is amazing – progressive – they were among the first to look at the mental health of soldiers. They’ve tapped into other top notch health care facilities in the Boston area if you need a specialist.” They have also created ‘Welcome Home Wings’ and ‘Women’s Wings’ at the VA hospitals to address the needs of those particular populations.
The first step Lennon recommends for all veterans? “Enroll in VA health benefits. It’s always better to be enrolled now, in case you run into problems later.” And Ryan is happy to help you enroll or answer any other questions you might have.
Veterans’ Resources
Ryan Lennon | Veterans’ Service Officer
Lexington Senior Center, 1475 Massachusetts Ave Lexington, 02420. 781-861-0194
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Veterans, Inc.
508-791-1213
