MILWAUKEE — In celebration of our veterans, I visited the Center for Veteran's Issues (CVI) to learn about what veterans have endured and the issues they face upon returning home after service to our country.
I spoke with CVI’s President/CEO, Lt. Eduardo M. Garza Jr. who served just under 17 years with the United States Navy.
“I entered the service in 1999, as an enlisted sailor and worked my way up through there. I was part of an F18 squadron at a Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth and we were the first Reserve squadron recalled to active duty since the Korean War," said Garza.
He also worked in the intelligence field and the Pentagon as the Chief of Naval Operations in the Diversity program.
As I listened to him speak, I sat humbled, realizing that I had absolutely no point of reference for the things he must have experienced. I imagine that is true for most of us who have not had military experience. I asked what it takes to serve.
“It starts the minute, you raise your right hand and take an oath in office. To selflessly serve our country when our country needs us. It starts there because we don't know where we're going to go, when we're going to go, and what we're going to do. But we faithfully go and do what's asked of us. I look at it as servant leadership, because we do those things because we're not worried about ourselves, we wanna be a part of something bigger,” answered Garza.
And this “something bigger” is what the Center for Veteran’s Issues is all about.
Garza says that coming back from deployment and trying to reacclimate to your normal life can be very hectic, but for 34 years CVI has been dedicated to serving Wisconsin veterans and their families. From housing to mental health issues, food pantries, clothing, advocacy, counseling, treatment, and financial literacy, they address those needs to make sure that veterans are well taken care of.
“We've learned a lot, but we always have a plan to make sure we can address whatever comes our way,” said Garza.
As the needs of our veterans continue, CVI is expanding to continually meet those needs. To learn more, go to: cvivet.org.
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