Veteran’s Freedom Center

VETERANS IN NEED

Jacob Ditzler | COM 495 Civic Engagement Project | Spring 2018

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Veterans in Need
Presented by: Jacob Ditzler
COM 495
University of Dubuque
Alone with the Nightmares
According to the Veteran’s Freedom Center website. “Jim Wagner is a veteran
acquainted with the stresses and storms of life. He entered the Army in 1968. The
conflict was Vietnam. Wagner's inclination toward perfectionism made him an
ideal candidate for leadership in the 199th Infantry "recon" squadron. No doubt,
his orientation to detail and attentive sensitivity to others made him a good
soldier. He was well-respected. He was a strong, conscientious leader.

One evening, on an ambush assignment, the Viet Cong crawled into the American
camp. The ensuing panic and conflict induced an erratic round of mortar artillery.
A surprise shrapnel explosion resulted in significant casualties. In spite of personal
injuries, Jim made heroic efforts to transport fellow soldiers for medical assistance.
Regardless, the incident took the lives of his commanding lieutenant and two
fellow infantrymen.

Following hospitalization and treatment for his own extensive physical wounds,
Wagner was reassigned and placed back on the field only to encounter another
ambush and further traumatization.

After completing his remaining three-month term as a radio operator, Wagner

returned to the states. The Purple Heart designation he received for valor and
bravery could not diminish the replays that robbed him of sleep, peace of mind
and, ultimately, his health.

Wagner found himself lost in a relentless cycle of remorse and undue blame for
the wartime tragedies he had witnessed. For years, he repeatedly relived every
element of the dark battle scene: the nauseating smell of blood, the deafening
and startling sounds of explosive fire, and the horrors of seeing comrades dying.

Wagner and many other veterans cope every day the best they can with impaired
physical and mental health. Depression, post-traumatic stress and anxiety are
common.

After participating in prolonged counseling he discovered a need for something

more -something to do and somewhere to go” (Veteran’s Freedom Center).

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Veterans in Need
Presented by: Jacob Ditzler
COM 495
University of Dubuque
The Issue:
The United States has many privately funded and federally funded organizations
set to aid veterans struggling to reintegrated back into society. Some organizations
include:

 Veterans Administration

 Chris Kyle Frog Foundation

 American Legion

 Wounded Warriors Project

 Disabled American Veterans

Charitable Service Trust

 Fisher House

Trustworthiness is a huge question people

ponder before making donations.
Unfortunately, these organizations appear to
be beneficial, many end up hurting the
people they are supposed to help. The truth is coming out about how many
charities are truly spending their donations. The Wounded Warrior Project only
spends 60% of donations on vets, whereas Disabled American Veterans Charitable
Service Trust and Fisher House contribute more than 90% of donations (Janisch,
2016).

VA mistrust and programs is how difficult it is for veterans to get the treatments
they deserve. “In 2015, for example, more than 200 veterans died waiting for care at
a VA facility in Phoenix. Just one year earlier, 37 veterans suffered the same fate
due to delayed care” (Gomez, 2017). The article continues to point out 36 percent
of veterans wait more than a month for appoints. Thinking that those are only
VA’s across the nation? In Iowa City “537 veterans were waiting for a clinical
appointment between 91-180 days, 539 waited between 181 days to a year, and 232
waited between one and two years” (Gomez, 2017). These are the problems that
creates the need for organizations like the Freedom Center.

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Veterans in Need
Presented by: Jacob Ditzler
COM 495
University of Dubuque

Who is the Veteran’s Freedom Center?

The Veteran’s Freedom Center is a privately owned and operated organization for
veterans struggling with PTSD. According to their website, they are different from
other programs available to veterans because they give soldiers a purpose. The
founding principle for the Freedom Center is keep their hands occupied, so their
minds won’t wander.

Jim Wagner and Al Rowell, both Vietnam veterans struggling with PTSD, started
this organization after many long nights of working on Wagner’s ’85 Monte Carlo.
They found that it was easier for their minds to process their nightmarish past
when they had good company and something else to focus on. And with his wife’s
support, Jim Wagner started the Freedom Center in 2009.

HOW DO THEY HELP?

According to United States Department of Veterans Affairs “PTSD (posttraumatic
stress disorder) is a mental health problem that some people develop after
experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster,
a car accident, or sexual assault.” For soldiers,
admitting you have a problem and asking for
help is the biggest challenge they face. Having
PTSD is not a sign of weakness and it can
happen to anyone. Across the nation, 70% of
Americans experience a traumatic event at
least once, and of that 70% nearly 20% go on
to develop posttraumatic stress disorder
(Sidran Institute).

The most common symptoms of PTSD include, but not limited to:

1. Reliving the event which could be having nightmares or a flashback when

you are awake.
2. Avoiding situations that remind of that event, for many this is shown when
people start to distance themselves from social groups.
3. Being more negative towards yourself or others and feeling the world is
dangerous.
4. The final symptom is hyper arousal, meaning being more jittery or always
alert (United States Department of Veterans Affairs, 2009)

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Veterans in Need
Presented by: Jacob Ditzler
COM 495
University of Dubuque

What makes the Veteran’s Freedom Center different is they provide veterans an
outlet for these symptoms. As stated on their website “We offer a place for these
veterans to interact with fellow veterans, network together and enjoy the
camaraderie that all have shared while proudly serving their country. We create
close interpersonal relationships among our veterans” (Veteran’s Freedom Center).

For many people, participating in traditional therapy is not sufficient. Today

people are turning to different types of therapy, therapy that requires people to get
out in nature, not talking in a room for hours reliving the past. “Instead of
prescriptions for more pills, doctors around the country are increasingly
prescribing trips to the park for a range of conditions, including anxiety and
depression, attention deficit disorder and chronic illness such as diabetes and high
blood pressure” (Charles, 2017).

ACTVITIES
The Freedom Center also offers many ways to occupy time; a woodworking shop,
scroll sawing, arts and craft, and daily social interaction. Leisure activities such as
pool, darts, cards, shuffle board, music,
and computer usage are also accessible
to our veterans. All of these activities
are at no cost to the veteran, the center
is run solely by volunteers and
everything is supplied with donations.

As a bonus, many of these crafts can be

purchased to help alleviate some of the
overhead costs to run the Freedom
Center.

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Veterans in Need
Presented by: Jacob Ditzler
COM 495
University of Dubuque

WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM?

Quite simply put, Veteran’s Freedom Center is 100% nonprofit and volunteer and
donor driven organization. The founder, Jim Wagner, takes great pride that they
can provide so much with just donations of time and money. Unlike the majority
of resources veterans have to draw upon, this group is not dictated by government
spending. This has made life hard on the Freedom Center but all the guys are very
proud of what they have accomplished.

How can you help?

As stated above, the Veteran’s Freedom Center is 100% nonprofit and ran by
volunteers, so that is where we come in. More committed hands means the more
activities the center can provide, and more activities means more ways they can
help. For some people all they need is someone to talk to, and others are physically
disabled and need help getting chores
around the house done.

This is where volunteers come in. As

spring gets closer and closer, lawns will
need to get mowed, people will want to
get out more, and the center will be
busy. The extra set of hands will
hopefully ease their burden and get
more involvement.

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Veterans in Need
Presented by: Jacob Ditzler
COM 495
University of Dubuque
Timeline
Date Stage Task Resource
Completed Find Veteran Professor
groups in Kim Hilby
2/21
Dubuque (Sociology
Department)
Completed Contact Jim Wagner
Veteran’s (Founder)
2/22
Freedom
Center
Completed Follow up Jim Wagner
contact
3/2
Completed Meet Face-to- Jim Wagner
Face
3/21
Completed Begin Jim Wagner
Volunteering
3/26
Completed Go to area Local
businesses businesses
4/30
with fliers to
spread the
word of the
Center
Completed End Jim Wagner
Volunteering
5/2

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Veterans in Need
Presented by: Jacob Ditzler
COM 495
University of Dubuque
References
Charles, Shamard. “With Ecotherapy, a Prescription for Anxiety Includes 5 Trips to the
Park.”NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 25 Nov. 2017,
www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/dose-nature-doctors-prescribe-day-park-anxiety-
n823421.

Gomez, Jacy. “Remember the VA Healthcare Scandal? It's Still Happening.” Washington
Examiner, Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2017,
www.washingtonexaminer.com/remember-the-va-healthcare-scandal-its-still-
happening/article/2639162.

Janisch, Chip Reid Jennifer. “Wounded Warrior Project Accused of Wasting Donation
Money.”CBS News, CBS Interactive, 26 Jan. 2016, www.cbsnews.com/news/wounded-
warrior-project-accused-of-wasting-donation-money/.

PTSD: National Center for PTSD.” What Is PTSD? - PTSD: National Center for PTSD, US
Department of Veterans Affairs, 1 Jan. 2007, www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-
overview/basics/what-is-ptsd.asp.

Sidran Institute. “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Fact Sheet.” Post-Traumatic Stress

Disorder Fact Sheet. Sidran Institute, www.sidran .org/resourcesfor—surivors-and-loved-
ones/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-fact-sheet-2/.

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