About Us

We are veterans from every branch of service. We are combat vets and peacetime vets. We come from backgrounds of every kind. Many of us have experienced the heat of battle and the consequences that often follow. Adjustment for us has not always been easy. That is why we have come together in partnership and cooperation with VA medical centers to offer peer support and education to our fellow veterans.

MISSION STATEMENT

Vet to Vet is an innovative way of addressing veterans concerns, be it: emotional, spiritual, educational, vocational, transitional, real and present needs of veterans and their families in communities throughout the nation..

BACKGROUND

Starting in 2003 with Roy Brown (Director) and Stacey Maruska (VA Liaison), Vet to Vet Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System has grown to be one of the premier Vet to Vet programs in the U.S. It also serves as the national training site for coordinators from across the country.

With former facilitators (veterans/consumers) now working with the Veterans Benefits Administration, Veterans Health Administration and at mental-health agencies in the community, these facilitators continue their training and education through giving back. Vet to Vet facilitators started mutual peer support meetings in their communities throughout Southern California and beyond, while communicating with coordinators and facilitators around the country, including Moe and/or Roy, on bi-monthly conference calls, visiting most sites at least once a year.

Roy feels that by working with and not for the VA, Vet to Vet is able to reach all veterans, especially those who feel they are out of touch with the system and just want someone to talk to without worrying about it being put in their records, feeling judged, stigmatized or who’s right or wrong.

This could never have happened with out without training and consultation from Moe Armstrong, National Director and Co-Founder of Vet to Vet; Dr. Paul Errera former under Secretary of Health; Dr. Laurie Harkness Director Errera Center; Mary Sperraza and the whole staff of the Errera Center of West Haven, Ct., on the East Coast.

William (Bill) Daniels, Director of Homeless and Community Care; Stephen Berman, Past Director of Homeless and Community Services, GLAHS; Dr. Stephen Marder, Director of MIRRECC, Western Region; Dr. Robert Ely, Past Director of Mental Health, GLAHS; Dr. Robert Rubin, current Director of Mental Health, GLAHS; the nurses of Building 206 Mental Health Clinic, and the veterans of West Los Angeles. Thank you, all!

Vet to Vet WLA serves with the quote of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as its incentive:

"Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve; you only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love."

No One Left Behind

As in battle, veterans sometimes have no one else to look to but other vets. Many ex-soldiers are not always aware of the services provided by the Veterans Administration. We through our experience with the VA share how we have discovered many services and how we accessed them.

No One Knows How I Feel

A veteran with similar life experiences has a better understanding of how another veteran feels.

Battle scars, physical and emotional stress, knows no rank.

We are not doctors or clinicians-just veterans helping other veterans, working with but, not for other mental health departments.

That is why we are here. Call us today.