Veterans try vet-to-vet mentoring

[unhappycamper]

Veterans try vet-to-vet mentoring
By Lindsay Wise - Houston Chronicle
Posted : Wednesday Dec 9, 2009 16:39:24 EST

HOUSTON — Marine Corps veteran John Boerstler stood with his fingers laced into the chain-link fence of the dugout at Cleveland Park near Memorial Drive, cheering on Chris Adams, an Air Force veteran at bat. Ball four. Adams jogged to first base, and Boerstler clapped.

“Good eye, good eye!” he yelled.

The Monday night softball game was tied in its final inning, with more than a little pride on the line. That’s because Boerstler and Adams’ team is made up of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and this game happened to be the last one before Veterans Day.

Boerstler, who drove in the game-winning run, serves as president of Lone Star Veterans Association, a social networking group founded this year for Houston-area Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families. The association’s latest project is a peer-mentoring program that encourages veterans who have successfully adjusted to civilian life to help others struggling to make the transition.

The concept of vet-to-vet mentoring isn’t new. Such programs provide a stigma-free safety net for veterans returning home to a weak job market, strained relationships and an uncertain future.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/ap_military_veterans_softball_120909w/