Veterans Divided On Services In Stamford

Having experienced life as a Stamford veteran before and ready to separate again in February, Army sergeant Justin Quagliani is not optimistic in state efforts to help him find work when he gets home from San Francisco. 

"The current programs that exist are informational at best. I went through several programs and did not get the the kind of response that I was hoping for," Quagliani told Patch.

Quagliani, who separated from the military in 2009 and will separate from the U.S. Army for the second time on Feb. 16, stated that he found state-funded veteran employment programs "underwhelming" during his first time around. 

"I think they're doing an alright job; they have the interests of the veterans in mind...I think that primarily, when it comes to any type veteran program, it seems as though the education is just not there," Quagliani said.

Quagliani stated that if he mentions a program he's utilizing in conversation with another veteran, they usually won't know what program he's talking about.

"Right at the moment, we don't have anything concrete to say, like there's something going to happen immediately," State Sen. Carlo Leone (D-27), Veterans Affairs Committee chair, said in regards to veteran support programs in Stamford.

Leone elaborated on the benefits of the Veterans Workforce Investment Program in a by Stamford Patch. According to Leone, the program has enjoyed moderate success, but will end in June 2012. However, other state-run veteran programs will remain available, such as support services for homeless vets. 

On Jan. 12, Leone, two veteran energy audit technicians, and representatives of Gulick Building and Development LLC, will visit the home of Mr. Bob Goldstein at 86 Barnes Road in Stamford. 

"The event is a home-energy audit that will occur at an applicant's home, it will be done so that they can improve the energy efficiency of their home, and it will be performed by a company that has trained and hired veterans," Leone said.

Other local veterans appear to have good experiences with veteran support services within Stamford and the state of CT itself.

"I've been out [of the military] for awhile, and it was much different then than it is now. Jobs are hard to get whether you are just coming out of the military or if you were in the military, but it seems that we should give our military people a little more preference, if only because they were taken away from their jobs, and to be without a job when you get back, especially if you have a family...it becomes a problem," Springdale VFW commander James Santangelo said.

Veteran groups such as the American Legion have decided to help their fellow, former servicemen in their own way.

"We're trying to find projects, in fact we just had one project bringing headphones to veterans at West Haven Hospital," Stamford resident and American Legion member Carmine Vaccaro said.  "Everything has been positive with Veterans Affairs as far as I'm concerned, I don't see anything negative. I went to the clinic, and they took care of me."

Vaccaro stated that veterans were entitled to more government assistance because of their years-long service to the government.