MILWAUKEE — Navigating civilian life after years in the military can be hard. It's even harder in the pandemic.
“We went through things in war, and you know, coming out of war, it's tough,” said Cory Geisler of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
“Not being around Military facility there’s not that reach back to the base,” said Eduardo Garza with the Center for Veterans Issues (CVI).
That's why the CVI teamed up with the VFW to create a mobile app to help veterans feel less isolated.
With everything being done online amid the pandemic, Geisler and Garza know U.S. veterans may be battling loneliness.
"It just kind of loses that personal touch and really what it gets veterans to do is withdraw more,” Geisler said.
The CVI Help app can help a military member, a veteran or a family member get access to food, shelter, and health needs. It connects veterans to more than 560 organizations that are ready to help.
In about three months, the app has been downloaded in 22 states and three different countries outside of the U.S.
“That way our veterans feel like they have to go at it alone they’ve got a support system,” Geisler said.
CVI Help app is available for download in the App Store and in Google Play.
This story was originally published by Julia Fello on Scripps station TMJ4 in Milwaukee.