“Asheville has a very large number of homeless vets, and if you don’t believe this, just ask the VA or BeLoved Asheville and the rescue mission.”

“Asheville has a very large number of homeless vets, and if you don’t believe this, just ask the VA or BeLoved Asheville and the rescue mission.”
Patti Best describes her youngest son, Jared Best, as thoughtful, talented and highly intelligent. Following his older brother into the Army, Jared served with distinction in Iraq and Afghanistan before returning home to Haywood County in 2014. However, the toll of combat and the physical harm caused by close contact with explosive devices left Jared with […]
The 20 years that Kevin Mahoney served in the U.S. Air Force might sound like a dream deployment for some. Mahoney, who lives in Asheville, joined at 24 and trained as a cryptolinguist in Arabic and Farsi. The Air Force deployed him to the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. He was able to travel […]
“Veterans have earned the care the Charles George affords them, but how much better would it be if we pursued peace and didn’t ask our citizens to participate in military actions the world over?”
By Irene Olds
“Thank you to letter writer Betty Sharpless for making this vet aware of the plight of women vets in our state and area and of the Aura Home Women Vets nonprofit to help them.”
“To all veterans, I want to say thank you on behalf of our entire organization for your service to our country and for all that you and your loved ones have done to guarantee our freedom and way of life.”
“Aura Home Women Vets is helping homeless women veterans in Western North Carolina and many adjacent states. They can help with rental deposits, connecting women with available resources and have transitional housing to help women get back on their feet.”
“Asheville is very lucky to have such a highly rated and respected VA, and we all owe them a tip of our various military service hats for their service to us veterans.”
Formerly known as the Tunnel Art Project, the over 250-foot mural occupies a real working tunnel connecting two main buildings of the Charles George VA Medical Center. Lead artist Jim Stilwell draws inspiration from the hospital’s residents and visitors.
According to Feeding America, 20 percent of the more than 46 million people who access the organization’s national network of food banks each year are part of households that include someone who’s served or is serving in the U.S. military.
“Intense efforts need to be employed to correct problems at underperforming facilities. For those facilities that are performing well, they need to be provided the tools and financing to continue to strive for excellence.”
“My goal has been to let the public know that the State Veterans Homes are full, with long waiting lists for elderly veterans.”
ASHEVILLE, NC
“I ask the president why no one seems to care about any input from us about who we think should head the VA?”
“I did get to pass on my thoughts about this and lobby again for homeless vets getting some of the spaces, especially in the RAD, which could be a large amount of housing.”
“My concern is that transportation availability is limited for vets for accessing health services and other essential destinations such as grocery stores. I am encouraging our citizens to help by volunteering to drive veterans in rural county locations.”
Women account for about 11 percent of Buncombe County’s more than 18,000 veterans, but their participation in local veterans programs falls far below that. Xpress checks in with several female veterans to see where they find support — and where it is lacking.
“Grown men don’t cry, but it was hard to keep a dry eye as we walked through these profoundly evocative memorials, knowing the gut-wrenching agony of the families of all these thousands of men and women who, had they survived, might have been on the bus with us this very day.”
Using a vast array of artifacts, period newspapers and personal items from the time, combined with a series of lectures by military veterans and authorities, The WNC Military History Museum in Brevard hopes to educate a new generation on veterans’ contributions in an upcoming exhibit, “Operation Armed Forces,” which will open Saturday, Oct. 22, and run through Friday, Nov. 11, at the historic Aethelwold Hotel in downtown Brevard.
“Pain eats you up day in and day out and becomes overwhelming, and when you don’t know how to stand outside of it a little bit, it just controls you,” says Adam Bradshaw. What are the options for treatment?