Group aims to help veterans be civilians

The welcome-home party lasts only a few hours.

Then military veterans find new jobs, apply to college or settle back into family life.

When you're used to rigid schedules and ready-made meals, slipping back into civilian life can be, well, unsettling.

To help veterans return to "normal life," Mount Prospect resident John Brennan is mobilizing residents and support agencies in the Northwest suburbs. The group's first brainstorming meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Forest View Educational Center in Arlington Heights.

"Vets don't always have wounds you can see," said Brennan, who also helped create the Suburban Book Mosaic program. "At this point, we'd like to organize people who would like to take a leadership role."

Some of the areas Brennan's group will focus on include crisis intervention, family counseling and job training.

Naperville resident Scott McCloy spent four years in the Army before rejoining civilian life in June 2006. Today he's attending Northern Illinois University and studying to be a physical education teacher.

"It's tough when you first get out," said McCloy, who is 27 years old and married. "You don't have to get up at 4 a.m. You don't have the rules. It's a totally big change."

Army veteran Craig Lanigan took the summer off to spend with his two kids -- ages 8 and 9 years old -- before returning to work a few weeks ago at United Rentals in Addison.

Lanigan, 38, had no trouble easing back into the routine of work and family, mostly because of the support he received from family and friends.

"It probably would've been very different if I were unemployed, but really when I came back, I'd never felt so loved," said Lanigan, who lives in Oak Lawn. "People just want to help. I think this group is a great idea."

Arlington Heights resident Barb Tsutsumi will be at Thursday's meeting. Tsutsumi's son, Dan, will return home from the Marines in a few weeks and start applying to colleges.

"It's like senior year in high school all over again," Tsutsumi said. "He's been exposed to a lot in the past few years. From our standpoint he seems to have it all together, but who really knows?"

Dan joined the Marines shortly after he graduated from Prospect High School in 2003. During his deployment, Dan missed a lot of family events -- his grandmother died and his sister, Kaitlin, got married.

"When his sister got married, there was a car at the church waiting to take him back," Tsutsumi said. "After my mom died, Dan never got to grieve with his family."

Brennan expects about 100 people to attend Thursday's meeting, which is open to the public. The group will probably meet again in a month or so, he said.

Residents or professional groups who want to help Brennan's group but can't attend Thursday's meeting should call (847) 259-9740.

Forum on helping veterans

What: Community forum on helping veterans returning from war

When: 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday

Where: Forest View Educational Center, 2121 S. Goebbert Road in Arlington Heights

Contact: For more information, call (847) 259-9740