Proposed center aimed at veterans

CEDAR RAPIDS - Vietnam veteran Doug Adamson spent 40 years dealing with undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder.

Fellow Vietnam veteran Jay Kaiser spent 35 years following one routine: go to work, come home, lock the door, stay inside.

Their stories are not unlike those of other veterans, which is why the two men and six other Eastern Iowan Vietnam veterans are working together to open an Iowa Veterans' Welcome Center in Cedar Rapids.

“I spent 40 years of my life thinking there was something wrong with me when I was not diagnosed properly. I want to help (other veterans) get better. I don't want others to have to go through those 40 years,” Adamson, 62, said.

They say the center would be a safe space for male and female veterans of all ages, branches of service and backgrounds, to heal and relax with free activities, conversation and camaraderie.

“When a bunch of veterans get together - it's hard to describe - they can talk, when they can't talk to anyone else,” said Roger Wiest, 66. “Especially these younger veterans, they're in a shell and we want to try to draw them out.”

“If we can get them in here and get them talking, they'll loosen up and start talking and pretty soon they'll be getting back to a normal life,” Adamson said.

Wiest sees other veterans daily as a volunteer at the Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Iowa City.

“The need for this is tremendous,” he said because existing veteran facilities focus on clinical care or are government.

“In five years, we'd like to have 5,000 people a year coming through the center, like Dubuque's,” said Richard Hrvol, 67, referring to the Veteran's Freedom Center in Dubuque, which they'd like to model the Cedar Rapids center after.

They, too, hope to offer computer access, exercise equipment, darts, woodworking, information about community resources and a van to pick up homebound veterans.

According to Kaiser, who was homebound after an injury, his weekly visits with the group of Vietnam veterans “is the best thing I have to do.”

“I love going once a week, but if I could go three times a week, that would be three times better,” he said.

The group is in the process of becoming a non-profit organization so they can fundraise, seek donors and apply for grants and awards.

The cost of finding a space and ongoing operational costs will be a “significant challenge,” they said. They're hoping they can find affordable rent or someone willing to donate space for free.

The group of veterans said they will pour “all their time” into operating the center so they can help all veterans, including the homeless and those stuck behind “closed blinds” and “locked doors.”

“This is just as therapeutic for them as it is for us,” Wiest said. “We get rid of some of our burden, too. We can forget about where we're at and what we've done and where we've been. It's just the camaraderie of being with other veterans.”

They hope to pass the center to the next generation of veterans.

“It's just a dream at this point, but we're going to make it come true,” Wiest said.

“Everything starts with a dream,” Kaiser added.