WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Gathered around a table at Miller's Ale House in Wilkes-Barre Township, these Vietnam War veterans share their stories of their time in the service.
"I wish us Vietnam veterans would get the respect we deserve, and we will never get it," said Stanley Solarczyk, Vietnam veteran.
The support group used to meet at the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center in Plains Township.
Once the pandemic hit, they weren't allowed to use the center.
"They are not letting them into the va to be together, so a few of us meet here, but it is not the same as the whole VA group meeting," said Carol Jonas, wife of a Vietnam veteran.
"They need to be there because when you are with a group, I'm with combat veterans that I feel like I can trust, and they know they can trust me," said Spencer W. Jonas, Vietnam veteran.
Three years later, the group says they still can't meet at the VA.
State Treasurer Stacy Garrity wanted to hear these stories firsthand.
"Three years and four months, and so it's been pretty ridiculously sad to treat our heroes and veterans who have sacrificed so much so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today," said Stacy Garrity, PA State Treasurer.
She tells Newswatch 16 she will take the group's concerns to leaders in Washington, "Well, as a vet myself, it's heartbreaking we need to make sure these veterans are living out their twilight years with dignity and respect, doing everything we can to support them."
Newswatch 16 reached out to the Wilkes-Barre Va Medical Center for comment.
They tell us the VA still sponsors support groups at other locations, saying in part, "The meetings are facilitated by Licensed Mental Health Providers, providing specific therapies in secure neighborhood locations to encourage community integration which is vital to the therapeutic process."
Officials with the VA Medical Center also tell Newswatch 16 throughout the pandemic, the center has followed the Veteran Health Administration's national guidance.
Officials say veterans staying in the center are allowed to have visitors.
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