Veterans Outreach Event Aims to Connect St. Cloud Area Former Service Members with Benefits, Support

(KNSI) – A veterans outreach event next Wednesday hopes to connect former service members with the benefits and support many never learned they were entitled to.

The event, organized by veteran David Kroger, will be held April 8th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church in St. Cloud. Representatives from nearly a dozen veterans organizations will be on hand, including Magnus Veterans Foundation, Roger Up, St. Cloud Stand Down, MACV, the Veterans Resource and Enrichment Center (VREC), the Sherburne County Veterans Service Officer, St. Cloud VA Outreach, and the Recovery Community Network. Pizza and soda will be provided.

Kroger told KNSI the event grew out of his own painful experience navigating life after the military after reaching his own breaking point before finding help. “I was struggling and didn’t know where to go, and I didn’t know how to start the thing and got to the point of considering suicide, and got over to the VA, and they helped me.”

Even after getting crisis support, Kroger said he paid $5,500 to a private service to file for benefits, work that a Veterans Service Officer could have done at no cost. That experience drives his mission to make sure other veterans don’t fall through the same cracks.

When asked why so many veterans remain unaware of their benefits, Kroger pointed to a longstanding disconnect at the point of discharge. “It is not explained very well at all. When I got out in ’76, it was just kind of like, here you go, have fun, and enjoy life afterwards. And that’s all that was done.”

Kroger says showing up is the first step to getting the help and benefits veterans deserve. From there, appointments will be set up with the people who can help. Veterans just need to walk in, and if possible, bring their DD-214, though it’s not required. Organization representatives have agreed to stay late if needed to make sure everyone’s questions get answered.

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