VET CHECK WITH VWHRC'S SCOTT DULEBOHN 7/29/26

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:22

I'd have to actually like look that thing up and go back to it. I don't remember mine either. Yeah. They're long.

SPEAKER_03 0:29

Well, and if you don't do it every day, you forget. I learned a song a year ago on guitar.

SPEAKER_02 0:34

It takes you like two weeks while you're there, and you better have that sucker down pat though. Everything. Yeah. That little green book that we got. You better.

SPEAKER_05 0:45

So aren't they naming something after Lindsey Graham? They are.

SPEAKER_02 0:48

Yeah, I saw that. I think it was Charleston was it the whole base?

SPEAKER_03 0:53

I believe so, but I couldn't remember the name of the base. And it's you know, I never played that clip.

SPEAKER_02 0:58

Charleston Air Force Base.

SPEAKER_03 0:59

What's the clip, Nick? Well, it's long. Oh, what is it though? It's well, here, it's uh it's uh where is it? Here we go. It's two minutes. Do you want to hear it? Sure. It's not just that, but it's all about Lindsay, and then it ends with that. I wish I could zoom forward on the uh hot buttons, but I can't. Here it is.

SPEAKER_06 1:16

The late Republican Senator, uh, Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina being honored today in our nation's Capitol.

SPEAKER_04 1:23

A special remembrance ceremony was held at the U.S. Capitol this morning, and his memorial services in D.C. were held at the Washington National Cathedral.

SPEAKER_06 1:31

Numerous lawmakers, including President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and even global leaders, all in attendance. Vance speaking at Graham's ceremony at the Capitol this morning. The president spoke as well. Graham died July 11th at the age of 71.

SPEAKER_04 1:48

Among them was paying tribute to U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Boone from South Dakota, delivering words at the U.S. Capitol, his voice breaking as he remembered his longtime colleague, but also noting how seriously he carried his role in the Senate.

SPEAKER_00 2:04

It didn't matter to Lindsay whether an issue was popular or unpopular, whether he had the full support of his colleagues or whether he was standing alone. If he believed he was in the right, he spoke up. He told things the way he saw them and he didn't mint words. But lest anyone think it was all work and no levity with Lindsay, let me just say that there was no one, no one who took his job more seriously than Lindsey Graham. But also no one was more capable of cracking up a room.

SPEAKER_04 2:46

President Donald Trump speaking today at Graham's Memorial Service and at the Washington National Cathedral saying Graham possessed many traits that made him into one of the great figures in Senate history.

SPEAKER_03 3:29

That's pretty awesome. That is pretty awesome. So it's it's does fittingly that they do name rename that base. Absolutely. And being that he's an Air Force vet, that's even better. And that's uh that's where he's from, I believe, too.

SPEAKER_02 3:40

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 3:41

So um speaking of Senator Lindsey Graham, we're heading into a primary on August eleventh. Early voting begins the fifth, right? Through the ninth, I believe. I believe no, not the ninth, the fifth through the seventh. The third.

SPEAKER_03 3:56

I think it's next week, I think. It's the third. Because the eleventh, when we get back from vacation, is the actual voting day. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 4:03

So um yeah. So you've had a couple of um people who've registered or filed, I should say, the filing ended already. Um come through the Veterans Cafe and Museum.

SPEAKER_02 4:15

We have. Uh Friday we were there and uh Mark Sanford showed up. They had the news, uh, he did his thing. Uh, and then Saturday, uh Russell's group called uh to do uh a breakfast Monday morning and they packed that place out. Um that was a really good showing. Uh that's it who've called. I've we've had folks on uh social media already bashing us because we only let Republicans come over there and talk. But uh here's the here's the key, folks. You have to call to to set something up to do it. And we say the same thing. And it's we don't say no to anybody, so you know it's like and you have some veterans that are democrats. We do.

SPEAKER_05 4:56

And um, you know, hey, listen, it's America. There's a conversation of ideas, and um I I think it's good to hear the mentality.

SPEAKER_02 5:06

It's very good. He um both came in, both talked a little bit. Um it's good to see those folks talking to the group and and working a crowd. And um, I guess the thing from having all of the people in the cafe this year, the thing I I think I watch the most is what kind of happens before and after the dog and pony show with the most of the folks. Um are you there a little early? Are you shaking hands? Are you talking to people? Uh do you actually care? Are you just in there trying to get your speech and and get on uh to the next one? Um and and both over here, so Sanford and Russell Fry came in and they both uh were there before, during, and then after the speech, um talking with people, hugs, pictures, uh whatever it may be, and answering questions off the cuff, which is I think the most important part of all of this process is uh actually talking to the person and finding out uh what kind of human being. I mean, you only got a quick second there, especially this race. This race is really unprecedented here with about three weeks to to be out there and trying to get people to to vote for you. So um should be interesting. The turnout should be interesting. Um, I mean, I I don't think it's gonna be crazy good, so um there there's a lot of folks with shots here. So everybody needs to get out and vote. That's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_05 6:24

What are some of the things that people bring up that are from a veteran's perspective that either needs more attention or has gotten attention, like the good, the bad, and what's the ugly part?

SPEAKER_02 6:38

Uh a lot of the guys come in and they're they're gonna talk about the VA and benefits and and trying to get uh any of those situations fixed or getting help with a situation like that. Um and a lot a lot we'll talk about uh spouse benefits as well of what do I do kind of if something happens and um my my wife or my spouse needs taken care of um when I'm gone. So a lot of those questions get brought up. And uh South Carolina is really good with taking care of veterans, with uh property taxes, things like that to reduce costs for veterans to to bring them here. I think that's why we have do have such a incredible population here, is all of all of the the things that they've put in place for us veterans here. Uh beautiful weather, the area is amazing. So it is a giant hotspot for our veterans to come in and uh enjoy the rest of their life.

SPEAKER_05 7:32

Yeah, absolutely, and that makes us all better uh to be able to see veterans um, you know, all over uh the town. And I I love to see how they've built up Warbird Park and there's all sorts of memorials uh going on. And of course, we have the tiny home village, which is a very uh I guess it's a testament to the folks here that are business owners and volunteers and groups of people that have respect and understand how valuable uh you know what what the veterans have given to the country. And that they might need it.

SPEAKER_02 8:09

We were even standing at the cafe after Russell was done, a veteran was standing there, he's there with the service dog, and he's sitting there talking, he's like, I've been all over the country and all all over the place. He's like, I've never seen a a veterans cafe like this with this amount of a museum um and and people to show up. And I was like, I think I agree with you. I it it might be a a one of one for for what it's doing. Um and and it's uh it is, it's a testament to this area and the people and the folks before that that started it all and put it all together and um got it all going. And it's our our duty and responsibility to to keep it beautiful and keep it going and uh keep bringing people in there and honoring them in there um with pictures and artifacts all over the wall. So um we still get the the back table's completely full of stuff that that people just keep bringing in from this area. Um and that that's really neat to see too. Um and some of them will come in, they're like, I don't I don't know if you'll take this stuff. I was like, Well, are they a veteran? He's like, Yeah, I was like, Yeah, we'll take that stuff. We want to put it on the room.

SPEAKER_05 9:13

You know what would be really cool, it just popped into my head.

SPEAKER_02 9:16

What you got?

SPEAKER_05 9:17

Um wouldn't it be cool if you can put together a program for school trips?

SPEAKER_02 9:25

Yes, so we've talked about that. That's part of getting the museum. So we need the museum certified as an actual museum. Um then we can have it on there for the trips um and all that, and as an approved spot uh for these folks to come and see. So that's it would be so cool that the kids can come there and continue teaching them, um show them meet actual veterans. Like we had uh the CCU football team came over and and had uh breakfast slash lunch there, and there was three veterans sitting up at the countertop. Um and these young men were they were so well done. They walked up, they thanked the veterans sitting at the bar, um, and then they asked those veterans to show them around and talk to them about kind of each branch that's up on the wall, our tank wall, the the Vietnam room, and probably a good 30, 40 minutes of those veterans just showing the the young men around uh in the cafe, and that was so awesome to see. Um, and the the smile on the the old veterans' faces just talking to them and teaching them about kind of what went on and what was happening. It was priceless. Um, you can't you can't recreate that. It was amazing.

SPEAKER_05 10:36

Yeah, that is so awesome.

SPEAKER_02 10:38

And there's not I mean, where else are you gonna do that? You can't go sit down and eat and show people history like that anywhere else. So it's really cool.

SPEAKER_05 10:46

Absolutely. All right, so what kind of uh organizations? We're speaking with Scott Delabon, the executive director of the Veteran Veterans Welcome Home and Resource Center. You would think after all these years, I would have no problem. VWHRC.org. Yes, it is. All right, so you have the cafe, you have the tiny homes, you have the Hunton House, you have all the resources going on. So, what events do you want to um highlight?

SPEAKER_02 11:14

Well, last Friday we had uh the first uh Veterans Group United meeting.

SPEAKER_05 11:18

Oh, I saw that your Facebook video. So tell us about that. That was a great idea. I love that.

SPEAKER_02 11:24

So we had it a couple years ago when we were getting ready to take over this cafe and it kind of took the back burner on there. Um but the idea is kind of a not another nonprofit, just a group um of kind of five or six uh maybe of the the head veterans groups in the area that are doing a whole bunch. Um and we do kind of like a little stamp or certificate that these groups get because they've been vetted, they send us their information. Um, we make sure everybody's following the rules, doing what they're supposed to. So that way when we do events and we do stuff in in the community, or we want to go talk to the city council or or something in Ori County, um, we have a group of of veterans um that kind of know everything going on, that know all the events. There's a single event page for all the groups in our area. Um, and really just to to to police ourselves and um make sure that our nonprofits and our our veteran groups that are helping veterans can stick around for a really long time because I think that's one of the last things we need is a a setback or a black eye on Ori County with any veterans group um doing things.

SPEAKER_05 12:35

So duplication is kind of a problem because it causes unneeded competition in a way for funds. Or so when is there an area of needs that veterans have that is not being addressed that you wish there was that there's a void somewhere that maybe a group can like shift focus on or um I I think our biggest thing right now is probably probably assisted living with veterans in that group and probably larger homes for families.

SPEAKER_02 13:16

We we're we have a a gap there where if you don't make enough money and you don't qualify to be in veteran assisted living, you you are kind of just out there floating in the middle of nowhere. Um like we've we've had veteran assisted. Yeah, like give me an example.

SPEAKER_05 13:31

Is there something uh give me an example of what the situation is?

SPEAKER_02 13:35

Uh so John came to us um kind of in the middle with income. He had about eighteen, nineteen hundred dollars a month, um, which didn't qualify him for low income assisted living because he made too much money. But to be in an actual assisted living, you're probably talking about three to four thousand dollars a month. So hit him being in the middle of that income gap there pretty much left him with us as the only option. So he stayed at the Hutton House for the last five, six months of his life. Um and we were able to get him uh hospice at the Hutton House. Um and he kind of went back and forth to the hospital a little bit. Um so there there's an income gap there of where you're you have too much money or you don't have enough money and there's there's a gap in the middle there where there's not a lot of help for you. Um you make too much.

SPEAKER_05 14:36

Yeah, you're just over the the Medicaid like is that a person qualified for Medicaid or no?

SPEAKER_02 14:42

He didn't um but it wasn't enough to get him into the assisted living.

SPEAKER_05 14:49

Interesting.

SPEAKER_02 14:50

I mean you have to be basically not that so so there's a gap in there for those folks. And I mean if he wouldn't have found us, he was kind of couch surfing at 70 plus years old with a whole bunch of cancer and nowhere to go.

SPEAKER_03 15:05

That is just horrible.

SPEAKER_05 15:06

But that happens and he died with us.

SPEAKER_02 15:08

I know.

SPEAKER_05 15:09

That happens to a lot of people, not just veterans.

SPEAKER_02 15:12

And I think it's a huge gap in our entire community.

SPEAKER_05 15:16

Yeah. Um I think it's across the nation. There is that um Yeah, and that income level of like you're not so you're completely poor, you're good, they'll they'll cover it. If you did not buy a home and pay it off, yeah, then he was living he was living on boats.

SPEAKER_02 15:32

So he was he would build boats, he would live on 'em. He sold them. Um he was to the end of his life, he'd pretty much given all of his stuff away. And uh his actual friend called to to get him in with us. He's like, he's dying. And I was like, I can't take somebody dying, like I don't have resources for that. Um and my wife was like, I'll make sure he's taken care of it.

SPEAKER_05 15:59

I was like, And your wife is in RN.

SPEAKER_02 16:01

Yeah, I was like, that's pretty cool. So um and he did. He good guy. Um and it was awesome.

SPEAKER_05 16:09

It was it was great to be able to do that for the I was just like having this online conversation with someone just recently about the need for transitional group homes where those people can share in a home.

SPEAKER_02 16:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 16:25

And then it's specific to that need. Because there is government funding for that.

SPEAKER_02 16:31

I mean, are we talking about like the like uh asylums kind of like thing? No, no, just like I think they got rid of a lot of that with yes. No, I'm talking about a group home for the people that fall into that middle category where they have to have a halfway house before transition housing with with health care, health related, not I think that's the criminal it that is the thing that is needed. Um but how you go about it. It could be any age, you don't have to only be a veteran. Correct. Yeah, but holy smokes, I mean you have to have 24-7 care. Um and you're probably looking at a lot of people that aren't gonna be able to pay that bill. So, I mean, there has to be extravagant uh grants and resources that help support and fund that thing to to have the resources on the city. And long term too. You know, um, and people that aren't just gonna come in there and go, wow, I can't do this because now we have nobody here to take care of them after we get away. You need 24 hour that is uh massive undertaking. But it it's what's needed. If if we were to pick one thing, I would say that that is the biggest need I've got to do that. There has to be helping.

SPEAKER_05 17:42

There has to be something that is addressing this already and don't have to reinvent the wheel. Some kind of transitional housing, because I I see the need too, like just from you know, being with my mom, um, you know, where they can't earn any more money. They don't make enough to get in there to get everything. Yeah, and a s real assisted living and real memory care is just a fortune. And then you hear about long-term insurance, yeah. Long-term care insurance doesn't cover everything.

SPEAKER_02 18:16

We I mean we've even had one that was in, and then insurance stops in there, and now they're calling to try and find somewhere to get them out of the assisted living. Like we had that happen to us as well, and we took that person in because the insurance stopped. And we're like, what's going on? They outlived it? They're like, they're I have no idea. You don't know how it works. Didn't know. But they said insurance has stopped, they've been here for almost six months now, and we've been footing the bill, and we can't do it anymore. And it's like, oh, we insure little nonprofit over here that's got five bedroom. We'll take them. And it was like we'll figure it out. What what else do you do? You put that person out on the street with Yeah, they're not I guess they can't do that. Unhealthy, they don't have anything, you know.

SPEAKER_05 19:01

Or anybody to help them.

SPEAKER_02 19:03

So I mean, I think there's probably some rules and regulation in there of what you're supposed to and not supposed to do there, but does it always get followed? I'd probably say no. Um so uh it's it's a I would say it's of critical need and probably almost. I bet you that happens a lot. I would think so.

SPEAKER_05 19:21

Like a family has enough money to put you in there for like six months and then you outlive it, and then they're like, or the whole process doesn't go through yet, because that takes forever.

SPEAKER_02 19:30

Like I think that guy we had on there was eight months just for like the the interviews and all the packets, and none of the packets are small for any of this. Um or even even the the VA ones, like if we could do more, but I don't I don't know where they're they're gonna put them and and pop them up.

SPEAKER_05 19:50

Well that's the problem. So now we need to think of a solution. I bet you there's something out there. There's gotta be something out there.

SPEAKER_02 19:55

I mean best. Is Magro Guardian Angels in our area? She has been absolutely incredible with us. There are good things about them. Magro? Yes. Okay. Uh Sabrina, she um she's an amazing woman. She came probably I bet you I've known her four or five years. Uh she came to me to our door and said, Hey, um, we're just getting started. I really want to be able to take care of veterans. So if you have some that aren't don't maybe don't have the income, maybe need some gears moving, um, call me and I'll get it going. And I was like, Yeah, okay. Um, had a couple, she made the wheels move, she got them into their places, she helps with all the paperwork in the background. Wow. Um, so she actually utilizes uh one of our offices kind of as her spot too. So uh, incredible lady um and just wants to help. And that's kind of is that her own company?

SPEAKER_05 20:48

Yes. Oh wow, okay. Interesting.

SPEAKER_02 20:50

Yep.

SPEAKER_05 20:50

There is such a great need, and it's so hard to find someone you trust too. Yeah, that's it.

SPEAKER_02 20:54

I mean and anybody out there, like if you need something like that, please call because if we do give her a call, she knows all the people in the background and she's able to maneuver um situations that might be at a stalemate or somebody overlooked, and she's able to make sure that it is good to go and uh those people are getting care that they need.

SPEAKER_05 21:13

Yeah. All right. Sounds good. Go to vwhrc.org if you'd like to help volunteer, donate, or need help, they can do all that. Go to vwhrc.org and stop by the veterans' cafe and museum uh to enjoy some breakfast or lunch. Absolutely. All right, we'll be there on Friday the twenty eighth for a live broadcast, 6 to 10 a.m. And we're inviting all veterans groups if you want to come in, especially and uh hop on the air with us and share what you're doing. That would be awesome. All right, thanks, Scott.

SPEAKER_02 21:46

Thanks for having me.