Warrior Veteran Support Center in Lovell celebrates its second year

Warrior Veteran Support Center organizer Les Files doesn’t know exactly how many veterans have stopped by the center to ask a quick question about something related to their military service. He stopped counting at 300.

The center opened two years ago on June 1, 2022, to fulfill the need local veterans have for information related to their service in the military. The center has helped more than 60 veterans deal with everything from the complexity of applying for benefits to getting placement in national cemeteries to getting flags folded to getting wills prepared. Files said he also refers veterans to other agencies and organizations that can better help them with a problem or issue.

“I’m retired Army and a disabled vet,” explained Files. “The biggest thing we’ve found veterans need in this area is information. So, that’s our main focus -- sharing information.”

All services provided by the center are free to veterans, and the center serves veterans of all ages.

“The biggest portion of veterans in this area are older veterans, like veterans from Vietnam and Desert Storm,” Files said. “We still help some of the younger ones, too, but there are resources in place for those veterans, so we don’t see them as much. The services weren’t there for the older veterans when they returned home, and sometimes they don’t even know where to turn. So, for us having this storefront on Main Street makes us very visible. It’s amazing how many walk-ins we get and how many see the phone number on the window and call us.”

The center is located at 59 East Main Street in Lovell. Its hours are Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for veterans who want to ask questions or just stop by for a visit and a cup of coffee and on Thursday and Friday for those who need an appointment to help with more complicated matters that require more time.

“Some call and make an appointment, and during that appointment we help them with whatever they need,” explained Files. “For some, it’s just a matter of helping them get a copy of their discharge papers because they lost them. For others, it’s explaining what letters or documents they got from the VA mean. We’ve had veterans come in who’ve gotten a letter from the VA, who have no understanding of what’s being said or how it pertains to them. Being able to explain something like that really makes a difference.” 

When Files opened the center, he did it thinking that if he helped even one veteran facing complicated problems per year, it would be a success. So far, that number has been closer to two or three veterans per month, which he noted is quite a few for such a remote area.

The organization is funded entirely by donations and small fundraisers that usually raise enough money to keep the doors open another month. A donation of two military themed quilts was made to the center this month. Raffle tickets for the quilts will be available July 1. A limited number of tickets will be sold, with winning tickets drawn on August 1.

“We normally do fundraisers every other month,” said Files. 

Some of the recent fundraisers have included a silent auction, a bake sale and a pulled pork nachos sale. 

The center does not accept any federal funds. Files said he’d rather not be restricted by the narrow requirements that come with those funds. So far, he hasn’t applied for grants but would consider doing so in the future.                           

“I want to be free to help in any way I can,” said Files, who added he works entirely for the satisfaction of knowing he’s helped his “brothers and sisters who served their country.” 

The welcoming atmosphere of the center has attracted veterans from other communities, including veterans from Bridger, Worland and Thermopolis.

“A lot of veterans who come in here just want to talk,” said Files. “They want to share their war stories. That’s how you find out what their problems are and what they need help with.”

The center networks with other organizations like Volunteers of America and the Wyoming Veterans Commission.

“That’s why we have the big table in here, so these organizations can come in here and help people while they are here.”

“In the past we’ve had some nice donations from local people, but you can’t expect donations from the same people all the time,” said Files. “That’s why I prefer to do fundraisers where people actually get something for their donation. With the economy the way it is right now, I’m not comfortable with asking for more.”

Files talked about the challenges veterans face when they leave the military.

“For some people that discipline, camaraderie they had in the military is something they had for years,” explained Files. “When they come back to live in the civilian world that’s not the case. People live in their own little world. There’s not always that place where you feel comfortable and safe like when you were in the military.”

Files said he hopes to make the center a place where veterans feel not only comfortable asking for help but comfortable with just stopping by to chat over a cup of coffee.

“I want veterans to think of this like their grandpa’s old barber shop,” said Files, “a place where you feel welcome at all times. In certain ways, the military has its own language, using words you’ll almost never see in the civilian world. Because we are veterans helping other veterans, we speak that language. We have vets come in here to tell their story. If those stories stop, the history stops and if we don’t learn from that history we repeat it.”