While countless numbers of Kankakee County men and women have served and fought for this nation, there was a time when there was no one fighting for them.

It may seem hard to believe, but less than 40 years ago – dating back to 1987 – there was not a singular location within Kankakee County to administer to the needs of military veterans.

Since the establishment of the Veterans Assistance Commission of Kankakee County, the commission has been based in more than a few locations, but it now seems to have found its permanent base on the third floor of 581 William Latham Drive in Bourbonnais.

The county VAC was initially located on the first floor of the Kankakee County Courthouse. Its director was Jim Denbow, who was a Vietnam veteran.

Now armed with a $700,000 annual budget funded through local taxes and governed by the Military Veterans Assistance Act of the State of Illinois, the organization literally serves thousands of area veterans.

And commission leadership notes that there are still countless numbers who do not know where the organization is stationed, nor the services it provides.

Prior to its creation, veterans in need of physical, emotional, or anything in between would be forced to search for assistance. One location might have been available to help with one need, but not another.

Another stop may provide help for another question. The search would almost feel like crawling in and out of a foxhole, said area U.S. Navy veteran Roger Bean, who served from April 1964 through November 1968 during the Vietnam War.

A Belle Aire subdivision resident in Bourbonnais since 1978, when he moved into Kankakee County, Bean, 80, has been instrumental in not only aiding veterans but also helping create a commission to better serve those who put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms the U.S. stands behind.

“People don’t realize how many veterans we have here. Then you add spouses and dependents,” he said.

According to the local VAC, there are about 6,800 veterans within Kankakee County’s boundaries. The Kankakee County VAC is one of 52 in Illinois.

The VAC is open from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Friday. Their website is k3countyvac.com.

The commission, in somewhat simple terms, Bean explained, is a “one-stop shop” for veterans seeking services, having a question answered or simply attempting to gain information

“If they need something, we can find it,” he said.

Changing lives

A U.S. Army veteran from 2005-11, Eric Peterson, 38, has been the superintendent of the local VAC for one year. Peterson served in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Karen Smietanski, 58, a 16-year VAC employee and its assistant superintendent, helps guide a staff of four full-time workers and three part-time staff members to aid military members.

The commission hopes to add staff to help better serve those in need.

It is a job, of course, but Peterson said it is far more than that. Far more.

“The possibilities for changing someone’s life for the better are almost endless,” Peterson said.

He said he still encounters veterans who are unaware that the office exists.

The commission’s mission statement is direct:

“With mutual respect, dignity, and acceptance, through innovative and collaborative services, the Veterans Assistance Commission of Kankakee County will provide tools for positive life changes to veterans and their families.”

The organization provides financial assistance to honorably discharged veterans and will assist them in determining if they are eligible to receive Veterans’ Financial Assistance.

The program, however, is not intended as an ongoing support program to be utilized for a considerable length of time.

Its mission is to get people back on their feet, put back on a path to being self-sustained.

The program offers rental/mortgage payments, utility payments, food/family essentials, indigent burial expenses, miscellaneous disability care expenses, homeless/transportation housing referrals and transportation (via bus tokens).

Often times, Peterson acknowledged, they are encountering those at extreme low points.

“We are dealing with them at their worst. In the military, the motto is adapt and overcome. Here, we adapt often,” he said.

Peterson, a 2006 Herscher High School graduate, said witnessing what takes place at the VAC gives him tremendous faith in the Kankakee County community.

Bean said when the concept of creating a local VAC was brought forward, many felt it would simply be nothing more than a duplication of services already available.

There could be some truth to such a statement, but services were scattered, and that fact only frustrated and discouraged those in need.

“Veterans now just need to come through the front door. If eligible, they will never have to take another step by themselves.”