Non-profit Organization Helps Local Veterans Pursue Their Dreams

RENO, Nev. (775 Times, NV Globe) –The holidays may be stressful for combat veterans, and a local guy reminds us that many of vets are in need.

“Even though the war’s over, the wounds do not go away,” said Dylan Gray of Smith Valley.

Gray has firsthand knowledge of this. He was injured in 2007 while on his third deployment with the Marines when the Humvee he was driving collided with an explosion.

‘Happy to be alive,” explained Gray. “And when I came back and woke up in a hospital, there was plenty of my fellow service members who didn’t get to wake up in a hospital. And I really didn’t care what it was at that point in time, I was alive, I could see. I could hold my young son again. And so everything else was going to get figured out.”

“You’ve got to adapt to things and overcome and just find a different way of doing things,” said Gray. “But life will go on, you just have to have the determination to do it.”

That’s when Semper Fi & America’s Fund, a non-profit that has helped over 29,000 veterans, comes in. Everything from financial assistance to counselors and other valuable services is available.

“I’ve gotten grants, they’ve helped with sporting events and things that I’ve had to do. Anything along the way that I’ve ever needed help with in the 15 years I’ve been an amputee now, they’ve been there for me,” added Gray.