African American History Month has ended, and while the official celebration is over, our contributions to society don't end on any given particular day. Likewise, our African American service members continue to contribute and make history, even after they take off their uniforms for the last time.

Every day, we are still serving our nation and, in many cases, still leading the way to make our communities better. One story of continuing leadership, service, and sacrifice by our African American leaders is the AmeriCorps Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America (CADCA) VetCorps.

A Leader Continues to Lead

The CADCA is led by Army Gen. Arthur T. Dean, who was one of the highest-ranking African American soldiers when he retired in 1998 with the rank of Major General. During his 31 years in the military, Gen. Dean served around the world, saw combat in Vietnam and Saudi Arabia, and spent six years with the 82nd Airborne Division and the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, NC.

Immediately after retiring from the Army, Gen. Dean became the chairman and CEO of CADCA, one of the leading drug abuse prevention organizations in the world, representing the interests of more than 5,000 community anti-drug coalitions in the country.

CADCA's mission is a formative one. It trains local grassroots groups, known as community anti-drug coalitions, in effective community problem-solving strategies by teaching them how to assess their local substance abuse-related problems and develop a comprehensive plan to address them.

One large and looming issue was that of substance abuse among National Guard and Reserve members.

Deployment stresses can have a devastating impact on National Guard soldiers and their families due to disparities in services available to them. Unlike their active duty peers, National Guard members often do not benefit from services available on military bases, such as family support centers and counseling services.

According to the Department of Defense's Millennium Cohort Study, 22 percent of National Guard members were problem drinkers, 29 percent had financial problems, 12 percent reported feeling lonely, and 5 percent had suicidal thoughts.

This problem on the homefront was in need of a leader… enter Gen. Dean with a vision of community empowerment and service as a solution.

New Recruits for a New Team

In 2011, CADCA partnered with the National Guard Bureau (NGB) with a mission and a vision to improve the lives of returning Guardsmen and Reservists in combating substance abuse. They coined this initiative “VetCorps,” and the partnership was launched on Sept. 11, 2011, with the goal of improving the lives of Guardsmen in more than 27 states with the added people power of AmeriCorps members. VetCorps allows the use of existing NGB and CADCA infrastructure at the national, state, and local level to ensure effective alignment and use of resources to achieve the greatest results for those serving and being served.

In February, the first class of AmeriCorps members in the CADCA VetCorps were sworn in here in Washington DC, and among them was African American U.S. Navy veteran Kela Harris. Harris was inspired by other leaders she had encountered, as well as a common desire to continue her service here on the homefront.

Prior to joining the AmeriCorps program, Harris served on supply detail for a helicopter squadron in Mayport, FL. Harris continued her service after leaving the military by becoming a member of the City Year AmeriCorps program in Washington, DC.

She spent the duration of her City Year teaching life-saving information and being an activist in the HIV/AIDS community. Harris believes that VetCorps is a platform to bring military service members and their families the support and services they need, while helping fellow service members to answer the call to service in their communities.

Last month, in front of more than 2,000 people dedicated to serving their communities, Harris shared her story of seeing the challenges of deployment stress and lack of access to needed resources, and how AmeriCorps can help. You can hear her inspirational remarks, as well as the remarks of Gen. Dean, here.

African American History Month is over, but Gen. Dean's service continued, Kela Harris' service continued -- and so can yours. Learn how by visiting www.americorps.gov/.

Today, a group of young men and women, many of them veterans, will stand up and pledge to “get things done for America”. They will join a legion of more than 750,000 Americans who have served in AmeriCorps and become the first class to also serve as VetCorps members.
 

As America's heroes return from war zones and transition back into civilian life, many are facing challenges finding work. Last month, more than over 857,000 veterans were unemployed, and the jobless rate for post-9/11 veterans is 13.1 percent.
 

Supporting our nation's troops, veterans, and military families is critical to our national security and to strengthening our communities. It is also a top priority for of Corporation for National and Community Service, stemming from the bipartisan Serve America Act.