Assemblyman Kevin Byrne (R,C,Ref-Mahopac) joined Senate and Assembly colleagues from across the aisle earlier this week for a press conference supporting the restoration of funding to the Joseph P. Dwyer Vet 2 Vet Program. The program connects veterans, active members of the armed forces and their families with others to provide peer support. The program was founded in memory and honor of the late Joseph P. Dwyer, a soldier in the United States Army, who served in Iraq and later died of an accidental overdose in his home after struggling for years with post traumatic stress.
“Caring for our veterans is a basic responsibility of our government and community,” said Byrne. “I am proud to join colleagues from both sides of the aisle calling for the restoration of state funding for the PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Vet 2 Vet program. Since its inception, the Dwyer program has demonstrated time and time again its quantifiable success in caring for our veterans. There is no one better who knows what a veteran is going through than another veteran. I urge the governor and other state legislators to join us and help restore this funding so this program can continue to help those who have sacrificed so much for us and our freedom. We must stand up for our veterans. They have taken care of us, and we must do what we can to take care of them.”