Congressman Eric Sorenson hosts a veteran round table in Veterans Memorial Hall

Congressman and Democratic candidate Eric Sorensen hosted a veteran roundtable at Rockford’s Veterans Memorial Hall today. 

Organizations like Veterans Affairs, the Veteran Drop-in Center and the Veteran Assistance Commission discussed better ways to serve veterans in the area. 

One of the main topics was the actual definition of a veteran, especially what it means for those in the National Guard or Reserves.

“Unlike in the 70s, our guard and reserves are doing different jobs,” said Veterans Assistance Commission of Winnebago Ray Richmond Jr. “They’re doing much more than what they were doing before, and that definition of veteran plays into effect right now for them and their benefits. So that’s a key point that’s being discussed about on the Hill, of what the definition of veteran is. Across different agencies, there are different definitions, and we really need to come together about what that definition is.”

Transportation also came up. The groups want to find a way to connect the V-A’s in Rockford and Madison.