Who We Serve

Active Duty

A person who is active duty is in the military full time. They work for the military full time, may live on a military base, and can be deployed at any time. Persons in the Reserve or National Guard are not full-time active-duty military personnel, although they can be deployed at any time should the need arise

National Guard

The National Guard consists of the Army National Guard and the Air Force's Air National Guard. While federally funded, the National Guard is organized and controlled by each respective state and the chain of command is under each state’s governor. However, in times of war, the National Guard can become federalized and deployed. The National Guard engages in several activities. During local emergencies, National Guard units assist communities endangered by storms, floods, fires, and other disasters. National Guard companies deployed overseas are often assigned to combat units, but also may be assigned for specific missions such as civil engineering in building schools and hospitals or with training local peacekeepers or teaching local farmers more efficient farming techniques. As with the Reserve, the National Guard requires training drills one weekend a month and two weeks per year. National Guard members are given Veteran status if they have served for 30 consecutive days in a war zone.

The Reserve

Each branch of the military has a Reserve component, and Reservists are under the command of their respective military branch. For example, Army Reserve personnel are under the command of the Army. The purpose of the Reserve is to provide and maintain trained units and qualified persons to be available for active duty in the armed forces when needed. This may be in times of war, in a national emergency, or as the need occurs from threats to national security. They can be called upon to serve either stateside or overseas. The primary job of the Reserve is to fill the gaps in stateside service positions when active-duty forces ship overseas. Members of the Reserve are required to participate in training drills one weekend per month and two weeks per year.

The Western Massachusetts Veterans Outreach Project provides information and resources to assist

civilian medical and behavioral health care providers and supportive social service agencies in western Massachusetts who have clients who are active-duty service members, Veterans and their families in western Massachusetts.

We also connect with service members, Veterans and their family members who live in western Massachusetts.