Veterans are some of the Upstate’s most valuable resources and honorable citizens. As you know, the veteran community is at a cross-road. With changes happening at all levels, old ideas and ways of doing things may no longer be adequate. It is with this in mind that several Upstate residents, many of whom are veterans themselves, have undertaken the mission of better understanding the concerns and needs of our veterans and their families.

Our intent is to go directly to the veterans and the people who know them best and record the needs and concerns of the veteran community. We will share the information we obtain with federal, state, county, city, and any other officials. This information can only lead to better and more informed decisions on the part of responsible leaders. We can only hope that these decisions will have a positive impact on Upstate veterans and their families.

The reason for this letter is to ask Upstate veterans, active duty service members, National Guard members, and Reservists to complete the following survey. We are also encouraging the family members and friends to complete the survey. With multiple points of view, we hope to get as complete a picture as possible.

If you choose to participate in the study, you will be asked to complete a series of questions about your experiences as an active duty member of the military and your experiences as a veteran. The questions should take no more than thirty (30) minutes to complete.

The survey is completely anonymous. There is no way to identify who completed the online survey or the hardcopy one that is filled out by hand. We will never ask you for any information that can be used to identify your answers among all of the other answers. Furthermore, no individual data will ever be made public. The results of the survey will be kept confidential as required by federal privacy regulations. Once you complete the survey, we will not ask you for any further information related to this study.

You may choose not to be in the study, or, if you agree to be in the study, you may abandon the questionnaire at any time. If you withdraw from the study, no new data about you will be collected for the study purposes.

Taking part in this study is up to you; it's your choice. Being in this study may not help you directly, but what is learned could help others. If you agree to participate, please select the "Agree" button. Otherwise, please select the "Do not agree" button to exit the survey.

Thank you very much for even considering this request.