Jim Lorraine, President of AWP: Every veteran should receive support in their community

How Bucha and Kamianske are building a system of support for veterans based on US experience

Special project

16 October 2026

The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation and the Heart of Azovstal NGO have presented the Veteran and Community initiative, which is designed to help cities work effectively with veterans. Bucha and Kamianske have been selected as the pilot communities.

The project was developed with the involvement of America’s Warrior Partnership, a US organisation with many years of experience in building veteran communities at the local level, and the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE), which audited 1,500 Ukrainian communities and selected the best ones for the pilot.

As Nataliia Yemchenko, Chair of the Supervisory Boards, explained, there are already many services available to defenders in Ukraine, but they operate in isolation from one another. The project’s main goal, therefore, is to bring these opportunities together by building a clear local support system through dedicated navigators.

As part of the initiative, communities undergo comprehensive training and an audit of existing services, and develop their own development strategies. The authors are convinced that the successful integration of veterans will not only enable them to fulfil their potential, but also turn them into a powerful driver of development for Ukrainian society as a whole.

Ukrainska Pravda spoke to Jim Lorraine, president of America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP), the largest association of organisations for veterans and everyone involved in veteran-related issues in the United States. He explained how US experience is helping Ukraine build support systems for veterans in communities, why it is important to support every defender, and how local initiatives help veterans return to civilian life.

"Everyone should receive support". How the US and Ukraine are learning to build veteran policy

Question

– Jim, you have been working with veterans in the US for many years. In your view, what is the most important thing someone needs when they return from war to help them truly find their place in civilian life?

– Yes, I have been working in the military and veteran sector in the United States for a very long time. And every day I see that when service members transition to civilian life, they really need connections with other veterans and with people in general. Because social isolation is a serious problem. Veterans often withdraw and stop communicating even with their families and friends. Then it becomes difficult to find a job, and they lack motivation and a positive outlook for the future. One problem compounds another.

How do we bring veterans together and help them get what they really need? That is the "number one" priority. In both the US and Ukraine – I saw this for myself when I visited – there are already many veteran programmes, and they can be found online.

Jim Lorraine’s meeting with local government officials and veterans in Kamianske, 2025

But at the local level, where a veteran lives, there needs to be someone who can help them navigate this system. Someone who can identify what the veteran needs and match them with the appropriate support, taking into account who they are, what they do and where they are. For this, it is very important for such a specialist to know who the veteran is today, what their overall life situation is and what is happening in their family. They need to understand where they want to go in the future. This will help determine what resources – governmental or non-governmental – are available to them to achieve that goal.

No one can assess all of this in such detail better than a specialist in the veteran’s own town or community. It needs to be someone they know well. We call this person a navigator – someone who understands the opportunities available to veterans and can guide them through the full range of options.

So there are two important things here. First, connections with other people are important, and second, there needs to be someone who can help them navigate this complex system while also acting as their advocate, not just in one particular matter, but throughout their lives. I see successful stories where veterans receive support and then want to help someone else themselves. They go through this process and then come back and say: "You know, I’m successful now. I would really like to give something back and help."

Question

– Who should help them adapt to civilian life? Should this be someone from the community? At the local level, we have veteran support specialists – is that something similar?

– That is a very good question. It requires efforts at every level: local programmes, national programmes and government-wide initiatives.

Such an initiative often starts with veterans themselves. They do this because they want to help other veterans and their families. A successful veteran community helps improve the quality of life of the community as a whole. Veterans volunteer, train others and are active in their communities. That is why it is important for this to start at the local level.

Jim Lorraine’s meeting with local government officials and veterans in Kamianske, 2025

In addition, if the government provides a service, say, a particular payment to veterans, it needs to be made easy for a veteran in any community to access it. America’s Warrior Partnership, a non-governmental organisation in the US that helps veterans [editor’s note], has a motto: "Together, we can do better." And for this to happen, the local level needs to work together with the state and national levels. Because, you know, the resources are there. You just need to know where they are and how to help a veteran navigate the different types of support available. And most importantly, veterans need to receive that support quickly and without unnecessary difficulties.

Post-traumatic growth. How veterans become their communities’ greatest resource

Question

– Ukraine is building its veteran policy system in the midst of a full-scale war. What mistakes did the US make at the time that you would advise us not to repeat?

– The main lesson – and Ukraine is certainly ahead of us on this already – is that in the US, we should have started helping veterans sooner. You are already doing that.

Defenders of Mariupol at the AWP Symposium in Washington

At the beginning, we made a mistake: we focused too much on service members who were going through hospitals in preparation for demobilisation. But we missed the main point: for every such service member, there were 10 or 20 others returning home not from a hospital bed, but directly from service. Yet no one paid attention to them. No one was looking after the veterans who had just taken off their uniforms – those who had not suffered severe injuries, but carried their own burden of what they had seen and experienced, including hidden trauma.

So my main message is this:

everyone who has served should receive support during the transition to civilian life.

Everyone – not just those who have lost limbs or have visible injuries, but also those whose trauma is invisible, and even those who appear to be completely healthy now. They may remain silent today, but I know from experience: in five to ten years, the consequences will catch up with them, and they will need help.

Another lesson I have learned is that in the US, far from all veterans are entitled to medical care or certain other social services: only those who have injuries or severe trauma. In the States, we have 17.5 million veterans, but only a small proportion have access to free services. I believe this is a huge mistake. Our advice to Ukraine is: do not limit support to those with visible injuries or disabilities. Help everyone.

Question

– What do you think is the best way to do this?

– We have a responsibility to know all veterans and stay connected with them. We need to understand who they are, where they live and what they aspire to, so that we can direct them to the resources they need in a timely manner.

Experience shows:

that around 85% of the veterans with whom we establish contact do not need help themselves – they want to help others.

They want to tell us about a fellow service member or support someone going through a difficult time. Only 15% genuinely need help – and we have to be there for them. But the fact that a community has 85% of veterans saying that they personally do not need anything at the moment creates an enormous resource for the community as a whole.

Question

– And what about overcoming PTSD? Unfortunately, many veterans experience it. How can we at least improve the situation? How does the healthcare system and the local community in the US help with this?

– Yes, post-traumatic stress is very complex. You know, the symptoms of someone who has suffered a head injury from an explosion can be very similar to the symptoms of post-traumatic stress, so they can sometimes easily be confused.

We introduced our Ukrainian colleagues to an American programme called "Post-Traumatic Growth". Its premise is as follows: you have experienced terrible things in war and in life that no one should ever have to go through. But look at it from a different perspective – at how that experience has made you more resilient, made you stronger and taught you to appreciate life more deeply. In other words, we are trying to turn terrible pain into an experience of personal growth. It is less a form of medical treatment than a series of psychological sessions and training.

Jim Lorraine meets with local government representatives and veterans in Kamianske, Ukraine, 2025

This approach was originally developed for American veterans who had experienced particularly difficult events. They were service members and former prisoners of war from the Vietnam War era. They went through post-traumatic growth together: they talked, reflected on the horrors they had experienced, stayed connected and, at the same time, deeply understood one another, seeing each other as people who had gone through the same thing. As a result, they had an extremely low incidence of psychological disorders associated with post-traumatic stress.

And the fact that Heart of Azovstal is now establishing such a post-traumatic growth centre in Ukraine is simply a wonderful initiative. One of the things I greatly value about the approach and values of Nataliia Yemchenko, Chair of the Supervisory Board, and Heart of Azovstal is their understanding of the importance of veterans’ psychological recovery as well.

The experience of Bucha and Kamianske. How to create effective support for veterans at the local level

Question

– In 2024, you visited Ukrainian communities, including Bucha and Kamianske, where you spoke with veterans and local authorities. How did this experience help you better understand our realities and shape the programme that communities are now following? And what did you focus on most during those visits?

– You know, I came to Ukraine expecting to see a lack of resources. Instead, I was struck by how much useful support for veterans you have already put in place. In Ukraine, what is needed is not so much new programmes as people at the local level who can help veterans navigate the programmes that already exist.

I also clearly saw another need – it is important that someone in Ukraine stands up for veterans’ interests. When help is needed, but instead you have to argue and prove your rights, that is not good. Sometimes a veteran simply cannot do this on their own.

Jim Lorraine meets with local government representatives and veterans in Kamianske, Ukraine, 2025

There needs to be someone who will step in and say: "Wait, they have every right to this. Give them what they need." This is precisely what the project we have with the Heart of Azovstal public organisation is focused on: "Veteran and Community" helps communities develop effective veteran policies and create the conditions for veterans to fulfil their potential.

In the communities, I was struck by how the war in Ukraine has affected absolutely everyone without exception. It is not just veterans – all residents have been affected. Take Bucha and Kamianske, for example: people there are incredibly focused and determined. In Kamianske, we visited the Metinvest steelworks, where there is a very close-knit veteran community. There are service and events coordinators who bring veterans and their families together.

And when you step outside the enterprise and look at the community itself, you see a clear understanding: the entire support system needs to be built from the bottom up – like a seed growing out of the ground. That is exactly the approach being developed by Metinvest and Heart of Azovstal. Everything should start at the community level and grow upwards, like new life emerging from a seed.

Recently, I met with Ukraine’s Minister for Veterans Affairs and explained this very point:

national programmes and services are excellent, but the key is to ensure equal access to them across all communities.

This is where the specialist comes to the fore – someone who helps veterans and their families find exactly what they need at a particular moment.

Question

– Could you tell us more about the Veteran and Community project? What are your personal impressions of how it is developing?

– It is a very inspiring project, and every day we discover new details. As part of America’s Warrior Partnership’s work, we visited Ukraine and analysed the experience of Bucha and Kamianske.

We clearly identified their strengths and the areas where additional effort could help build a community. A community that knows all its veterans and their families, stays in regular contact with them and informs them about opportunities for development through local and national programmes. And, most importantly, becomes a reliable supporter and advocate for veterans when they need help. The whole point of the programmes is to train navigators to focus on people’s needs and work effectively with all relevant services.

We are particularly pleased about our partnership with the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE). They have done a tremendous amount of work: they analysed 1,500 communities and selected the 12 strongest for the project. The main idea is to cultivate communities that are friendly and open to veterans, that support defenders and their families, and that will make the community as a whole stronger and more united.

Question

– As part of the Veterans and Communities project, training sessions are being held at the local level. How do you assess the initial results? What has stayed with you most from your visits to our communities?

– What has stayed with me most is that veterans are literally full of hope for the future. They have been through the war themselves and have already paid a high personal price to make that future better.

I was also deeply impressed by the people who help veterans directly at the local community level. I spoke to a woman who works at the Metinvest plant. She is incredibly compassionate, highly professional and deeply committed to her work.

Jim Lorraine meets with local government representatives and veterans in Kamianske, Ukraine, 2025

I met young men and women at Mariupol University – many of them have been in captivity. Despite everything they have been through, they now say clearly: this is where I am now, these are my plans for the future, and this is what I will do for my family. They have faith in the future and faith in their country. That is wonderful, and incredibly powerful – to make plans after going through something like that, and to make plans while a war is still going on.

As for specific local initiatives within the project, each community has its own distinctive features. Take Bucha: there is a single public service centre where all residents can go to access services. At the same time, there is a dedicated area for veterans. A veteran can go straight to the specialist they need without having to wait, with all the services they need brought together in one place. Nearby, there are services that help veterans’ families and children with various social and psychological issues.

The worst thing for a veteran is to sit around with nothing to do. They need to be active, to work, to feel that they are needed and to give something back to society. And it is equally important for them to see society taking the same approach towards them. That is exactly what I have seen in this project: veterans feel that they are needed here.

The power of local initiatives. How to create conditions where everyone returning from war receives support

Question

– What specific initiatives impressed you?

– In Kamianske, I was impressed by the Metinvest employees themselves: they brought veterans together into a close-knit community under the leadership of a strong female leader. In general, I really like the focus on sport in your communities – for both men and women, it is a powerful tool for rehabilitation and bringing people together. We also visited an adaptation centre in Kamianske for service members who had just returned to civilian life. They receive both consultations and social support there. That is very, very good.

Jim Lorraine at the Metinvest plant, Kamianske, 2025

But what impressed me most was something else: the veterans themselves become mentors and trainers for civilians. They teach community residents first aid – explaining how to save themselves and their loved ones in critical situations and how to recognise dangerous objects such as unexploded drones, artillery shells and explosives.

This has a two-way effect: veterans receive support while sharing their expertise and the skills they themselves know best. It is phenomenal! And all of this is happening at the local level.

My main conclusion is this:

the local level, the community level, is decisive and crucial for veterans.

The task of the state and the national level is to give these local initiatives the authority, funding and resources they may lack.

Question

– There are many organisations in the US that help veterans. How can duplication of functions be avoided?

– Everyone wants the best for veterans, but sometimes different foundations really do the same thing as others. There are quite a few programmes in the US that duplicate one another. In fact, just this morning a man called me to discuss his idea for helping veterans. I warned him that others in the community were already doing the same thing. I am sure the same thing happens in Ukraine. You have people who want to make things better, but they simply repeat what someone else is already planning to do. In my view, that does not help veterans. Having so many choices… sometimes too much choice is not a good thing.

Defenders of Mariupol take part in an American Warrior Partnership event in the United States, 2024

It is useful to learn from other countries, but you should recognise that you have your own culture of supporting veterans and that you already have various veteran services in place. In the US, there is an education programme called "The GI Bill". If you serve for a time in the military and transition to become a veteran you can use this program to acquire a college education or skilled trade. In Ukraine, however, such training is already free, so you are already doing this effectively.

Question

– In your view, what is most valuable about the project with Heart of Azovstal and the opportunities it creates for Ukrainian veterans returning from war?

– I will return to our metaphor of a seed and the beautiful flower that grows from it. The main goal of Heart of Azovstal is to prepare the soil, that is, to create conditions in communities where veterans and their families are genuinely cared for. Where people understand: it is not enough simply to plant the seed.

Jim Lorraine attending an event hosted by the Heart of Azovstal Foundation, 2025

For a seed to take root and grow strong, it needs constant care, attention and support. And it is important to continue caring for it until it becomes a magnificent flower or a strong tree. That is the idea: Heart of Azovstal helps communities find the impetus and opportunities they need to grow that seed themselves. I think that is the essence of the work of the Heart of Azovstal project.

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