Throughout the years the United States has been involved in many wars, which then produced many war veterans. These men and women fought for their country, both on foreign and domestic soil, and then returned to their homes to take up their old lives.

Some of the country’s oldest veterans right now are those who fought in World War II.

Though some of the country’s oldest veterans fought in World War II, young American men and women are coming back as veterans every day from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“They’ve all experienced some hardships if they’ve been to war and they don’t go away overnight,” said Freeborn County Veterans Services officer Jon Rhiger. “The needs aren’t much different.”

Rhiger and his co-worker Irene Anderson, a veterans benefit specialist, said the soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen then and now have similar needs when they get back from war. They’re usually young and don’t quite know what to do or how to transition back into society.

Andersen said World War II veterans don’t feel they should take benefits and services now when there are younger veterans in need. However, the system doesn’t work that way.

Younger veterans getting out of the service are encouraged to seek out benefits when older generations weren’t, Rhiger said. The benefits available are more publicized and military services more vocal about the opportunities.

Rhiger said the Minnesota National Guard has been active in promoting the benefits available to veterans. National Guard members only have access to benefits if they are federally activated; If a governor activates them, federal benefits do not apply.

Technology is also changing veterans, as it has everything else in society. Rhiger said with World War II soldiers letters took weeks, and the ride on the ship back to the United States gave the soldier time to decompress before returning back to society.

Limited time from release from active duty: unemployment compensation

90 days: dental, re-employment

120 days: Servicemens Group life insurance converted to Veterans Group life insurance

2 years: GI insurance for veterans with service connected disabilities

10 years: GI Bill services expire 10 years from release date. This includes educational benefits.

12 years: vocational rehabilitation for those with service-connected 10 percent disability or more. Rehabilitation includes educational benefits and a monthly living allowance. Once a veteran has gone through the program there will be assistance in finding employment.

No time limit: service-connected disability compensation, medical care, readjustment counseling, home loans, employment assistance, assisted housing or nursing care in veterans homes, reduced property taxes, free fishing and hunting licenses, military ID access to commissaries

After death: military honors, some monetary burial benefits and death and indemnity compensation for spouse and benefactors

* Contact the Freeborn County Veterans Service Office at 377-5184 for details on these services. Other services are available to dependents and spouses of veterans.

Today e-mail is instantaneous and flights back from Iraq and Afghanistan allow soldiers to see their families within days, however, the transition back into society doesn’t happen that quickly.

“Everything is right now in this world, as far as communication and travel,” Rhiger said.

Other changes that have come to veterans through the generations are the services themselves. Rhiger said some are more specialized, especially within the medical field with post-traumatic stress disorder.