Men and women in the military risk their lives for their country, but while soldiers are often ready to die in combat, facing a cancer diagnosis is often as heart wrenching as it is for their civilian counterparts.

That’s one reason the Cancer Community Center in South Portland is holding a special Connecting Veterans Touched by Cancer program on May 18. The event is free and open to any veteran who’s had cancer and cared for or lost a loved one to the disease.

“Men and women in the military know that they risk their lives when they go into combat,” said Molly Stewart, the mission services director at the cancer center. “What they have not anticipated is that they might be exposed to chemicals or toxins that could cause cancer many years later.”

She also noted that veterans are at a much higher risk for cancer, generally, than the civilian population.

Talking about the cancer experience, whether it’s their own or the diagnosis of a loved one, is especially important and that’s another reason the cancer center is making a special effort to reach out to veterans.

“We have some program participants at the Cancer Community Center who are veterans and we thought it would be nice to do something special around Memorial Day,” said Nancy Audet, the center’s communications director.

“We want to support and connect veterans and military families affected by cancer,” she added. “Whether someone is a veteran or is currently serving in the military, whatever their cancer experience, this event will give them a chance to meet others who are veterans and cancer survivors.”

Audet said the gathering on May 18 is a one-time event, however if the cancer center gets a good response and finds that veterans want ongoing opportunities to meet and talk, “we would be happy to work with them to set up a regular meeting day and time.”

She said that many community members are veterans or friends and relatives of veterans and therefore “it stands to reason that there are lots of people who have both experiences in their lives and we are giving people a place to share those life experiences and to meet others who have similar stories.”

Veterans of all branches – active, reserve and retired – are welcome to take part in the event, Audet said.

Overall, she said, “We (wanted) to create an opportunity for veterans touched by cancer to share their stories, whether those stories are about battling cancer or serving in the military.”