BRUNSWICK

The growing Mid-Coast Veterans

Resource Center’s new director is no stranger to Brunswick.

Richard Mears, who took on the role last fall, retired as Brunswick Police Department’s deputy chief in 1996. He then worked as a professor at the University of Maine in Augusta as coordinator of the Justice Studies program until retiring from that post in 2014.

An Army veteran, Mears started volunteering about a year ago at the Mid- Coast Veterans Resources Center. He was soon asked to take over the job of director from Read Rich, who was instrumental in establishing the center in 2012.

Rich agreed to serve as a resource for Mears as he works on what he described as a steep learning curve. He also relies on the expertise of Paul Loveless, a retired activity office director and retired Navy lieutenant commander.

Mears himself was in the Army from 1966-70, serving in the Army Security Agency, a relatively elite intelligence organization.

After getting out of the Army, he went back to school and then into the field of law enforcement.

In 2011, he worked as a contractor for the U.S. Department of Justice and was embedded with the Joint Special Operations Task Force in the southern Philippines. During that time, he rekindled his friendship with the military.

Now he’s at the helm of the low-budget, volunteer run resource center where the motto is veterans helping veterans.

“We are not an official veteran organization,” he said. “We don’t work for the Veterans Administration; we don’t work for Togus. We’re independent.

“We have a lot of contacts and a lot of resources,” Mears added, “and our job is to assist people in getting the help they need to do what they need to do.”

The center sees many veterans who didn’t realize what their benefits were when they got out of the service, or never applied for them. It also helps dependents of veterans navigate the benefits system. Mears and his team help find out what services veterans need and coordinate meetings with officials from the appropriate organization.

Mears said approximately 17 veterans organizations are represented at the Mid-Coast Veterans Resource Center, using it for a pivot point for information as well.

Since 2012, Mears said the resource center has had contact with nearly 900 people, all who fill out intake forms so they can be served better. He said veterans coming to the center range in age — from World War II veterans who never signed up for benefits to young people just getting out of the service.

Veterans who have served in different conflicts have different needs, Mears said.

“There are physiological needs that are different, there are psychological needs that are different, and there are cultural needs that are different,” he said. “I remember when I got out of the military back in 1970 that I did not have a very good flavor for the VA program.

“It was a tough time,” Mears added. “I didn’t want anything to do with military or anything else.”

He is seeing many veterans just coming out of the service who feel the same. But that changes over time, he said. For local veterans who haven’t stopped by the resource center yet, Mears invites them to drop in or make an appointment.

“If you don’t come in, we won’t find you,” Mears added.

The Mid-Coast Veterans Resource Center is located at 62 Pegasus St., Suite 101 on Brunswick Landing. The center is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and can be reached at (207) 406-4103. Learn more at mid-coastveteranscouncil.org or visit the Facebook page.

dmoore@timesrecord.com

• THE MID-COAST VETERANS Resource Center is located at 62 Pegasus St., Suite 101 on Brunswick Landing. The center is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and can be reached at (207) 406-4103.