- December 18, 2025
When Jimmie Adams left the military after serving in the Navy and Marines for eight years he thought he was fine.
But while on the outside he didn't seem to be struggling, Adams soon began to experience a new battle on the inside. It wasn't until this started effecting a relationship that he began seeking help. Three times Adams tried to kill the woman he was planning to marry while he was still asleep.
Adams, who experienced Desert Storm, first went to the Department of Veterans Affairs but was told nothing was wrong with him. Even a few other veterans told him nothing was wrong. However, Adams continued looking for an answer.
It wasn't until he met with a veteran service officer that Adams found the help he needed. He was set up with a doctor and received counseling and the necessary medications to help with post-traumatic stress disorder. Adams is now the VFW senior vice commander for the Port Orange post.
"The VA was so backlogged that we're just a number," Adams said. "I had to wait three months before I could see anyone about anything."
Adams is one of many examples of veterans who have, and continue to, seek help through a state or county service officer.
Recently, the Port Orange VFW was able to bring in Service Officer Joseph Althouse, who served in the Navy for 22 years. Since Thursday, Feb. 1, Althouse has spent each Thursday meeting with veterans to help them work through the VA system, whether that is getting set up with a counselor or receiving benefits after a disability as a result of serving in the military.
The meetings are free and scheduled off walk-in visits.
Althouse noted that the cost of healthcare has also started to push more veterans to try to set up an insurance package through the VA. However, the VA can be a confusing web of information and paperwork that has left some veterans with little guidance on how to navigate the ins and outs of receiving benefits.
"The VA paperwork process is very difficult," Althouse said. "You have to know what you're looking for."
For veterans like Adams, that is when service officers are most needed. And because all service officers have served in the military, this adds a new layer of trust.
"He's not just a person working, he's also a vet himself," Adams said. "I can relate to a vet and he can relate to me. I'm not just talking to someone."
Petitioning to keep services in Port Orange
However, the problem the VFW runs into is that Althouse is at the Port Orange building only temporary. Port Orange veterans seeking a service officer previously had to go to the office on Beach Street in Daytona. When Hurricane Irma swept through Volusia the building was deemed unusable and the service officer was moved to Orange City.
According to Joe Rosa, VFW commander for post 3282, many of the veterans are disabled and could not make the trip west. Rosa decided to do something about this and began petitioning to bring in a service officer once a week. Several signatures later, the county agreed to allow one service officer, Althouse, to be at the Port Orange VFW, but only on a trial basis that is scheduled to end the last week of March.
Rosa said he is continuing to ask for signatures to keep Alhouse at the post once a week.
"I think it's a big plus," Rosa said. "This is an essential service for disabled vets."
According to Rosa, if a veteran wanted to meet with a service officer at one of the designated county locations, they usually would have to have a two and a half week wait. He added that as many as 20 people a day will come in to meet with Althouse. Rosa sees the service as not only a way to help veterans with questions, but the answer to a growing demand.
"We have four different offices set up where we're seeing anywhere between 10 to 15 people a day," Althouse said. "When I come here to the VFW, those numbers are a little higher. It's growing."
