Life after ‘The Hornet’s Nest’ for veterans

He didn’t want to come forward with his feelings.

He suppressed his struggles with alcohol.

He didn’t care if he lost himself.

For Marine Corps Sgt. Ryan Lasher, who served two tours in Iraq, the readjustment to civilian life was filled with complicated and confusing challenges.

His older brother, Lance Cpl. Jeremy Lasher, was killed in 2009 in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, where he and other Marines had been spearheading a major offensive against Taliban forces. The vehicle he was driving hit an improvised explosive device. He left behind a wife and an infant son. He was 27 years old.

Jeremy had appeared in the documentary “The Hornet’s Nest,” a film about the Afghanistan war directed by David Salzberg and Christian Tureaud. And earlier this month in Newport Beach, his brother made an appearance himself in support of the film, joining other veterans onstage to stress the importance of caring for America’s returning warriors.

Working Wardrobes, a Costa Mesa-based nonprofit that provides career training, job placement assistance and professional wardrobe services to veterans and young adults overcoming difficult challenges, hosted a screening of the documentary March 12 at Lido Live Theatre.

Wardrobes, founded by Jerri Rosen, launched the organization’s VetNet program in 2012 to provide men and women who serve in the military with programs that provide financial literacy workshops, career assessments, job training opportunities and social reintegration, among other services. The focus is on transitioning veterans or those at risk of becoming homeless, as well as recovering veterans.

Orange County is home to 132,000 veterans, and many, the organization said, are underprepared for civilian life. According to a study commissioned by the Orange County Community Foundation, post-9/11 veterans fare far worse than pre-9/11 veterans. Nearly 30% are unemployed and looking for work, and 40% believe that employers don’t understand their true value in a civilian workplace and that, at worst, may see them as damaged or even dangerous.

“VetNet is to recreate the brotherhood that is so important to their dignity and self-esteem,” Rosen said to a full house at Lido Live that included Laguna Beach City Councilman Steve Dicterow.

Since VetNet’s inception two and a half years ago, Working Wardrobes has helped about 1,000 veterans, and 86% who went through the program’s training got a job, Rosen said.

“The Hornet’s Nest,” which came out last year, provides a look at what those veterans endured overseas.

The 97-minute movie follows ABC News journalist and war correspondent Mike Boettcher and his son Carlos as the two were embedded with U.S. Army troops sent on a mission into one of Afghanistan’s most hostile valleys. Soldiers watched out for each other, saved innocent bystanders and mourned as they lost one friend after another.

It’s a story about men and women helping to make the world a better place — and, according to the film’s directors, about the need to support service members’ transition out of the military.

After the screening, Salzberg sat onstage to talk about the film. He was joined by Lasher; Lt. Col. Rick Wolf, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve; and Capt. John Funk, director of operations, military and veterans services at Easter Seals Southern California, an organization providing employment services and referral to other resources for veterans and their families.

Salzberg, who has produced films such as “The Perfect Game” and “Running the Sahara,” thanked guests for attending and said everyone is capable of making a difference in a service member’s life.

Lasher, who left the Marines after his brother’s death but later re-enlisted, stressed the importance of showing movies depicting the sacrifices troops make. The audience included his wife and 5-year-old son.

“If we don’t share this film and help our veterans, all the bloodshed will be thrown to the wayside,” said Lasher, now stationed at Camp Pendleton. “My son will know his uncle through this film. My nephew will get to know his father. We will know his legacy.”

Lasher said he shares his difficult transition experience with junior Marines so that if they find themselves in a similar situation, they can survive and make it home to their families.

He said the veteran outreach programs have improved as many organizations have stepped forward to help, but he hopes to raise public awareness.

Funk spoke about a military member in the film who looked forward to his return home but questioned whether he’d find a suitable job.

“I don’t know if there’s anything that young man is not decent at,” Funk said. “Veterans have valor, courage and bravery. They have tenacity, they get a job done, they have a sense of humor and they take care of the people they work with.”

It should be America’s mission, Wolf said, to have the right attitude in welcoming servicemen and women back into the workforce and restore their hope.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that 49,933 veterans are homeless on any given night. About 1.4 million other veterans are considered at risk of homelessness due to poverty, lack of support networks and dismal living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing.

According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, approximately 12,700 veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn were homeless in 2010, and the number of young homeless veterans is increasing.

The research said the most effective programs are community-based nonprofits that help provide the support, resources and opportunities that most Americans take for granted, such as housing, employment and healthcare.

Harry Humphries, a former Navy SEAL and executive director of VetNet, asked why there was an increase in the number of unemployed service members.

“We haven’t been exposed to the horrors these people have lived,” he said. “Without them, the nation would not be here today.”

Rosen echoed his words.

“We need to do more in this country,” she said. “Invest and hire our veterans.”