Group Deploys Military Veterans To Volunteer In Detroit

MIKE HOUSEHOLDER
Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — Dozens of military veterans have come to Detroit, where they plan to spend five days helping to rebuild areas that have been neglected by poverty, crime and a lack of resources.

It's the latest — and largest — effort undertaken by St. Louis, Missouri-based The Mission Continues, a nonprofit that encourages and aids volunteerism by veterans.

Teams of volunteers fanned out Monday to three locations in a neighborhood on the northeast side of Detroit. At one of those, Iraq and Afghanistan veteran Ben Eichel and others worked at a park to pick up trash, remove old fencing and build benches.

The 33-year-old from Denver says The Mission Continues allows him and his fellow vets to successfully "reintegrate in civilian society" and appeals to those who "want to do good."