Just about everyone has some sort of a connection to a war veteran, whether it’s a veteran of a past war or of the current war in Iraq.

On Saturday, veterans from the Vietnam War gathered in Rothschild to talk about some of the issues they face and about how it’s a different world for today’s service members.

“I’m from Manitowoc and have just recently been involved in welcoming home the 377th Maintenance from Manitowoc and the 121st Artillery from Two Rivers. We go out of our way to welcome them,” Mike Demske tells NewsChannel 7.

Demske is a member of the Wisconsin Vietnam Veterans Council that met in Rothschild on Saturday.

Soldiers are continually deploying and returning home. They put their lives on the line everyday; however, some say there are issues they deal with everyday that they feel aren’t being addressed by the government.

With monuments and memorials across the state and the nation dedicated to the fallen men and women, some of the veterans we talked with say they government just isn’t doing enough to take care of the returning military members.

About 50 veterans got together for the conference where they talked about their concerns, one being the need for health care. With many Vietnam veterans reaching their 60’s more and more are requiring more medical attention.

They say another issue often overlooked is women in the military.

Tom Hoffman, who is a veteran and a member of the convention planning panel, tells NewsChannel 7, “I am really interested in the women veterans. I have a daughter who is a veteran and I would like to learn more about their issues.”

Organizers say that sometimes folks forget that female veterans also have many issues they face when returning home from war.

Vera Roddy is the President of the United Women Veterans Association and says, “Women are really the hidden population because we often times have family support systems that are a little more integrated.”

The idea behind Saturday’s convention is to have these veterans, from all walks of life, get together and share their concerns and talk about solutions and take action within their local chapters across the state.