Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
Take Two

One veteran's story: After service, it's "sink or swim" for many

FORT CARSON, CO - NOVEMBER 4: Gavin Shaw, 5, flashes a smile as he hugs his father, Master Sergeant Adam Shaw, during a Welcome Home Ceremony for approximately 230 4th Brigade Combat Team soldiers, November 4, 2012 in Fort Carson, Colorado. The soldiers had been deployed for nine months in various regions of Afghanistan. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)
Gavin Shaw, 5, flashes a smile as he hugs his father, Master Sergeant Adam Shaw, during a Welcome Home Ceremony for approximately 230 4th Brigade Combat Team soldiers, November 4, 2012 in Fort Carson, Colorado. The soldiers had been deployed for nine months in various regions of Afghanistan.
(
Marc Piscotty/Getty Images
)

Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.

Get LA News Updates Daily

We brief you on what you need to know about L.A. today.
Listen 4:58
One veteran's story: After service, it's "sink or swim" for many

To get a deeper sense of what it's like to transition from life in the military to civilian life in southern California, we're joined now by Alfonso Martinez Lopez.

He's a veteran of the Navy who served two deployments, including time in Afghanistan after September 11, 2001.

“You just kind of go out, and it's sink or swim," said Lopez of the transition to civilian life. He said he did find some assistance from government agencies and groups, but more could be done to help veterans out.

"Having guidance counselors or one-on-one with people who have transitioned recently would be very, very beneficial,” he said.