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NEGAUNEE -- Since January of 2008, the Michigan Buddy-to-Buddy program has helped 1,700 members of the National Guard readjust to civilian life.

The program is part of the "Welcome Back Veterans" initiative and is sponsored by Major League Baseball Charities and the McCormick Foundation.  It has recently expanded to include all Michigan service members, not just the National Guard.

The "buddies" are all trained volunteers and veterans themselves.

"You come back from overseas, things are different.  You've changed, your family's changed, everything's different," explained Vietnam veteran and Buddy-to-Buddy volunteer, Norm Satterly.

But the Buddy-to-Buddy program is here to make that transition as easy as possible.  It's a peer support program, run locally through the University of Michigan Depression Center.  It matches veterans from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom with vets from previous conflicts.

"So what we're trying to do as buddies--guys who've walked the walk, who've been there before and have gone through some of this--can really talk to them and help them overcome the stigma," Satterly said.

That stigma he's speaking of is the fear of getting help...appearing weak.  Buddy-to-Buddy is not actually a form of therapy.  Instead, it's just a couple of buddies meeting to ease the stress behind re-acclimating to civilian life.  The meetings, for the most part, are informal.  In fact, it's often just a telephone conversation.

"If an individual has had a certain experience that one of the veterans has had a very similar experience, we would match them with them," explained Buddy-to-Buddy Program Manager Jennifer Di Falco.

If the buddies determine that outside help is the best bet for the returning vet, Buddy-to-Buddy can put them in touch with the right organizations.

According to Di Falco, the buddies goals are as follows:  "To move forward and do something different, to make changes, get help that they need, as well as link them to resources and services in the community."

Buddy-to-Buddy is always looking for volunteers, especially here in the U.P.  If you're a veteran interested in offering your help, or if you or someone you know could benefit from what the program has to offer, the telephone number is 1-888-82-BUDDY.  You can also visit them online at www.buddytobuddy.org.