F E AT U R E
Retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. Rick Kreiberg founded Veterans Affinity, a nonprofit that helps those who served before him get the care they need and the benefits they have earned.
Never Forget Rick Kreiberg vows to take care of fellow veterans
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Sound of Freedom Executive Editor hen Rick Kreiberg retired as an Army command sergeant major in 2018, he was met with a wealth of resources and a supportive community. The Mesa resident acknowledges that there is a stark difference from the treatment of Vietnam veterans when they returned home. “They remain in the shadows, and they’ve never had that same love and affection from the community that we have,” he says. “I realized community services primarily
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Sound of Freedom | MAY/JUNE 2022
focus on the post-9/11 generation. They don’t represent the pre-9/11 veteran population very well. I went to an event four years ago and everybody looked the same — anywhere from mid-20s to mid-40s. Nobody who attended, served before me.” Vietnam veterans, he says, hesitate to get involved because of the poor treatment they have received in the past. To help them, Kreiberg founded Veterans Affinity. The nonprofit helps those who served before him get the care they need and the benefits they have earned. Kreiberg is well versed in Vietnam veterans. When he enlisted in the Army in 1983 his leaders and mentors were Vietnam veterans. They paved the way for him — and others —
to be better soldiers and leaders. He spreads the message of Veterans Affinity every chance he gets. “When I come across somebody appearing in their 70s in Starbucks, let’s say, chances are they served in the military, specifically Vietnam. “I ask what branch they were in and eight times out of 10 they tell me with a puzzled look. They’ll tell me just enough. They don’t like to reveal too much. I realize most Vietnam veterans are not very trusting or proud of their service, possibly because society during that era expressed to them that they needed to be ashamed.” Kreiberg says he “peels the onion,” asking open-ended questions, finding out if they
