Soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are known to have high levels of adjustment problems and emotional stress, trauma, including posttraumatic stress syndrome. Many have difficulty relating their experience to others.

"These young people come home from the war and disappear into society. Often they don't have anyone to talk to who really speaks their language and shares their experiences," said Teaneck resident Walter Nygard, a Vietnam War veteran and one of the organizers of the Wednesday afternoon peace vigils in front of the Teaneck Armory.

He noted that the Veterans Administration has been unable to adequately address the issue of mental health of the returning veterans.

As a result, the veterans themselves have created programs to aid in their own rehabilitation and integration into society. Among these is Warrior Writers, a program for creative writers that has published several anthologies, and Combat Papers, a printmaking program in which veterans transform their old utility uniforms into paper. The paper then becomes the medium for printmaking, painting, drawing or writing.