CUMBERLAND — Peggy Melotti, who founded one of the first clinics that treats veterans for the wounds no one can see, was honored at a luncheon Saturday by more than 200 men and women who, in many cases, say they owe their lives to her.

Melotti co-owns and operates Re-Entry Associates Inc., which for more than 27 years, has been counseling veterans of all ages who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

One veteran (like others quoted here, he will remain anonymous out of respect for his privacy) who suffers from the condition said, “You’re never over it. You’re a time-traveler. You keep going back and seeing the faces.”

A veteran of the Vietnam War, he said he and another man “walked into a machine gun nest. I survived, and he didn’t.”

He said Melotti has helped him to deal with such memories and their after-effects.

“I’m alive because of Peggy,” he said. “It seems like all the others want to do is forget about us, but not her.”

Melotti founded the area’s first counseling service for battered spouses more than 30 years ago, then started Re-Entry in 1987 to counsel veterans for PTSD.

One of the first 18 people in the United States to be certified for treating PTSD, she and Re-Entry were notified earlier this year by the Veterans Administration that they were no longer qualified to provide such counseling on a VA-paid fee basis.

One veteran who attended the luncheon at the Cumberland Holiday Inn said, “If she’s not qualified, I’d like to know who the hell is.”

Other comments from those present included:

• “I lost my mother recently, but I’ve still got one — Peggy. She’s made the lives of the men and women in this room better, and we’ve always got a mom as long as she’s alive and breathing.”

• “I’m here today because Peggy helped me. I don’t know where I’d be today. ... I was 50 years old and crying. I’d lost my family and driven my wife away. I thought I’d give it (Re-Entry) a try, and I told her I need help. She said, ‘We’ll give it to you.’ She did more for me than anyone else has. She treated me like a child, and I grew up with her. A year later, I had my family and my life back.”

• “Nobody I know has treated veterans better. She has worked with them night and day, and she has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever known.”

• “I had a lot of anger in my heart, a lot of memories. Going to see Peggy kept me from going to the nuthouse.”

• “I’m alive today, and probably most of you are alive today, because of her. She always cut straight through the b******* and told me exactly what I needed to hear. I especially miss the times when we were both having a bad day, and she really chewed me out.”

Christina Melotti-Drake, Melotti’s daughter and clinic co-owner, read messages from several veterans who were unable to attend, including these:

• “We came to you because of our depression and our fear. We didn’t even like ourselves ... but you have touched all our lives, and you gave us hope. You saved my life.”

• “When I thank God for His blessings, I thank Him for sending you into my life.”

Delegate Wendell Beitzel and representatives of the Vietnam Veterans of America and the Veterans of Foreign Wars presented Melotti plaques and certificates of appreciation, as did U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett’s representative Brenda Frantz, who gave her an American flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol in her honor.

Bruce Whitaker, one of the veterans who organized the event, said it wasn’t a retirement party; that will be staged when and if Melotti decides to retire.

“This is our way to show her how we feel about her,” he said.

Melotti was unaware that the luncheon was being held in her honor, believing it was a church event organized by her son, Ed Melotti.

“I was totally overwhelmed when I walked in,” she said. “I’ve missed you guys. You’ve been so important to me over the years, and I didn’t know what I’d do without you in my life.

“Just know that I love you and care for all of you. I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to work with you, and I’m proud of the staff I’ve had. I know we’ve done a lot of good together,” she said.

Numerous veterans said they thought of Melotti as their “mom” or their “mother.”

She told them she appreciated their words of thanks, but “You also deserve a pat on the back because you trusted me and did the things I asked you to do.”