ANDERSON, Ind. — Military service is difficult, demanding and often dangerous, but the transition back to civilian life also brings daunting challenges for the men and women who have served in the U.S. armed forces, especially since 9/11.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate last year for the approximately 3 million veterans who have served since 2001 stood at 10 percent — nearly double that of the general population. In addition, a recent Pew Center survey found that 44 percent of veterans who served since 9/11 experienced difficulty adjusting to civilian life.

Tamra Rigdon and her family are familiar with many of hardships that come with the transition. As someone who went through three deployments with her husband and saw two of her children deployed, Rigdon is familiar with both sets of challenges. Finding people who could relate was easier on the military base — there was camaraderie among the families and resources were readily available.

But when Rigdon and her family moved from the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in Irvine, California, to Indiana, she realized it’s harder for veterans and military spouses or parents to find someone who understands.

“Being a military spouse, you’re pretty much expected to do it all, and you’re the backbone of your service member,” she told the Anderson, Indiana Herald Bulletin. “And so understanding that you can break down, you can cry, you can ask for help or say ‘I can’t do this,’ it’s really important for them to understand there’s somebody out there who does understand.”

That understanding prompted Rigdon, her son Tim Senkowski and her daughter Summer Edgell to start a nonprofit organization, the Indiana Warrior Alliance, to help veterans and their families with anything they need — from counseling to helping with home repairs to providing gift cards for gas and other needs. The group also helps police, fire and other emergency personnel veterans and their families.

Senkowski received an outpouring of support from several groups upon his return from serving in Afghanistan. He lost both of his legs and suffered a traumatic brain injury in an explosion in October 2011. He spent nearly two years recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center before returning to Indiana, where his neighbors helped with easing his transition back to civilian life, including raising money for a wheelchair-accessible home.

“It’s great to be able to help someone else because I’ve received so much help,” Senkowski said. “It’s a pay-it-forward kind of thing.”

Inspired by the support her brother received, Edgell started putting together care packages with her husband to send to soldiers overseas.

“It’s just there were so many people that helped when we were in need,” she said. “I just feel that it’s an honor to turn around help others now when they’re in need.”

The family wants to create a loving support system similar to what Rigdon had on the military base all those years ago.

“Your life gets kind of flipped upside down and your family has to flip with you, and you learn a whole new road, which is amazing,” Rigdon said. “We want to help with that.”

The Anderson (Ind.) Herald Bulletin contributed to this story.