Message from the Director – January 2020

Happy New Year!

During this holiday season I have been reading of the many acts of kindness that members of our veterans’ community have performed in support of others.  Blue and Gold Star Family organizations sending care packages to those deployed away from family and friends.  Fisher House and Guest house supporters preparing special meals for veterans and families facing difficult times.  Honor flight organizers and volunteers helping our older veterans see their monuments at our Nation’s Capital, veterans’ organizations preparing meals for those with no family close by, and so many, many more.  As the ultimate act of caring for others, Marine veteran Don Bennet ran into a burning Las Vegas apartment in the face of flame and billowing smoke last week to wake people up and give them the chance to escape.  Don died in that fire so others might live. His act of heroism reflects the very best of the United States Marine Corps, and indeed, of all of those who served in, or who are serving in, the uniform of our Nation. 

We have much to be thankful at NDVS this season.  Thanks to the Governor and the Nevada Legislature, we were able to improve a tremendous resource for veterans in the Pahrump and Fallon areas. The hours have been expanded at the Veteran Service Officer (VSO) offices in both of those cities offering those communities their own, full-time VSO, five days a week. This will make accessing earned benefits and resources much more convenient. You will find details, including the hours, addresses and contact information for these two new resources by clicking here: XXXXXX     

We’re also pleased to announce the 2020 Making Connections –Women Veterans Conference at the Texas Station Gambling Hall and Hotel in North Las Vegas. This free event will take place on Saturday, February 29, 2020. In addition to making connections to improve and enhance yourself, this day-long conference will help women veterans connect to health care, earned benefits, employment and volunteer opportunities. For more information and to pre-register, click here: XXXX   

You may have seen Governor Sisolak’s announcement that the State of Nevada has been invited to join the Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans and Their Families. This is the next big step in addressing suicide in a holistic way. The Governor’s Challenge will further build upon two years of work by the Las Vegas and Truckee Meadows Mayor’s Challenges to Prevent Suicide. NDVS is proud to continue play a leading role in this initiative launched by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration. We look forward to working with all our community partners across Nevada in 2020 on this extremely important initiative.  

You will be hearing more over the next several months about an exciting new NDVS project to identify and catalog every veteran memorial across the state. These memorials have been placed by local governments, private organizations, and others for the purpose of honoring U.S. military services. Our Nevada Veteran Memorial Location Project will include Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to pinpoint the location of each memorial so the public will be able to find and visit them. This project will also help determine which memorial sites need maintenance or repair, so NDVS can assist or find partners interested in maintaining these memorials that are meant to forever remember and honor the men and women who have honorably served.   

Finally, I wanted to make note and thank everyone involved with Wreaths Across America. This year the Nevada Wing of the Civil Air Patrol sponsored the events at our veterans’ memorial cemeteries. In Fernley, the work and dedication of the Nevada Veterans Coalition once again ensured a wreath was placed on every gravesite at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery. In southern Nevada, there are now more than 60 organizations, including three schools, involved in wreath donations. As a result, we received more wreaths than ever before! We thought we were going to receive 6,780 wreaths but ended up receiving 9,702 wreaths! That is 4,680 more than the year before! We are humbled and amazed to see such support! Again, thank you! 

As you can see, this year will bring many opportunities for you to be involved and stay involved in serving and supporting the veterans’ community in Nevada.  I look forward to seeing you soon at one of our upcoming events.  As I close, please keep the families who have lost loved ones in your thoughts and in your hearts.  

Respectfully,

Kat Miller