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(Reno and Las Vegas, NV)—Fred Wagar is new to the Nevada Department of Veterans Services (NDVS), but he is far from new to serving veterans.  
Wagar joined NDVS May 1st taking on the position of Deputy Director of Programs and Services. He brings vast experience in connecting veterans to services and benefits. His background includes expertise in helping disabled veterans.  
He most recently served as a Military Service Coordinator (MSC) for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in Las Vegas. In the position, he provided guidance to service members going through the Medical Evaluation Board process. Wagar assisted these veterans with claims for all chronic disabilities incurred during military service. In appropriate cases, he was able to ensure veterans received their compensation benefits immediately following discharge from service.  
Wagar is himself a veteran. He served in the North Dakota National Guard from 1975 until 1983 as a Combat Engineer. After a seven year hiatus, he joined the United States Army in 1990 and served as an Arabic linguist/interrogator. Wagar was involved with numerous deployments to the Middle East. While on Active Duty, he completed a degree in linguistics at Monterey Peninsula College in California. In 1998, he was discharged from the Army and joined the Army Reserves. While in the Reserves, Wager served as a Congressional Field Representative for a Congressman from North Dakota.  
In 2001, Wagar began working for the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) as a National Service Officer in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He remained in the Sioux Falls Office until 2006. During his stay in South Dakota, he was called to Active Duty in 2003 and served with a Combat Engineer Unit at Fort Carson, CO providing training to soldiers deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. The training involved all aspects of deploying to a hostile environment and watching for and responding to terrorist activity.  
In 2006, he retired as a Sergeant First Class. In 2007, Wagar served as a Ratings Specialist for the Department of Veterans Affairs.  
In addition to military service, Wagar has also played a very active role in the veterans’ community. He was appointed as Supervisor of the DAV National Service Office in Reno, where he also supervised the Las Vegas office. At the same time, Wagar co-founded the Northern Nevada Wheelchair Program with Wayne Willson, a Past Department Commander of the Nevada DAV. The program provides mobility equipment to veterans and their dependents at no cost.  
Wagar is a lifetime member of the DAV, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. He is a Past Department Commander of the DAV in Nevada. When not working, he continues to volunteer for various veterans causes. Please join us in welcoming him!