Message from the Director – December 2022

Dear fellow veterans, advocates and friends,  

I hope the holiday season finds you well. As we close out another year and welcome in a new one, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on this past year. It has been remarkable in so many ways. I’m so very honored and blessed to be leading the team of NDVS professionals who have accomplished so much in 2022.  

We overcame the challenges presented by the pandemic to again host several in-person events to provide information and connect veterans to their earned benefits. This year, we hosted our first in-person Nevada Transition Assistance Program (NVTAP) event. This program provides transitioning servicemembers who intend to call Nevada their home, with the tools and resources to be successful in their next phase in life, as a civilian. Unlike transition programs offered by the U.S. military, NVTAP provides state, local and community information specific to Nevada. Moving forward, NDVS is now poised to host these in-person events each quarter. The next one will be held in Fallon on February 11, 2023, in partnership with the Naval Air Station Fallon.  

Speaking of firsts, in 2022 we also held our first Veterans Outreach Roadshow creating Veterans Resource Fairs in partnership with veterans’ service organizations across Nevada. This event targeted rural areas in the northern part of the state. Plans are underway for the 2023 Roadshow in southern Nevada.   

The NDVS team also successfully hosted ceremonies to honor and recognize our military and veterans. In addition to in-person Memorial Day events in the north and the south, most recently NDVS hosted a well-attended in-person Veterans Day Ceremony at the Nevada State Veterans Memorial.  

We also made sure each and every recipient of the Veteran of the Month or Veteran Supporter of the Month who missed their in-person ceremony due to the pandemic, received their in-person ceremony. Thanks to the Veterans Services Commission and the Governor, we also implemented the new Youth Serving Veterans Award Program this year by honoring the first recipient, Dana Surwill.   

We also successfully reinstituted other in-person events, including our Women Veterans Conference in March and the Nevada Veterans Advocate Conference in October. Both events were well-attended and provided opportunities for veterans to engage with the department and join our network that provides them with resources and support.      

In closing, I wish you and your family the very best this holiday season. I also hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter. In case you didn’t notice, the format changed in November with a “cleaner look" for your reading ease and pleasure. We are continually making changes across the board to improve our service to you!  

Please be sure to check out the upcoming events in this newsletter. This month NDVS will be hosting Wreaths Across America beginning at 9:00 a.m. on December 17th at both the Southern and Northern Nevada Veterans Cemeteries. I also encourage you to “save the date” for our Veterans Legislative Summit on January 14, 2023 in Las Vegas at the Dula Community Center with coffee and networking beginning a 8:00 a.m. The program will run from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. The same time schedule is set for the Summit in Reno on January 21, 2023, at the Washoe County Senior Center.   

Learn more and save your seat for the Las Vegas Veterans Summit HERE. In Reno, register HERE. 

I hope to see you at one of our upcoming events! 
Fred Wagar
Director