Message from the Director – July 2021

Happy Fourth of July!    

Whether you intend to celebrate the day relaxing or at a barbecue or the beach, it is important to remember the freedoms we enjoy today result in large part from the sacrifice of the men and women who served in uniform, protecting, and defending our nation. Families of military members have also sacrificed, and NDVS is proud to recognize and honor these families.  

During last month’s Flag-In and Memorial Day events, we provided special “family recognition” pins to participating family members. In the weeks ahead, we plan to provide these pins to our Blue Star Moms, Gold Star Parents, and statewide veteran service organizations. Additionally, we have received family pin requests from various veteran auxiliary units across the State and other organizations as well.  If organizations are interested in obtaining additional pins, submit the request by emailing our Communications Team at: pio.ndvs@veterans.nv.gov. 

Speaking of Memorial Day, I wanted to share what a pleasure and an honor it was to be able to attend Memorial Day services in Hawthorne and Tonopah. Usually, I spend this time at either the northern or southern Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fernley or Boulder City. But this year, I was invited to attend the dedication of the Tonopah Army Air Field Airmen Memorial Wall. This memorial remembers and honors the 121 airmen who gave their lives while training in Tonopah during World War II. Congratulations are in order for Joni Eastley, Cindy and Don Kaminski, Allen Metscher, Bob Perchetti, along with the Tonopah VFW and town of Tonopah for doing the research and raising the money to ensure the airmen who gave their lives during training are honored and remembered in the town where they died. I encourage you to read more about this memorial in this newsletter under the Honoring Our Heroes section. The Hawthorne Memorial Day Ceremony was equally moving. The ceremony was well attended by county and city dignitaries, local veterans and their supporters, and was superbly led by Master of Ceremonies, past National VFW Commander John Stroud, and VFW Post 2313.

Finally, as we continue to return to normalcy in the aftermath of the pandemic, we are now once again offering in-person visits with our Veterans Service Officers. To schedule a visit, click HERE. We are also preparing to hist in-person Veterans in Care ceremonies at assisted-living and nursing homes across Nevada. These ceremonies honor and recognize veterans living in these facilities and it also provides us with the opportunity to connect them with earned benefits and services. Click HERE to learn about our veteran recognition programs, including Veterans in Care.  

While we are returning to the office and hosting in-person events, we will also continue to host virtual events because of the efficiencies they provide. I encourage you to “save the date” for our upcoming virtual Military Sexual Trauma (MST) workshop on August 17, 24, and 31 at 1:00 P.M. The MST Education Series is hosted by NDVS in collaboration with the Perry Foundation.  

Click HERE for more details on this upcoming virtual MST workshop.  

We will continue to keep you posted on our upcoming events and ceremonies so you may participate. I hope to see you at one soon. As always, thank you for your continued support of Nevada’s military, veterans and their families. 

Respectfully, 

Kat Miller