Longtime Navy vet noted for his work with the VFW and UVLC Remembering Tony Yarbrough

By Steve Ranson

For thousands of Nevada’s men and women who have served in the military, Anthony “Tony” Yarbrough has been synonymous with veteran causes for decades.

A Navy veteran who served during the Vietnam War, Yarbrough remained active in the military and veteran communities, whether he was assisting the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter in his hometown of Yerington or appearing in front of the state Legislature as a representative of the United Veterans Legislative Council (UVLC).

Those who knew and worked with Tony will miss his never-ending dedication to veteran causes. The 73-year-old Yarbrough died unexpectedly on May 29, 2022. The cause of his death has not been made public. A military service will be conducted at sea for him.

As a U.S. Navy chief petty officer, Yarbrough served in the Navy for 10 years and the Ready Reserve as a Machinery Repairman 1st Class for six years. Yarborough had also deployed to Japan, the Philippines and parts of Europe. At the time of his death, Yarbrough was the Nevada State Adjutant for the VFW and prior to that position, he was the Nevada State Commander from 2019-2020.

Fred Wagar, director of the Nevada Department of Veteran Services, said Yarbrough was a deeply caring veteran who wanted to ensure veterans and current military personnel and their dependents received the benefits to which they were entitled.

Yarbrough had spent at least a decade with the ULVC with his last assignment as UVLC secretary, vice chairman and recordkeeper. He was chairman from January 2018 through September 2019, while his service as vice chairman dates back to June 2015.

“Tony’s contributions were extensive through the Veterans of Foreign Wars as a Past Department Commander and through his contributions with the local VFW posts,” Wagar said. “As president and later as legislative chair of the United Veterans Legislative Council, Tony provided great leadership and often single handedly, would track numerous legislative bills that would ultimately effect veterans, military personnel as well as their dependents. He established a program that tracked important pieces of legislation and notified advocates of hearings during legislative sessions.”

Current ULVC chairman Andy LePeilbet, a U.S. Army veteran who also served in Vietnam, provided an effective tandem with Yarbrough during the state’s legislative sessions, ,held in even years for 120 days. Yarbrough and LePeilbet worked together on issues for veterans as well as for active-duty and Nevada National Guard military personnel. LePeilbet said he and Yarbrough would talk about Bill Draft Requests (BDR) and bills at any time of day during the week. “He was the heart and soul of the United Veterans Legislative Council,” LePeilbet said.

As recently as March of this year, LePeilbet and Yarbrough solicited input from veterans at the symposia, hosted by NDVS and UVLC in late March to prioritize issues for the 2023 Legislature. Because of his experience with the process, LePeilbet said his cohort maintained the ULVC’s communication and records on bills and BDRs during the previous years.

“Tony was extremely insightful and knowledgeable about individual legislators and all the processes involved with getting a bill through the Nevada Legislature,” LePeilbet added. “Tony’s passing is and will continue to be an enormous loss for all our veterans and active military in Nevada. “It is going to be an incredibly difficult hole to fill. He was a master of his craft.”

Kat Miller, who retired in April as NDVS director, had also worked with Yarbrough for 10 years on issues affecting the military community. She said during that time, approximately 100 bills benefitting veterans were signed into law, and Yarbrough supported the passage of many of these bills. Miller said the approved bills improved the veterans’ quality of life or enabled them to access needed services.

During her years of working with Yarbrough, Miller said he was a man of great integrity and one of the hardest working individuals she has met.

“He was the kind of person who would drop everything to help you when you needed a hand with no questions asked,” Miller said. “Like many, many others, I miss him tremendously; he was one of a kind. God broke the mold when he made Tony.”

Jerome Washington, who has been active with the VFW, Disabled American Veterans and Veterans Affairs, said Yarbrough was the reason many bills have passed for veterans. Washington said Yarbrough spent countless hours addressing the needs and rights for veterans and families. For Washington, Yarbrough served as a mentor and catalyst for the Army veteran to become involved with the issues.

“He taught me that I had a voice and that every veteran mattered, and every veteran counted,” Washington said.