Veterans Services Office reorganizes as Veterans Services Officer David Lydon deploys

Palm Coast Observer
News

With Veterans Services Officer David Lydon deploying to the Middle East for a six-month tour of duty starting this month, the county’s Veterans Services Office is reorganizing.

Rep. Michael Waltz accepting Wounded Warrior Fellowship Program applications

U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, a Green Beret in the National Guard, is seeking a wounded or disabled veteran for a two-year paid fellowship program in his Palm Coast district office location in Flagler County, according to a news release from Waltz's office.

The selected veteran will work with military and veteran constituents to handle veteran-related casework and act as a facilitator between constituents and federal, state and local agencies, according to the news release.

“Our veterans deserve the strongest commitment to their ongoing care and issues affecting them,” Waltz said, according to the news release. “I’m proud our district is currently served by two veterans in our office in General Ernie Audino, U.S. Army (Ret.), our District Director, and Captain Randy Stapleford, U.S. Navy (Ret.) serving our veteran community. This fellowship program will serve to strengthen this link between our military and veteran constituents and our government to ensure our military men and women have people working hard to help them navigate the government bureaucracy.”

The program is limited to veterans who have been honorably discharged, have been released from active duty within the last five years, had terminal pay grades at or below E-5 or O-3, have 20% or greater service connected disabilities (waived for Purple Heart recipients). Veterans in receipt of a 20-year or Temporary Early Retirement Authorization (TERA) retirement are not eligible

For more informagion or to apply, go to https://www.usajobs.gov/ and search “Wounded Warrior Fellowship Program, or go to https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/498817200.

Assistant Veterans Services Officer Eric Flores Febles will serve as the county’s acting veterans services officer, and the county has hired retired Army major and former Bunnell City Commissioner John Sowell to serve as an assistant to Febles.

Sowell had served as an Army aviator and logistics officer.

“Having been a commander in the military three times, deploying three times, I’ve acquired a lot of knowledge about veterans stuff,” Sowell said at a Veterans Advisory Council meeting July 1. “So when this came open, I’m retired, but came on to help for about seven months, then I’ll go back to being retired again afterwards.”

Lydon, a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve, will be based in Qatar and expects to travel to eight or more countries.

"We’re confident that the office will be in good hands and still maintain good service to our veterans and families," Lydon said.

How to attract younger members?

How can veterans organizations attract younger veterans to join?

Chris Sleep, attending the July 1 Veterans Advisory Council meeting representing the Military Order of the Purple Heart, said younger veterans want options that are mission-driven and local.

“We want to do something; we want to see some sort of achievement,” Sleep said.

Veterans Advisory Councilman Billy Jones said veterans organizations have had trouble recruiting young members.

“We’ve tried to get the younger people to come in and join us, and they’re not doing it,” Jones said. “... The young people themselves have to make the effort. You can bait the hook, but you can’t make the fish bite.”

Sleep said different generations of veterans can have trouble relating to one another, and flexibility is needed.

Febles said that changing things means getting involved. “If you want to make some changes ... bring somebody, and then you try to make the changes, and you will take over.”