DAV Magazine — September/October 2017
DAV & Auxiliary National Convention Award Highlights
Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year
Dr. Kenneth K. Lee (center), a combat-injured Army veteran of the Iraq War, receives the 2017 Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year Award. While deployed to Iraq in 2004 as a medical battalion commander, an explosion from a suicide car bomb left Lee with a severe traumatic brain injury, severe shrapnel wounds to his legs and posttraumatic stress disorder. A rehabilitation specialist who retired in 2013, Lee formed the Milwaukee Wheelchair Lacrosse team and is now the president of the Wisconsin Adaptive Sports Association, which runs numerous adaptive sports programs. Lee is also a volunteer physician at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, co-hosted by the VA and DAV.
Outstanding Auxiliary Member of the Year
DAV Auxiliary Iowa State Adjutant Melissa Pierce (center) accepts the 2017 Outstanding Auxiliary Member of the Year Award. Pierce, who is the top Auxiliary recruiter in her state, is a lifetime member of Auxiliary Unit 20 in Des Moines and has spent more than 28 years in service to disabled veterans, families and caregivers.
Employers of the Year
Kenneth Stroud (center), CEO of Professional Solutions Delivered, LLC, based in Fredericksburg, Va., accepts the 2017 DAV Small Employer of the Year award. The company is a program management, logistics and information technology support services solutions provider for government and commercial customers. Forty-seven percent of their workforce is comprised of veterans, and the majority of the remaining employees have a spouse or relative who is a veteran.
Jan Jones (center), CEO of The Elizabeth Hospice, is named the 2017 DAV Midsize Employer of the Year. The company, based in Escondido, Calif., matches veteran hospice patients with veteran staff members and volunteers to bring comfort to veterans who are preparing to pass on.
Note: Bell Helicopter was selected as the 2017 DAV Large Employer of the Year but was not able to attend the convention.
Outstanding Local Veterans Employment Representative
DAV life member and Navy veteran Reginald Parker (center), of Houston, regularly conducts outreach to more than 400 people through a self-built network of employers and veterans service organizations, enabling him to pass on information about candidates and job openings not listed through normal posting channels. In 2016, his efforts led to 72 veterans being placed in meaningful careers.
Outstanding Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialist
Stephen Ezelle, of Hot Springs, Ark., is a Navy veteran and outreach specialist with the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services. He has developed several programs to assist veterans in finding fulfilling employment and to combat veteran homelessness. The five counties he serves total 3,654 square miles and are home to nearly 17,000 veterans.
Membership Awards
Roland Paquette (left), from Chapter 42 in Grand Prairie, Texas, recruited 110 members into the Department of Texas during the 2016–2017 membership year. For his outstanding efforts, he earned the Top Recruiter of the Year award.
For the 11th straight year, the Department of Texas took top honors for ending the membership year with the largest increase in members. Department Commander Robert Delgado (center) accepts the Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright Award on behalf of his department.
On behalf of the Department of Minnesota, Past Department Commander Michael Aguirre Jr. Accepted the Judge Robert S. Marx Award. The award is presented to the department with the highest percentage increase in fully paid life members.
Top Recruiting Awards (by Division)
Division I
35,000 or more members
Division II
18,000–34,999 members
Division III
10,000–17,999 members
Division IV
5,000–9,999 members
Division V
5,000 members or less
Division I: The Department of New York recruited 100.56 percent of their goal. The award was accepted by Past Department Commander Tony Lee (center).
Division II: The Department of Minnesota recruited 102.66 percent of their goal. The award was accepted by Past Department Commander Michael Aguirre Jr. (center).
Division III: The Department of Wisconsin recruited 100.86 percent of their goal. The award was accepted by Past Department Commander John Polk (left).
Division IV: The Department of Hawaii recruited 102.33 percent of their goal. The award was accepted by Orlando Perez.
Division V: The Department of South Dakota recruited 102.6 percent of their goal. The award was accepted by Robert Hill on behalf of Past Department Commander Joseph Rice (left).
National Commander’s Outstanding VA Employee Awards
Paul Roberts (center), director of the Cheyenne VA Medical Center in Wyoming, receives the 2017 Outstanding Veterans Health Administration Employee of the Year award. Since taking leadership of the facility in June 2016, Roberts has facilitated communication between the local VA compensation and pension clinic and the DAV service office, which has led to a more efficient fully developed claims process. A disabled veteran who served more than 20 years in the U.S. Army, Roberts has implemented a new transportation office to support the DAV Transportation Network in Cheyenne, expanding its coverage to provide rides for veterans in rural areas. In addition to providing quality service and putting veterans’ well-being at the forefront, Roberts has reduced appointment wait times by 53 percent, reduced high-risk consults by 94 percent, and taken the Medical Support Specialist compliance rating from 51 percent to 85 percent.
Deborah Kamisato, of the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery in Texas, is named the 2017 Outstanding VA National Cemetery Administration Employee of the Year. Kamisato has shown true dedication to our nation’s veterans, particularly following a July 2016 attack on Dallas-Fort Worth area law enforcement that resulted in the deaths of five local police officers, three of whom were military veterans. Going against policy, Kamisato authorized weekend burials for the heroes—a time only allotted for military killed in action. She says she considered these veterans’ acts of heroism to merit the same honors. Kamisato was also instrumental in the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery being selected as a national Shrine—a designation reserved for only the top 5 percent of all VA cemeteries.
Jamie Shuemaker (center), an intake analyst at the VA Regional Office in Togus, Maine, accepts the 2017 Outstanding Veterans Benefits Administration Employee of the Year award. The Navy veteran and DAV life member has been instrumental in implementing the VA paperless claims process by assisting VA and DAV employees with claims and troubleshooting the Stakeholders Enterprise Portal.
Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship
Jonathan Lee (center), of Milwaukee, received DAV’s top Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship, which is awarded annually to outstanding youth volunteers in DAV’s Voluntary Services program. The 18-year-old earned the $20,000 scholarship for spending more than 730 hours spanning a five-year period volunteering at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center. Lee plans on using the scholarship toward his life dream of becoming a physician. Lee received his scholarship three years after his older sister, Leah Lee, won a $10,000 scholarship for her volunteer work at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center and the same day his father, Kenneth Lee, received DAV’s Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year award. With the continued support from the Ford Motor Co. Fund, DAV honors eight dedicated youth volunteers each year with $75,000 in scholarships through the Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship program.
2017 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
$20,000 Jonathan Lee, Milwaukee VA Medical Center
$15,000 Sindhu Muppala, Washington D.C. VA Medical Center
$10,000 Mee’Shaunda Roddy, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center (Illinois)
$7,500 Makiyah Cheeks, Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center (Alabama)
$7,500 Emily Hinton, San Diego VA Healthcare System
$5,000 Kyle Breault, H. John Heinz III Progressive Care Center (Pennsylvania)
$5,000 Caleb Campbell, St. Louis VA Health Care System
$5,000 Ja’nya Nickerson, Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center (Georgia)
Local Veterans Assistance Program Awards (by Division)
Division I
35,000 or more members
Division II
18,000–34,999 members
Division III
10,000–17,999 members
Division IV
5,000–9,999 members
Division V
5,000 members or less
Division I: Department of Virginia, with 205,598 hours, award accepted by Ron Cox (left) on behalf of Past Department Commander James Walton.
Division II: Department of Oklahoma, with 182,875 hours, award accepted by Past Department Commander Linda Miller (center left).
Division III: Department of Arkansas, with 26,663 hours, award accepted by Past Department Commander Richard T. Egan (center).
Division IV: Department of Idaho, with 28,157 hours, award accepted by Raymond Hinthorn on behalf of Past Department Commander Wilson Miller Jr.
Division V: Department of South Dakota, with 20,724 hours, award accepted by Robert Hill (center) on behalf of Past Department Commander Joseph Rice.
George H. Seal Memorial Awards
Top DAV Volunteer
Harlan F. Plummer, of Peebles, Ohio, receives the 2017 George H. Seal Memorial Trophy for being selected as DAV’s top volunteer. The 97-year-old veteran of the Army Air Corps and Air Force is a life member of DAV Chapter 71 in West Union, Ohio, and has volunteered through the VA Voluntary Service Program for 32 years and dedicated more than 10,500 hours to his fellow veterans at the Chillicothe VA Medical Center. Plummer has volunteered in various capacities, including serving as a volunteer driver, which ensures veterans are able to access the health care they have earned.
Top DAV Auxiliary Volunteer
Dorothy Propst, of Virginia Beach, Va., accepts the 2017 George H. Seal Memorial Trophy for being selected as DAV Auxiliary’s top volunteer. Propst has amassed more than 10,500 volunteer hours supporting veterans at the Hampton VA Medical Center in Virginia. She began volunteering with DAV in 2002, and routinely drove between 70 and 165 miles per day while volunteering as a driver with the DAV Transportation Network to ensure veterans were able to get to and from their needed medical appointments.
Ford Motor Company Fund
Ford, a longtime DAV supporter, donated $200,000 for the purchase of eight new vehicles for the DAV Transportation Network, which provides rides for veterans to and from their medical appointments at no cost. Yisel Cabrera, community relations manager at Ford Motor Co. And the Ford Motor Company Fund presents the grant to then-National Commander Dave Riley (left) and National Adjutant Marc Burgess (right).
A&W Restaurants Inc.
Sarah Blasi, vice president of marketing for A&W Restaurants, presents a $100,000 check to then-National Commander Dave Riley (left) and National Adjutant Marc Burgess. The check was presented in celebration of the new partnership between DAV and A&W Restaurants, which kicked off with a campaign that began in early July and culminated on Aug. 6, National Root Beer Float Day, during which guests were encouraged to support DAV.
Camp Corral
Then-DAV Auxiliary National Commander Fran Costa (2nd from left), then-National Commander Dave Riley (center) and National Adjutant Marc Burgess (far right) present a $620,000 check to Camp Corral CEO Mary Beth Hernandez (far left) and Golden Corral Senior Manager of National Marketing and Media Amanda Brown. The funds are the result of support from the DAV Charitable Service Trust; contributions that were collected or donated by DAV chapters and departments and matched by DAV through DAV’s Just B Kids scholarship program; and support from the DAV Auxiliary.
Dr. Kenneth K. Lee (center), a combat-injured Army veteran of the Iraq War, receives the 2017 Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year Award. While deployed to Iraq in 2004 as a medical battalion commander, an explosion from a suicide car bomb left Lee with a severe traumatic brain injury, severe shrapnel wounds to his legs and posttraumatic stress disorder. A rehabilitation specialist who retired in 2013, Lee formed the Milwaukee Wheelchair Lacrosse team and is now the president of the Wisconsin Adaptive Sports Association, which runs numerous adaptive sports programs. Lee is also a volunteer physician at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, co-hosted by the VA and DAV.
Outstanding Auxiliary Member of the Year
DAV Auxiliary Iowa State Adjutant Melissa Pierce (center) accepts the 2017 Outstanding Auxiliary Member of the Year Award. Pierce, who is the top Auxiliary recruiter in her state, is a lifetime member of Auxiliary Unit 20 in Des Moines and has spent more than 28 years in service to disabled veterans, families and caregivers.
Employers of the Year
Kenneth Stroud (center), CEO of Professional Solutions Delivered, LLC, based in Fredericksburg, Va., accepts the 2017 DAV Small Employer of the Year award. The company is a program management, logistics and information technology support services solutions provider for government and commercial customers. Forty-seven percent of their workforce is comprised of veterans, and the majority of the remaining employees have a spouse or relative who is a veteran.
Jan Jones (center), CEO of The Elizabeth Hospice, is named the 2017 DAV Midsize Employer of the Year. The company, based in Escondido, Calif., matches veteran hospice patients with veteran staff members and volunteers to bring comfort to veterans who are preparing to pass on.
Note: Bell Helicopter was selected as the 2017 DAV Large Employer of the Year but was not able to attend the convention.
Outstanding Local Veterans Employment Representative
DAV life member and Navy veteran Reginald Parker (center), of Houston, regularly conducts outreach to more than 400 people through a self-built network of employers and veterans service organizations, enabling him to pass on information about candidates and job openings not listed through normal posting channels. In 2016, his efforts led to 72 veterans being placed in meaningful careers.
Outstanding Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialist
Stephen Ezelle, of Hot Springs, Ark., is a Navy veteran and outreach specialist with the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services. He has developed several programs to assist veterans in finding fulfilling employment and to combat veteran homelessness. The five counties he serves total 3,654 square miles and are home to nearly 17,000 veterans.
Membership Awards
Roland Paquette (left), from Chapter 42 in Grand Prairie, Texas, recruited 110 members into the Department of Texas during the 2016–2017 membership year. For his outstanding efforts, he earned the Top Recruiter of the Year award.
For the 11th straight year, the Department of Texas took top honors for ending the membership year with the largest increase in members. Department Commander Robert Delgado (center) accepts the Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright Award on behalf of his department.
On behalf of the Department of Minnesota, Past Department Commander Michael Aguirre Jr. Accepted the Judge Robert S. Marx Award. The award is presented to the department with the highest percentage increase in fully paid life members.
Top Recruiting Awards (by Division)
Division I
35,000 or more members
Division II
18,000–34,999 members
Division III
10,000–17,999 members
Division IV
5,000–9,999 members
Division V
5,000 members or less
Division I: The Department of New York recruited 100.56 percent of their goal. The award was accepted by Past Department Commander Tony Lee (center).
Division II: The Department of Minnesota recruited 102.66 percent of their goal. The award was accepted by Past Department Commander Michael Aguirre Jr. (center).
Division III: The Department of Wisconsin recruited 100.86 percent of their goal. The award was accepted by Past Department Commander John Polk (left).
Division IV: The Department of Hawaii recruited 102.33 percent of their goal. The award was accepted by Orlando Perez.
Division V: The Department of South Dakota recruited 102.6 percent of their goal. The award was accepted by Robert Hill on behalf of Past Department Commander Joseph Rice (left).
National Commander’s Outstanding VA Employee Awards
Paul Roberts (center), director of the Cheyenne VA Medical Center in Wyoming, receives the 2017 Outstanding Veterans Health Administration Employee of the Year award. Since taking leadership of the facility in June 2016, Roberts has facilitated communication between the local VA compensation and pension clinic and the DAV service office, which has led to a more efficient fully developed claims process. A disabled veteran who served more than 20 years in the U.S. Army, Roberts has implemented a new transportation office to support the DAV Transportation Network in Cheyenne, expanding its coverage to provide rides for veterans in rural areas. In addition to providing quality service and putting veterans’ well-being at the forefront, Roberts has reduced appointment wait times by 53 percent, reduced high-risk consults by 94 percent, and taken the Medical Support Specialist compliance rating from 51 percent to 85 percent.
Deborah Kamisato, of the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery in Texas, is named the 2017 Outstanding VA National Cemetery Administration Employee of the Year. Kamisato has shown true dedication to our nation’s veterans, particularly following a July 2016 attack on Dallas-Fort Worth area law enforcement that resulted in the deaths of five local police officers, three of whom were military veterans. Going against policy, Kamisato authorized weekend burials for the heroes—a time only allotted for military killed in action. She says she considered these veterans’ acts of heroism to merit the same honors. Kamisato was also instrumental in the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery being selected as a national Shrine—a designation reserved for only the top 5 percent of all VA cemeteries.
Jamie Shuemaker (center), an intake analyst at the VA Regional Office in Togus, Maine, accepts the 2017 Outstanding Veterans Benefits Administration Employee of the Year award. The Navy veteran and DAV life member has been instrumental in implementing the VA paperless claims process by assisting VA and DAV employees with claims and troubleshooting the Stakeholders Enterprise Portal.
Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship
Jonathan Lee (center), of Milwaukee, received DAV’s top Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship, which is awarded annually to outstanding youth volunteers in DAV’s Voluntary Services program. The 18-year-old earned the $20,000 scholarship for spending more than 730 hours spanning a five-year period volunteering at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center. Lee plans on using the scholarship toward his life dream of becoming a physician. Lee received his scholarship three years after his older sister, Leah Lee, won a $10,000 scholarship for her volunteer work at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center and the same day his father, Kenneth Lee, received DAV’s Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year award. With the continued support from the Ford Motor Co. Fund, DAV honors eight dedicated youth volunteers each year with $75,000 in scholarships through the Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship program.
2017 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
$20,000 Jonathan Lee, Milwaukee VA Medical Center
$15,000 Sindhu Muppala, Washington D.C. VA Medical Center
$10,000 Mee’Shaunda Roddy, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center (Illinois)
$7,500 Makiyah Cheeks, Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center (Alabama)
$7,500 Emily Hinton, San Diego VA Healthcare System
$5,000 Kyle Breault, H. John Heinz III Progressive Care Center (Pennsylvania)
$5,000 Caleb Campbell, St. Louis VA Health Care System
$5,000 Ja’nya Nickerson, Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center (Georgia)
Local Veterans Assistance Program Awards (by Division)
Division I
35,000 or more members
Division II
18,000–34,999 members
Division III
10,000–17,999 members
Division IV
5,000–9,999 members
Division V
5,000 members or less
Division I: Department of Virginia, with 205,598 hours, award accepted by Ron Cox (left) on behalf of Past Department Commander James Walton.
Division II: Department of Oklahoma, with 182,875 hours, award accepted by Past Department Commander Linda Miller (center left).
Division III: Department of Arkansas, with 26,663 hours, award accepted by Past Department Commander Richard T. Egan (center).
Division IV: Department of Idaho, with 28,157 hours, award accepted by Raymond Hinthorn on behalf of Past Department Commander Wilson Miller Jr.
Division V: Department of South Dakota, with 20,724 hours, award accepted by Robert Hill (center) on behalf of Past Department Commander Joseph Rice.
George H. Seal Memorial Awards
Top DAV Volunteer
Harlan F. Plummer, of Peebles, Ohio, receives the 2017 George H. Seal Memorial Trophy for being selected as DAV’s top volunteer. The 97-year-old veteran of the Army Air Corps and Air Force is a life member of DAV Chapter 71 in West Union, Ohio, and has volunteered through the VA Voluntary Service Program for 32 years and dedicated more than 10,500 hours to his fellow veterans at the Chillicothe VA Medical Center. Plummer has volunteered in various capacities, including serving as a volunteer driver, which ensures veterans are able to access the health care they have earned.
Top DAV Auxiliary Volunteer
Dorothy Propst, of Virginia Beach, Va., accepts the 2017 George H. Seal Memorial Trophy for being selected as DAV Auxiliary’s top volunteer. Propst has amassed more than 10,500 volunteer hours supporting veterans at the Hampton VA Medical Center in Virginia. She began volunteering with DAV in 2002, and routinely drove between 70 and 165 miles per day while volunteering as a driver with the DAV Transportation Network to ensure veterans were able to get to and from their needed medical appointments.
Ford Motor Company Fund
Ford, a longtime DAV supporter, donated $200,000 for the purchase of eight new vehicles for the DAV Transportation Network, which provides rides for veterans to and from their medical appointments at no cost. Yisel Cabrera, community relations manager at Ford Motor Co. And the Ford Motor Company Fund presents the grant to then-National Commander Dave Riley (left) and National Adjutant Marc Burgess (right).
A&W Restaurants Inc.
Sarah Blasi, vice president of marketing for A&W Restaurants, presents a $100,000 check to then-National Commander Dave Riley (left) and National Adjutant Marc Burgess. The check was presented in celebration of the new partnership between DAV and A&W Restaurants, which kicked off with a campaign that began in early July and culminated on Aug. 6, National Root Beer Float Day, during which guests were encouraged to support DAV.
Camp Corral
Then-DAV Auxiliary National Commander Fran Costa (2nd from left), then-National Commander Dave Riley (center) and National Adjutant Marc Burgess (far right) present a $620,000 check to Camp Corral CEO Mary Beth Hernandez (far left) and Golden Corral Senior Manager of National Marketing and Media Amanda Brown. The funds are the result of support from the DAV Charitable Service Trust; contributions that were collected or donated by DAV chapters and departments and matched by DAV through DAV’s Just B Kids scholarship program; and support from the DAV Auxiliary.
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