Military Veteran Service Groups Work Together
Left, Amvets National Commander Dwayne Miskulin (stevenspoint.com)
By Donnelly Clare
According to the National Amvets Commander, a soldier’s work is never really done.
“Even when they might be done serving in the military, once you look around at all the community service organizations in Portage County, you will see soldiers never stop serving,” said Commander Duane Miskulin. “They are always serving.”
Miskulin recently met with Portage County Executive Patty Dreier and Veterans Services Officer Mike Clemens to discuss cooperative efforts by the 13 veterans’ organizations in the community. The goal is to get all the groups to work together, he said, to reach every veteran in the community.
After leaving the air force, Miskulin, a resident of Stevens Point, says he worked his way through the ranks of the local Amvets to the position of national commander.
“I’ve met with (President) Obama four times,” said Miskulin. “He invited me down to the White House to discuss the needs of veterans, and that would help determine how the VA functions.”
Clemens, a veteran of the navy and the marines, has worked as the county’s veterans service officer for a decade, and estimates the county is home to more than 5,000 vets.
“I’m not just a service coordinator; but I’m also a veteran’s advocate,” said Clemens, who added he is an accredited veterans services officer, which means he has legal standing to represent veterans and their families to the VA on a state and federal level if necessary.
Clemens’ days are filled with paperwork and outreach, and while he works from within Portage County government to fill local veterans’ needs, he says his job would be impossible without support from Miskulin and other veteran groups.
“One of the biggest things we do is community service,” said Miskulin. “We service the veteran’s homes, veteran’s hospitals and the community.”
He added Amvets recently purchased an assistance dog for a wounded vet in Stevens Point, and works to help families of deployed soldiers with emergency financial needs.
“We give a lot of respect to the veterans themselves, but too often forget about the spouse and kids at home,” Miskulin said.
“They give up a lot too, they sacrifice as well.”