gande3@verizon.net FB GEORGE EDWARD BROWN TWITTER @GEORGEEDWARDABN
The Old Navy Sailor
VIETNAM VETERANS AND OTHER NEWS and RANDOM THOUGHTS
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
AND GOD CREATED THE INFANTRY
gande3@verizon.net FB GEORGE EDWARD BROWN TWITTER @GEORGEEDWARDABN
Monday, August 20, 2018
STAND UP FOR BILL (And Other Veterans and Their Families)
Thursday, February 1, 2018
Veteran uses talents to help other veterans
Veterans Reporter
Navy Vet's New Skill in Website Design Creates Demand in Southern Nevada
(Las Vegas) Navy veteran Robert Serge discovered a hidden talent and new passion late in life. It is designing websites. Serge is now in high demand with veteran service organizations in southern Nevada, but the path that led him to this point has been anything but predictable.
Serge served in the Navy for 20 months working in an ordnance laboratory test facility. As he puts it, “We designed harbor mines and stuff like that.” He had to juggle testing dangerous mines while wading in deep waters and moving out of harm’s way before the explosions detonated. He trained at Fort Monroe, Virginia in the cold waters of the nearby bay. “We tested mines out there away from the land mass, so no one would get hurt,” he said. Except sometimes, they did.
He explained, “I was in the water to set the charges to go off electronically.” The last time he set a charge and moved to get out of the water, it went off prematurely and threw him against the test boat. The Electrician’s Mate ended up with a smashed kneecap, cutting short his planned military career. After surgery and other treatment, he received a medical discharge.
As a civilian, Serge earned a degree in structural design and worked as an architectural draftsman, part of a team that helped build Rite Aid drug stores. Later he worked for other firms involved with designing pharmacies.
Fast forward to Nevada and to today, where Serge is now in his senior years. He started volunteering with the Disabled American Veterans as a driver in the organization’s transportation system. During this time, he managed to fit in some study time, learning basic computer skills. “I’d been kind of working with computers for a long time,” he said.
The local VA provided a short computer training class to enable him to access the program for the DAV transportation system that schedules veterans requiring travel assistance. Soon, on his own, he located a private company that helps design websites. The firm instructed him in the use of computer modules. He took to the subject quickly. Before long he was fully engaged tossing around technical lingo and gaining digital knowledge, not to mention a little bit of web design.
When Vietnam Veterans of America Post 17 wanted a website of its own, Serge volunteered. The new website was a hit. Word began to spread. Soon, American Legion Post 76 came calling with a request for a website and a blog. Then another Vietnam Veterans group, Chapter 1076 in Henderson, asked about starting a website. Before long the group that assists the Fisher House in North Las Vegas, the Nevada Veterans Foundation, was added to the mix.
As his reputation spread around Southern Nevada, member John Waid of the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) invited Serge to a meeting. Serge does not have a Purple Heart, but Waid had a solution. He arranged for the computer operator to become an “Honorary Member” of the group, and Serge added the MOPH to his list of website formations. Richard Small of the MOPH pointed out that as far as he knows, “Serge is the only Honorary Member of the national group.”
Serge is humble about his talents stating, “To me, it's kind of simple once you use the modules. You type whatever it is you need to, show pictures, and it’s done.” He said his volunteer work encompasses between 40 and 50 hours a week. Still, he always makes sure that despite his voluminous computer assignments, he does not ignore family life. Serge said his wife is very supportive but joked, “She tells me it’s great that I have something to do. Because I’d drive her crazy if I didn’t!”
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
NEVADA NEWS AND VIEWS
NEVADA NEWS AND VIEWS
Attorney General Laxalt Releases Office of Military Legal Assistance @EASE Program
November 11, 2016
Business Case in Honor of Veterans Day November 11, 2016 (NV) Today, Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt is pleased to announce the completion of the business case for the Office of Military Legal Assistance @EASE Program. The program was officially launched one year ago in November, 2015, and is the nation’s first attorney general-led, public-private partnership offering our military communities access to pro bono civil legal services. In practice, the program pairs military Service members in need of legal assistance with pro bono private legal counsel for civil matters including consumer fraud, military rights, immigration, landlord/tenant, predatory lending and creditor/debtor issues. The program also provides monthly workshops dedicated to drafting free wills and powers of attorney for Nevada veterans across the state.
The @EASE program strives to bolster military readiness by providing Service members with the knowledge that the program has the capacity to manage legal affairs in their absence—putting our Service members @EASE. Earlier this year, the Department of Defense named the Office a “Best Practice Program,” and recommended that the program be duplicated in states throughout the country. The program has partnered with the Nevada State Bar, County Bars and numerous statewide legal organizations to recruit more than 150 local attorneys willing to represent our Service members and their families free of charge.
“Today, on behalf of all Nevadans, I salute the millions of veterans who have dedicated their lives to protecting the life and liberty of all Americans, and hope you will join me in extending our deepest gratitude for their service,” said Attorney General Adam Laxalt. “Nevada is home to an estimated 11,400 active duty military members, 7,620 reserve members and over 228,000 veterans, and the Office of Military Legal Assistance @EASE program, through its pro bono partnerships, is proud to have helped Nevada’s Service members and veterans handle over 900 pro bono matters in its first year. With the completion of this business case, there is now empirical data justifying the need for this program and a roadmap to support efforts to form legal assistance offices in other states. It is my hope that this program will demonstrate a commitment to our military communities for years to come, and that eligible Nevadans will continue to take advantage of these services.
” For more information about the program, visit nvagomla.nv.gov . Nevada attorneys hoping to volunteer pro bono hours to the program should email Heather Cooney at HCooney@ag.nv.gov
flapjack fundraiser
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Fwd: FlapJack Fundraiser Flyer
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Robert, can you put this in Chap 711 May & June newsletters? Other newsletters too?
Thanks, Len
Please see attached flyer (In .png format for web posting). Request Widest dissemination.
We still need volunteers to serve.
So far I have two Volunteers, Cathy Breedlove (NVEnergy) and Peggy Randal (WVON). Volunteers should arrive between 730-745 on June 10th.
We have 100 tickets (pre-event) we can get more printed.
Julie-10 tickets
Karen-10 tickets
Sheila-12 tickets