Veterans’ Office Offers Many Services For Community

By Reagan ConnellyThe Veterans Service Office has a few projects in the works this summer as well as hopes for some future projects.Don Cook, Jefferson County Veterans Services Officer, said he is currently working on getting caption phones for veterans who are hard of hearing. These phones will hook to the internet line and the phone line and transcribe on an adjacent screen what the person on the other end of the line is saying. This will make it possible for the Veterans to listen to what the person is saying as well as read it in real time.The caption phones will be free to veterans. “They don’t have to get a note from their doctor or anything,” Cook said. “We can sign for them because we know they have hearing problems.”The Veterans’ Office will also be putting on a Memorial Day celebration on Monday, May 30, at the Fairbury Cemetery.The ceremony will be hosted by Cook and will feature a fly-over by the Flying Conestogas, a reading of “The Gettysburg Address” by Doug Bristol, the placing of wreaths, the singing of “God Bless America” by Nate Behrends, and the playing of “Taps” by Commander Stan Schiermeier.Flags will be put up around the courthouse on May 27 at 10 a.m. and taken down on May 31 at 10 a.m.Cook said he is also working on transferring all of the paper files on Jefferson County veterans to electronic files and uploading them to the state database. Through this process the number of veterans in the database has jumped from 359 veterans to 777 veterans.This database allows for veterans to have the opportunity to go to any veterans’ office in the state, enter his last name or the last 4 digits of their social security and it will pull up all of his service information.The museum is continuing work on the veterans’ memorial in the City Park.Additionally, Cook hopes to raise funds for a kiosk to be installed in the courthouse. This kiosk will have a computer screen on which you can type in the name of the Jefferson County veteran you want to find. The computer will then pull up all of their service information for the user to view.“The kiosk will be on the main floor of the courthouse right near the Gatling gun,” Cook said. “So veterans can come in, or their family members.”“The software system, the computer and all of that stuff is about $25-27 thousand so we probably won’t be getting that soon,” Cook said. He added that all funds are currently being directed to the memorial.The Veterans Office also transports veterans to Lincoln and Omaha for various appointments using a county issued vehicle. This can happen with a frequency anywhere from one day a week to five days a week dependent upon the times of the appointments.Cook also assists veterans in getting help for injuries they received during their service. Cook said his main focus is on the needs of the veterans so all other programs are put on hold until the veterans have received all the help they require.Cook also noted that volunteers are needed to put out flags for Memorial Day around the courthouse on Friday, May 27, 2022, at 10 a.m. and will also need volunteers to put out flags at the Fairbury Cemetery the same day at 1 p.m. Flags will be taken in from around the courthouse on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at 10 a.m. Flags at Fairbury Cemetery will be collected at 1 p.m. and volunteers will be need for that as well.

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