City & State Magazine, July 1 2014 Edition

June 30, 2014

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STATE o NEW YORK始S VETERANS S P E C I A L

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New York Veterans and Military Service Members Special Issue — June 30, 2014

CONTENT S

CONTENTS

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INSIDE NEW YORK’S VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES SUMMIT MAPPING THE EMPIRE STATE’S MILITARY BASES

By Michael Gareth Johnson

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14..... FROM MILITARY SERVICE TO PUBLIC SERVICE

Famous New York politicians through history who served in the military

By Paulina Tam and Matthew Hamilton

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SERVING THOSE WHO SERVED

The state of veterans’ services in New York

By Matthew Hamilton

ROUNDTABLE

Q & A Interviews with Assemblyman Michael Benedetto, State Sen. Greg Ball, New York City Councilman Eric Ulrich, Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr., and Cmdr. Elvis T. Mikel

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ON THE FRONT LINES

Profiles of current state lawmakers who served in the armed forces

By Matthew Hamilton, Elizabeth Mendez and Nick Powell

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PERSPECTIVES

State Sen. Kevin Parker on educational opportunities for veterans … Ulster County Executive Mike Hein on housing for veterans … U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on sexual abuse in the military

THROUGH A REPORTER’S LENS

PIX 11 Reporter Marvin Scott discusses his experiences covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

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GIVING BACK

A Q & A with actor Gary Sinise

By Jon Lentz

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WHY WE ALL MUST FIGHT 61 Broadway, Suite 2825 New York, NY 10006 Editorial (212) 894-5417 General (646) 517-2740 Advertising (212) 284-9712 advertising@cityandstateny.com

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city & state — June 30, 2014

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y grandfather, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Edward Api Lovell, fought in Korea during his 18year career in the military, before being killed in action in the Vietnam War on Dec. 28, 1965, a little over four months into his tour of duty. My dear friend and mentor, David

By Morgan Pehme Caplan, the vice chair of City Editor-in-Chief Year New York, lied about how young he was to enlist underage as a pilot in World War II, and went on to fly valiantly in many perilous firefights. And now my little brother, Andrew Lovell Gregory, a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, is on the cusp of signing up for the Navy.

I do not invoke these connections to glom onto my loved ones’ courage or lay claim by extension to their self-sacrifice, as politicians so often try to do in recounting the service of their family members and friends. I bring them up to illustrate how all of us, regardless of whether we realize it, have intimate ties to the men and women in uniform who defend our country and advance our ideals abroad, and to point out how addressing the plight of our veterans is not a faceless policy discussion but a deeply personal battle that all of us should take upon ourselves to wage.

And it is a plight. Following the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, America will have approximately 2.5 million new veterans—an astronomical number our federal government, through such travesties as the nation’s V.A. hospitals’ recent scandals, has already revealed it is ill prepared to provide the care these service members are owed and deserve. Our veterans return home with myriad struggles that are a direct result of their time in combat: grievous injuries, societal alienation, post-traumatic stress and suicidal depression, to name but a few.

While every elected official in the United States is quick to profess his or her commitment to honoring our veterans, our government has failed them so far because the nature of the challenge is precisely the type it generally fails to meet. The executive branch and Congress tend to take action only to tackle short-term crises that are too pressing for them to get away with ignoring without facing retribution from

voters. Large-scale problems such as climate change, our country’s crumbling infrastructure and income inequality, which require enormous vision, staggering investment and colossal effort to address, they conspicuously avoid because they will more than likely not see the dividends of expending their political capital to solve them. By the time these profound challenges are finally overcome, if ever, those in office now will have long moved on or perished, and they will never get to issue the press release patting themselves on the back and declaring “Mission accomplished.”

Our veterans must not be forced to suffer for the shameful myopia of our politics. Regardless of our opinion of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, we all must pressure our elected officials to fulfill our obligations to our veterans, and to treat them with dignity and compassion. We must always remember that these veterans are not simply soldiers: They are our friends, our neighbors, our family.

“A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman of the next generation,” wrote the 19th century American preacher James Freeman Clarke. It is high time that our elected officials stop playing politics, and step up to become statesmen.

CITY AND STATE, LLC Chairman Steve Farbman President/CEO Tom Allon tallon@cityandstateny.com

PUBLISHING Publisher Andrew A. Holt aholt@cityandstateny.com Vice President of Advertising Jim Katocin jkatocin@cityandstateny.com Business Manager Jasmin Freeman jfreeman@cityandstateny.com Office Administrator Kyle Renwick krenwick@cityandstateny.com Distribution Czar Dylan Forsberg EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Morgan Pehme mpehme@cityandstateny.com Managing Editor Michael Johnson mjohnson@cityandstateny.com Albany Bureau Chief Jon Lentz jlentz@cityandstateny.com City Hall Bureau Chief Nick Powell npowell@cityandstateny.com Reporter Matthew Hamilton mhamilton@cityandstateny.com Reporter Azure Gilman agilman@cityandstateny.com Associate Editor Helen Eisenbach Art Director Guillaume Federighi gfederighi@cityandstateny.com Graphic Designer Michelle Yang myang@cityandstateny.com Marketing Graphic Designer Charles Flores cflores@cityandstateny.com Illustrator Danilo Agutoli

U. S. Army Staff Sergeant Edward Api Lovell is honored on Panel 4E, Row 43 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Columnists Alexis Grenell, Bruce Gyory, Nicole Gelinas, Michael Benjamin, Seth Barron, Jeff Smith, Susan Arbetter City & State is published twice monthly.

Copyright 2014, City and State NY, LLC

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INSIDE NEW YORK’S VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES SUMMIT In March Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined state and federal officials in hosting New York’s first-ever veterans’ summit, where he announced a long list of initiatives aimed at helping military veterans. Here’s a rundown of his proposals.

“In New York our goal is not just to remember and honor veterans one day a year but truly every day, to honor them not only in our words but more importantly in our actions—and that’s what this summit is all about.”

—Gov. Andrew Cuomo

THE GOALS

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JOBS Perhaps the most prominent initiative is a statewide goal of setting aside 6 percent of state contracts for small businesses owned by disabled veterans. That aim is unprecedented on a state level and doubles the 3 percent federal target, according to the Cuomo administration. Other job-creation initiatives include benefits for military spouses, creating a veterans working group for the state’s Regional Economic Development Councils and encouraging energy utilities to hire veterans.

The state contract set-aside for military veterans was signed into law in May.

city & state — June 30, 2014

AFFORDABLE HOUSING The governor announced $50 million in state agency funds to provide veterans and active members of the military with subsidized mortgage rates.

The fund is available only through Veterans Day of this year, Nov. 11.

OTHER INITIATIVES Any veteran would receive in-state tuition at all SUNY and CUNY institutions, one of several education goals. Relevant state employees would be provided with suicide awareness training to address mental health concerns. Cuomo also announced a statewide strike force to deal with the federal backlog of veterans’ disability claims.

In June the governor announced an agreement on legislation that would lower the cost of higher education for veterans, among other educationoriented goals.

BY THE NUMBERS 500,000

New Yorkers who served in World War I

800,000

New Yorkers who served in World War II

18,000

Soldiers at Fort Drum

3,600

Active duty military members in New York

16,000

Members of the New York Army and Air National Guard

14,500

Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps reserves in New York

886,000

Veterans in New York

106,000

Disabled veterans in New York cit yandstateny.com

State of Defense A map of New York’s five active military bases

New York State has a number of active military bases, which between them house tens of thousands of active military service members and their families. These installations are integral parts of their local communities, and often have a significant impact on the regional economy, as well as the culture of the area.

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Watervliet Armory An economic driver that generates roughly $100 million in annual impact for New York, the Watervliet Arsenal has been a part of the United States’ defense since the War of 1812. Today it employs roughly 500 people, almost 43 percent of whom are veterans, and remains an industrial bright spot in a pocket of the Capital Region that was once dominated by factories along the Hudson.

With the winding down of combat operations in the Middle East, however, and the military forced to become leaner, there is increasingly less need for armaments.

Arsenal Commander Co. Lee Schiller Jr. said the Arsenal is exploring how to make up some of the potential workload losses by seeking public-private partnerships and by looking into foreign military sales.

Fort Hamilton The U.S. Army garrison is the last active military installation in New York City. The facility has been active since 1825, serving as an artillery post defending New York City for more than a century until the end of World War II. Today Fort Hamilton is primarily used to provide housing and other essential services to more than 50,000 active, reserve and National Guard troops.

The base was also used as a key staging area during relief efforts in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, providing food and housing to the displaced and acting as a meeting place for emergency personnel.

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Fort Drum The North Country base is home to the 10th Mountain Division. It encompasses more than 100,000 acres of land and is home to roughly 13,000 active members of the military and their families. Annually, as many as 80,000 troops come through Fort Drum for training and mobilization, making it by far the largest military base in the state.

The state estimates that the base contributes roughly $1.4 billion annually to the surrounding community. It is also by far the largest employer in the North Country.

To protect the base’s longevity, the state set aside money to make the land around the facility a buffer zone to allow for potential expansion.

The base has expanded its housing capacity in recent years with help from the federal government and the state government, but many soldiers and their families still live off the base.

United States Military Academy at West Point America’s oldest and most famous military school is also a tourist attraction, with a wide variety of historical buildings dating back to its opening in 1794. The roughly 4,500 cadets it houses go through some of the strictest training in the world. Upon graduation they automatically join the Army as second lieutenants.

In recent years the facility has become more energy-efficient, building three LEED-certified buildings. It is also home to the Keller Army Community Hospital, which provides world-class healthcare to military members, their families and veterans.

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city & state — June 30, 2014

Naval Support Activity Saratoga Springs Home to roughly 1,750 active military members and 3,300 family members, the facility is the base for the Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit, which prepares sailors to operate and maintain nuclear reactors aboard submarines and aircraft carriers.

The base estimates that it contributes more than $1 billion in direct, indirect and induced economic activity to the Saratoga Springs area.

ROUNDTABLE

COL. LEE H. SCHILLER JR. Commander, Watervliet Arsenal

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Q: Military installations are generally considered to be major economic drivers for the communities they border. What do you see as the importance of the Watervliet Arsenal to its surrounding community?

LS: Who would have thought that, out of urgency and necessity to blunt the British invasion during the War of 1812, a small arsenal of highly skilled labor would still be standing 200 years later? In conversations with local community leaders, not one has been able to name any other business in New York’s Capital District that has been in continuous operation as long at the Watervliet Arsenal.

Since the Battle of New Orleans, Arsenal products have supported our nation’s troops at every military conflict from the landing at Vera Cruz to Gettysburg; to the Battles of the Marne and the Battle of the Bulge; to the frozen Korean tundra and the jungles of Vietnam; to Grenada and Panama; to Iraq; and today our products are in Afghanistan.

Today the Arsenal has nearly a $100 million annual economic impact to New York State and is relied upon

by U.S. and foreign militaries to produce the most advanced, high-tech, high-powered weaponry for cannon, howitzer and mortar systems. The Arsenal’s workforce of just over 500 participated in nearly 70 community engagements in 2013 as a way of paying back the community for its 200 years of support.

Although the buildings and machinery have dramatically changed since that summer day in 1813, the one thing that has remained constant is the Arsenal’s ability to recruit and train highly skilled labor from the local community.

Q: What are some of the difficulties of being in charge of a military installation at a time when the level of military funding has been a major point of debate for the federal government?

LS: The Arsenal worked very hard in fiscal year 2013 to operate within the framework of sequestration by reducing its cost structure through the implementation of a hiring freeze and a very limited, and heavily scrutinized, use of overtime to support the mission.

These and other steps helped to reduce operating costs by more than $8 million in fiscal year 2013. For fiscal year 2014, the Arsenal will continue to lower its cost of operation by nearly $3 million through such actions as further reducing the size of its workforce, keeping tight control over overtime, and by using lean manufacturing activities to identify other operating expenses for reduction.

Although sequestration has not gone away, it may not be as painful as it was in 2013 due to the bipartisan two-year budget agreement passed

by Congress that capped Defense Department funding at about $498 billion for fiscal year 2014, which ends this September.

Compound that budget shortfall with a planned withdrawal of combat forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and the downsizing of Army force levels from about 540,000 soldiers to 490,000 by September 2015, [and] a rather uncertain future is painted for defense manufacturing beyond fiscal year 2014.

Quite simply, the U.S. military will become smaller and leaner, which is something that has happened after every military conflict since the American Revolutionary War. A smaller Army means that there will be fewer combat brigades to use many of the weapon systems the Arsenal manufacturers, such as cannons for tanks and howitzer systems, as well as various weapon parts. The Department of the Army has stated that up to 10 brigade combat teams may be inactivated over the next two years.

The Arsenal is looking very hard at how to make up some of the potential workload fallout by seeking publicprivate partnerships and by tapping into foreign military sales. In the meantime, the Arsenal will celebrate all contracts, no matter how small.

service member needing assistance, including Family Readiness (Fleet & Family Support Centers), Fleet Readiness (Child & Youth Programs and Morale, Welfare & Recreation) and Housing Services.

CMDR. ELVIS T. MIKEL, USN Commanding Officer, Naval Support Activity Saratoga Springs

Q: Military installations are generally considered to be major economic drivers for the communities they border. What do you see as the relationship between NSA Saratoga Springs and the surrounding community?

EM: I place a great deal of importance on our relationship with the Saratoga area community. The Navy realizes the tremendous impact it has on local economies, as well as the vital partnerships we have with community organizations and businesses that provide goods and services to support the missions of Navy commands in the Saratoga area. Annually, the Navy generates approximately $1.3 billion in direct, indirect and induced economic activity in the Saratoga area. We also have numerous relationships and partnerships that support sailors and their families in the area.

Q: As more combat troops return to the United States in the coming years, as a military base, what type of impact do you anticipate?

EM: Due to the nature of the Navy commands in the Saratoga area, the impact of sailors serving in combat areas returning to the United States is less in the Saratoga area than if we were in an operational fleet concentration area. The primary Navy command in the Saratoga area is the Navy Nuclear Power Training Unit, Ballston Spa, a training command that prepares young naval officers and enlisted sailors to operate and maintain Navy nuclear reactors aboard submarines and aircraft carriers. Naval Support Activity Saratoga Springs is well prepared to provide a broad spectrum of services through the Fleet and Family Readiness programs for any

Q: With some veterans presumably returning to civilian life here in New York, what role do you expect the state to play in helping those veterans find jobs that fit their skills?

EM: The state does a great job helping veterans with employment through its Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program specialists (DVOPs) and Local Veterans’ Employment Representatives (LVERs) located at Career One Stop Centers throughout the state. These positions are funded with a grant from the Department of Labor (DoL) via the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) to state departments of labor.

DVOPs and LVERs exist solely to assist veterans [in finding] employment and employment-related services, focusing mainly on veterans with barriers.

DVOPs are usually disabled veterans themselves. Along with the DoD Transition Assistance Program (TAP) [and] Goals, Plans and Success (GPS), service members returning to civilian life have a number of resources at their disposal to find employment that aligns to the skills they have gained in military service.

Q: What are some of the difficulties of being in charge of a military installation at a time when the level of military funding has been a major point of debate for the federal government?

EM: With continued reductions in the Department of Defense budgets, we are continually working to become as efficient as possible to provide the best quality/best value programs and services to support the fleet, fighter and family. This makes our relationships and partnerships with the local communities even more important. Recruiting the community to help support service members is a vital part of ensuring that sailors can focus on their missions at hand with confidence that the family at home has the support they need.

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Chair, Veterans Affairs Committee New York State Assembly

Q: The federal government has dealt with questions about funding levels for the military in recent years. Now there is a major scandal unfolding within the V.A. What is the general state of military and veterans’ affairs?

MB: I believe that, in general, our government is respectful and sincere in addressing the needs of our veterans. However, as we are seeing by recent events, there needs to be a major overhaul in how we deliver services to our veterans. This might entail a complete top to bottom restructuring of the V.A., but whatever needs to be done must be done.

Q: What was accomplished during the 2014 legislative session in terms of assisting veterans and military members?

MB: We have passed several pieces of veteranrelated legislation this past year: in particular, a setaside of 6 percent of state contracts for businesses owned by disabled veterans. One bill that I was particularly pleased with and that was passed in the final week of the session was the Military Families Interstate Compact. This bill allows for an easier transfer process for the children of military families coming into our state schools; another part of the bill would allow all veterans who are attending SUNY, CUNY and community colleges to pay instate tuition rates.

Q: On a state specific level, what is your assessment of how well the state handles military and veterans’ affairs?

MB: New York State is home to nearly 900,000 veterans who have served in wartime and peacetime, and the state has been quite responsive in thanking our veterans for their service to state and country and in responding to their needs.

Q: Do you believe the state is doing enough to address problems faced by veterans and current military members?

MB: I don’t think that anyone would deny that there is always more we can do to help our veterans. Too many of our veterans are unemployed and homeless.

Many have serious mental health problems that lead to breakdowns in their family or to suicide. We have tried to address these serious problems on the state level by giving a $10,000 tax credit to businesses that hire a veteran and a $15,000 credit to those that hire a disabled veteran. The state is developing a veteran job directory so that when the state of New York needs part-time workers, they can hire off a list of veterans who are jobless. We have allocated more funds in the state budget to programs that deliver quality peer-to-peer counseling to those that have mental health issues, and we are continuing to look for other ways to aid our veterans.

Q: As combat operations in the Middle East continue to wind down, what kind of emphasis should be placed on reintegration of military members?

MB: With the ending of the overseas conflicts, we will be seeing an influx of military, and therefore cit yandstateny.com

By John Kelly

On July 22, 2014, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will hold a public hearing on their proposals to close down one or both units of the Indian Point nuclear power plant for the summer months so fish can propagate. This also includes shutting the plant down until two Yankee Stadium size cooling towers can be constructed on the banks of the Hudson.

They contend this is necessary despite numerous independent and government related scientific studies refuting the need for these selective and arbitrary requirements.

If the health of the Hudson River is truly the goal, then DEC should be adamantly in favor of power sources such as Indian Point that produce no carbon pollution, or smog and particulate matter that can sicken and kill people. Their approach threatens grid reliability and will cause electric rates to increase. It is clear that the DEC’s proposal creates far more environmental problems than it solves.

The DEC should consider creating an equal playing field. For example, hydro facilities essentially destroy aquatic habitats and some downstate fossil fuel fired electric generating plants use huge quantities of water a day without any water intake mitigation measures.

With this in mind, it is most peculiar that the DEC also opposes Indian Point’s proposal to use wedge-wire screens, an effective environmental protection approach used elsewhere in the Hudson with DEC approval including, but not limited to: • IBM Poughkeepsie Facility • Bethlehem Energy Center • Charles Point Resource Recovery Facility • Athens Combined Cycle Generating Facility • Westchester Resource Recovery at Peekskill • World Trade Center

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Wedge wire screens would further reduce the already low fish mortality rates at Indian Point’s cooling water intake. Decades of research have been performed and tens of million dollars have been spent monitoring fish populations in the Hudson. This research has been funded by the Indian Point owners and performed under direction of the DEC. The results of this research, published in peer reviewed journals, have demonstrated that the Indian Point plants have not had a deleterious impact on the fish populations in the river.

ERIC ULRICH Chair, New York City Council Committee on Veterans

Q: Were there any specific programs or initiatives for veterans you were fighting to get included in the budget? What were you able to secure funding for?

EU: I’m happy to say that the FY 15 budget included a $400,000 veterans’ initiative, which I introduced, that will support veterans’ employment, mental health, and legal service programming administered directly by local providers. These programs will help our veterans find good paying jobs, access quality mental health services, and get free legal assistance when they need it most. It also addresses the many needs of a growing and diverse female veteran population in our city, and the complex challenges returning

Indian Point is safe, earning the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s highest safety ratings for 10 years straight, and complies with all state and federal laws. Further, the NRC recommended license renewal. Rather than advocating policies that take us backwards, the DEC and plant opponents should support Indian Point’s continued operation.

John Kelly is a certified health physicist and retired as Director of Licensing for Entergy Nuclear Northeast. He worked in the nuclear industry for 40 years, including years at Indian Point and other nuclear plants in the Northeast.

S P E C I A L

S P O N S O R E D

S E C T I O N

New York AREA’s membership includes some of the state’s most vital business, labor and community organizations including the New York State AFL-CIO, Business Council of New York State, Partnership for New York City, New York Building Congress, National Federation of Independent Business and many more.

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city & state — June 30, 2014

MICHAEL BENEDETTO

we must begin to prepare for their arrival. One idea that I would like to see would be the development of what I call “veteran villages.” I have introduced a bill in the state Assembly that would explore this concept: Using unused state buildings and economic development funds, the state would set up “villages” that returning military can live in for three to nine months and “decompress.” While there they could receive job training, counseling, classes informing them of their veteran benefits and possibly daily living skills if needed. It would be a place where they could begin to slowly reintegrate back into a society that they might not have been prepared for.

DEC Mandate to Close Indian Point Lacks Logic, Sound Science

Local 46 Salutes All Our Veterans

We Proudly Participate in the Helmets to Hardhats Program

Local 46 Metallic Lathers & Reinforcing Ironworkers Business Manager: Terrence Moore Business Agents: Kevin Kelly, Ronnie Richardson, John Coffey and Michael Anderson President: John Skinner 1322 Third Avenue @ East 76th Street New York, NY 10021 • 212-737-0500 • www.ml46.org

Green Bank Should Bet on Basic Energy Needs

service members face.

Q: Where do this and the other bills you’ve proposed—giving mentally disabled veterans priority for licenses to sell merchandise on the sidewalk and offering state employees credit in the public retirement system for military service completed during times of peace— stand?

EU: The Council adopted a resolution this past May in support of New York State Military Buyback reform that recently passed the State Legislature.

Gov. Cuomo intends to sign the bill, and I’m glad my committee and the Council did our part to show support. We’re also working on legislation that will restore veterans’ preferences in the NYCHA selection process, reform the Veterans Advisory Board, support V.A. benefit officers in each of the borough halls, prioritize veteran-owned small businesses in the city’s procurement process and other forward-thinking matters that will make New York City a better place for veterans and their families.

Q: What is the most important issue facing New York City veterans?

EU: Roughly 12 percent of New York City’s veterans are unemployed, and over the subsequent weeks and months more service members will leave active duty and return home to the boroughs seeking work. Measures must be in place to help veterans market their skills to secure meaningful positions commensurate with their experience and interests. Equally important, we must also ensure that these heroes have access to quality healthcare that can treat a magnitude of issues born through service. Access to education is vital as well, and opportunities must be available for veterans to start promising academic careers at one of the city’s colleges.

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By Chris Thorpe, CFA

GREG BALL Chair, State Senate Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee Q: The federal government has dealt with questions about funding levels for the military in recent years. Now there is a major scandal unfolding within the V.A. What is the general state of military and veterans’ affairs?

GB: The way our federal government has repeatedly failed to do right by our veterans is sickening, and a dereliction of duty. We do a great job of getting young men and women to raise their right hand and say, “I’m willing to fight and die for this country,” but we do not do a great job transitioning them back into the civilian economy.

Q: On a state specific level, what is your assessment of how well the state handles military and veterans’ affairs?

GB: There is always more work to be done, and it has been an enormous lift in this state even to get common-sense legislation done for our veterans. However, over the past two years we have made great progress by creating the Hire-A-Vet tax credit that will cut taxes for those who employ veterans, and we have also created a 6 percent state contract set-aside for service-connected disabled veterans, which in real dollars is worth about $400 million and will create tens of thousands of jobs.

Q: How would you assess the state Legislature’s performance from the session that just ended in terms of passing the legislation needed to address issues facing veterans?

GB: New Yorkers can stand tall and proud knowing that we have kept America’s promise to our veterans and service-disabled heroes.

The landmark 6 percent set-aside legislation will create tens of thousands of jobs for veterans statewide and will allow service-disabled veteran small business owners to tap into hundreds of millions of dollars in state contracting. This single act will do more to reverse the high veteran unemployment rate than anything else we have done, or will do. Yet beyond just creating jobs, this is about saving lives and confronting the epidemic of veteran suicide through meaningful employment.

We have been fighting to establish this set-aside for years, and I want to sincerely thank Gov. Cuomo for giving us the backing we desperately needed at a critical time. Gov. Cuomo is to be applauded for keeping his commitment to our heroes.

New York’s Green Bank, a state-led initiative to raise $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to bridge gaps in financing for renewable energy technologies, finally released its business plan for public comment. The provisions outline lofty goals such as eliminating market barriers and standardizing procedures to help the renewable industry mature versus empowering small and medium size businesses to access growth opportunities.

To date, the Green Bank has been capitalized by $165.6 million in uncommitted funds from various New York State Energy Research and Development Authority programs and $45 million from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Details on how the Green Bank intends to raise the remaining $790 million are simply not available.

There are more questions than answers, particularly given the source of the Green Bank’s initial funds. Should the state be picking market winners and losers with taxpayer dollars in the first place?

The fact that NYSERDA funds were left uncommitted should motivate lawmakers to understand why carefully designed programs are failing to achieve their investment goals. Further, New York’s energy taxes should be scrutinized and re-assessed for their effectiveness as the Public Service Commission recently revealed that $2.9 billion was collected from ratepayers for the 18-a assessment since 2009 to plug Albany’s budget gaps.

The Green Bank should not try to reinvent the wheel. Perhaps, it can fix the state’s flat tire by emulating the federal Small Business Investment Company program? This approach will narrow the mandate to help less risky businesses, while giving private capital a voice alongside government financing support. It will also optimize selection of the best renewable projects, and yield market returns for both private investors and taxpayers.

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New York may also be better off focusing on expanding its competitive advantage provided by a virtually endless supply of shale gas and a diverse energy portfolio including hydro and nuclear power. Utilizing these resources more efficiently could create the cost savings ratepayers need and attract employers and investors back to the Empire State.

The New York Independent System Operator forecasts that New York’s electricity demand will continue to increase at an annual rate of 0.83 percent through 2024. The record setting heat wave and polar vortex each proved that New York needs more pipeline capacity for gas and must retain Indian Point’s 2,000 megawatts of decarbonized power for price and grid stability.

The market signals are clear. Investing in basic energy needs should be the priority. With the above adjustments, the Green Bank can support business growth, create jobs, and protect our own backyard.

Chris Thorpe, CFA is an advisory board member of New York AREA and managing partner of Brick Investment Partners LLC, a private equity firm which seeks to acquire middle market energy and related businesses. He is a finance and investment professional with experience in commodity derivatives, petroleum, fuels and chemicals.

S P E C I A L

S P O N S O R E D

S E C T I O N

The New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance (New York AREA) is a diverse group of business, labor, environmental, and community leaders working together for clean, low-cost and reliable electricity solutions that foster prosperity and jobs for the Empire State.

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city & state — June 30, 2014

Q: You’ve proposed a bill that would create a department of veteran affairs within city government. Why do you think this is necessary?

EU: Elevating the Mayor’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs to a true city agency would make a world of difference for many reasons. First, it would enhance the Council’s budgetary scope and allow the City Council to allocate and fund those specific programs and services administered by the department. In addition, having a Department of Veterans’ Affairs would make it easier for the Council to fund veterans’ service organizations that currently have to deal with an arcane budget process and agencies that are unfamiliar with their status, mission and work. Lastly, on a more symbolic note, creating a department—an agency in and of itself—to provide our nation’s heroes the services they deserve affirms our commitment to this critical issue and to one of the most deserving constituencies in the city.

FROM MILITARY SERVICE TO PUBLIC SERVICE FOR SOME HIGH-PROFILE NEW YORK POLITICIANS, A MILITARY CAREER PRECEDED THEIR ELECTED ONE.

By PAULINE TAM and MATTHEW HAMILTON

city & state — June 30, 2014

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YEAR(S) SERVED IN MILITARY

THURLOW WEED

CHESTER A. ARTHUR

Perhaps most famous for killing Hamilton in a duel, Burr was another veteran of the American Revolution who went on to highlevel political office. He was part of Benedict Arnold’s expedition to Quebec, was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1777 and was later

Weed played a role in a war still discussed upstate, specifically in the North Country—the War of 1812. He served in the New York State militia as quartermaster sergeant of the 40th Regiment.

Perhaps the least-known member of this list, Weed was a behindthe-scenes man in Albany, serving

aide-de-camp as lieutenant colonel before commanding three battalions during the Revolution.

He later became major general during the Quasi-War. After America won its independence, he was named the first U.S. treasury secretary.

appointed second-in-command of Col. William Malcolm’s Additional Continental Regiment. He went on to become vice president under Thomas Jefferson, taking part in the famous duel with Hamilton in 1804, during his White House tenure.

as a political adviser to Gov. William Henry Seward, his close friend. He was also the creator and publisher of the Albany Evening Journal, which after a few title changes became The Knickerbocker News and eventually merged with the Capital Region’s Times Union.

Arthur isn’t the only non-native New Yorker on this list—he was born in Vermont—but ultimately he left his mark on both New York City and, to a larger extent, the nation. Arthur was a quartermaster general in the New York Volunteers, a Civil War regiment, and was promoted to brigadier general. After his service career Arthur became chief counsel to the New York City Tax Commission, then spent time as collector of the Port of New York before ascending to his most high profile political gig—21st President of the United States.

1775

1777

1812

1861–65

ALEXANDER HAMILTON

AARON BURR

He may have been born in the West Indies, but the man whose face is on the $20 bill was a Founding Father from New York. Part of the Hearts of Oak, a volunteer militia company formed around 1775, he went on to become President George Washington’s

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rom the colonies to the Korean Peninsula to the Persian Gulf, New Yorkers have had a hand in major battles, conflicts and wars since the country declared independence. Over the centuries the United States military has produced a wealth of service members who went on to become highprofile elected and appointed officials. From militiamen to modern-day soldiers, here’s a look at famous New York politicians with roots in the armed forces.

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CHARLES B. RANGEL

Before he was the 26th President of the United States, Roosevelt served his country as assistant secretary of the Navy under President William McKinley in 1897. He played an integral role in enabling the Navy to be on full alert and asking Congress to recruit sailors after the explosion of the Battleship Maine in Havana. He then volunteered to participate in the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry (the Rough Riders) in the SpanishAmerican War. Roosevelt turned to public service in 1899 when he was elected governor of New York.

He became president in 1901.

Prior to becoming a congressman and battling for uptown residents in Washington, D.C., Rangel, who recently won the Democratic primary, virtually assuring him a 23rd term in Congress, fought in Korea as a member of the Army’s all African-American 503rd Field Artillery Battalion in the 2nd Infantry Division. For his service during the Korean War, Rangel earned a Purple Heart, the Bronze Star for valor and three battle stars. He reached the rank of staff sergeant and is currently the thirdlongest-serving member of the House of Representatives.

1897

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EDWARD IRVING “ED” KOCH A New York City icon, Koch served in the Army in the 104th Infantry Division during World War II, receiving an honorable discharge as a sergeant.

Koch served in the House of Representatives before he began asking New Yorkers “How’m I doing?” from 1978 to 1989 as mayor of the Big Apple. He remained a trusted political mind and commentator until his death in 2013.

1943–46

1948–52

The member of this list perhaps most likely to be remembered for what he accomplished during his military service, Powell, who was born in Harlem and raised in the Bronx, worked his way up to four-star general in the Army before retiring in 1993. During his decades of service, he fought in the Vietnam War, the invasion of Panama and the Persian Gulf War. Later in his career he was senior military assistant to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and President Ronald Reagan’s national security advisor. He was appointed secretary of state by President George W. Bush in his first term in office.

1958–93

city & state — June 30, 2014

COLIN LUTHER POWELL

THEODORE ROOSEVELT JR.

SERVING THOSE WHO SERVED WHILE NEW YORK’S VETERANS’ PROGRAMS LEAD THE PACK, UNTANGLING A WEB OF SERVICES BECOMES THE CHALLENGE.

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ason Hansman’s first experience with the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department didn’t go according to plan.

In the mid-2000s, the Iraq War vet developed a severe infection and sought care at the emergency room of the local hospital in his native Seattle.

He had been home from his tour of duty for a couple of years, but he knew he could count on V.A. benefits to help him get the care he needed.

However, when he got to the emergency room, he was shocked at the response he received.

“I ended up going there and they were like, ‘Well, you’re not enrolled in the V.A.,’ and I’m like, ‘What? I’m in the military, I should be enrolled in the V.A. Can you look me up?’ ” Hansman was told he needed to show his discharge paperwork or he would not receive medical service. Because he didn’t carry that paperwork with him, he was turned away. He then went to another emergency room where he received care, only to be on the hook for a $1,500 bill.

Hansman, now the senior program cit yandstateny.com

Retired Gen. Eric Shinseki, who resigned as head of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on May 30, talks with Col. Robert Schumitz inside a Stryker vehicle.

manager for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a New York City- and Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, eventually figured out how to enroll for V.A. benefits. The story

doesn’t have quite the same ending for thousands of other veterans, however.

“I was lucky that I was stubborn at the time and was willing to go back and willing to see the system through

and see the system provide me medical services in the end,” he said. “But I don’t think a lot of vets would.”

Nor is he only talking about former service members from the Pacific Northwest. Even in New York, considered by some to be near the top of the list in terms of assistance programs, veterans face miles of red tape, combined with a baffling maze of avenues to pursue that leave many not knowing the right place to go—in some cases causing them to eventually give up on the system. In other cases, services simply aren’t available and, on the healthcare side, patients can wait for weeks before seeing a doctor, as the recent V.A. scandal in Phoenix brought to light.

“If we’ve learned anything from Phoenix, it’s that issues that might be plaguing one V.A. are probably plaguing them all, or a lot of them,” Hansman said. “It’s kind of heartbreaking when you think about it that way. That when one veteran has a bad experience or a couple veterans have a bad experience, it’s probably indicative of a larger problem.”

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By MATTHEW HAMILTON

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t took just seconds for President Barack Obama, amid a barrage of shutter clicks in the White House press briefing room, to officially announce that Eric Shinseki was out as head of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

On May 30, Shinseki offered the president a resignation, and “with considerable regret, I accepted,” Obama said. But while the official announcement was over in a flash, the problems for the V.A. had been mounting for months. First there were reports that some 40 veterans died while awaiting medical care at the Phoenix V.A. hospital. As that scandal boiled over, a report from the Department of Veterans Affairs documented lengthy wait times for veterans to get medical care at many other V.A. hospitals across the nation.

In New York, the picture was rosier.

Only one of the state’s V.A. facilities, Castle Point in the Hudson Valley, was flagged for further review. That positive picture serves as a microcosm of veterans’ assistance programs in New York, praised by some experts as among the best in the nation.

New York, which is home to nearly 900,000 veterans, has developed a multitude of programs that either supplement or go beyond what the federal government offers. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has made it a priority to assist veterans, in March holding the first New York State Veterans and Military Families Summit, which brought together high-level elected officials, veterans affairs officials, veterans and military members to discuss areas of concern and devise solutions. Born out of that summit

Gov. Andrew Cuomo convened the first New York State Veterans and Military Families Summit in March. were programs about which state officials have expressed considerable optimism.

The state has also been taking steps to expand and improve programs that help veterans find jobs. One is the new Veterans Contracting Program, which establishes a statewide goal of 6 percent participation on state contracts by small businesses owned

city & state — June 30, 2014

The Castle Point V.A. Medical Center in the Hudson Valley was the only V.A. facility in New York State that was flagged for further review following the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ probe of all its healthcare institutions.

by veterans with service-connected disabilities. That target is twice as high as the federal government’s goal. As of Jan. 1, some $74 million in employment tax incentives were also made available to hire veterans who served after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In addition, the state has begun helping veterans’ families by expanding its Experience Counts program to allow veterans’ spouses to use licenses and training from other states for various professions in New York.

New York City has placed an emphasis on helping veterans find jobs, too, earmarking $100,000 of $400,000 for veterans’ programs in the fiscal year 2015 budget for veteran job-placement initiatives.

“The state of New York is a little bit ahead of the curve,” said Al Marco, CEO of VetsBridge.com, a recruitment service that helps veterans connect with employers. “They’re definitely probably up in the upper 30 percent or better of employer-friendly, veteranfriendly states across the country.”

Another area the state has begun to concentrate on of importance to veterans is mental health—a critical service, yet one that is nonetheless often stigmatized among veterans.

That focus comes at a time when Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are suffering from what has been called by some experts a “suicide epidemic” related to post-traumatic stress disorder and other service-related mental health illnesses.

State Sen. Lee Zeldin, an Army veteran, has taken up the cause in Albany, establishing a peer-to-peer counseling program to assist veterans with PTSD in a limited number of counties across the state. He said that it is important for those veterans to know they are not alone when people at home or work don’t understand what they’re going through, making them feel isolated.

“Unfortunately we’re losing too many as a result,” Zeldin said. “I know more people who I’ve been close with who have died after their service and who had PTSD than people I know who died in combat.”

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hough New York offers a plethora of services for veterans, navigating the benefits system can pose a serious challenge, such that even those who know where to look for help can

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ssemblyman Félix Ortiz, who served in the Army from 1986 to 1988, has made it a priority to address not only PTSD but also the need for government and military agencies to follow up with veterans once they have returned home.

Ortiz illustrated the importance of that attention with the story of a young woman from his district in Brooklyn

who returned from a stint in the military to her family’s home on 4th Avenue, not far from a subway line.

“On 4th Avenue as the subway passes, [it] makes noise. Well, she thought there was an attack. So she would wake up in the middle of the night screaming and yelling that she was hearing voices or hearing bombs coming down,” the lawmaker said. With proper assessment upon

returning home, he added, the veteran and her family could have better managed those scenarios.

But even for veterans and families who know where to turn, sometimes making the first step to obtain help is the hardest. If stigmas associated with seeking assistance around issues like mental health are not overcome, the process can never get under way.

Dr. Craig Bryan, associate director

WE DON’T JUST SUPPORT AMERICA’S VETERANS. WE HIRE THEM.

19

The armed forces produce some of the best and brightest members of the workforce. So it’s not surprising that Con Edison is committed to the Troops to Energy Jobs program. We like to recruit, hire and train former service members to work with us. It’s in everyone’s best interests.

For details on the program, visit conEd.com/careers.

city & state — June 30, 2014

encounter significant hurdles.

Hansman tells the story of a veteran from New York City who took advantage of the G.I. Bill to go to college. While that benefit initially worked for him just as it was supposed to, halfway through the semester the V.A. pulled his certificate of eligibility, leaving him without benefits. As a result, the veteran’s life became a labyrinth of complications, and without the tuition assistance his finances fell into disarray.

Such travails are by no means out of the ordinary, Hansman said. In short, a tangled web of programs becomes a tangled mess of problems.

“We connected him with resources; we connected him with eviction prevention resources to keep him in his house,” Hansman said. “Where it got complicated … was we helped him navigate the V.A. system to find out what happened with his G.I. bill and how to fix it. How do we get the V.A. to pay him the money that they should have paid him? Right now that case is still pending, and that’s from a year and a half ago.”

Hansman said that applying for benefits through the federal V.A. department and Department of Defense can be a bureaucratic slog where part of the battle is often simply finding the right person who has the correct information to assist a veteran.

Advocates say the state and New York City are more efficient and straightforward in processing the benefits for which they are responsible, but there are still snarls. Additionally, a glut of nonprofit groups, combined with an array of city and state resources, in many instances finding the right person to help takes second place to finding the right program.

“As far as a veteran being able to go to the Yellow Pages and pick out a defense attorney who knows what they should know about representing veterans, I don’t think that’s possible at all at present,” said Gary Horton, who heads the Veterans Defense Program for the New York State Defenders Association.

While Horton, whose program is designed to help instruct public defense attorneys how to properly represent veterans, is involved with just one small piece of the veterans’ assistance realm, Hansman said the confusion Horton identifies extends to many areas.

“A lot of us don’t know what we’re eligible for,” he said. “The state and even the city don’t do what they could [to promote services].”

of the National Center for Veterans Studies, which in recent years has closely studied mental health issues among veterans, said that veterans often put off dealing with problems of this nature. Once they finally do seek help—if ever—the lengthy wait times at V.A. hospitals and government bureaucracy multiply their troubles.

“The group of individuals you least want to have to deal with frustration and hassles are individuals with mental health difficulties, who almost by definition are struggling with managing stress in their lives,” Bryan said. “So these barriers, these wait times, the hassles, the difficulty calling one place and being told, ‘We’re not the right phone number, you need to call somebody else,’ then you’ve got to wait on hold for an hour, all of these little things serve as barriers for veterans to get in.”

That’s where advocacy groups play a crucial role. Multiple advocates said it was critically important that nonprofits and organizations outside the government sphere offered supplemental assistance to veterans to help them untangle the bureacratic

confusion and make the process of applying for benefits one that doesn’t exacerbate the various difficulties they face. In some instances, these groups can also help veterans financially.

Zeldin said an eventual statewide expansion of the peer-to-peer program could be bolstered by individuals or outside groups helping to fund it.

The state is continuing to put more emphasis on military families, which also could help break down negative perceptions among veterans about seeking treatment. Ortiz’s focus on making sure military members are actively looked after upon their return home includes involving families in aiding with that process and equipping them to prepare for unique situations, such as the case of the veteran traumatized by the rumble of the subway.

T

he spotlight on veterans and the push to bring families into those discussions is illustrative of what advocates, legislators and government officials all say about the future of veterans’ benefits programs in New York: There is always more that can be done.

State Sen. Lee Zeldin, an Army veteran, has establisehd a peer-to-peer counseling program to assist veterans with PTSD.

“You can never do enough,” Zeldin said. “As long as you have a veteran who is homeless on the street, without a job, without healthcare, there probably will never be a day we can sit back and say, ‘We’ve done enough.’

Because they are literally willing to sacrifice everything. After having that willingness to sacrifice everything, to end up on the street without a roof over your head leaves a most important part of the mission for the community unfulfilled.”

20 A DIRECTORY OF SERVICES AVAILABLE FOR VETERANS

To access the state Division of Veterans Affairs informational website: http://www.veterans.ny.gov/ To access the federal Veterans Affairs Department informational website: http://www.va.gov/ To access the Veterans Affairs Department website directory: http://www.va.gov/site_map.htm

city & state — June 30, 2014

For a full list of Veterans Affairs Department contact phone numbers: http://bit.ly/VzYKpJ To learn about Veterans Department benefits: 1-800-827-1000

Affairs

To contact the national veterans crisis line: 1-800-273-8255, press 1

To schedule an appointment with a New York State veterans counselor: http://on.ny.gov/1nWPMta 1-888-838-7697 For general information about Veterans Affairs Department facilities: http://1.usa.gov/1x5bUZ4

For information about post-traumatic stress disorder triggers and symptoms: http://on.ny.gov/1pEqUx0 To learn about applying for returning servicemembers medical benefits: http://1.usa.gov/VzZ089

For information about the federal government’s veteran entrepreneur benefits: http://1.usa.gov/1lsf6FD To find Veterans Affairs Department regional loan centers: http://1.usa.gov/1m2xWaQ

To learn about the Veterans Affairs Department’s healthcare benefits: 1-877-222-8387

To learn about the Veterans Affairs Department’s Veterans Health Identification Card program: http://1.usa.gov/1jagfD1

To find Veterans Affairs Department hospitals or health clinics: http://1.usa.gov/1pPR7o0

To find Veterans Affairs Department vet centers: http://1.usa.gov/TJuTK2

For information about the state’s Homes for Veterans program: http://bit.ly/1k6bnxO

For information about the Veterans Affairs Department’s free healthcare and prescriptions program: http://on.ny.gov/1mNcyaf

To find Veterans Affairs Department veterans benefits offices: http://1.usa.gov/1r66g8t

To find Veterans Affairs Department informational forms and applications: http://1.usa.gov/1qr7b3f

To find Veterans Affairs Department cemetery information: http://1.usa.gov/1iNaIXx

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New York lawmakers reflect on transition from military service to public service

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By MATTHEW HAMILTON, ELIZABETH MENDEZ and NICK POWELL

or many U.S. military veterans, a stint in the armed services is just the first step in serving their country.

The lessons learned during training or on the battlefield can instill the integrity, poise and sense of duty to excel in a wide range of professions, including— perhaps more than any other career—serving in public office.

The path from military service to public service is a well-traveled one in New York, where a number of lawmakers in Albany and Washington got their start in the armed forces.

In addition to having a military record to run on, these veterans came into office with a commitment to collaboration and cooperation, a hard-earned perspective on policy and governance and a dedication to democratic ideals.

Here’s a look at a few of those veterans who continue to serve their country and state as elected officials.

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city & state — June 30, 2014

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Assemblyman, 111th District Military Branch: Army Reserve Rank Achieved: Specialist

ssemblyman Angelo Santabarbara’s grandmother, an Italian immigrant, valued her new home nation of America above all else. That pride has been a significant influence in guiding Santabarbara’s path.

At 17 he headed to Missouri to join the Army Reserve. Today, as an elected official, he continues to serve the country his grandmother cherished. “[My grandmother] knew they were coming to a place where [our] family would have opportunities,” he said, “and one of those opportunities is being able to serve, being able to run for public office, being able to go to college—all of the things they valued.”

Military service was something he thought about throughout high school, Santabarbara said. He left for training in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., shortly after graduation. Among the skills he cultivated while he was there was working together with people he didn’t know to achieve a common goal.

“That’s one of the life-long lessons I got out of it,” he said. “Even now, to this day, there’s 150 members in here [the Assembly], and you have to work with all of them and work together to accomplish things.”

Santabarbara, who previously served as a member of the Schenectady County Legislature, is still in his first term. That grassroots level of service isn’t lost on him.

As a state representative he continues to draw on his military training; he also revived AMVETS Post 35 in his hometown of Rotterdam—just outside of Schenectady—where he serves as commander. Additionally, he continues to visit local military installations in and around his district, the 111th. Having served in the military and staying active in the service gives him insight into veterans’ issues that he can bring with him to the state level and to his seat on the Assembly Veterans’ Affairs Committee, he said.

“To have that service, to draw back on those lessons, to have that bond with those veterans, to be able to speak on veterans’ issues, to be able to years later be able to serve on a veterans committee in the New York State Assembly, it’s kind of come full circle for me,” he said. “It’s an honor to draw on those lessons.”

—MH

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Representative, 11th Congressional District Military Branch: Marine Corps Rank Achieved: Corporal

ichael Grimm only had to listen to the stories told by his grandfather, a World War II veteran, to understand the gravity of fighting a war and what it means to serve one’s country. This early fascination with the military sparked Grimm’s interest in enlisting, though his path in the armed forces could have been much different.

“I was originally in the officer program while I was in college,” Grimm recalled. “I did my first year of college and I didn’t like it, and I got this salty old gunnery sergeant who grabbed me and said, ‘You know, you got what it takes to be a real Marine. You need to enlist.’ And I got all excited, and the next thing you know I was … getting my head shaved in Parris Island.”

Grimm served during the first Gulf War in Kuwait, where he was a field radio operator—“If you’ve seen the old Vietnam movies, the guy with the radio on their back,” he said—a nerveracking position considering that radio “grunts” are typically the biggest targets during battle because of their importance in relaying information. Grimm received a “combat meritorious promotion” for valor on the battlefield, bumping his rank to corporal.

After leaving the Marines, Grimm continued his public service by joining the FBI, where he served as an undercover agent before graduating to become a special agent. Grimm ran for Congress in 2009, partially as a response to what he felt was President Barack Obama’s “apology tour” regarding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a citizen and former Marine he was offended, Grimm says, because he had friends still serving in Iraq.

“The one thing you also learn in the military: We’re certainly not perfect,” he said. “We’re not a perfect nation because we’re a nation of individual human beings, and human beings are always gonna make mistakes. But we’re still the greatest nation in the world, and we don’t go into foreign lands to conquer and add to our wealth; we go to foreign lands and spill our most precious treasure, the blood of young Americans, so that we can provide hope and freedom.”

Grimm added as a caveat that war should always be considered “the last option” in an international conflict.

“Our military has so many scars that we’ll never see, that they’ll never talk about, and that’s why we need to always be mindful of that whenever we’re discussing sending troops anywhere.”

—NP

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State Senator, 3rd District Military Branch: Army Rank: Major (currently held as Army Reserve member)

uring the years some of his colleagues in the Legislature were slogging through undergraduate work and then law school in the hope of attaining degrees that would catapult them into high-level public office, state Sen. Lee Zeldin was planning his future as a military man.

While attending SUNY Albany, Zeldin joined the Army ROTC program, and in May of 2003 he was commissioned to the Military Intelligence Corps. From there he jumped to the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, in part because he feared that following a career in military intelligence would leave him too far removed from law school once his career in the military ended. (Zeldin passed the bar in 2004 at age 23, making him the state’s youngest lawyer at the time.) He went to law school planning to go into the military, he said, and served as a prosecutor and magistrate.

“I’ve always had an interest in and have followed government and how laws are made,” he said. “From the standpoint of studying human nature, I’ve always seen politics as the worst of it.

I’ve been intrigued by what’s right and what’s not in our system. I see the challenge of trying to be part of solving these problems.”

Before running for state office, Zeldin spent time with the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, N.C., and then eventually in Iraq, which he called a gratifying experience that solidified his appreciation for the Army’s seven core values: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage (the acronym for them is LDRSHIP). He currently serves as chairman of the Senate Consumer Protection Committee, and he has taken a key role in, among other committees, the Senate Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee.

There, he has pushed for programs such as the PFC Joseph Dwyer Program, which provides peer-to-peer counseling among veterans affected by PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.

Another guiding principle for Zeldin is the belief that the respect of others must be earned.

“It’s important when you’re an elected official to stay grounded, not forget where you come from,” he said. “There’s a difference between mandatory respect and real respect. When you’re an elected official, you have to work really hard and stay grounded to ensure that people actually respect you. Because just someone calling you by your title doesn’t mean anything if it’s not genuine.”

—MH

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Assemblyman, 58th District Military Branch: Army Rank Achieved: Specialist E-5

efore going to the state Assembly in the early 1990s, Nick Perry had charted a career path to a different legislative body: the Parliament of Jamaica.

To get there, he decided the U.S. Army would provide a good course.

Within a year of emigrating to the United States from Jamaica in 1971, Perry volunteered for the draft. It was the height of the Vietnam War, and the future assemblyman expected combat. He was stationed in Oakland, widely considered to be the gateway to Saigon, but instead landed in Korea as a medical specialist.

“I was motivated to serve because my dream was to return to Jamaica after finishing a college education and participate in the political arena … and serve in the Parliament there,” Perry recalled.

Because Jamaica was in political and social turmoil after he left the Army, he said, he remained stateside. “My motivation to serve in the Army was to provide myself with a very rounded, comprehensive preparation to be a really solid and qualified public servant in Jamaica. I thought military training and experience would prepare me should I have the opportunity to run for prime minister of Jamaica, because in Jamaica the prime minster is also the minister of defense.”

Perry didn’t end up running for prime minister, but upon returning to New York City after his military service, he started getting involved in politics at the grassroots level. After becoming an American citizen, he was elected in 1992 to the Assembly, where he currently serves as deputy majority leader. He is also chairman of the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators.

Two decades in the Assembly may have tempered Perry’s aspirations to become Jamaica’s prime minister, but they have not diminished the benefits of his military training.

“You learn in the Army to follow orders and to be able to give them, so you can be in command as well as be someone who can follow directions,” Perry said. “You have to sacrifice your own feelings and preferences, but you are doing it for the common good.

That means you learn to be part of a team and to focus on the goal that is to be achieved to complete the mission.”

—MH

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city & state — June 30, 2014

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Assemblyman, 51st District Military Branch: Army Rank Achieved: Captain

ecades of military service by his family members precipitated Assemblyman Félix Ortiz’s decision to join the Army in 1986.

“I saw that as an inspiration to follow in their steps,” said Ortiz, a native of Puerto Rico. “In my case, I volunteered. In my brother’s case, he went to Vietnam. My uncle, he served in Korea. The other was in World War II. It had been a family tradition of serving in the military in order to give back to this country.”

While he was still in Puerto Rico, Ortiz joined the ROTC. After moving to New York City in 1980, he attended Boricua College and eventually earned a master’s degree in public administration from New York University in 1986. He then joined the Army, where he served at Fort McPherson, a base in Georgia that was shuttered in 2011.

After receiving an honorable discharge in 1988, Ortiz returned to New York and began a career in government. He worked first in the Department of Planning, and later in the Office of Management and Budget and the Bronx borough president’s office. In 1994 he ran successfully for the Assembly, where he’s been serving ever since.

Like many of his colleagues in the Legislature who served in the armed forces, Ortiz said his time in the military shaped his perspective on public service. “[As] a public servant, I have a better understanding of how to help my brothers and sisters in the armed forces as a legislator,” he said. “Because whatever the issues are, I’m able to reach out to those who I know will be able to help and provide the services to them.”

Ortiz has been among the Assembly’s foremost advocates for legislation that helps military members and their families. Two areas the assemblyman said he has focused on most recently are helping veterans find jobs that will fit their skills when they return home, and assisting families to ensure that their returning veteran family members receive the proper care they need.

Ortiz’s focus goes beyond just these bills, however. For more than a decade he has been pushing various legislation aimed at aiding veterans, transferring his family tradition of service to the nation to his second career.

“If they are there to serve us, it’s time for us to serve them,” Ortiz said. “We shouldn’t turn our back [on] our military personnel who are trying to keep democracy and freedom not just for our country but around the globe.”

—MH

27

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COMPETITIVE SALARIES

I

n 1981, the day after his 17th birthday, Chris Gibson enlisted in the Army National Guard.

Still in high school, he started off as a private in the infantry. Later, when he was attending Siena College, he joined the ROTC. By 1984 he had graduated from officer to second lieutenant.

Over his 29 years of military service, Gibson was deployed a total of seven times, at the same time earning master’s degrees in arts and public administration, as well as a doctoral degree in government at Cornell University. From 1995 to 1998 he taught government to cadets at West Point.

Gibson was on a fast track to high-ranking leadership in the Army, achieving the rank of colonel of the 82nd Airborne Division and receiving such recognitions as the Purple Heart and four Bronze Star medals. However, in 2010 he retired from the military to run for office. He was elected to Congress eight months later.

“I went from the highest esteemed public institution to the least esteemed one in the fastest amount of time,” Gibson joked.

One lesson he has taken away from his military service is the importance of collaboration in the best interest of the country. Public opinion invariably regards Congress as mired in partisan division, but Gibson said the United States government’s difficulties are nothing compared with the problems he has witnessed abroad in Iraq. He believes there should be more veterans in elected office, because they’re focused on service to others and mission accomplishment.

“You can have any view you want, but at the end of the day, you need to get things done,” Gibson said.

The Congressman’s most recent legislative achievement in veterans’ affairs is in the realm of healthcare information management. Beginning in December of 2016, the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs will merge their medical record software systems to facilitate the process of helping veterans get the healthcare they need more efficiently.

—EM

Congressman, NY-19

Military Branch: Army Rank Achieved: Colonel

28

city & state — June 30, 2014

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D

aniel Stec grew up in a family with a strong sense of duty to the United States: His father, each of his grandfathers and all of his uncles served in various branches of the military.

Stec was a sophomore in college studying chemical engineering when he first saw an advertisement for the U.S. Navy’s nuclear power program and decided to enroll. He ended up serving in the program for eight years. His first tour as a nuclear engineer was aboard the USS Truxtun, a guided missile cruiser equipped with two nuclear reactors.

The saying “Join the Navy and see the world” was among his motivations for enlisting, he remembers; there was a sense of romanticism around serving in the Navy. And indeed, one of his trips took him around Australia, up into the Persian Gulf and back home, with stops in Thailand, Hawaii and San Diego. He has also spent time in the Caribbean on counter-drug operations.

During his second tour Stec earned an M.B.A. from the University of Rhode Island. When he returned to Queensbury he joined the town zoning board. It was military service that spurred his interest in local government, he said.

“The military reacts so much to what’s happening in politics; if you’re serving you pay more attention to world events and politics. So it was a natural reaction to engage in that interest.”

Serving in the Navy also developed leadership skills in Stec that he said are invaluable for elected office. Operating a nuclear reactor involved critical thinking, analysis, and decisionmaking. He learned how to create a plan, follow through with it and lead others through the process.

“These are leadership skills that any leader should have,” said Stec.

A member of his local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) group, the assemblyman has recently worked on legislation that would extend privileges to veteran-owned businesses similar to those provided for minority- and women-owned businesses. He thinks the most pressing issue affecting veterans however, is healthcare. And although veterans’ health falls under federal purview, he wonders if there isn’t more that the state could do.

“If there’s any group that should never have to worry where their healthcare is coming from, it should be veterans who have served this country,” he said.

—EM

Assemblyman, District 114 Military Branch: Navy Rank Achieved: Lieutenant

29

State Senator, 40th District

Military Branch: Air Force Rank Achieved: Captain

cit yandstateny.com

city & state — June 30, 2014

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or state Sen. Greg Ball, service is a way of life.

Service and the rigorous environment the armed forces provide are why he chose to attend a military academy—a physically and mentally demanding academic path that instilled in him skills and perspective that he has subsequently applied to politics and government.

Ball attended Valley Forge Military Academy, the last all-male military academy in the country at the time, before moving to the United States Air Force Academy, from which he graduated in 2001. He later received his master’s degree from Georgetown University.

“I love this country and believe in service as a way of life,” Ball said. “The service academies are physically, mentally and academically challenging, and I was drawn to that rigorous environment.”

Making the leap to politics was a move Ball had an interest in since the 1992 presidential election, when he was involved with the United We Stand America movement led

by Ross Perot, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy.

“I knew since that age that I would run for political office to try to have an impact on this crazy world,” Ball said.

A run for the Assembly in 2007 netted Ball more than 70 percent of the vote, vaulting him into the realm of Albany politics. The contentious arena of the state Capital not only allowed Ball to continue his life of service but also gave him an opportunity to use the lessons of his military training, which he continues to draw upon today as a state senator. His training provided the basis for the way he runs his office, where the values of competence, loyalty and mutual respect are central to its operation, he says.

“My military training, especially the intensity at the Academy, prepared me for all the crap that comes with running for office,” Ball said. “I learned to focus on what is important, to prioritize and execute triage, and to move the mission forward without distraction. I always had dreams of serving in public office, and really changing things for the better. … My hope was to make a positive difference in the lives of others, and I sleep well at night now knowing that while I haven’t changed the world, I at least achieve that.”

—MH

PERSPEC TIVES

WHY NEW YORK CARES

KEVIN PARKER

A

merica’s longest war is finally ending. That means that our brothers, sisters, children, friends and neighbors who have been fighting overseas for 13 long years are coming home for good. These men and women, who have made sacrifices for all of us and our way of life, constitute the largest group of returning combat veterans since World War II. So while we are welcoming these individuals back with open arms and yellow ribbons, it is only right that

at the same time we acknowledge those sacrifices.

One of the best ways we can do so is by remembering the lessons of World War II’s G.I. Bill and adapting them to our more technological age.

Only two years after World War II ended, roughly 50 percent of enrollees in colleges and universities were returning veterans on the G.I. Bill.

Those nontraditional students took the leadership and motivation lessons they learned fighting for our way of life and applied them to school. They subsequently turned into the class of business and societal leaders who created the largest peacetime economic and social expansion in world history.

We have learned from that lesson and put a robust new G.I. Bill in place for returning active service members.

However, there is something equally important we have yet to do. We have to provide our veterans with the opportunities that offer an easy platform to springboard their educational pursuits.

In today’s armed forces, service members receive extensive training and return home with skills and experiences that are the equivalent of several years of college, technical schools or university instruction.

Yet we do not have a statewide plan for aiding our returning heroes to restart or jump-start their education careers. That is why I introduced the New York College Aid for Returning Empire State Service members (NY CARES) bill this past legislative session.

The NY CARES plan has four very simple principles at its core.

First, every returning New York service member will qualify for college credits in the state’s statutory colleges and private institutions for the specialized course work, skills and experience they have gained during their deployment(s) overseas.

Second, the state will create a website that makes it possible for qualifying service members to determine before admission which institution(s) in New York will best fit the experience, skills and training they bring home with them. Third, NY CARES will require the state to create “bridge courses” and a counseling program that will ease our service members’ transition back to civilian—and particularly college—life. Finally, in cases where a New York service member has made the ultimate sacrifice, his or her surviving spouse and children will receive a tuition award equal to the cost

of an undergraduate education.

There is an old saying: The reward for a job well done is another job.

Our service members did indeed do well the job of protecting our rights and freedom abroad. Therefore, I am proposing that we give them another job—in fact, a series of the type of jobs and careers for which one is fitted by excelling in college. These are jobs that will fit our veterans’ leadership skills and demonstrate how much we respect and thank them for their sacrifice on our behalf.

While the NY CARES Act did not pass this year, I will work with the bill’s Assembly sponsor, Assemblyman Félix Ortiz, to make sure we can pass this common-sense and well-deserved plan into law in the 2015–16 budget, or if the Legislature returns to session this year.

I am excited about the opportunity to usher this bill to becoming law, and in so doing show our servicemen and women that New York CARES.

our nation’s military.

It is precisely because homeless veterans are sometimes seen only as a statistic that I believe local governments have an obligation to truly make a difference. The need for transitional housing for homeless veterans, as well as the need for services to assist those with PTSD and/or substance abuse, are glaring. But all too often these needs go unmet while some debate why these challenges aren’t being fully addressed by the federal government.

Yet all the while, the fact remains: Our veterans simply can’t wait.

As the county executive of Ulster County, I was determined to solve this problem with the dignity and respect our service personnel deserve.

So I set forth the seemingly unattainable, aggressive goal to end homelessness within our veterans’ population by the end of 2014. We designed a unique solution in order to secure the necessary funding, coordinate community support and ensure long-term service delivery. A solution that can—and we hope will— be replicated by other communities to help veterans in need.

This plan became known as the Patriots Project. The first step was to identify a suitable location for

our transitional housing facility. We scoured the state inventory of unused properties, and found a former group home that was off the tax rolls as well as large enough to meet our needs.

We then worked with state officials to have this historic but severely deteriorated building transferred to county ownership. Many communities in New York have similar properties or comparably sized buildings available through the tax foreclosure process.

Next we collaborated with our local SUNY college, veterans’ organizations, community service groups, area businesses, individual donors and faith-based organizations to help offset the funding required for what was a major renovation project.

Hard choices were made as priorities were established. The community support was overwhelming. When we publicly outlined our plan, in fact, there was such an outpouring of generosity that no government borrowing was ultimately required.

To ensure appropriate expertise and 24 hour on-site staffing, we partnered with a nationally recognized not-for-profit dedicated to those who served. Funding for these services is provided directly through the United States Veterans Administration so that

local operational costs are limited to basic building maintenance.

The combination of local government leadership, cost containment, community involvement, state and federal cooperation and partnership with a responsible not-forprofit has allowed Ulster County to proudly meet our goal. On July 2, as a poignant reminder of the freedoms we hold so dear and in advance of our nation’s Independence Day, the Patriots Project opened its doors.

This beautiful home now provides our homeless veterans with clean, safe and dignified transitional housing while they receive the assistance they need to return to the society they fought so hard to protect.

By embracing creative solutions, patriotic communities everywhere can replicate this plan and ensure that all of our brave service personnel receive the respect, honor and dignity they so richly deserve.

State Sen. Kevin Parker represents the 21st Senatorial District in Brooklyn.

30 THE PATRIOTS PROJECT

MIKE HEIN

city & state — Jun 30, 2014

W

e live in the greatest nation on the face of the earth.

But if America is to truly fulfill its potential as a country, we must drastically improve the way in which we honor our solemn obligation to those who have fought for our freedoms.

Far too many brave veterans are still struggling to obtain basic healthcare and employment opportunities. Even more tragic is the statistic that one in five homeless Americans has served in

Mike Hein (@HeinExec) is a Democrat and the Ulster County Executive.

cit yandstateny.com

ALL OUR VETERANS DESERVE THE BENEFITS THEY HAVE EARNED

cit yandstateny.com

Gillibrand on a trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

or other trauma.

Currently, veterans with PTSD related to sexual trauma face a very different playing field compared with veterans claiming disability for combat-related PTSD. Survivors of military sexual assault are required to show evidence to prove their personal testimony, while combat-related PTSD claims only require a diagnosis of PTSD and the opinion of a medical professional that the diagnosis is related to the veteran’s testimony of a traumatic combat event.

The V.A. must remove this unfair burden placed on victims of sexual assault and take immediate steps to deliver critical compensation to survivors who have suffered horrific events that have long-lasting, often lifelong consequences. But we have to do our job in Congress, too, by passing the Ruth Moore Act to make it easier for veterans to qualify for benefits. If passed, veterans would only have to show a medical diagnosis of a mental health condition and a link between an assault and that mental health condition.

This legislation is named after a veteran, Ruth Moore, who joined the Navy when she turned 18. Within two and a half months she was raped.

After she attempted suicide, the Navy diagnosed her with borderline personality disorder, and discharged her. Ruth fought for over two decades before she was finally awarded the veterans benefits she deserved.

There is no greater responsibility for Congress, military and V.A. leaders than to care and provide for our service members and their families. The nation entrusts their sons and daughters to our military, and we must ensure that they are safe from sexual assaults—and if they are assaulted, that they receive the best care and treatment possible both during and after their service while holding perpetrators accountable for their criminal actions. We owe it to the men and women who bravely serve our country, and I will continue the fight for justice and accountability.

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city & state — June 30, 2014

O

ur best and brightest join our armed forces for all the right reasons: to serve our country, protect our freedom and keep America safe. But all too often, they find themselves in the fight of their lives, not in combat but in their own ranks, among their own brothers and sisters in arms.

Sexual violence in the military was allowed to fester in the darkness for too long. For more than two decades, the top brass claimed “zero tolerance” but in reality practiced zero accountability. While a broad bipartisan coalition fought hard in Congress for over a year to reform a broken military justice system, it was inspiring to see so many brave men and women tell their personal stories to total strangers simply to protect fellow service members from the betrayal they had experienced, and strengthen our military.

As we continue that fight for justice, new issues have come to light that require us to push forward. One of the most troubling is that tens of thousands of victims of military sexual assault, who after suffering posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from horrific acts of sexual violence, are now being tangled up in bureaucratic red tape while trying to get the help they need.

According to the Defense Department, in FY 2012, there were an estimated 26,000 cases of unwanted sexual contacts, assaults and rapes throughout the U.S. military, but of those, only 3,374 were reported. According to the latest available data, at least 8 out of 10 victims are not confident enough in the system to file a report. These survivors will have a hard time meeting the burden of proof when applying for benefits.

A recent Government Accountability Office report reveals that disability claims made by veterans suffering from PTSD related to military sexual trauma are much more likely to be denied than those made by veterans with combat-related PTSD

THROUGH A REPORTER’S LENS A Q&A WITH MARVIN

SCOTT

T

32

challenges the United States’ men and women in uniform face in the war zone, City & State Editor Morgan Pehme spoke with PIX 11’s Marvin Scott about his on-the-ground experiences covering the post-9/11 wars in the Middle East.

Scott, who was recently inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in recognition of his half-century of extraordinary work as a television journalist, has traveled as a reporter four times to Iraq and once to Afghanistan. In addition to connecting Channel 11’s viewers with the stories of America’s military members abroad, Scott also delivered Christmas gifts to the service members to bring them cheer and recognition from home around the holidays.

In addition to the image of Scott in the field accompanying this article are a number of stunning pictures taken personally by Scott, an accomplished photographer. The following is an edited transcript of the interview conducted with Scott at Vietnam Veterans Plaza in lower Manhattan.

city & state — Ju n e 3 0, 2014

City & State: What is it like being in these war zones? Is there a palpable sense of danger?

Marvin Scott: Every hour of every day. You never knew when the enemy was going to lob a rocket or a mortar into the base. When you heard the word Incoming, and the alarm sounded, you immediately, in the early days in Iraq, would run for flak jackets and take cover. Later on we would just make sure we were in a safe spot when we heard the sirens go off. In Afghanistan, we were working one day and suddenly we heard “Incoming, incoming,” and the sirens were blaring. Moments later we heard a loud explosion and we felt

MARVIN SCOTT

o get perspective on the enormous

PIX 11’s Marvin Scott has traveled as a reporter four times to Iraq and once to Afghanistan. the ground vibrate, and fortunately we learned moments after that it hit an area that was just off the runway—no casualties, not much damage. But you never knew [what could happen]. Just a month earlier a rocket came in fired by the Taliban that killed two civilian construction workers.

C&S: Did that experience put in perspective the risks our troops endure being in these combat areas?

MS: Absolutely. I don’t think that we back here recognize the hazards. I went out with a unit … in Iraq and … we drove across Route Irish one day to go from Camp Victory to the Green Zone, and

as we left the one location, we heard a thud and saw a puff of smoke outside the window of our armored vehicle.

And then I saw the driver … make the sign of the cross and I held my breath for a while. And he said, “Did you see that?” It was an improvised explosive device. Something very small, put in a very small [what] they call MRE— Meal, Ready-to-Eat—package, intended to disable a vehicle, and then approach and attack that vehicle and take hostages. Fortunately, we had a military escort in front of us who raced across Route Irish. So the danger is always there. When we got to the other side I interviewed the driver and I asked him about his concern. And he

said he prayed every day to God that he would be safe, and he said, “Today, He heard my prayers.” And I kind of felt that sense of relief, but I also got a sense of what they were up against every single day.

C&S: Every officer and soldier’s experience is different, but what was your overall perception of morale among the troops, and the perception they had of their own service?

MS: I was in awe of the resilience, courage, determination in the face of personal sacrifice. Whether they believed in the war or not, I found that the soldiers I met felt they had a

cit yandstateny.com

This trio of photographs represents just a few of the hundreds of poignant images Scott captured through his camera’s lens during his time in the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan.

cit yandstateny.com

touching moments was Christmas morning, watching this lieutenant talking to his son back in Texas via Skype, and watching him open his Christmas presents. That was an emotional moment.

C&S: Over your trips to Iraq did you see a decline in the situation there?

MS: Unfortunately, what we’re seeing now was anticipated by many of our top military officials. Last time I was there in 2009, I asked if the Iraqi army was prepared to take over its own security.

On the record I was told, “Yes, they are,” but off the record, the officers I spoke with in the American military, they voiced skepticism.

C&S: You are also a photographer.

Are there snapshot moments that stand out in your mind from the times that you were in Iraq and Afghanistan—indelible images?

MS: A kaleidoscope of images. An image of a man in a snipers’ nest at Camp Anaconda in Iraq on Christmas day holding a 10-hour shift, ever

so vigilant behind his machine gun looking for any insurgent trying to penetrate the facility; the face of a young soldier standing watch in a guardhouse; the faces of Iraqi children. Still images often are more impactful than visual images. They tell a story; they capture the emotion of the moment. That’s what I try to do in photography, which has been a passion of mine for many, many years.

C&S: What are some of the examples of the patriotism and dedication of our soldiers that really stand out for you?

MS: I can think of so many instances, but two stand out from the field hospital in Balad [Iraq]. One was a Marine who had suffered a noncombat injury, but it was so severe he was going to be sent back home. When I interviewed him in his bed, he started to cry. “I don’t want to go home, I don’t want to go home,” he said. There was another—a Marine across the way from him, who got very emotional. He had suffered a shrapnel wound in a firefight in Ramad, his lieutenant was killed in that

firefight, and he kept saying, “I want to get back, I want to get back with my unit.” That’s the kind of dedication I saw. These men and women were just so committed to what they were doing.

C&S: How would you encapsulate the experience of our troops in the field?

MS: I think that can be summed up in a quote of a former Air Force officer who said, “The true sign of a soldier is not that he fights the people he hates in front; it’s that he fights for the people he loves behind.” I think that says a lot.

To watch a video of this interview, which aired in part on PIX 11 and includes archival footage from Scott’s coverage of Iraq and Afghanistan, go to www.cityandstateny.com or www.pix11.com/newscloseup.

city & state — Ju n e 3 0, 2014

sense of mission, they had to complete that mission—they were dedicated to that—and I found that most impressive. They had many concerns: that they were not appreciated back home, particularly when they heard of the critics who were opposed to the war. They felt they were there, they were under the command of the commander-in-chief and they had a mission—and they were upset by the criticism, not necessarily directed at them, but they felt it was, [and] they took [it as] a personal offense. And the other thing I found: They were lonely and fearful that they were forgotten back home. That’s what we did; we spent five Christmases with our servicemen and -women in Iraq and Afghanistan, and there was no better feeling than bringing a smile to their faces and having them put their arm around my shoulder and say, “Thank you, you made a difference for our Christmas.” That was a good feeling. And watching them, talking to families—the old days you used to have roll call, mail; these days you have Internet, Skype. One of the most

33

GIVING BACK A Q&A WITH GARY

SINISE

G

ary Sinise has portrayed soldiers,

city & state — Ju n e 3 0, 2014

34

astronauts and President Harry Truman, but perhaps his most heroic role is as a real-life champion of military veterans and their families.

The actor has long been an advocate for members of the United States’ armed forces. In the 1980s he supported Vietnam veterans’ groups by launching a Vets Night at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre; in the 1990s he partnered with the Disabled American Veterans organization; and in the 2000s he formed the Lt. Dan Band to perform for troops at home and overseas. The actor is now focused fulltime on the Gary Sinise Foundation, which he launched in 2011 to expand his work on behalf of returned servicemen and servicewomen.

City & State Albany Bureau Chief Jon Lentz spoke with Sinise about his foundation, the ways people can get involved in its work and how playing Lt. Dan Taylor in Forrest Gump was a turning point in his life.

The following is an edited transcript.

City & State: You have performed in several war-related movies, most famously as Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump. Did these roles contribute to your interest in serving military veterans?

Gary Sinise: After the movie came out 20 years ago, I was approached by the Disabled American Veterans organization, which invited me to their national convention. I was playing a wounded veteran, and I didn’t know anything about the DAV at that point.

They are a 90-year-old advocacy organization with over 1.4 million wounded, injured and disabled veterans as members. They wanted to present me with kind of an acknowledgement for playing this wounded veteran in Forrest Gump. From that point, after I was very moved by the experience of attending this event with thousands of injured veterans, I stayed on working

Actor Gary Sinise (center) has made numerous trips to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of America’s troops.

with the DAV and supporting them over the years.

C&S: You have won a number of awards in recognition of your work, including the Bob Hope Award for Excellence in Entertainment from the Medal of Honor Society; an honorary title of U.S. Navy chief petty officer; and the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second-highest civilian honor for exemplary deeds in service of the nation. What do these distinctions mean to you?

GS: It’s very special to be acknowledged by the military and by these organizations for doing something that I enjoy and that I’m passionate about. When you receive an

honorary membership in the Marine Corps, or Chief Petty Officer, or the Special Forces, or the Nightstalkers or any of these honorary things that I’ve been given, I don’t take any of that lightly, as I know that they don’t give these things away easily. It’s not something that the Army or the Navy or the Marine Corps does without careful consideration, so I take that very seriously and I’m humbled by it and honored to receive.

C&S: How can our readers get involved if they want to help out our service members?

GS: The first thing I would ask them to do is give careful consideration to the Gary Sinise Foundation and go to

garysinisefoundation.org and just look around the website at some of the things we’ve accomplished in three years. The seeds were planted for the foundation in 2010, but we launched in 2011. So our actual anniversary is June 30. We’re just entering our fourth year. We’ve accomplished a lot of great things. We’ve got a lot of great people we continue to work on behalf of. There’s many, many thousands of wounded out there that need our help. There’s thousands of Gold Star families— families that have lost a loved one in the war. We’re trying to serve their needs. My biggest fear is that with drawing down in Afghanistan, the warriors who have served for over 13 years in wars on both fronts, in Afghanistan and Iraq … will be forgotten and fall through the cracks because they’re off the front pages and we’re not focused on them so much anymore. But we’re going to be facing residual effects from these wars for many years, and they’re going to be struggling with a lot of issues. There’s mental health issues, there’s job issues, there’s injuries, there’s grief and a lot of things that this military, having been stressed and stretched very thin for over 13 years, that they’re going to be facing and challenges that they’re going to have. And thankfully there’s some good nonprofits out there trying to meet those needs and to sort of predict and look down the road as to where the new challenges are going to be. And my foundation is going to be there for them for a long time to come, and I encourage people to go to the website to check them out.

To read the full text of this interview, including Sinise’s thoughts on the V.A. scandal, which of his fellow actors stand out most to him for their support of America’s armed forces, and his favorite movie set in New York, go to cityandstateny.com.

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