The veterans groups have until Aug. 10 to provide nominations for an at-large seat currently vacant on the commission, created when former board president Fred Southard resigned last month. So far, nine nominations have been received by Butler County Common Pleas Judge Patricia Oney, who presides over the selection process and the commission.
The selection process for the vet board has come under much scrutiny in recent months, mainly because the dysfunctional relationship between many of the members serving on the commission. The commission has made headlines for its infighting and questionable policymaking, which has sparked calls for change by many in the county.
James A. Stever, a county resident and professor emeritus at the University of Cincinnati, recently wrote a letter to the editor of the Journal-News finding fault with the way commissioners are picked. Stever has tried unsuccessfully in the past to gain membership on the board.
“Veterans posts have sunk into the practice of including unqualified cronies among their nominations. Butler County judges should stop this practice immediately by insisting that only veterans with management experience and knowledge of veterans policy are appointed,” Stever wrote.
Of the nine candidates Oney has received so far, one has a PhD, three have master’s degrees, one has a bachelor of science degree and the rest have high school diplomas.
Three veterans organizations have submitted names so far; two have said they won’t. The AmVets post in Hamilton and American Legion Posts in Middletown and West Chester Twp. each submitted three names. The Hamilton Legion and VFW post in Fairfield are working on getting candidates to step up.
Phil Fazzini, commander of the small, 16-member Marine Corp. League Detachment 1330 out of Hamilton, said no one felt compelled or equipped to try for the job.
“We had a meeting on it, and based upon what we conceive of the criteria for that position, we had no idea who to nominate for that,” Fazzini said. “Meaning, who we felt could do the job adequately as far as we knew.”
Fred Manning, commander at the Disabled American Veterans post in Fairfield, said they didn’t have any members interested in the job either.
And almost all of the veterans groups are facing a similar dilemma: their numbers are dwindling and young veterans aren’t beating down their doors. In fact, Butch Fredricks, of the VFW in Fairfield, said they even had to move out of their former post because they couldn’t afford it anymore.
The fact young people don’t seem to be interested in joining has also been raised as a problem with the vet board selection process. Younger veterans don’t necessarily have representation on the vet boards because they are not members of the posts where new commissioners are culled.
Retired Judge Michael Sage had suggested, as have others, that there needs to be a change in the way veteran’s commissions are constituted. Sage said he would advocate for a “neutral, detached body” to review applications and possibly do away with what he calls the “constituency groups” or posts having guaranteed seats on the board.
“Maybe it would be time that we seek out active duty military people or members of the local guard or reserves to sit on the board, people who would be much more tuned in to what are the current issues,” he said. “I don’t think it should be five angry, old men in the back room making deals. I think the state needs to change how the board is constituted, but I tell you it would be a political battle.”
One thing is for sure, according to Ken Marcum, adjunct at the Disabled American Veterans Department of Ohio, the board must be made up of veterans. He said when he returned from 21 years in the military a lot of things in his hometown had changed and he needed help getting acclimated.
“There’s change,” Marcum said. “It’s always been good to have someone who understands that in these type of positions, to assist in whatever transition we’re needing, whether it be for employment, schooling, housing whatever. I think that’s why these commissioners are so valuable, they do understand that they’ve gone through it.”
Four of the five board members must come from the American Legion, AmVets, VFW and DAV as mandated by law. The fifth member, an at-large seat, can be named from any constitutionally approved veterans organization.
Oney has been tasked with appointing two new veterans board members this year. The first appointment was fraught with snafus but ultimately ended with Tom Jeffers, now the president of the five-member commission, being appointed from a field of six nominees. The judge has said she wants to make sure this next appointee will be someone who can get along with the rest of the group and bring about some harmony instead of discord.
Veterans posts focus on giving, not just socializing
Members of the veterans service organizations — there were 12 groups when last verified by the Butler County Veterans Service Commission in 2014 — say they exist to help veterans and their communities. Each group serves specialized populations of veterans and offer different things to their members.
For example, the Legion Post in Hamilton, unlike some stereotypes, has a clean, friendly atmosphere with framed uniforms donated by members on the walls, a bar, raffles and lottery games. And contrary to popular belief, smoking is not allowed inside (an indoor smoking ban became law in Ohio in 2007). It is likely the largest post in the county with a total 679 members.
Commander Jude Haslinger and past commander Bill Harvey rattled off more than a dozen charities and events the post participates in to help both veterans and their community. Members give money to the Salvation Army, the Joseph House, for homeless vets and Honor Flight. They have also sponsored little league teams and offer two $500 college scholarships. Harvey said they spend between $8,000 to $10,000 giving back.
“We’re not a bunch of old fogies. While we’re older, we’re not old fogies with beards down to our knees sucking down beers all day long. That’s not what we’re about,” Haslinger said. “We are not only a charitable organization, we’re a social organization trying to do things for fellow veterans, to enjoy each other’s company, to provide activities and a nice place to go and visit with someone you can share similar activities with.”
Other posts like the DAV don’t have a physical building to call home, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t active. Manning said his organization, has a membership listed at 544 at the state level, but really only about 15 to 20 are active members. He said they take helping veterans to a pretty personal level. He and two other members are certified service officers, like at BCVSC, who can help veterans get their VA benefits.
Their members have also been known to build ramps, take people to the hospital and other personal services, Manning said. He said the DAV here is only about helping vets, not about socializing. In fact, Manning was a little critical of those posts that offer a bar atmosphere to their members. As a Vietnam veteran who has contracted diabetes, leukemia and a host of other issues associated with exposure to Agent Orange, he said alcohol and common veterans’ medications don’t mix.
“I’m not knocking the VFW, they do a good job with their veterans and stuff, so do all the other organizations,” Manning said. “But the VFW and AmVets have bars in their meeting places and when you mix alcohol and drugs and PTSD it ain’t a good picture.”
Another organization, the Marine Corps League is also a small group, but their leader Fazzini says they are mighty. They have received commendations from the state legislature and their national organization for their donation of a black granite POW/MIA monument and a Marine Corps bench at the Veterans’ Park in Hanover Twp. Fazzini said they try to do at least 15 community and veteran oriented projects or events every year.
“I like to think of us as what we do rather than who we are,” Fazzini said. “We’re not necessarily a social organization.”
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