The Wasco County Veterans Service Office has changed its hours to accommodate more walk-in clients while allowing personnel to spend uninterrupted time filling out the paperwork for benefit and compensation claims. The new hours at the 201 Federal Street office are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and the office is open only for special appointments on Friday, which is the day two service officers will spend putting together files for submission to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
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Les Cochenour has a long and illustrious record of community — particularly military — support, of which his stint as The Dalles mayor in the 1990s is just one highlight. He and wife, Jody, are moving to Bend and a going-away party for them is set for 4 p.m. Saturday, March 17, at the Portage Grill in Shilo Inn.
The Wasco County Veterans’ Service Office is recruiting volunteers to man the phones and greet clients, so the two employees can concentrate on filling out a complexity of paperwork for benefit and compensation claims. “If you are a veteran, this is a really great place to meet other veterans. If you are not a vet, volunteering is a great way to give back to those who have served,” said Mark Fortin, an Army and Vietnam veteran.
Patrick Wilbern deals every day with veterans in need and wants to make their lives easier during the Christmas season, and he is asking for community help to do that. “This is a tough time of year for many veterans, so it is the perfect time to show them that we care,” he said.
The long-awaited Veterans ID Card is finally available as an alternative proof of military service. “The new identification is something that veterans have been asking about for many years,” said Wasco County Veterans’ Service Officer Russell Jones.
Mark Fortin, an Army veteran, started volunteering at the Wasco County Veterans’ Service Office in the spring of 2016, and sees it as a way to help other military families.
To the editor: One of the best kept secrets in Wasco County is the distance that Russell Jones, our Veterans’ Service Officer, and his assistant, Patrick Wilbern, will go to help the men and women who seek their services. For the few of you who don’t already know it, I am a Marine mom and my bio son (a Post 9/11 veteran who went on five adventures in the Middle East) and one of my adopted sons have received help from Mr. Jones and Mr. Wilbern. My adopted Marine deployed to Iraq in 2008 when he was 17. I sent boxes of goodies and decorations for his 18th birthday celebration, which he said was complete with “fireworks” from the enemy.
Wasco County Veterans’ Service Officer Russell Jones has launched a new website to help area military families learn more about the benefits their veteran has earned.
