An opportunity to show the Legion cares
Department of New York Legionnaires Nicholas Kleszczewsi, Anthony DeNatale and Fran Frazzio talk with a veteran at the Legion table during the Vets GSA's Veterans Resource Expo. (Photo by Steve B. Brooks)

An opportunity to show the Legion cares

Dozens of Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, colleges and universities, and service organizations came together June 5 at the New York City College of Technology in Brooklyn. And for more than two and a half hours, that group provided networking opportunities, career advice and a wide range of services to both veterans and military personnel, and their spouses/caregivers, attending Vets GSA’s Veterans Resource Expo.

The second such event conducted by Vets GSA – the first took place last March – brought together corporations like Hilton, Toyota, LinkedIn, Citi, Prudential and Accenture. Also present were the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Small Business Administration, the New York Police Department, and representatives from New York University, Syracuse University and the City University of New York.

Also in the mix was The American Legion, which also participated in the first Vets GSA event and had an expanded role in the most recent one. The Legion had a table at the event, complete with national staff and department of New York Legionnaires who spent the afternoon answering questions about education benefits and Legion programs. The Legion also conducted one of the events roundtable discussions.

“(This) gives us an opportunity to show the returning veterans that we care,” said Department of New York Legionnaire Anthony DeNatale, who helped manned the Legion table. “It’s important. New York is one of the proudest states when it comes to military history. It’s important that we’re here to give that support. I would have liked to have had this when I got out (of the military).”

American Past National Commander Fang Wong was one of the speakers at the expo and talked about the Legion’s wide-ranging mission that impacts military personnel, veterans and their families, and the youth of America.

Wong said the Legion’s presence at expo had multiple purposes.

“Obviously the No. 1 reason is we want to help the veterans that are seeking the opportunity to have their own business or job opportunity,” he said. “We need to be here … to show we are in support of it, and also help the private industry and government (agencies) to understand how important it is. And hopefully … the younger generation will be appreciative of the (Legion), and maybe not now, but in due time when things settle down, they will think about (joining the Legion).”

Services offered during the expo included information on funding sources for veteran-owned businesses, career and job counseling, education benefits counseling, VA Home Loan counseling, and information on post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide prevention.

The event’s keynote speaker was U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez, whose 7th District represents parts of Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. “I am inspired daily by veterans who, after leaving the service, return home and launch a business in their neighborhood,” she said. “Our nation’s veterans have a long history of creating businesses and jobs. Every conflict our nation participates in creates a new generation of veteran entrepreneurs who use the skill set and dynamic thinking they developed in the military by launching a new venture in the private sector.”

Richard M. Jones, executive vice president, general tax counsel and chief veteran officer for CBS Corporation – and a member of Post 1 in New York – also was a guest speaker at the expo. Jones was a member of the U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment and 10th Mountain Division and was planning on making the military a career before an injury derailed that plan. That experience is one of the driving forces behind his motivation for helping at events such as the Veterans Resource Expo.

“(The Army) was my life, and then it all ended when I was medically retired,” Jones said. “I had to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my life. The darkness of how difficult a transition is – especially when you’re injured – has never really left me. It was because of wonderful people who helped me transition … to help me see possibilities I might not necessarily have seen myself. And then you fast-forward to where I am today, and it’s not overstating things to say, ‘If they had not been there, I wouldn’t be here.’ I have a debt that I can never repay to a lot of people. That’s what drives me every day.”

U.S. Army veteran Matthew Tsui was one of many veterans who attended the expo. He came hoping to gain an inside track on employment in the IT field and said he felt he made some decent contacts at the expo. Beth Kleiman, who served in the Navy from 1980-1984 and has been a member of the Navy Reserve since ’84, felt the same way.

“I wanted to hear about the education programs that are offered to veterans,” Kleiman said. “It was to meet a few people. I like to network. It’s always nice to hang out with veterans. It was worth coming to get the little bit of information I got, and perhaps it will lead to something that will help me expand my education.”

Vets GSA President Scott Davidson, a member of The American Legion's Small Business Task Force, likes the growth he’s seen the expo experience from the initial one three months ago to last week’s. “The first event was great: We had a good turnout,” he said. “(But) it kind of took on a life of its own. People saw how we could all work together: different veterans service organizations, different government agencies, things of that nature. Once people saw it work the first time, the result is that … we’ve had so many people come out to support us. The turnout is a testament (to the fact) this is working.”