 Welcome to Sheboygan County government working for you. My name is Adam Payne, County Administrator and co-host of this program with Chairman Tom Wagner. And as you know, we're pleased every month to focus on the different department, some programs and services in Sheboygan County. And today we are very pleased to have our veteran service officer, Charlene Cobb with us. Welcome, Charlene. Well, thank you. It's a pleasure to be here with you this afternoon. Well, it's nice to have you here. You know, you may not recognize it, but we have a lot of veterans in Sheboygan County who certainly deserve our respect. And we were just talking off the air with a population of about 115,000 people here in Sheboygan County, about 7% are veterans. So somewhere between 9,000 and 10,000 veterans in Sheboygan County who have really done a lot through their life to make this county and this nation a better place. And Charlene Cobb and her staff are in a unique position to help our veterans and their families. And we really appreciate the work that you do, Charlene. And before we get started, please share a little bit about yourself when you became veteran service officer and a little bit of your own background. Well, thank you. I've been the veteran service officer here in Sheboygan County for almost 10 years now. And it doesn't seem like it's been that long. I mean, the time has gone by really quickly. There again, off air time, and I were talking about having a job where the day goes by really quickly instead of having to just sit there and watch the clock and oh, is it time to go home yet? I never have days like that. But I've been with the county now just about 10 years. I'm retired military, which is a statute requirement for my position here in the county is that I have to be a veteran. And I served 21 years in the United States Navy, very proud of my service. I joined the Navy because of my grandfather. He was a World War II veteran and I didn't find out until just probably within the last year. So he did underwater demolition in the Pacific during World War II. And that's the precursor of the Navy SEALs. So my grandfather was a Navy SEAL. There was a frog man, huh? Yeah, and didn't know that. My dad was in the army, served in France and was wounded there. But grandpa was the one that kept saying I should look into the Navy. And so because of him, I spent 21 years in the Navy as an air traffic controller, which was very interesting. And the same thing with my Navy career. No two days were exactly alike. It was fun to go to work and see what was gonna happen that day. Since getting out of the Navy, I returned back to Wisconsin. I'm born and bred. I grew up here in Wisconsin and went to the University of Wisconsin before joining the Navy and came back and finished my Master of Divinity with Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Worked for the State of Wisconsin. And 10 years ago had a privilege and honor of being selected to be the county veteran service officer by you, Adam. Thank you very much. I appreciate that. It's unbelievable, as you said, that 10 years have already passed. Wow. So 21 years in the Navy, 10 years as veteran service officer. And as Charlene and I discussed just the other day, I don't think you've lost any passion for your appreciation and desire to help veterans and their families. And so again, I appreciate you being here today. So I'll set the stage for us a little bit. Tell us a little bit about your office, your mission, roles and responsibilities. Our office is very small. There's just three of us that work in the office. And actually when I started, there was just two of us. Thanks to the county board. Thank you very much. And the other supervisors and your support, Adam, we were able to fill the assistant service officer position that had been vacant since, I think like the late 70s, early 80s is when that was the last time it had been filled. And there was a need for it. We definitely have the workload to warrant that. So the three of us are pretty busy working in the office. Our motto is to serve those who've served. So we help and advocate for veterans and their families in dealing with the federal and state government. Whenever you're dealing with a bureaucracy, it can be cumbersome. And if you don't get the exact piece of paper they want, everything gets kicked back. And so we help to fulfill that and make sure that everything is there when it gets sent off to the federal and state VA's. As you said, one of the few departments in the county that actually has gotten a larger, but doing very, very important work. On average, how many people come through the veteran service office a year? And I was thinking about that. And I would say on a very conservative number that we have about 1,500 to 2,000. And I'd say that's a conservative. I was thinking, we looking at appointments of this saying if we had like 10, 15 a week, which that I think is light because there are days like today, we had four appointments scheduled today alone. And then I was just looking at like five walk-ins per day. So like I said, a very low average times of 52 years, it's still put it up over 1,500 up like 17 something, almost 1,800 folks. So I'd say on a conservative figure, 1,500 to 2,000 people come through our office. And then that doesn't count the emails that we get and the telephone calls. A lot of the things nowadays, especially with the internet, a lot of it is done electronically. And so we don't actually see the individual in our office as much as we used to years ago, but we're still doing all that work. It's just, we don't actually have to see them as often. Right, right. And again, it's either the veterans, it might be a spouse, and I know- Son and daughter. Son and daughter. And I know when you started, and maybe it was a few years ago where you made this change, maybe it's been longer, but you started encouraging people to make appointments. And I thought that was really a good move on your part because as you've told me, sometimes it can be a 15, 20 minute discussion. Sometimes it can be a two hour discussion, depending on the types of programs or services that they might be able to apply for. And let's roll right into that. So if a veteran or a family member comes in and they wanna know about some different programs and services that can help them, what's out there? What might they be applying for? There are a variety with the federal VA and that's a lot for us to know and be familiar with. I tell individuals that I'm the Jack of all trades, master of none. I need to know a little bit about all these programs and know who to refer our veterans and their families to and then let the subject matter experts within the VA or the state actually take care of doing the work. But from healthcare to education to employment resources, pension, compensation, burial benefits, those are just some that the federal VA has available to our veterans. And within the state VA, there's grants, there's aid to needy veterans grants and for dental and mental health issues that they have. The state also does with job search, both the state and the federal government are doing veterans ID cards now that will provide an ID card for a veteran to be able to use at Home Depot to get their veteran discount without having to take in their discharge paperwork that has their social security number on it and other personal information. The state also has education programs and a homeless and they maintain nursing homes and cemeteries and the federal government has the Cemetery Association as well. Broad range. And then within the county, the county services, we have our Veterans Treatment Court, we have our Veterans Service Commission that also helps needy veterans. We registered DD 214s here within Sheboygan County and that's a secure, they're not a part of the open records law because they've got private protected information on them, only a veteran or the veteran giving permission to a family member or the next of kin if the veteran is deceased is allowed to request those records from our register of deed. So it's very secure here in Wisconsin. For veterans, when they go to a state to register their DD 214s, they need to check on what the rules of that particular state are because in some cases they may not be protected records but in Wisconsin they are. But we provide that service too of helping them to get those registered so they can always have a copy of them if something should happen to their personal belongings and things like that. And then we have a volunteer driver program where we have individuals that come through our office. There are other veterans generally that will provide transportation out to Cleveland for medical appointments with the VA with somebody that may not be comfortable driving any longer or not able to drive any longer. So again, you said 7% of our population is comprised of veterans and we have veterans from World War II in Korea. My dad is a Vietnam veteran. He just turned 79, he's retired and financially is doing okay. I don't think he's ever called the veteran service office to seek assistance with something but what would you say to veterans throughout the community that might be watching this program or interested in learning more? Should they all at some point be checking with your office for certain services or not necessarily? And actually I would encourage them to because you just never know. And even individuals that said, well I checked with the VA when I got out of Vietnam and they told me I wasn't eligible for anything. Everything changes. Nothing has stayed the same. It's an ever-evolving federal government and the programs and services and things that they have. And so especially for Vietnam vets, a lot of them feel like they got slighted when they came back from Vietnam the way they were treated but there are services and things that they're available for and that's not to say that they may get everything but I would still encourage them to reach out to our office and have somebody, one of us sit down with them and take a look at what they did, where they were at, what their circumstances are today and what things they might be eligible for and also to tell them what things they may be eligible for in the future. At a very minimum, they're eligible for a flag in military honors at their burial. That's just what I was gonna say that at minimum, if you don't feel you need any services or just don't have that desire to check with the Veteran Service Office, at minimum you have that and I think that's important and certainly a family wants to honor their deceased veteran and show that respect. That enough is a reason to make a phone call and do some. And what we can do is we can help them to get the information that their families will need that at the time of their passing that they know what to do to kind of trigger getting those benefits available for them because that's gonna be a real short time turnaround of being able to accomplish that. Last question before I turn it over to Tom, you mentioned earlier our Veterans Treatment Court just celebrated its fifth anniversary. Talk about time going quickly and of course, Arlene, you are such a leader to initiate that and there's been strong support from the County Board and our organization as a whole. Tom and I had the chance to participate during the fifth year anniversary celebration and I don't know how much of a celebration it was but we got a chance to observe and see all the good people that are involved, the resources that come to the table and people that are being helped. Just briefly touch on why Veteran Treatment Court is so important and why that was something that you wanted to see happen here. And I do think it's very important. First of all, we've talked about the whole reason for our existence here is our Veterans are deserving of our support and care. When you look at less than 1% of our total population serves in the military today, I think the other 99% have an obligation to stand up and help take care of that 1% that actually spends the time serving and when we have the Veterans Treatment Court, it's a way of not having individuals just be thrown in jail and throw the key away but we actually get them treatment for whatever the underlying condition is and what we're looking at is we're looking at Veterans that have an underlying service-connected condition. So something happened to them while they were in the military that's causing whatever's going on in their life today that got them into trouble with the judicial system. And I've said this on a number of occasions that our military does a phenomenal job of training our military before they send them to a war zone to keep them safe, to teach them the skills they need to not only come home themselves but bring their other fellow soldiers and airmen home with them. But I don't think the military does a very good job of that transition back into the civilian world and so the skills that they learn that keep them safe in a war zone can put them in jail here in the United States because when they react to something, thinking it's a threat, chances are it's not and then somebody gets involved that says, well, that was kind of an overkill or that was an overreaction to somebody getting on a cell phone sitting in a dark SUV at a stoplight and you take them and drag them out of this SUV and break their cell phone. I mean, that's a little bit of an overreaction but in the war zone, that's how they detonate IED. So it's not an overreaction in a war zone but they aren't de-programmed to not and so they get into trouble here and so our Veterans Treatment Court really helps to bring them back into a productive member of society. In the five years we've been in existence, we've had 20 individuals graduate. We had five that either were dropped from the program through non-compliance or withdrew themselves but that's still pretty good statistics when you think that in five years, we've had 20 out of 25 that have successfully completed the program and we have number 21 graduating on Friday. So we have another one that has completed the program and our team is phenomenal. Judge Angela Sakevich is the Veterans Treatment Court judge, she's been involved in the program since its inception, I met with her the beginning of 2011 and we started looking at putting the team together. Our, at the time, was an assistant district attorney, Joel Armansky, who is now our district attorney and he is still committed and involved and takes the time away from all of the things he has to do to participate in the treatment court. We've had the public defender's office has been very supportive, probation and parole, the sheriff's department, the city police department, the clerk of courts, we've gotten support from all of them and a lot of the key players, Joel Armansky, Pat Adelman, Kelly Lukich, Chaplain, Rick Cathon, they've been involved since the very beginning. They were in those very first meetings when we were putting the whole thing together back in the beginning of 2011 and they're still active and participants in the court today. Yeah, it's a wonderful, wonderful service and a lot more cost effective, I think, to help people get back on the right path and that type of approach rather than sitting in the detention center. So again, my compliments to you and all involved, Charlie. Tom? Thank you Adam. And your numbers, with the veterans court, you're batting 80% or a little better than that. So I mean, that's 80%, that's pretty darn good, in my opinion. And Adam is correct, those are individuals that are out being productive members of the society holding down jobs, caring for their families instead of sitting in jail. Absolutely. First of all, thank you for your service. And every year we have state and federal holidays like Veterans Day and Memorial Day and Pearl Harbor Day and we use those with a little different emphasis at times and why do you think it's important for the public to buy into these important holidays relative to our veterans? And I do think it's important, along with what we're saying, talking about the Veterans Treatment Court with the fact that 99% of the population nowadays don't serve in the military. But another thing, there's a couple of quotes that I really appreciate. One of them was Ronald Reagan and he said that freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance, it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again. And I think historically that's true. And then George Santiana said those who can't remember the past are condemned to repeat it. So I think that's where the importance for events like Memorial Day and Veterans Day come into play is to educate individuals of exactly what our veterans gave for their freedoms here in this country and to recognize that and commemorate that service and sacrifice that they have given to our country and the price that it costs, especially Memorial Day. Memorial Day commemorates those that gave the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country. And I think it is important that we do honor that service and acknowledge them and commemorate their service and sacrifice. Yeah, I was just gonna say, you talked, you definitely hit on this. How do you think we can ensure as a general public that the sacrifices of these people are not forgotten? Well, not just barbecuing out on Memorial Day. I mean, and that's important because to be quite honest, that's the whole reason I served. I served so that you could be back here in this country enjoying having a barbecue on Memorial Day or on Sunday or Saturday or whatever day to be able to go and do the things you wanna go to a movie, have the freedom to elect who you want as the president or as a senator. So that's the whole reason that we fight and go to defend our country is to preserve those freedoms that we have here. But I think that along with having those fun times on Memorial Day is to go to the cemetery, listen to what people have to say, the commemorative ceremonies that they do to honor and recognize our young men and women. Maybe even before Memorial Day, we here in Sheboygan County, for those that may not know this, Sheboygan County purchases the flags that you see at the cemetery there in the summertime. They're put in in May before Memorial Day and generally left up until after Veteran's Day here in Sheboygan County. Other counties may do something differently but that's what we do here in Sheboygan County. The county purchases those flags, our Veteran Service Organizations actually place them on the cemetery and I'm here to tell you we put out over 10,000 flags per year on our cemeteries. So if somebody has some time available, talk to your local post and say, I would love to come and help you put out flags at Sunrise Cemetery or Green Lawn. Green Lawn, they could use help, there's over 1,000 in that cemetery. And then talk to the Veterans, find their stories, hear their stories while you're doing it. The other thing is, is this time of year, a lot of the Veteran Service Organizations will be doing poppy drives. Those poppy drives, the monies collected from them are used to help and assist Veterans and their families within the community. None of that money can be used to pay a light bill or a phone bill or anything like that. It has to go directly to supporting and providing for needs of Veterans and their families. So when you see them out in front of Walmart or wherever with their can, take a poppy and give them a little something because they are helping other Veterans in the community. Thank you. How many Veterans Organizations and what are some of the projects that they're involved in in Sheboygan County? We have a bunch of Veterans Organizations. I was listing them as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Disabled American Veterans, Marine Corps League, Vietnam Veterans of America, AMVETS, VETS Journey Home, Wisconsin Military Network, Salute the Troops, as to programs that they're involved in. We have the Veterans Memorial out on Kohler Memorial Drive. There's a group from our Veterans Organizations that are on that board and maintain that and keep that up. The Camel Quilt Project here in Sheboygan that is sponsored by the Green Bush American Legion. Oh, let's see. There's Warrior House over in La Myra that Salute the Troops has that is a transitional housing that Veterans can utilize. And so that is something that our Veterans here in the area get involved in helping to support that and do fundraisers for that. Honor Flights, so there are a bunch of them. Volunteer Drivers, our Veterans Service Organization also provide the mentors for our Veterans Treatment Court. And that's something they volunteer to do and it's a commitment of the individuals are in treatment court anywhere from 12 to 24 months. So that's a commitment that a Veteran takes on that they're going to be available to be there for that Veteran as they go through Veteran Treatment Court for that length of time. So if somebody would be interested in possibly joining a Veterans Group or finding out more information about these how would they go about getting that information? They can come through our office, we can help them. Online checking out the organization whatever when you're interested in on their online website that they have or the local posts themselves just stopping by like the post 243 and Plymouth you just go in there and tell somebody that's how I joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars when I retired out of the Navy. I joined the post that my dad was a member of back in Delavan, Wisconsin, but I just walked in there and said I'm interested in joining the VFW and had somebody go, a girl wants to join. Good for you. Thank you very much, Adam. So you started the program by sharing how one of the smallest departments in the county which you certainly are, but big role and I think this is going to surprise some of our viewers right now. Big role in that you're really helping Veterans and their families tap into resources at the local, state and federal level. So annually, how much comes into Sheboygan County to support our Veterans and their families? And you're right, I think it will be a surprise to people when they hear this, over 33 million dollars per year. And again, this is predominantly coming through the federal government, some of the state government, smaller portion of the county level, but it's three county staff that are helping assist people tap into these resources that are life changing experiences. I mean, from time to time you've shared with me how you may have a widow or a veteran who is really struggling financially and all of a sudden a year later after going through all the process and criteria, what have you, they see these checks start coming in that really change the quality of their life. Make a difference for them. Well, and some of it is just getting them enrolled into the VA healthcare that if they were struggling to figure out how they were gonna get their medication and then we can get them enrolled in the VA healthcare and they can receive that through the VA with a minimal copay or if their income is such, no copay whatsoever, or if it's a service connected condition, there's no copay. I was told a veteran that this morning we're applying for benefits from exposure to age and orange in Vietnam. And I said, no matter what they determine as the level of disability, once they service connect this, there'll be no copays at the VA because that's the reason the VA is there to take care of those individuals that have a service connected injury or disability. Yeah, so I've always really appreciated the mission statement of the veteran service office. Of all 19 departments, I've really appreciated yours the most to serve those who have served. As you reflect on the last 10 years that you've been doing so, and then the 21 years serving in the Navy prior to that, but as you reflect on your years of service, what message or is there anything in the last minute we have that you'd like to share with our viewers? And I thought about that. And what I would like to share with the viewers, and I will talk to them instead of to y'all, is that I am proud of their support of our veterans and their families. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the care and for allowing me to be your emissary for these last 10 years. It has been an absolute joy, and I really appreciate it, and I thank you very much. Well, what a nice note to end on. We thank you for your service and your leadership in this community, Charlene. Thanks for being here today. It's my pleasure. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you very much. If you have more questions or would like to talk to Charlene, her staff, please don't hesitate to contact our veteran service office. There's a website that has this information or you may know the number if you're a veteran out there, but please don't hesitate to follow up. Thank you for joining us this afternoon, and next month we're gonna have another department head with us who also does tremendous service for our community. Our family court commissioner, Ryan's gonna be here, and I think you're gonna find him an interesting person to listen to and learn from as well. So until then, please enjoy a safe and wonderful Memorial Day. It won't be long, and that'll be upon us. Take some time to give thanks and maybe teach a young person the significance of the day, and again, thank you for your support.