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By Lance Robertson, ACL Administrator and Assistant Secretary
for Aging
Today our country honors the men and women who have served in
the military. We celebrate and express our appreciation for all they
have done to defend our country and promote freedom and democratic ideals
around the world.
More than ten percent of our staff at ACL have worn a military
uniform at some point in their lives. Some of them served for a few years,
others retired after a full military career, and still others fall
somewhere in between. Some are still serving.
We have people who served during World War II and Vietnam, as
well as many who served during the more recent conflicts in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Their service took them around the globe, sometimes into
harm’s way. Many of them continue to be actively involved in efforts to
support veterans and service members.
In our 2017
celebration of Veterans Day, we introduced you to some of them
with our Facebook photo album.
This year, we have added a few -- and a few of last year’s faces gave us
new pictures. Some of them, like Keri
Lipperini, also told us a little bit more about their military
service, and how it helped prepare them for their service as civilians. I
hope you enjoy their stories as much as I did.
I am a proud veteran of the U.S. Army, and I am proud of each
and every one ACL’s veterans for their service. I also am grateful that
they have chosen to continue to serve our country in their roles at ACL.
As Regional Administrator for Regions 6 and 8 and supervisor
of two of ACL’s veterans, including fiscal operations specialist Robin Boldoe,
Percy Devine puts it, “Their loyalty to our agency mission, commitment to
team work and willingness to go the extra mile is appreciate and
respected.”
I also am proud of ACL for being a workplace that recognizes
the strengths veterans bring, and of our staff for making ACL a great place
for veterans to work.
In fact, last year, two of our supervisors were recognized
with the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Award for their support
of Reasonable Accommodations Specialist Sophia Newman
in her service with the Air Force Reserve.
In her nomination of Terry Nicolosi and Cory Gilbert, Sophia
said, “my leadership takes an active interest in my military career,
encourages education and growth in both my military and civilian career and
encourages a healthy work life balance. This support from my leadership has
been invaluable in reducing stress that most certainly exists with having
to manage both military and civilian employment."
ACL also is working in partnership with the Department of
Veterans Affairs to create an opportunity for veterans with
service-connected disabilities to gain on-the-job training and experience
to help them transition to career fields that suit their abilities and
interests.
In addition, I am proud of the generosity of spirit of those
in the ACL family who have not served in the military themselves, but who
go above and beyond to help support those who have. These include JulieAnn
Chavez, who is about to begin lending her sewing talents to the Quilts of Valor initiative, and Heather
Menne, who bakes cookies and other treats and ships them to deployed
service members at least once a month as an “Angel Baker” with Soldiers Angels. And these are just two of
the many examples I could tell you about.
Our veterans have sacrificed in the name of preserving our
nation’s independence. They deserve to maintain their own throughout life
and regardless of disability. As you have heard me say before, at ACL, we
believe that one of the best ways we can their service is to help make that
possible.
If you are a veteran, thank you for your service and sacrifice
on behalf of our nation. Today, and every day, we at ACL salute you!
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