In this episode of our local program Making Democracy Work, Dr. Hue-Ping Chin speaks with Sabrina Bonnette, veteran service officer at Missouri Veterans Commission Southwest Regional Office.
Chin: Thank you so much for being here. Tell us just a little bit about the origin of Veterans Day and what it means to you as a veteran.
Bonnette: It seems to be more of a who than a what. It was first celebrated worldwide after the 1918 cease fire was signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. It was an armistice declared between the Allied nations of that era and Germany, though the official Treaty of Versailles was signed June 28th, 1919. The public remained dedicated to that first glimpse of hope to ending World War II as the day to remember.
It was a time for many nations who fought together and succeeded in crushing fascism and dictatorship to honor, remember and celebrate the fighting men and women. To acknowledge achievements and bravery of the people who served in defense of liberty, freedom and justice around the world. 1919, it was the first commemoration and then 1938, it became a federal holiday, and in 1954, veterans service organizations lobbied for a change to Veterans Day to honor the World War II and Korean veterans. So, it became a holiday to honor all veterans in all wars in 1954.
Chin: Yes. And then you are a veteran yourself. Tell us a little bit about your experience serving the country.
Bonnette: I'm a retired Navy chief. I served 23 1/2 years on active duty. And Veterans Day, to me, is a reminder to honor the living veterans in our city, state and nation. We should never look away or aside at those who served in war, nor even in the published peace time, you know, because they consider 1976 to 1989 peace time. But I'll tell you, my own brother, Michael Sagehorn, served in Grenada as a Marine. And I would say, don't discount a person's service to our country, no matter the era, especially our aging veterans. And I do like to encourage people to stop and listen, you know, you'd be surprised what you hear, and they will feel valued, as they should.
Chin: Now, you are working in a different capacity to serve our veterans. So, tell us a little bit about the Missouri Veterans Commission.
Bonnette: The Veterans Commission has four pillars, basically like the Legion. We cover the Missouri veterans’ homes, the state veterans’ cemeteries and suicide prevention, outreach and training. And then the one I fall under the Veterans Service program. I'm just one of 48 accredited veterans service officers, and we're all veterans ourselves, whose job is to provide guidance and hands on help for veterans, families and surviving spouses so they can access and navigate their benefit.
The majority of our work is involved with review and completion of VA claims for service-connected disability. The second would be survivor benefits and the third would be the non-service-connected pension that's income based and/or the wartime survivor benefit claims. So, in Springfield here in our office, we see about 40 to 50 clients between the two of us right now. And we'll be back up to 70 to 75 when we get our third VSO back.
We also do outreach at various institutions and events, so we can get the word out of where we are, who we are and what we do. The bottom line is for veterans out there, or families of veterans, if anything, health wise or physical wise or mental health wise happened to you while you were in the military, that made you less than whole and you're still suffering as a result, you may be eligible for service-connected disability compensation from the VA.
Chin: Tell us what's unique about your commission. You know, because you are not just the Veterans Affairs services. So, what's the uniqueness about your commission?
Bonnette: Well, it's a state organization with a board and its officers headquartered in Jefferson City. We don't charge for our services. This is something that is appropriate and funded by the state. And we have many, many employees that strive to make the experience, whatever period of life you're in, make it a good one for you.
Chin: So, where can our listeners to find more information about your service?
Bonnette: Well, the first place to go is the Missouri Veterans Commission veteran benefits portal. And it's just veteranbenefits.mo.gov. And they have a treasure trove of resources for housing, a VSO finder because we do have 48 in the state, starting a business employment, healthcare, state benefits for veterans. And our address here in Springfield is 1515 E. Pythian. We do have by appointment only all week long except for Thursdays is walk in. So, we are not over in the VA healthcare Jean Taylor Clinic. We're on the opposite side of town, and we look forward to meeting the veterans.