September 25, 2024 — The 46th annual PEF Convention Veterans’ Luncheon brought veterans and their supporters together in the OnCenter’s War Memorial Amphitheater.
PEF member and veteran John Thomsen sang the national anthem, followed by remarks from President Wayne Spence, who said it was vital that we recognize veterans inside the union, as well as outside.
“We have a lot of homeless vets,” he said. “We see it happening in Europe, across the world; I thought it was just us. I hope as a country we can do better than that. That’s why it’s so important that we have our Veterans’ Committee. We need the Veterans’ Committee, not just symbolically, but also to make sure the state does its job hiring and promoting veterans.”
Veterans’ Committee Chairman David Krobe said the committee is actively reaching out to members and working to educate them on resources available to them for issues ranging from mental health to housing.
“Across the world, veterans are becoming more visible,” he said.
The PEF Veterans’ Committee has also been helping create veterans’ memorials, working toward completing a fifth memorial in a small town outside Buffalo.
The committee reports to the president and is charged with reviewing issues concerning veterans in PEF and making recommendations to the president. The members of the committee are Krobe – Retiree; Christopher Buman – Region 3; Troy Decker – Region 5; Richard Fletcher – Region 5; Robert Harms – Retiree; and Yatram Bruce Jagroop – Region 1.