{"id":7950,"date":"2025-10-28T08:17:54","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T12:17:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/?p=7950"},"modified":"2025-11-05T11:01:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T16:01:52","slug":"convention-luncheon-honors-veterans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-43-no-9\/convention-luncheon-honors-veterans\/","title":{"rendered":"Convention luncheon honors veterans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7958 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Vet-Header.jpg\" alt=\"Vet Lunchat 47th Annual PEF Convention\" width=\"1200\" height=\"550\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Vet-Header.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Vet-Header-300x138.jpg 300w, https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Vet-Header-1024x469.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/Vet-Header-768x352.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4456 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/02\/PEF-Vet-Committee.jpg\" alt=\"PEF Statewide Veterans Committee\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/02\/PEF-Vet-Committee.jpg 300w, https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/02\/PEF-Vet-Committee-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/02\/PEF-Vet-Committee-125x125.jpg 125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>October 29, 2025 &#8212;<\/em> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">It was a full house for the annual Veterans\u2019 Luncheon at Convention, save for one chair left empty at a small table\u00a0set for one, in recognition and honor of\u00a0prisoners of war and comrades missing in action,\u00a0a dignified and solemn\u00a0symbol\u00a0at\u00a0many formal dinners and occasions.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThis is our way of symbolizing the fact that some are missing from our midst,\u201d said\u00a0Veterans Committee member\u00a0Bruce Jagroop, an occupational and environmental therapy\u00a0specialist\u00a0at Roswell Park in Buffalo. \u201cThey are commonly called prisoners of war and missing in action, but\u00a0we call them brothers.\u00a0They are unable to be here today, so we remember them.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Veterans\u2019 Committee\u00a0chairman\u00a0David\u00a0Krobe, who is the president of PEF Retirees in Region 1,\u00a0was unable to attend, so\u00a0committee\u00a0member Christopher Buman, a real property analyst at Tax &amp; Finance in Batavia,\u00a0conducted\u00a0the\u00a0Missing Man Table\u00a0ceremony. He explained each item\u00a0on the table and its significance\u00a0&#8212; from the small size of the table, symbolizing the frailty of one prisoner alone against his oppressors; to the single red rose displayed in a vase, reminding us of the families and loved ones keeping the faith, awaiting their return.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This year, Jeffrey Todd, a\u00a0veterans\u2019 benefits advisor in the Potsdam office of\u00a0the New York State Department of Veterans Services, not to be confused with the\u00a0federal\u00a0Veterans Administration or VA, spoke to attendees about services the state provides and\u00a0advised them to\u00a0contact the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/veterans.ny.gov\/office-locations?page=11\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">New York State Veterans Services Office nearest them for assistance<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThere are two types\u00a0of VSOs, state and county,\u201d Todd said. \u201cCounty\u00a0offices\u00a0only work within their county.\u00a0State\u00a0offices\u00a0work throughout the state, and we can also go outside the state as far as representation, so if you have a veteran that moves around,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0always best to divert them to the state\u00a0office.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The PEF Veterans Committee also includes\u00a0Troy Decker,\u00a0a municipal auditor with the Comptroller\u2019s Office,\u00a0Retirees Representative\u00a0Robert Harms\u00a0and\u00a0PEF\u00a0Associate Counsel\u00a0Ben\u00a0Traslavi\u00f1a.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>October 29, 2025 &#8212; It was a full house for the annual Veterans\u2019 Luncheon at Convention, save for one chair left empty at a small table\u00a0set for one, in recognition&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"division":[],"allowed_regions":[],"allowed_divisions":[],"class_list":["post-7950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","issue-volume-43-no-9","issue-volume-43-no-10"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.9) - 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