Welcome to the August 2021 edition of the Forward March Veterans’ Newsletter.
Earlier this month, I had the honor of representing Florida at the National Association of State Veterans Homes annual conference in Biloxi, Miss. It was there I paid tribute to Florida’s Veterans’ Homes Division Director Connie Tolley for her leadership in guiding our network of veterans’ homes through COVID-19. (That’s Connie looking on as I introduce her.)
We also honored our state’s Purple Heart recipients on Aug. 7 as we observed Florida Purple Heart Day. The Florida Legislature unanimously passed legislation in 2012 establishing Florida Purple Heart Day to recognize recipients of our nation’s oldest award given to combat-wounded veterans.
Following a visit with the Jacksonville Military Veterans Coalition on July 28, I found myself back in Jacksonville on Aug. 21 speaking before several hundred Veterans at the Vets4Vets Gathering at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena. It was a great outreach event and my team of local Veterans’ Claims Examiners was able to connect attendees with federal and state benefit information. I appreciate the hospitality and am very impressed with the collective outreach efforts I witnessed in northeast Florida.
You’ll see in this issue images taken at Friday’s Open House and Flag Raising Ceremony at the new Ardie R. Copas State Veterans’ Nursing Home in Port St. Lucie. We look forward to admitting our first residents later in the year.
You’ll also see in this issue a copy of my remarks on developments in Afghanistan, delivered to the more than 170 Veterans of our organization. I share them with you here.
As always, if you need to contact us, our Veterans’ Claims Examiners are available by calling (727) 319-7440 or via e-mail at VSO@fdva.state.fl.us. Our team of accredited counselors, all wartime Veterans, is also working again from most VA Medical Centers and Outpatient Clinics. All services are free to the Veteran.
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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – A new State Veterans’ Nursing Home in the Treasure Coast was the site of an open house and flag raising ceremony, Aug. 27. The 120-bed Ardie R. Copas State Veterans’ Nursing Home attracted a crowd of about 125 federal, state and local dignitaries and area Veterans during the hour-long ceremony, punctuated by strong rain and thunderstorms just prior to and immediately following the event.
As part of the ceremony, the American, State of Florida and POW/MIA Flags were raised and lowered to half-staff in honor of the 13 servicemembers killed in the suicide bombing at Kabul International Airport.
The 121,000 square foot Veterans’ Nursing Home is named in honor of an Army Medal of Honor recipient from the Vietnam War - Fort Pierce and St. Lucie County native Sergeant Ardie R. Copas. Nearly 20 members of Copas’ family attended the ceremony and provided items for display at the facility.
Before the final afternoon rains arrived, guests were treated to cake and small group tours of the home, which is in the final stages of fitting out as furniture and medical equipment continues to arrive. Hiring continues at the skilled-nursing facility, with the first residents scheduled for admission before the end of the year.
The Port St. Lucie home joins six other State Veterans’ Nursing Homes and one Veterans’ Domiciliary Home in the Sunshine State. An additional veterans’ home is scheduled to open in Orlando in the coming months.
To view the entire ceremony, visit https://www.facebook.com/floridaveterans/videos/862172671333179
Editor’s note: FDVA Executive Director James S. “Hammer” Hartsell, a retired Marine Corps Major General and Combat Veteran of Afghanistan, released this statement to the Veterans within the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs on Aug. 19. We share his remarks with you.
“The rapid collapse of Afghanistan and its capital Kabul has had a profound impact on Florida’s Veterans of all eras, especially for those of us who personally served there, or who had family or friends who served there over the past 20 years. We all are understandably feeling a variety of emotions as we watch the extraordinary footage coming in from the International Airport in Kabul. These powerful emotions are natural, especially for the more than 219,000 Post-9/11 Veterans who call Florida home.
“Many of our FDVA Team are in that category and I personally can relate to the pain, frustration, and potentially regrets, that many may be feeling at this sudden turn of events in a place where we gave some of ourselves, and for some of our fellow brother and sister warriors, their All.
“As an Operation Enduring Freedom Veteran, I’m openly communicating with my fellow OEF and OIF Veterans in our agency, which I find both comforting and supportive. I’m especially proud of our Vietnam Veterans who have self-identified themselves this week and offered their advice and counsel to our generation of American warriors. They, too, are reliving old wounds and I am exceptionally proud of them for their service and stepping forward to help some of our generation through the range of emotions we are feeling.
“From this Retired Marine General who lost friends and battle brothers, in both Iraq and Afghanistan, I want you to know that I believe we made a positive difference in the lives of our fellow Veterans and for others while we were deployed in those theaters of operation. Our service was, and is, valued by our fellow Veterans and by our Nation as a whole. Be proud of our time in uniform and the service we gave and the personal sacrifices we made for each other. Remember, we were there for each other, which is more important to us than any National Policy or Program.
“You may have seen this week that we are actively messaging to our state’s 1.5 million Veterans and their families the many mental health resources available should they feel a need to reach out for additional help. These Florida-based resources are also available to you. Check out our news release at https://www.floridavets.org/afghanistan-lets-talk-about-it/.
“In closing, the idea of making a positive difference in the lives of others is what we do best in the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs. From our Benefits and Assistance team to those on the front lines caring for our residents in our many State Veterans’ Homes, your service is having an impact. We’re Veterans helping Veterans in the best spirit and tradition of our Republic.
“I am proud of your service and proud to be part of the FDVA Family. Let us know if there’s anything we can do for you.”
 TAMPA, Fla. – Combat-wounded Vietnam War veteran Andrew Marshall from Florida was unanimously elected national commander of the more than 1 million member DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Aug. 4 at the organization’s 2021 National Convention. He’s seen here with FDVA Executive Director James S. “Hammer” Hartsell at the Tampa convention.
WASHINGTON - As a follow up to National Financial Awareness Day, Aug. 14, the Department of Veterans Affairs is launching an awareness campaign to inform elderly wartime Veterans and their families of their lesser-known pension, funeral, burial and survivor benefits. To read more on these benefits, click here: https://bit.ly/2VYpGnV
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TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is pleased to announce that the new Blue Angels specialty license plate has been delivered to tax collector offices and license plate agencies statewide. To read more on this specialty plate, click here: https://bit.ly/3mbdA5q
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 ORLANDO, Fla. - FDVA Executive Director James S. “Hammer” Hartsell, Deputy Executive Director Bob Asztalos and Veterans’ Homes Division Director Connie Tolley joined FDVA Veterans’ Homes Administrators at the Florida Health Care Association's 2021 Annual Conference and Trade Show.
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