October 2025 Edition of the Forward March Veterans' Newsletter

Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs sent this bulletin at 10/31/2025 10:12 AM EDT

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www.FloridaVets.org

October 2025

Welcome to the October 2025 edition of the Forward March Veterans’ Newsletter. We ‎‎appreciate the 67,000 subscribers who look to us for the latest news ‎impacting our State’s nearly 1.4 million Veterans, their families and survivors.‎ Serving as the premier point of entry for Florida Veterans, the ‎Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs ‎‎operates a ‎‎network of nine State Veterans’ ‎Homes and provides statewide outreach to connect our ‎‎Veterans ‎‎with their earned ‎services, benefits and support.

I started the month speaking to our County and State Veterans’ Service Officers at their fall training conference in Safety Harbor. We train and accredit all County and State Veterans’ Service Officers to ensure they have the latest information on federal and state benefits and services our Veterans have earned as a result of their military service. By statute, these service officers are Veterans, so they’re familiar with the issues you need addressed. Connect with our State Veterans’ Service Officers ‎at (727) ‎‎‎319-‎‎7440 or via email at FDVA.VSO@FDVA.FL.GOV. Contact information for all State and County Veteran Service Officers can be found online at https://www.floridavets.org/locations/.

As part of the upcoming 2026 Florida Legislative Session, I had the honor of presenting an agency update to the Senate Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security on Oct. 14. It was my opportunity to present your story to these key legislators who are tremendous Veterans’ advocates in their own right. They share our passion for ensuring our nearly 1.4 million Veterans and their families are fully supported. You can view my testimony at https://thefloridachannel.org/videos/10-14-25-senate-committee-on-military-and-veterans-affairs-space-and-domestic-security/.

Later that week, I addressed the members of the Florida Veterans Council. These leaders represent the top echelon of our state’s prominent Veterans’ Service Organizations. We meet monthly to discuss common issues and address opportunities to better serve the Veteran community. One topic of common discussion was the impact of the federal government shutdown on our Veteran community. VA Medical Centers, Outpatient Clinics and Vet Centers are open and continue to see Veterans. The VA says benefits are continuing to be processed, including compensation, pension, education and housing benefits. I spoke at length with my VA counterparts in Florida on Oct. 20 and continue to engage with them to ensure our Florida Veterans are supported to the best extent possible during the shutdown. I also want to thank the leadership of the Bruce W. Carter VA Medical Center in Miami for hosting me on Oct. 23.

If you have specific issues connected to the federal government shutdown, contact one of our State Veterans’ Service Officers today. Don’t forget our team of Hope Navigators is also hard at work connecting Veterans and their families with information and resources to improve their economic quality of life. Contact one of our Hope Navigators today at HopeNavigators@fdva.fl.gov or call (833) GET-HOPE.

Learn more about Veterans’ issues by following us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and LinkedIn. A free Mobile App is also available by visiting https://app.floridavets.org.

To my fellow Marines on the approach of the 250th anniversary of our Marine Corps, I say ‘Semper Fidelis.’ Check out the cake-cutting ceremony we have planned to commemorate the event in this issue.

Next month, we’ll welcome retired Army Colonel DJ Reyes to our FDVA family, as he becomes our agency’s Deputy Executive Director beginning Nov. 7. We’ll have more about this remarkable Veterans’ advocate in our November issue.

I appreciate all Floridians for making the Sunshine State the most Veteran-friendly, appreciated, and sought after State in the Nation. Happy Veterans Day.

Please share this newsletter with others. We are honored to serve you.

Veterans’ Hall of Fame Ceremony Set for Nov. 6

TALLAHASSEE – Five Florida Veterans from the Class of 2025 will be inducted into the Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame during ceremonies at the Capitol, Nov. 6. The five Veterans comprise the 13th class of inductees and will be honored in the Cabinet Room at 10 a.m. FDVA Executive Director James S. Hartsell will preside over the event, which will include an unveiling of their names on the Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame Wall of Honor on the Plaza Level of the Capitol.

The five inductees are:

Lieutenant Colonel Marlené Carter, U.S. Army (Ret)

Captain Robert Crippen, U.S. Navy (Ret)

Captain Stephen Petty, U.S. Army (Ret)

Lieutenant Colonel Alicia Rossiter, U.S. Air Force (Ret)

Colonel Peter Tan, U.S. Army (Ret)

Florida Honors U.S. Marine Corps on 250th Anniversary

TALLAHASSEE – A cake cutting ceremony will be held at the Florida Capitol on Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. to honor the U.S. Marine Corps on its 250th anniversary. The 30-minute ceremony will be conducted on the Fourth Floor Rotunda and hosted by retired Marine Corps Major General James S. Hartsell, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The public is invited to attend.

Deadline Approaching for Florida Veterans Awareness Survey

Time is running out to share your feedback. The Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs wants to know how familiar you are with the benefits and services available to you. Your input will help improve support for Veterans and their families statewide.

Survey Button

FDVA Executive Director James S. Hartsell and State Veterans’ Service Officer James Britt discuss employment opportunities for Florida Veterans at the Paychecks for Patriots Veterans Resource Fair in Tampa, Oct. 29. Paychecks for Patriots is an annual statewide hiring initiative connecting Florida’s Veterans, military spouses, and transitioning service members with career opportunities, with a special focus on integrating Hope Florida to provide additional support to Veterans and their families.

FDVA State Veterans’ Service Officer Yvonne McCool assists Veterans with earned services and benefits at 5th Annual Ladies Night Out "Our Time to Shine" event held at Gulf Coast Veterans Healthcare System in Pensacola, Oct.16.

FDVA State Veterans’ Service Officer Carmelo Mora discusses earned services and benefits at the SOCOM Training Seminar / Resource Fair at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Oct. 23.

FDVA Accounting Services Administrator Billie Jo Grassiger (left) and members from VFW Post 10094 in Indian Rocks Beach, were honored to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, Aug 16.

The Florida Women Veterans’ Advisory Council met in Orlando on Oct. 13, to discuss public policy issues involving Women Veterans. The Sunshine State is home to the second-largest population of women veterans in the nation, with more than 172,000. To read more, click here.

Did you know? Proceeds from the sale of the Woman Veteran license plate supports Woman Veterans’ issues in Florida. More than 172,000 Women Veterans reside in the Sunshine State. To learn more, visit: http://bit.ly/4fatAyc.

To contact a State Veterans’ Service Officer from anywhere in Florida, call (727) 319-7440 or send an email to FDVA.VSO@FDVA.FL.GOV. A reminder that all services provided by the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs are free to the client.

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Operating as the premier point of entry for Florida’s nearly 1.4 million Veterans, FDVA ‎‎operates a ‎‎network of State Veterans’ Homes and ‎provides statewide outreach to connect ‎‎Veterans ‎‎with earned services, benefits ‎and support. ‎Click on the graphic (above) to join our award winning team by visiting bit.ly/48g5lLy.