A Veterans Day Message from George Owings, Secretary, Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs
At the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs, we like to say that every day is Veterans Day. Our team of 110 personnel are committed daily to ensuring our veterans and eligible dependents have access to the services and benefits to which they are entitled.
Whether we are assisting a veteran with a VA benefits application, caring for a veteran at Charlotte Hall Veterans Home, ensuring a veteran has the means to remain financially stable, or providing perpetual care at our veteran’s cemeteries, we are committed to the mission of honoring and serving veterans.
The origins of Veterans Day date back to November 11, 1918, when the armistice ending World War I went into effect. The following year, President Wilson recognized November 11 as the first official commemoration of Armistice Day and it became a day to honor and celebrate the “war to end all wars”. Congress passed an act in 1938 that officially recognized the day but following World War II, and the largest mobilization of service members in our history, Congress replaced the word “Armistice” with “Veterans”. Now, the federal holiday is a day to recognize, honor, and celebrate all veterans.
Veterans Day is one of two very special days for the men and women who have served in the United States Military. The first, Memorial Day, is a day set aside to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. It is a day of great reflection and remembrance of the lives lost during times of war. The second day, Veterans Day, is a day of great celebration for all who have served.
Oh behalf of the entire Department, I would like to thank all of our veterans for their service and to their families, I say thank you for your support and sacrifice while your loved ones served.
May God bless our Nation, our great state of Maryland, and all who continue to serve!
Veterans Day Observances at MDVA Locations
To honor Veterans on Veterans Day, the following ceremonies will be held at Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs locations on Thursday, November 11, 2021.
9:00 AM - 12:00pm
War Memorial Building - On stage invited guests, 101 North Gay Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 (The State of Maryland/MDVA and the City of Baltimore jointly share maintenance costs of this Memorial)
11:00 AM
Crownsville Veterans Cemetery* – 1122 Sunrise Beach Road, Crownsville, MD 21032
Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery - 11501 Garrison Forest Road, Owings Mills, MD 21117
Vietnam Veterans Memorial* - 2825 South Hanover Street, (Middle Branch Park), Baltimore, MD 21225
World War II Memorial - 1920 Ritchie Highway (Rt. 450 at Naval Academy Bridge), Annapolis, MD 21401
1:30 PM
Eastern Shore Veterans Cemetery – 6827 East New Market Ellwood Road, Hurlock, Maryland 21643
2:00 PM
Rocky Gap Veterans Cemetery* - 14205 Pleasant Valley Road, NE, Flintstone, MD 21530
*Ceremony Program still being finalized.
No ceremonies are scheduled for:
Cheltenham Veterans Cemetery - due to construction
Korean War Memorial - This Memorial needs a volunteer group willing to organize Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies. Please contact us at MDVA if you/your organization would like to organize future Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies at the Korean War Memorial in Baltimore.
Charlotte Hall Veterans Home - for the safety of the residents, there is no public ceremony at Charlotte Hall. The celebration is for residents only.
Note: Community Veterans Day events which were sent to MDVA are listed below in the Community News Section.
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 This Gold Star Memorial Marker was recently dedicated at the MDVA Eastern Shore Veterans Cemetery. Thank you to the Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland for this solemn and meaningful tribute to the Gold Star Families whose loved one made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.
MDVA Outreach Director Facilitates Customer Service Training to Department Personnel
In Addition to Customer Service Refresher Training, Agenda Included VA S.A.V.E. Suicide Prevention Training
The State of Maryland pledges to provide constituents, businesses, customers, and stakeholders with services that are friendly and courteous, timely and responsive, accurate and consistent, accessible and convenient, and truthful and transparent.
Each summer, MDVA personnel receive refresher training on customer service but this year’s agenda looked a little different. In addition to a discussion on best practices for serving customers, staff participated in the VA S.A.V.E. Suicide Prevention training. This one-hour training, facilitated by the VA Suicide Prevention Coordinators at the Baltimore and Martinsburg VA Medical Centers, educates the community on suicide risk factors, signs and symptoms, and resources for veteran suicide prevention.
MDVA was pleased to welcome the Maryland Department of Human Services-Constituent Services Division to join the S.A.V.E. portion of the training. Fourteen staff from DHS are now trained to recognize warning signs for suicide and aware of prevention resources.
“Being aware of what the person is not saying directly,” said an MDVA Cemetery Program staff person. “Very helpful information at the cemetery because many are in a grieving state of mind when they are here for a funeral or visiting the grave of a loved one.”
Staff received the S.A.V.E. training as part of the Department’s participation in the VA/SAMHSA Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide among Service Members, Veterans, and Families. MDVA is partnering with the Maryland Department of Health’s Maryland’s Commitment to Veterans on a number of initiatives aimed at reduce suicide in this population.
Between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021, MDVA received 143 responses to the customer service survey. Eighty seven percent of respondents indicated they were ‘very satisfied’ or ‘somewhat satisfied’ with their experience. MDVA continuously strives to exceed customer expectations and looks forward in 2022 to improving how Maryland veterans, their families, and community partners, are served.
Read the full FY21 MDVA Customer Service Annual Report here.
MDVA Secretary George Owings is pleased to announce the designation of Denise Nooe, MDVA Deputy Director of Outreach to represent the Department on the Maryland Semiquincentennial Commission, which is charged with planning the commemoration and observance of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Revolutionary War, and founding of the United States of America. "I am confident Denise will be an asset to this Commission," said George Owings, Secretary. "She has staffed or represented the Department on multiple Commissions, including the Maryland Military Monuments Commission and the Maryland Veterans Commission."
 The BWI Business Partnership and the Maryland LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce with veteran-owned business sponsor MOJO Creative Digital held a combined event recently. Attendees were asked to bring winter coats and professional attire donations for the Maryland Center for Veterans Education and Training (MCVET). This photo shows just some of the donations to MCVET.
From Left to right: Jeffrey Kendrick (Executive Director, MCVET), Ronny Nadiv (Director of Strategic Initiatives, BWI Business Partnership), Alex Fakeri (CEO & Founder, MOJO Creative Digital), Denise Nooe (MDVA), COL Walter Mitchell (Ret) (MCVET Board of Directors), and Kalie Lastagarkov (Account Executive, MOJO).
Photo credit: Eric Stocklin Photography
 On November 1st, Maryland Veterans Commissioner Mike Moore joined over 100 Veteran Advocates in celebrating the grand opening of the Small Business Administration’s Mid-Atlantic Veterans Business Outreach Center. The Center is located on the research campus of the University of Maryland at College Park and will serve Veteran entrepreneurs in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Washington, DC. Dignitaries on hand to cut the ribbon included SBA Administrator Isabella Guzman, Senator Ben Cardin (chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee), and University President Darryll Pines. The event was a kickoff for Veterans Small Business Week.
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