RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Today, veterans were honored with the 59th annual Commonwealth Veterans Day Ceremony.
The ceremony was co-hosted by the American Legion and was held at the E. Bruce Heilman Amphitheater and Shrine of Memory. There, Virginians and Americans who have served in the U.S. Military were honored. It also included a wreath-laying ceremony and posting of the colors.
Today’s guest speakers included Governor Terry McAuliffe, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs John C. Harvey, Jr. and Virginia Dept. of Veteran Services Commissioner John Newby.
Hundreds of veterans and their supporters packed into the amphitheater for the ceremony. Cpt. Nicholas Jancaitis and his wife, Brandi Jancaitis, who is director of Virginia Veteran and Family Support for the Department of Veterans Services, were two of the hundreds of attendees.
“We all pause on Veterans Day, but we should pause every day,” said Brandi Jancaitis.
Cpt. Jancaitis recently returned from serving 12 months in South Korea. The humble serviceman said he wanted to come to today’s ceremony to acknowledge veterans’ sacrifices.
“I don’t feel like I’ve actually done anything to deserve applause or a pat on the back, but these gentleman and ladies have. So, I want to come out here and give them a pat on the back, etc. and say, ‘thank you for your service.'”
Brandi says she’s just happy her husband is home safe.
“I’m trying not to be giddy,” she said. “Seeing his boots in the corner of the living room, I have to tolerate it because that means he’s home.”
But what about our service men and women who don’t have a home to return to?
At the ceremony, McAuliffe announced what he called “the most impressive accomplishment that Virginia and indeed any state in the United States of America has made for our nation’s veterans in recent times” — that Virginia is the first state to “functionally end homelessness” among veterans.
Virginia, with a veteran population of approximately 800,000, has the seventh largest veteran population in the nation.
McAuliffe announced Wednesday that Virginia has helped more than 1,000 homeless veterans find permanent housing in the past year. Since October 2014, 1,432 veterans enduring homelessness have successfully moved into a permanent home of their choosing.
“How did we do this? We pulled together all the federal, state and local community partners across the commonwealth and created a well-coordinated network that is now working as a team to solve this challenge,” he said.
McAuliffe acknowledged that functionally ending homelessness does not mean no veteran will ever experience homelessness, but he says the ability to help them is out there.
“Even in declaring our victory with this battle, the war is still not over,” said McAuliffe. “We must remain committed to keeping homelessness among veterans, and, all Virginians, to being rare, brief and non-recurring. The commonwealth will continue to build on the success of this effort and expand upon the lessons learned from the veterans’ initiative as the state moves towards functionally ending chronic homelessness among all Virginians by the end of 2017.”
The announcement is the culmination of efforts that began after McAuliffe signed First Lady Michelle Obama’s Mayor’s Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness in June 2014. Since signing on, 20 mayors and county chairs throughout the state have publicly declared their commitment to achieving the goals of the Mayor’s Challenge and communities have successfully housed veterans through two consecutive 100 Day Challenges in partnership with Community Solutions and the Rapid Results Institute.
Communities throughout Virginia have made improvements in their response to homelessness.
“By using evidenced-based tools for triaging the needs of identified veterans, having the availability of both rapid re-housing and permanent supportive housing resources, as well as incorporating the principles of Housing First throughout the entire spectrum of housing assistance for a veteran, these systems have been streamlined to help a veteran experiencing homelessness to quickly secure permanent housing,” a press release from The Virginia Department of Veterans Services reads.
A reminder: the Memorial is again collecting used and worn American flags from the public for proper disposal. Flags can be brought to the Galanti Center between now and November 15.
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