Veterans Service Agency

Press release:

In advance of the upcoming Veterans Day holiday, Genesee County announced that the Old County Courthouse at 7 Main St. would be illuminated green from Nov. 7-13 as part of Operation Green Light.

This is a new collaborative initiative to support veterans of all military conflicts, with a special emphasis on the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, and to raise awareness about the challenges faced by many veterans and the resources that are available at the county, state, and federal level to assist veterans and their families. 

The collaborative was developed by the NYS Association of Counties and the NYS County Veteran Service Officers’ Association. 

“While the ending of the war in Afghanistan has refocused Americans’ attention on the immense sacrifice of America’s service men and women, it has also brought significant stress to many of the veterans who served in that conflict,” said Legislature Chair Rochelle M. Stein.  “We wanted to do something special this year to reach out to our veterans and let them know, that their service mattered and that we are grateful.”

In addition to lighting county buildings, residents are encouraged to participate by simply changing one light bulb in their house to a green bulb. This can be an exterior light that neighbors and passersby see, or an interior light that sparks a conversation with friends.

By shining a green light, we let veterans know that they are seen, appreciated, and supported. While this event is focused around the week of Veterans Day (November 7th-13th), participants are encouraged to continue shining the light year-round. 

Residents can share their participation on social media using the hashtag #OperationGreenLight.

“Operation Green Light is an opportunity to support our veterans and raise awareness about the challenges they face and say that if you’re a vet and your struggling, please reach out for assistance,” said NYSAC President Martha (Marte) Sauebrey. “We encourage everyone to join with us in displaying a green light for our veterans and to also to reach out the vets in your life to check in and let them know that you’re with them and that you have their back.”

Information and Resources available for Veterans please contact:

Veterans Service Agency, Genesee County Building #2, 3837 West Main Street Road, Batavia, NY 14020. Phone: 585-815-7905. Fax: 585-345-3085

Email: veterans@co.genesee.ny.us. Website: https://www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/veterans/index.php

Retired Maj. Gen. John Batiste spoke at the VA Medical Center Saturday during the two-day veterans celebration this past weekend. The Daily News was there to cover the event. "The rest of the people of Batavia should be here," Batiste told the crowd of about 150 people. "We're in a war." Reporter Tom Rivers writes:

Batiste said the country has failed to mobilize, to rally its citizens, behind the war in Iraq, where 4,079 Americans have died since March 2003.

[He] called on the community to support the veterans and their families by insisting on speedy processing of vet claims, and fully-funded health care, including services for post traumatic stress disorder, which affects 30 percent of soldiers.

Batiste urged the Genesee County community to create a Veterans Outreach Center, similar to one in Rochester that links veterans to agencies for support.

The volunteer-run outreach centers can serve the veterans better than government, with its layers of bureaucracy, Batiste said.

When I read that, I thought of the Genesee County Veterans Service Agency, run by Hal Kreter. Hal's been especially busy these days as the liaison between the other area veterans groups, along with planning Memorial Day services. Nevertheless, he spared a few minutes to sit down with me about two weeks ago to tell me a bit about what the agency does for its local veterans. While it does not offer the more personal assistance a veteran could get from an outreach center, Hal stressed, the agency does help make the bureaucracy a little less intimidating.

"We handle the files," he says. "We file claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs for compensation and insurance... We're basically going over the benefits for veterans. An outreach center is a place where veterans can go and talk to people, associate with them."

I told Hal that Batavia already seemed to have many resources available to veterans to help ease the transition from military to civilian life and to engage them throughout their life back home: his own agency, the VA Medical Center (including its PTSD clinic), the American Legion, the VFW. True, he said, and all of those groups are "great at what they do," but an oureach center would provide that added service that veterans could really use, another place they could go to find people there for them, even if just to talk.