A record number of military veterans from the Syracuse community received free legal services Saturday at Dineen Hall.

Syracuse University’s sixth Valor Day event provided veterans and their families access to organizations and legal advisement close to home and free of charge. Valor Day is a shortening for Veterans’ Advocacy, Law and Outreach Day. The event was created in 2012 by College of Law student organization VISION, or Veterans Issues, Support, Initiative and Outreach Network.

Valor Day services were provided by a culmination of student volunteers from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and the College of Law and professional representatives for career, legal, financial, personal and family advisement, said VISION President Matt Crouch.

At Saturday’s event in Dineen Hall, 12 organizations set up tables to speak with veterans. Several programs at Valor Day were designed to assist veterans’ transitions from military life to civilian life, while others assisted educational ambitions. 

Alex Davidson, a pro bono attorney who has practiced law for 35 years, stressed the event’s importance, saying the majority of those involved had served in the military at some time.

“It’s very rewarding, being able to give back to those who have also served,” Davidson said. “Virtually everyone here has been involved in the military in some way, and some have served on multiple tours.”

The point of Valor Day, he said, is to provide services to veterans in a welcome and centralized location and give veterans access to services they may not have otherwise known about.

This year, 34 clients made appointments to see advisers, not including those for tax services, Crouch said. This is an increase from the 25 appointments made during the fall Valor Day, making it the highest number of appointments the Valor Day event has had since its creation.

Veterans come to Valor Day to seek assistance with issues related to family, taxes and careers, said Yelena Duterte, director of the College of Law’s Veteran Legal Clinic. The hope is to give veterans “the best advice and provide fair representation” in many different areas of need, she added.

Kevin Montross, a veteran who served in the army for 21 years, said the event was helpful because of the access to services and connection with other veterans.

“After serving for so long, you start to miss that community you shared (in the military),” he said.

Other members of the community came for consulting services. Nell McFarland-Miles, whose husband had served in the military and passed away, came to Valor Day seeking a Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, which is a tax-free monetary benefit paid to eligible survivors of military service members who died in the line of duty or as a result of a service-related injury or disease, according to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs website.

Joe Lamendola, director of external relations at SU’s Veterans Legal Clinic and volunteer attorney for the event, said Valor Day accomplished several goals — the pivotal ones being that the veterans understand their rights, are provided the services they need and can achieve their goals after leaving the event.

Lamendola, who served 30 years as a colonel in the Air Force, said he appreciates being able to give back and added that Valor Day enhances SU Chancellor Kent Syverud’s goal of “integrating the veterans into the university.” In his inaugural address in April 2014, Syverud said he wants to make SU the “best place for veterans.”

“It also brings veterans to the campus and shows them that the campus is in-tune to providing the needs of the military,” Lamendola said. “And I think that is both a win-win for both university and the community.”

Published on February 7, 2016 at 11:20 pm

Contact Tara: trtolton@syr.edu