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• Saturday, July 20, 2019

  Legion Names Service Officer of Year, Gives Employment Awards

  

  Service Officer of the Year Jeremy Marshall

  BUFFALO — One of the highlights of Friday’s assembly at The American Legion state convention was the awarding of the Service Officer of the Year. Another highlight was recognizing those who find jobs for veterans and an employer who hires vets.

  The Service Officer of the Year is Jeremy Marshall, director of Ontario County Veterans Service Agency.

  He also received a National American Legion Citation for Meritorious Service. Marshall was cited for “an aggressive outreach program to reach as many of the county’s 8,200 veterans as possible,” including, among other things, working with Canandaigua VA Medical Center and helping to form a Veterans Treatment Court for vets within the criminal justice system. A past commander of American Legion Post 256, Marshall served in the Marines and then later in the Army. During his last deployment to Afghanistan, he was severely injured by an improvised explosive device.

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  The American Legion advocates for veterans’ employment, and recognizes service officers that excel at placing vets in jobs and employers who hire veterans.

  Employment Committee Chair Thomas Rielly singled out two service officers along with an employer of the year during Friday’s assembly at the 101st Convention.

  Decrecente Distributors in Mechanicville (Saratoga County) is Employer of the Year. The company hired 22 veterans last year, Rielly noted. Earl J. Manning Post 490 in Stillwater nominated the firm.

  Disabled Veterans Program Specialist (DVOP) of the Year is Nicholas Brown of Rochester Works One Stop Career Center. In the past year he placed 30 veterans in full time employment, including 23 disabled vets.

  Local Veterans Employment Representative (LVER) of the Year is Salvatore Baggetta of Working Solutions Career Center in Herkimer. He placed 10 vets in full time jobs.