Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Gary Love’s first steps into the Dubois County Veterans Service Office were like stepping back into the familiar territory of his many years of service in the Army National Guard.
Love took over as the new Veterans Service Officer on August 31.
With a career spanning 25 years — 18-and-a-half on active duty — in similar settings, Love can appreciate the framed photos of the seals representing the military branches adorning the wall in his new office and the government-issued paperwork filed in his desk. “My first step in here I thought, ‘I’m back in a recruiter’s office or I’m back in MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station),’” he laughed.
Love spent more than a decade of his military career recruiting and retaining soldiers for the Army National Guard. To this day, soldiers he recruited still call asking for help with certain aspects of their military benefits now that they are out of the service. “Being a recruiter, I am familiar with the system,” he said adding he’s had to do it for himself as well.
Whether he is driving someone up to Indianapolis to ensure they get an account set up correctly or just walking a veteran through some tough paperwork, Love has a passion for helping servicemen and servicewomen.
Since taking on the new role, he’s taken some steps to ensure veterans know they are welcome. He removed a reflective covering from the front door to open the office up to the outside world. He has also ordered a flag stating “Veterans Welcome”.
The office located on the side of the Dubois County Annex building at the intersection of Sixth and Main streets is currently open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Love acknowledged the limitations those hours could have on some locally employed veterans. He has plans to work with local employers to meet veterans where they work during lunch hours.
He is also getting connected with the many area veterans organizations to build relationships and send out information to their members.
There have already been humbling moments. Last week, a Vietnam veteran — a Purple Heart recipient — stopped in asking what services he was eligible to receive. “I was able to get him started on some benefits,” said Love. “He served 50 years ago and had never applied for benefits.”
It is rewarding to help these men and women who have served. That service is a common bond between him and those he helps. That same sense of esprit de corps is what drove him to apply for a commission and serve in Iraq. “I saw a lot of 20-year-old guys I had recruited heading over to Iraq,” he explained.
Love decided he would follow the advice others had given him and seek a commission as an officer.
In 2007, he headed back where his military career had started; Fort Benning. He went through boot camp there when he was 18 after joining the Army on a buddy program. His friend got a promotion to private second class and Love found a career. Now, he was attending Officers Candidate School as a 38-year-old Sergeant First Class.
He was in formation when General David Patreus spoke about the upcoming surge in Iraq. The same speech Patreus would give to Congress the next week. Soon after returning to Jasper, his unit was deployed.
They were assigned to handle convoy security — a mission that the infantry unit was not necessarily trained to do. “You take a bunch of infantry guys who are used to kicking down doors and going after the enemy, and you put them in Humvees, MRAPs (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles), and armored vehicles,” Love explained. “It was a unique challenge.”
Packed with soldiers, these convoys would crawl along roads and paths to the destination. It was tedious. A 50- to 60-mile trip could take up to four hours. Fighting complacency, the troops had to be alert for improvised explosive devices as the convoy ambled along. Love’s job was to plan the routes based on the intelligence he had available over the previous 24 hours.
“I planned and executed 34 of those missions,” he said. “We were rather lucky. We found almost all the IEDs that targeted our convoy, but we did have a couple detonate on us.”
They didn’t lose any soldiers but there were a few Purple Hearts and Combat Infantry Badges issued.
Returning to the U.S., Love found it difficult going from a hyper-sensitive and well-oiled machine to the chaos of civilian life. Things like mowing the yard, paying the bills, and dealing with arguing kids can be overwhelming for a combat veteran.
Love acknowledged the current situation in Afghanistan is likely going to impact a lot of men and women who have served there.
“There are guys and gals that are frustrated right now,” he said. “I want them to know we have resources for them.”
This experience gave him insight into how other veterans feel returning home. He feels it also allows him to help others coming from the same experiences.
Love acknowledged the current situation in Afghanistan is likely going to impact a lot of men and women who have served there.
“There are guys and gals that are frustrated right now,” he said. “I want them to know we have resources for them.”
He wants them to know they — like any other Dubois County veteran — are welcome anytime in his new, familiar office as he settles back into doing what he loves.
“I told my wife that I am blessed,” Love said. “I feel like this is what I am meant to do the rest of my work life.”
Love and his wife, Angela, live in Ireland. They have two grown sons, Travis, 25, and Kade, 20.