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Community Corner

Lacey Township Veterans Commission Gains a New Member and a New Plan

Lacey Township resident Bruce Baker was recently nominated to be a part of the Lacey Township Veterans Commission.

After several quiet years, the Lacey Township Veterans Commission is making plans to become more active in the coming months with a strong focus on helping local veterans.

The five member commission is an outlet for veterans looking for assistance and guidance in Lacey Township. Up until recently, Bernard Snyder, a member of the Commission and Vietnam veteran, admits the commission had not been very active since the late 1990s.

"We were very active in the '80s and early '90s because a lot of veterans--mostly Vietnam veterans were looking for help. Then they kind of faded out," said Snyder, whom is a retired police officer of Lanoka Harbor. "Now things are getting busy with returning Iraq veterans."

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With a surge in the population of veterans to the area, the commission has decided to take action again and focus on helping the town's veterans.

"We're regrouping and going back to being active again," said Snyder. "We're going to help veterans get the benefits they deserve."

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The Veterans Commission also plans to offer guidance to veterans, in regards to school, jobs and anything else they can be assisted with.

Recently, Snyder, whom has been on the Lacey Township Veterans Commission for 30 years, took the initiative to nominate his fellow veteran, Bruce Baker for the Lacey Township Veterans Commission.

"He had mentioned it before to me, within the last year, and I said, 'Yeah, I'd like to get on it,'" said Baker. "He said he was going to talk to the mayor about it, and I didn't object."

Baker was a marine for six years before he joined the Army National Guard. Now retired, he volunteers with Snyder at the Veterans Service Bureau in Toms River, NJ.

Although the agenda for the Commission is still currently in the works for the upcoming year, Baker emphasized the need for assistance for veterans and their families.

"We're pushing for better benefits for them," said Baker.

According to Baker, the Commission also tries to get toys and food for veterans and their families during the holiday seasons.

Baker also hopes to increase the advertising to the township's annual Memorial Day parade.

"The crowds have been dying down," said Baker. "We want to build up the spirit and get people going to the parades."

Each member of the Lacey Township Veterans Commission is a veteran, and according to Snyder, each are involved in different veteran organizations.

"We're able to coordinate pretty good with other organizations," said Snyder.

One objective for Snyder is to have assistance more readily available for veterans in town. Snyder plans to have members at the Vetwork building in Forked River more often to give guidance to veterans.

"People sit there and veterans come in and ask for guidance on how to file claims for disabilities, how to get into college, the G.I. bill and how to look for jobs," said Snyder.

The Lacey Township Veterans Commission plans to begin regular meetings starting the first week in February.

Veterans can reach out to Vetwork by calling 609-971-7613.

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