- today
On Friday, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) held an opening ceremony for a new Veterans' Outreach Center.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Good morning.
00:19Ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
00:21I am Mark Farrar, the Executive Deputy Secretary for the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs,
00:26and I will be your master of ceremonies today.
00:28I would like to recognize the official party, the 48th Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
00:34the Honorable Josh Shapiro, the 55th Adjutant General for the Pennsylvania National Guard
00:39and Head of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Major General John R. Pippey,
00:47the Chairman of the State Veterans Commission, Mr. Nick Taylor,
00:52and the Deputy Adjutant General for Veterans Affairs, Brigadier General P.A. Maureen Weigel.
00:57Additionally, I would like to offer a heartfelt welcome to our elected officials and their representatives,
01:05our federal partners from the VA, our service organizations that support veterans,
01:12our co-workers, but most of all, our veterans that are here today.
01:15Thank you for coming out and braving now the cold weather and rain to celebrate the opening of our first Veterans Outreach Center.
01:26At this time, I would ask everyone to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance that will be led by Lieutenant Colonel Retired Nick Taylor,
01:34Chairman of the State Veterans Commission. Nick.
01:36Thank you, sir.
01:42With the flag of our nation in place,
01:46I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
01:51and to the republic for which it stands,
01:54one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
01:59Thank you, Nick. Please be seated.
02:08In 2021, the department was tasked with opening a Veterans Service Resource Center
02:14when we were given the Lieutenant Governor's Mansion through legislative action.
02:20It was not feasible to convert the Lieutenant Governor's Mansion to a resource center
02:25just due to the way that it was constructed.
02:28Fortunately for us, Northern Lebanon School District decided to sell their elementary schools
02:33when they decided to consolidate all their schools on one campus.
02:37So we purchased one.
02:39We actually purchased two.
02:40One will be a readiness center.
02:42But this Lickdale will be used, obviously, for a Veterans Outreach Center.
02:47As we are preparing to celebrate the 249th birthday of our nation next week,
02:54what a better way to do this by honoring our veterans
02:57and introducing a new way of how the department will deliver services
03:01for those who fought so valiantly for our freedom.
03:05The Lickdale Veterans Outreach Center is our first Veterans Center in Pennsylvania.
03:10This outreach center concept represents a paradigm shift
03:14in the delivery of services for the veterans of the Commonwealth.
03:19These regional centers will combine resources from the Commonwealth,
03:23our federal partners, other state agencies, county agencies,
03:29and non-governmental agencies and partners
03:32in streamlining how we give benefits and programs to our veterans.
03:39Pennsylvania has the fifth largest veteran population.
03:45And there are many areas within the Commonwealth that are austere
03:50where veterans cannot have easily accessed those benefits.
03:55The purpose of these regional centers will be to bridge that gap.
04:00This will be a place to support, a place of true support.
04:05Veterans will find a welcoming environment filled with professionals
04:07from multiple agencies eager to assist them in resolving issues
04:12of any magnitude that may impact their quality of life.
04:17Partners like the State Department of Labor and Industry
04:19will apply employment support,
04:22while the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
04:24will be providing support in this facility as well.
04:29As the center continues to grow,
04:31we will welcome more partners to further assist our veterans.
04:34Today, you will have the opportunity to tour this amazing facility
04:38at the end of the ceremony.
04:40There are many people who have been instrumental
04:43in the concept and development of this facility,
04:45and we would like to recognize and thank them.
04:49The leadership of DMVA, the Adjutant General, Major General Pippi,
04:53and the former Adjutant General, Major General Retired Mark Schindler,
04:57who was here when this concept first started.
05:01And our director, our executive director of Veterans Services,
05:04Mr. Keith Graham, who couldn't be with us today
05:06because he's touring Germany.
05:07Lucky him.
05:10The Department of Installation Management,
05:13under the guise of Mr. Bob Heppner and Greg Lehman,
05:17just so you know, the entire building was renovated
05:20by our Bureau of Facilities Management,
05:24all of whom are state employees.
05:27So this building was done by Commonwealth employees.
05:31And as you walk through it,
05:33you will see truly the amazing job,
05:35hard work, and sweat equity that went into the building.
05:38So thank you and a round of applause for that.
05:40All the other directorates within the department
05:50through our legal office, our human resource office,
05:54our office of administration, our comms office,
05:56who did pretty much all the interior design that you saw,
06:00or you will see shortly.
06:03Thank you for your support.
06:05The State Veterans Commission and their support,
06:07obviously Northern Lebanon School District,
06:09and finally our federal partners
06:11at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
06:14Thank you all.
06:15At this time, I would like to welcome to the podium
06:18Major General Pippi, the 55th Adjutant General
06:21and head of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
06:24Sir.
06:29Thank you, Mark.
06:30It's truly an honor to be here, Governor Shapiro,
06:33elected officials, members of our State Veterans Commission,
06:37community partners, of course, our veterans.
06:41I just want to thank everyone for being here.
06:43I see that we have some representatives from Senator Mastriano's office,
06:48Nate Silcox, who's the executive director of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.
06:53We appreciate that, Nate.
06:54And also from Senator McCormick's office, Joe Nall.
06:57Did I say it right?
06:58Yeah, Joe, appreciate it.
06:59He's constituent outreach.
07:00I know we had Representative Russ Diamond here a little earlier.
07:04You know, it means a lot.
07:05You're hearing a lot about partnerships.
07:06And I want to first, you know, thank General Schindler
07:08because he was instrumental in the development of this program,
07:12but also the entire team.
07:14We've had a paradigm shift.
07:16We're going out to bring these services to those individuals.
07:19And this is a piece of that cog
07:21because now we'll have a central hub where we can then go out,
07:24service our veterans, and then also bring them back in.
07:27And, you know, I'm excited about this.
07:30This center and hopefully others like it will represent that new model
07:35where we meet them and the veterans in their communities face-to-face
07:40in a space that's built for them, and in this case by them.
07:45A lot of our state employees are veterans, and so we're real proud of that.
07:50You know, we spent a lot of time with our Vet Connect, our 1-800 numbers.
07:56Those are all good.
07:57That helps us touch and help that veteran.
08:01But having a facility where we can come in and get health care,
08:04services, ID cards in the future, all those at one-stop shop,
08:09right off the highway, this is going to make it more accessible
08:12for all our veterans.
08:13And that's what really the vision has been throughout this entire time.
08:17How do we do our job better for those who deserve it the most?
08:20I'm excited, you know, to not only be part of this,
08:26but I'm excited as now that we've seen this vision come to fruition, you know,
08:31boy, I'm already starting to hear from people, you know,
08:34we need to do this in Philly.
08:35We need to do this in Lebanon.
08:36We need to do this in Allegheny County.
08:38We need to go up to Erie.
08:39So we're excited, and we want you all to be part of that journey.
08:44As the Agent General, I want to officially thank everyone
08:47who's been involved with this.
08:49I say our care of veterans, our Gold Star families,
08:53is our solemn obligation.
08:55As a nation, as a commonwealth, and then as DMVA, that is our mission.
09:00One team, one mission.
09:01And taking care of veterans is that mission.
09:04But I couldn't do that without the tremendous support of a boss
09:08who really genuinely cares.
09:10And I apologize we were running a little late,
09:12but that's because when you hear the powerful stories of the staff
09:15that's working there or the individuals we've helped,
09:18you want to stay and listen, and you really understand.
09:22So I'm very proud and want to thank Governor.
09:25Thank you, sir, Governor Shapiro, for your unwavering support
09:28to not only the DMVA, we appreciate that, but also our guard in general.
09:34We are so grateful for all the programs and opportunities.
09:38Pennsylvania is a leader in taking care of veterans,
09:40and we couldn't do that without your guidance and support.
09:44So it's my honor now to introduce my boss,
09:47the 48th Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
09:49the Honorable Josh Shapiro.
09:51Thank you, General Pippi.
09:57Good morning, everyone.
09:58This is a good day,
10:01and this is an important day for our commonwealth and for our veterans.
10:05Let me begin by just saying how thankful I am to General Pippi for his leadership,
10:11the trusted counsel that he provides to me and my team
10:15as an extraordinarily important member of my cabinet,
10:18and the outstanding example he sets for our guard
10:22and for all Pennsylvanians who put on the uniform
10:25and go out and defend our freedoms every single day.
10:28General Pippi, thank you for your leadership,
10:30and thank you for your friendship over two decades.
10:33I appreciate you very, very much.
10:35I know we're joined by several members of his leadership team.
10:37I want to make special mention of General Weigel,
10:40who's done so much work to get us here today and on many other areas.
10:44I thank you very, very much, General Weigel.
10:47You know, it is great to be here in Lebanon County
10:50to celebrate this opening today
10:53for the Commonwealth's first in-person Veterans Resource Center.
10:58I'm proud to be here today at the invitation of General Pippi.
11:02I'm proud to be here today as your governor.
11:05I'm especially proud to be here today as the son of a Navy veteran,
11:08to know that my father and the nearly 800,000 Pennsylvania veterans
11:14have a one-stop-shop place to go
11:16with loving, caring people who I got the chance to visit with today
11:21who care about them, who want to serve them,
11:24who want to make sure to show them the level of respect,
11:28pardon me, that they have earned.
11:30And so this is a truly special day.
11:32I believe that there should be no wrong door
11:35for accessing support and assistance in our Commonwealth.
11:40That is especially true for our Commonwealth's veterans
11:42who bravely served our Commonwealth and our country
11:46and have put their lives on the line
11:47to defend our freedoms at home and abroad.
11:51It takes a special person to do that.
11:53We owe our veterans and our service members an immense debt of gratitude.
11:59And this is an example of how we show that gratitude,
12:02how we show that respect, and how we meet their needs.
12:06Led by General Pippi and the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs,
12:10my administration takes very seriously the important role we play to serve our veterans.
12:15And I believe that is best done when we give our veterans an opportunity
12:21when they come home to succeed here in Pennsylvania,
12:25to get the help they need here in Pennsylvania,
12:28to be able to provide for their families and to give back to their communities.
12:32And this place allows them to be able to do that with ease
12:37and allows them to be able to do that with all of the benefits that they are entitled to.
12:43As your governor, I've worked hard with Republicans and Democrats in the legislature
12:48to pass historic funding to support our veterans,
12:51whether supporting them through increased funding for mental health
12:55or supporting them by cutting through the red tape
12:58and getting them the business and occupational licenses they need
13:02to get their business off the ground,
13:04to be able to provide for their families,
13:06to be able to get out and provide the support they need to those they care about.
13:11We've worked hard with the Department of State.
13:14This is an all-in effort by my administration.
13:17We've worked hard with the Department of State
13:18to create the first-ever military occupational crosswalk
13:23to make it easier for returning veterans and spouses
13:26to obtain those occupational licenses and certifications.
13:30And we've been able to cut down on the wait times that veterans have
13:34to get those licenses, to get into the business world,
13:37to get the support they need.
13:40We've also reached out not just to those who run small businesses
13:43or those who work in our tall office buildings in different parts of our commonwealth,
13:48but also those who do important work on our farmlands.
13:51We've been able to deliver $200,000 in grants to veteran farmers
13:55to be able to expand their operations.
13:58In 2024, and General Weigel deserves a ton of credit for this,
14:02we delivered over a billion dollars in compensation and pension benefits for our veterans.
14:08These are important things that we're able to deliver
14:11thanks to the incredible folks who work here at DMVA
14:14and commit themselves to serving our veterans.
14:18And, of course, to our seniors who are veterans,
14:21we want them to age with dignity and with respect here in our commonwealth.
14:27That's why we've invested in six top-notch veteran homes across this commonwealth.
14:34The general and I were in Philly, I think, not too long ago,
14:37and I was there back in 2023 when we broke ground on the Holidaysburg facility.
14:42I've noted, General Weigel, in each of the times I've shown up
14:46at a veteran's ribbon-cutting or groundbreaking, it's raining and chilly no matter what month it is.
14:51So rain is good luck.
14:53By the way, it rained the day I got married.
14:55It rained or snowed on the birth of each of our four children.
14:58So it's good luck.
14:59Thank God everybody is in good health.
15:01So we'll make sure that there's good things that come from the rain that God sends down here.
15:06So, listen, I just want to say we're going to continue to support our veterans,
15:12and we're going to continue to literally open up the doors as we're doing here for our veterans.
15:17This new resource center is an important part of our commitment.
15:21If you're a veteran and you need, say, a copy of your service records,
15:25but you're not sure where to turn, come here.
15:28And one of those wonderful people are going to be here to help you.
15:31If you're having problems accessing the benefits that you rightly earned, come here,
15:37and someone is going to help you.
15:38If you're a family member caring for an aging veteran and you need help finding care for that loved one
15:45who served us, come here, and someone will help you.
15:49If you're a veteran and you suspect someone is trying to poach your pension,
15:53come here, and someone is going to help you and protect you.
15:57If you're planning a funeral for a veteran, for that loved one that served our nation
16:02and gave so much to your family, come here to ensure that they receive a proper burial with military honors.
16:11We're going to help you here.
16:13It's that simple.
16:14If you're a veteran, if you're a service member, if you're a family member,
16:16and you've got any issue, come here, and we will resolve it for you.
16:22There should be no wrong door.
16:23Whether you walk in here, you call here, you email here, you text here,
16:27we are going to make sure you get the help that you need.
16:31And to be clear, you don't need an appointment.
16:33You show up here, and one of these smiling folks is going to be there to help you.
16:37These are really wonderful people doing God's work,
16:40and we want to make sure that our veterans know they are here for you.
16:44So look, this place hasn't even officially opened yet.
16:47In a moment, General Pippi and I will cut the ribbon and officially open it.
16:51But even with their soft opening, we've already had dozens of people show up here,
16:56dozens of veterans who have been able to successfully access the help that they need.
17:01And I hope that with today's ceremony, it will be a welcome invitation for veterans
17:07and the community to come here and to find the help that they need.
17:12And to the point General Pippi made a moment ago,
17:15I hope that this is not just an outstanding resource center,
17:19but I hope this now becomes a model for other resource centers
17:24that we have to get open across this Commonwealth.
17:27General Schindler, Governor Wolf helped make sure that we got this moving.
17:31I thank the members of the legislature who ensured that we had the funding to be able to do this.
17:35I thank the members of our Commonwealth staff who literally, with their hands,
17:41helped build this place inside and make it warm and welcoming.
17:45But I hope this is not the last time we cut a rib in general.
17:48We need more of these facilities across the Commonwealth,
17:51and I am committed to making sure that we have the resources to do just that.
17:56So our administration will continue to have the backs of Pennsylvania veterans,
18:00continue to be proud of them and their service.
18:02And I'll just close by wishing God's blessing upon all who serve this nation
18:08and wishing safety and well-being to our Pennsylvania guardsmen and women
18:13who are serving at home and abroad and doing brave and courageous work.
18:17I'm honored to serve as your governor, and I'm incredibly proud to be here today.
18:21Thank you very much.
18:22I'll turn it back to Mark.
18:23Thank you, sir, for those kind remarks.
18:33This time I would ask the party here to move to the ribbon,
18:37and we will cut the ribbon.
18:42You trust the general there?
18:44Yeah, I did the same.
18:45They're sharp, sir.
18:47One, two, three.
18:51I think we'll take a few questions.
19:05Great.
19:08General and I are happy to take a few questions from the media, if you have any.
19:14Governor?
19:14Yeah.
19:15James Mensah with Lifetime.
19:16What does it mean to you and for the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
19:21to repurpose this building and to make it a useful resource again,
19:27not only for our veterans but for Lebanon County?
19:29Look, this is just such a critically important area.
19:32We've got a lot of veterans in the Lebanon County area in this entire region.
19:37And the fact that the general and his team were able to work with the school district
19:40to repurpose this facility at certainly a reasonable rate to the Pennsylvania taxpayers
19:46that's now going to give our veterans in these communities a one-stop shop
19:50to get the help that they deserve, the help that they need.
19:55I'm incredibly proud of the team that made this happen.
19:59And I want our veterans to know that we're open.
20:01We are here for them.
20:02We literally have an agency of our state government that is here to serve you
20:07and support you, and this is your one-stop shop to get that help.
20:13Anything else?
20:15Okay.
20:15Thank you all very much.
20:16Oh, I'm sorry.
20:17This is off-topic.
20:19A recent Emerson College poll has you with some favorable numbers
20:23for the Democratic nomination for the presidential election in 2028.
20:28That's really off-topic.
20:33Is there a question?
20:34Your thoughts on that and...
20:37I don't spend any time reading those polls or any attention.
20:40I am proud of the fact that the work we are doing on a bipartisan basis in Pennsylvania
20:45gets noticed by folks elsewhere.
20:47I am focused on doing my job as governor, doing things like this
20:50that improve the lives of the good people of Pennsylvania,
20:52and I'm going to continue to focus like a laser beam on that.
20:55Thanks.
20:56All right?
20:57One more.
20:58Yep.
21:01Governor, you talked about how you would like to have these centers open.
21:04Is there any idea where you would like to put these centers next
21:07and where to get the funding for them?
21:08I don't want to get ahead of the general.
21:10He can comment on where.
21:11I will tell you that we have seen,
21:13I think there were members of the legislature staff here.
21:17I think what has been clear is even in this divided government,
21:21we've been able to come together, Republican and Democrat alike,
21:24and invest record amounts of funding in our veterans.
21:27So I'm confident when the general comes to us with a plan,
21:31we'll be able to put together a bipartisan coalition in order to meet the needs that the general lays out.
21:36And I would say, too, we have the numbers of where our densities of veterans are, where their needs are.
21:43But what really made this happen was the partnership with the school district, in this case,
21:48and the Lebanon County to make this so we could get a program that is built out of the best use of the tax dollar.
21:57So I'll say, if you have a need and you have a facility that we can repurpose,
22:04we'll be looking at that criteria to help drive where our next stop is.
22:09Because these programs, we could do it across the entire Commonwealth.
22:12So we're really looking at the best opportunity.
22:14And fortunately for us, this school was available, and we were able to turn this around in less than two years.
22:22Less than two years at much lower than if we had done it through a private sector contract or anything.
22:27So, Governor, we're proud of it, and we really appreciate your support.
22:31Great.
22:32All right.
22:33Thank you all very much.
22:35Mark, you've got to thank the man.
22:36At this time, I'll ask Chairman Taylor to come up to retire the colors.
22:58As we retire the colors in place, would you please stand?
23:01Veterans are authorized to salute.
23:03Non-veterans, please place your right hand over your heart.
23:07With the flag of our nation in place, hand salute.
23:13Two.
23:16Thank you, sir.
23:17Thank you, Nick.
23:18Please be seated.
23:20Ladies and gentlemen, with the ribbon cut, please feel to join us for some light refreshments inside in our hoteling suite,
23:27which is all the way down the hall to the left.
23:30You're welcome to tour the facility,
23:32and there will be representatives from the department to tell you what they do here
23:39and what this building will, services this building will provide.
23:42This concludes today's ceremony.
23:45Thank you very much for your attendance,
23:47and most of all, for supporting our veterans.
23:49Have a safe day.
Recommended
5:26