Sarasota County Veteran's Services serving those who served to navigate life
SARASOTA, Fla. - At 20 years old, Douglas Kremer enlisted in the U.S Army. He served with the 101st Airborne Division as a paratrooper during the Vietnam war.
"I worked search and destroy in the Vietnam war and the place that scared us the most was going into the A Shau Valley and I talk about the A Shau Valley being hell on Earth and I tell people I've been to hell on Earth and I don't want to go there when I die," he said.
He'd earn a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. He fought at Hamburger Hill in 1969 and he'd come home with wounds – some that wouldn't appear until later years.
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Douglas Kremer served in the Army in Vietnam. He now benefits from Sarasota County Veteran's Services
"We didn’t know about Agent Orange when we were over there. We’d walk into areas that were completely black. Agent Orange kills every piece of vegetation on the Earth. We sat in these areas and ate our C rations and drank our water. I didn’t know anything about the residuals from that until I got back from Vietnam," said Kremer.
Now fully disabled, Kremer utilizes Sarasota County's Veteran's Services to help him navigate the VA system and paperwork that can seem never-ending.
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"Every veteran I talk to, they don’t realize our county here has somebody they can go to to help them," he said.
The number of veterans coming through their doors has slowed down, in part due to COCID-19, but the office is open and ready to help all veterans.
"That is our goal, is to help other people get what they need to get from the VA. You served our country. We need to serve you," said Aretha Gipson.
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From VA healthcare to VA home loan information, Aretha Gipson works to help veterans in a number of ways. She served 20 years in the U.S Navy and retired as a chief petty officer. She now works to help those who've served our country in life after service.
"All of us in the building are disabled veterans ourselves. For us, I think it’s kind of personal. Somebody had to help us and it’s our pleasure to help someone else," she said.
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The three office locations – Sarasota, Venice and North Port – are operating by appointment only. The nine-member veteran services team is committed to ensuring continued quality service to veterans and family members.
Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 pm. Monday through Friday. Contact the Sarasota office at 941-861-2899; Venice at 861-3047; North Port 429-7214 or email veterans@scgov.net.