Everyone is invited to congratulate Mike Bierl at his retirement party this Thursday, June 26, from 2 to 5 pm at the VFW hall on the courthouse square in Jefferson. Refreshments will be served. The party is hosted by American Legion Post #11 and VFW Post #9599.
January 1 is always the beginning of a new year, a time to start over with resolutions for improvement. Our Greene County veteran affairs office experienced this in in exactly that way when Mike Bierl was hired on Jan. 1, 2019. Bierl was the veterans service officer for Greene County from that time until Jan. 8, 2025.
Never before did the local veterans service office (VSO) reach out to the veterans in this county. Bierl conducted several Outreach programs over the years including an End-of-Life program at Clover Hall, a Gold Star Museum bus trip to Camp Dodge, a Christmas program that will not soon be forgotten, and the patriotic musical Brown family at the local high school. His desire was to reach those veterans who might not want to walk into an office for help.
Never before did Greene County veterans receive the benefits that they were entitled to, the benefits they earned through their service. With the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022, considered the largest expansion of veterans’ benefits and services in history, Bierl accomplished the mission of filing many new claims for county veterans. Bierl was responsible for beginning a monthly Veterans Coffee, a monthly tradition on updating veterans of their local, state, and national benefits. This month’s Veterans Coffee will begin from 1 to 2 pm just prior to Bierl’s retirement and will be led by the new veteran service administrator Billie Jo Johnson-Daves.
