Veterans deserve better from commissioners

Chickasaw County Veterans are being slapped in the face by their own VA Commissioners who are all Veterans; James Geerts, Wayne Moetsch and Lisa Wilkers.They plan to hire as County Veteran Service Officer (CVSO), Rick Holthaus, from Alta Vista. He is a non-veteran who lost re-election this past November to the County Board of Supervisors (CBOS) after eight years in office and who in the past, I believe, has been lacking in his support of county veteran issues.Sounds like another episode of FUBAR or SNAFU. It is known that members of the Alta Vista VFW pushed for Rick’s appointment. Is James Geerts a member of the Alta Vista VFW? Sounds like a “Good O’Boy” hiring to me, how about you?According to Iowa Code 35 all 99 CBOS appoint the VA Commissioners but do not directly hire the CVSO. The CBOS does set the wage and benefit package for the CVSO since he/she become a county employee.There were five veteran applications received in the County Auditor’s Office with one missing the deadline and one a non-veteran. If you review the CVSO Job Description you will see that a bachelor’s degree in social work, human services or veteran counseling or equivalent knowledge and experience is required. Mr. Holthaus has none of these qualifications per his job application yet some of the veteran applicants did. The veterans were offered $12.12/hr and 24 hrs/wk, Mr. Holthaus was given $13.50/hr and 27 ½ hrs/wk. It’s known that the HR consultant who did the interviewing was hired by Mr. Holthaus when he was CBOS. It has been learned through a member of the VA Commission that Mr. Holthaus wants IPERS and benefits.Veterans were mistreated when they came home from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm and Afghanistan, usually by non-veterans. But to be mistreated by fellow veterans, this is BS! It is time we STAND TALL and TOGETHER and express our dislike for a non-veteran chosen as the new CVSO. Perhaps the COBS should call for James Geerts, Wayne Moetsch and Lisa Wilkers resignations and establish a new VA Commission by increasing to five, one from each district.Female veterans are welcome to apply.There are over 900 veterans in Chickasaw County. In 2016 they brought over $6.4 million into the county through various VA Expenditures, much of which is nontaxable cash. They use it to pay their mortgages and rent, pay their utilities and taxes and shop locally.There are three papers in the county, not everyone subscribes but everyone gets the Shopper. Soon an article will be published in the Shopper with more information. Veterans want an email tree so information can be shared rather than calling the state about local veteran events. There will be an email account started and listed in the Shopper article for those who want to receive and share the information.