SWAMPSCOTT — Cmdr. Jeffrey Blonder and Adjutant Andrea Gayle-Bennett, of the E.F. Gilmore Disabled American Veterans post, were chosen to serve on national committees at the recent 2023 DAV and DAV Auxiliary National Convention in Atlantic City, N.J.
Blonder, an Afghanistan War veteran who has served in the DAV for roughly five years, was selected to serve on the Employment Committee. Gayle-Bennett, a 35-year Army National Guard veteran and the Commonwealth’s first deputy secretary of the Executive Office of Veterans’ Services, was selected to serve on the General Resolutions and Bylaw Committee.
“I always leave our conventions reenergized by our members, and this year was no exception,” Blonder said. “It’s obvious how much each one of our members cares for their fellow veterans. They are committed to putting in the hard work necessary to make sure each veteran they encounter has a chance to live life to the fullest extent possible.”
As a General Resolutions and Bylaw Committee member, Gayle-Bennett will help oversee the selection of resolutions for DAV endorsement. She said she looks forward to using her new position to advocate for veterans across the country and listed veterans’ housing, healthcare, and suicide prevention as some of the issues the DAV aims to tackle.
“It helps to formulate the critical goals that the DAV wants to achieve for the year, and then we actually meet mid-winter sometime around February every year, and we ‘storm the hill’ and talk to our legislators to inform them of whatever the case might be at the time,” Gayle-Bennett said. “We’re just informing them of veterans’ needs and what they can do to help veterans who’ve honorably served.”
Nearly 2,500 DAV and DAV Auxiliary members and guests gathered at the national convention to elect new leadership, pass resolutions, and attend seminars and workshops to better understand the benefits and services available to veterans.
Comedian and activist Jon Stewart, who has spent years advocating for burn-pit legislation, received the DAV Bugle Award for his outstanding media contributions in support of disabled veterans.
Stewart urged Congress to pass the PACT Act, which allocated $797 billion to improve health-care access for veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during their military service, in 2022. It was signed into law last year.
Upon receiving the award, Stewart praised the DAV for its veterans advocacy.
“If you had offered me a flugelhorn or a French horn, I may not have accepted it,” Stewart joked. “Through your tireless efforts, the claims process for veterans is way up, and people are finally going to be able to take advantage of the benefits that they themselves have earned.”
