As the Sunday November 11, 2007 Veterans Day nears, our attention is called upon to focus on the past and present military service of veterans. At the forefront of tributes and ceremonies are the commitment, valor and sacrifice each and every veteran proudly represents.
On Tuesday November 6, 2007, District Department of the Environment Director George Hawkins acknowledged military veterans with his agency who are still serving the District, now as current employees of DDOE. Mr. Hawkins, not himself a veteran, expressed heartfelt sincere gratitude to attending male and female veteran employees during an intimate official ceremony at the agency's 51 N Street main office. "Recognition of our veterans ought to be done, it is the right thing to do and I have tremendous respect for those who have served," said Mr. Hawkins. Hawkins shared his sincere hope that this kind of individual acknowledgement becomes the norm rather than the exception for agencies and organizations with active veteran employees, "I am honored and humbled to honor what our veterans have done", he added.
Tuesday's District Department of the Environment (DDOE) ceremony was officially recognized and documented by the District of Columbia's Office of Veterans Affairs (OVA) as the first DC government agency to independently assemble an official ceremony honoring its Veteran DC employees. OVA representative - Barbara Pittman was on had to officiate the ceremony with a copies of the 2007 Official Mayoral Veterans Day Proclamation, a "Proudly Serving" pin, and a "Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents" manual for each proud honoree.
To learn more about the District of Columbia Office of Veterans Affairs, visit the OVA website.