Nyack Sketch Log: Vets Rock
by Bill Batson
Even though our recent hurricane destroyed his houseboat at the Nyack Marina, Sandy is not the storm that preoccupies Jerry Donnellan. As the director of Rock Vets (County of Rockland Veterans Service Agency), Donnellan is focused on a perfect storm that is bearing down on the men and women who have worn the uniform. Returning Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers are joining a line for Department of Veteran Affairs services that includes, Vietnam, Korean and World War II vets, like my father, depicted here in Rome in 1945. According to Donnellan, this convergence represents the greatest demand on veterans’ benefits since the end of WWII. When there is a crisis, this Vietnam Vet, who sustained three injuries in the same battle and lost the lower portion of his leg, thinks about everybody but himself.
