Kat Miller: Veterans talk is coming, but first, an introduction

Greetings from the Nevada Department of Veterans Services! As the department’s new director, I have been asked to periodically “talk” with you about issues affecting Nevada veterans and their families.

Having never been a regular newspaper contributor, I was both alarmed and delighted by the offer — alarmed that I might not be up to the task, and delighted that I would be given the opportunity to share important information and stories. For you see, our department’s job is not just to address veterans’ issues and concerns. We have another important responsibility: to help Nevadans across the state celebrate the legacy of America’s heroes. I am hoping that this column will give me the opportunity to do just that — celebrate and honor those who fought, or were prepared to do so, in our nation’s defense.

As a first submission, I have been asked to provide you with a bit of my history .I will do so only as a prelude to discussing topics that I find much more interesting later on.

I moved to Nevada as a child and graduated from Reno High School. I joined the Army after high school and served 34 years in the 32 years in the active force and two years in the Nevada National Guard. My father was a sailor, my sister a marine, and my brother an airman. I am proud to have achieved the rank of staff sergeant before receiving my commission from the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School.

I have served in the United States, South America, Europe and Southwest Asia and commanded at company, battalion and brigade levels. Deployments included time in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. My last military assignment was as the Army’s deputy provost marshal general and commander of the Army Corrections Command.

After retiring, I was privileged to teach bachelor’s- and master’s-level college courses at the University of Maryland and University of Nevada, Reno until I was appointed by Gov. Sandoval as the deputy director and now the director for the Nevada Department of Veterans Services.

So, that’s me. If you would like to contact me to share your ideas, discuss concerns, or swap war stories, I can be reached at www.veterans.nv.gov, under the contact tab.