More than 2,000 DAV and Auxiliary members and guests gathered in Phoenix for the 2024 DAV and Auxiliary National Convention Aug. 3-6.
Members elected new leadership, recognized volunteers and supporters, passed resolutions to establish the organization’s legislative agenda, and attended seminars and workshops to learn about the myriad ways DAV serves ill and injured veterans and their families.
Delegates unanimously elected Daniel Contreras, a service-disabled Army veteran, to take the reins of the organization as DAV’s national commander.
Contreras, a member of Chapter 99 in Oxnard, California, said the role is a culmination of a journey that began when he joined the Army in 1980 to answer a lifelong call to help others.
“The idea that we care for our own—that we help people and turn them into people who help others—stayed with me,” he said.
The native of Sherman Oaks, California, served 16 years as a combat medic and joined DAV in 1999. He became a DAV benefits advocate in 2000 and a national area supervisor in 2006. He’s held positions on the DAV National Executive Committee and the DAV National Service Foundation board of directors. In 2008, he became the Department of California’s adjutant and treasurer, roles he still holds.
Contreras encouraged convention attendees to remain steadfast in their support, advocacy and service for all veterans—especially historically underserved populations including women and Native Americans. He acknowledged the challenges DAV faces from a decreasing veteran population that is experiencing growing needs, but he reminded people a growing membership can overcome those challenges through its ability to provide services, meaning and comfort for others.
“Together, we can make a lasting impact and continue to serve our fellow veterans with unwavering dedication and compassion,” said Contreras. “Let’s inspire others to join in our noble cause, and together, we can make a difference that echoes for generations to come.”
As the nation heads full force into an election season, Contreras also reminded attendees to not allow politics and partisan issues to get in the way of the promise DAV keeps to take care of veterans and their families forever changed by service.
“DAV was and is a power broker for veterans. We simply ask our fellow Americans to uphold the promise,” he said. “Thank you for making DAV an outlet for your selfless sense of duty. Thank you for serving something bigger than yourselves.”
During her report, outgoing National Commander Nancy Espinosa praised DAV and Auxiliary members for their dedication and the advocacy she witnessed at the chapter, state and national levels.
“Having experienced this organization from the ground up, I feel more motivated, inspired and equipped than ever to serve veterans,” said Espinosa. “While I fully intend to stay involved in national advocacy, I’m eager to get back to Utah to make my own department and chapter the best they can be.”
In addition to Contreras’ election, delegates elected other DAV national officers: Senior Vice Commander Coleman Nee, 1st Junior Vice Commander John Donovan, 2nd Junior Vice Commander Cynthia Madison, 3rd Junior Vice Commander James Procunier, 4th Junior Vice Commander Glenn Hohman, Judge Advocate Michael Dobmeier and Chaplain Debra Varner Dancer.
The DAV Auxiliary elected Christopher Easley as its new national commander, replacing AnnMarie Hurley. The son of a father who served, Easley grew up with the Auxiliary being a significant part of his life. Inspired by the Barry Manilow song “One Voice,” he made the theme of his yearlong tenure “one voice united in service.”
“The song, to me, symbolizes that if we come together and use our one voice united in service, we can make a change and be the shining light needed to guide ourselves and others from the darkness,” said Easley.
Other Auxiliary leaders elected were Senior Vice Commander Melissa Pierce, 1st Junior Vice Commander Kathleen Wenthe, 2nd Junior Vice Commander Terry Grabowski, 3rd Junior Vice Commander Carolyn Harris, 4th Junior Vice Commander Jane Casher, Judge Advocate Paula Raymond and National Chaplain Austin Blanton.
HOLDING LEADERS ACCOUNTABLE
Representatives from President Joe Biden’s administration presented during the joint opening session.
Speaking on behalf of the president, Tahina Montoya, who serves as a senior adviser for the White House as a veterans and military engagement liaison and is an Air Force reservist, thanked DAV for the advocacy role its members played in improving the lives of ill and injured veterans, their family members and their survivors.
“Our nation owes you and your families a debt of gratitude that we can never fully repay,” Montoya said, reading from the president’s letter. “I have long said that America has many obligations, but only one truly sacred obligation: to prepare those we send into harm’s way and to care for them and their loved ones when they come home.”
After Montoya, Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough spoke to convention attendees.
“No one does more for veterans than you. Veterans have no better advocate than you. And [the] VA has no better partner than you,” he said. “You hold us accountable to that sacred obligation that the president talks of.”
McDonough said this accountability was most noticed in DAV’s recent report highlighting the challenges and tailored care needs of women veterans. He praised DAV for the recommendations made in Women Veterans: The Journey to Mental Wellness and committed to integrating the report’s insights into VA programs.
“We’re more determined than ever to providing women veterans with the highest quality, most comprehensive care available, and [the] VA is constantly supporting innovations to deliver that,” said McDonough, noting that 50,000 women veterans enrolled in VA health care last year, the biggest single-year enrollment on record.
DAV CONVENTION FIRSTS
McDonough also recalled the remarks he made at last year’s convention about bringing more care to more veterans and said this past year continued that trend; the VA is on track to make more than 2.5 million decisions on claims in 2024. He attributed the increased numbers to the focus the VA has placed on bringing its services to veterans instead of the other way around.
Examples of this include providing mobile VA clinics and using email, text and telemedicine to more easily connect with veterans. A telehealth emergency call program designed to provide veterans with quicker emergency care is in final testing for a nationwide rollout in October.
Scott Hope, DAV’s deputy national service director for training, said the VA’s ability to bring its services to veterans was on display in Phoenix. Each year, DAV benefits advocates help attending veterans and those in the community with claims paperwork and powers of attorney. This year, veterans could go through the entire claims process from filing an initial claim to potentially receiving a rating decision during the convention.
“It was pretty amazing,” said Hope.
Once a veteran filed a claim through a benefits advocate, attending VA staff worked to develop the claim. And in a convention first, VA compensation and pension (C&P) exam vendors brought their fully equipped mobile medical units and could do exams for all claims except those that required initial traumatic brain injury screenings. VA staff could take the results from those C&P exams and make a decision on-site.
Hope said the team assisted 262 veterans, filed 103 claims and completed 61 exams. At least nine veterans who filed claims received rating decisions before heading home.
“It was very well received,” said Hope. “To actually get contact that quickly with people who take care of veterans shows that the resources are there to build trust and meet veterans where they are. We’re already working on figuring out how to do this at next year’s convention.”
Another convention first was the DAV Patriots Pitch contest. The hourlong event brought six vetrepreneurs, who are DAV Patriot Boot Camp alumni, to the main stage to make live business pitches and answer judges’ questions. The audience then voted on who was most deserving of the $15,000 prize.
The winner was Marine veteran Jonathan Kuniholm, founder of StumpworX, a company he started to improve arm prosthetic technology.
This convention also commemorated the upcoming 20th anniversary of Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah, Iraq. Navy Cross recipient Aubrey McDade, a Marine machine gunner; Jonathan Knauth, a retired Marine combat photographer; Christine Knight, an Army National Guard medic; and Lucian Read, a civilian photographer embedded with the Marines, participated in a moderated discussion on stage.
The Battle in Fallujah is considered the most intense urban fighting the U.S. military has faced since Hue City during the Vietnam War. Each panelist candidly talked about their experiences during the battle and how it affects their lives to this day.
The discussion, as well as a display of Read’s, Knauth’s and other combat photographers’ images from the battle, come ahead of a multimedia project DAV will launch Nov. 1 at fallujahstories.org. The site will share first-person stories of the challenges and victories Fallujah veterans have faced since their experience in 2004.
RECOGNIZING SERVICE
Other individuals highlighted at the convention include top DAV Scholarship winner Amelia Marcum and Disabled American Veteran of the Year Terry Hillard.
Marcum, a rising senior at Stanford University in California, received a $30,000 scholarship for her volunteer work developing and writing a Native American veterans resource guide for North Dakota. She is a direct descendant of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and has many relatives who’ve served, including her grandfather.
“I am passionate about using my education to create economic opportunities for our Native veterans,” said Marcum. “Looking ahead, I am excited about the prospect of collaborating directly with DAV to enhance access to VA services, especially for veterans in remote, rural areas.”
Hillard, a Marine veteran of the Vietnam War, was honored for his work educating Chicago police, firefighters and emergency medical service workers who’ve served in our nation’s military about VA benefits and the claims process.
He, along with DAV benefits advocate Carlo Melone, and chapter service officers Eric McLean, Matt Breen and Emily Pecoraro, founded the Chicago Police and Chicago Fire Department Veteran Club. The club’s bimonthly meetings started with 50 veterans and have grown to more than 200 first responders who are interested in DAV programs and services.
Hillard, a former Chicago police superintendent, has dealt with health effects from exposure to Agent Orange and contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He said he doesn’t want to see any other veterans in first responder roles do what he did and wait to file a claim with the VA.
“My hope is not just a wish, but a call—a call to action. Let’s replicate the success of the Chicago model in major cities across the nation,” said Hillard. “Wherever veterans are serving their communities, DAV can, and they will, make a difference.”
Convention attendees also had opportunities to learn more about specific aspects of DAV’s mission. Through seminars and events, they were updated on available services and programs. Many also participated in semiannual committee meetings.
This year marked the 30th anniversary of actor and musician Gary Sinise being recognized by DAV for his portrayal of Lt. Dan Taylor in the Oscar-winning movie “Forrest Gump.” Sinise has credited that recognition by then-National Commander Dick Marbes as a major catalyst for his longtime advocacy for disabled veterans.
“So much happened with that film that a lot of things changed for the acting career, but even more importantly to me, it led to my association with the DAV,” Sinise said before his performance with the Lt. Dan Band. “We’ve done some incredible things together. I always say we can never do enough for our veterans and our military families and our first responders, but we can always do a little more.”
“This year’s convention really showcased our members’ commitment to meeting veterans where they are,” said National Adjutant Barry Jesinoski. “I remain in awe at the passion and dedication our members have for serving other veterans and for making sure DAV is set up for success in the coming year.”
The 103rd national convention is scheduled for Aug. 9–12, 2025, in Las Vegas. Visit dav.org/membership-recruiter-rally to learn how you could win a free trip for two to attend.
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