The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs is a governmental agency of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

that is responsible for veterans programs. The department is overseen by a secretary who is appointed by the governor after consulting with at least six Wisconsin veterans organizations. The secretary is advised by a nine-member citizen advisory Board of Veterans Affairs. The current Secretary is

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

History

In 1919, the state of Wisconsin issued a wartime bonus to service members who served in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the state legislature decided that instead of issuing a wartime bonus, they would create programs to provide a better benefit to the veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs was created in 1945 to oversee these programs, which included: *The Grand Army Home (now Wisconsin Veterans Home) in King, Wisconsin *The Grand Army of the Republic Memorial in the state capitol *Economic and education assistance *The Veterans Trust Fund In 1989, the state legislature authorized the Department of Veterans Affairs to build a new museum dedicated to Wisconsin veterans. The Wisconsin Veterans Museum opened across the street from the state capitol in 1993. In 2001, the Department of Veterans Affairs opened a new veterans home at Union Grove, Wisconsin. In 2013, the Department of Veterans Affairs opened a new veterans home at Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin at a cost of $20 million, with the ability to house 72 veterans.

State veteran cemeteries

The Department of Veterans Affairs maintains three veteran cemeteries: *Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery is located near Spooner, Wisconsin. The cemetery was officially dedicated on June 10, 2001. *Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery is located across from the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King. The cemetery was opened in 1888. *Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery is located near Union Grove, Wisconsin. The cemetery was officially dedicated on May 31, 1998.

References

External links

Official websiteWisconsin Veterans Homes

Veterans Affairs Veterans' affairs is an area of public policy concerned with relations between a government and its communities of military veterans. Some jurisdictions have a designated government agency or department, a Department of Veterans' Affairs, Minist ...

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