Veterans Advocacy Awards

On September 11, 2008, I was honored to present awards to four extraordinary Georgians for their service to veterans. Debbie Lillibridge, Tom Cook, Brian Poole and Commissioner Pete Wheeler were all recognized by the Side by Side Brain Injury Clubhouse for their advocacy on behalf of disabled veterans. I presented the awards to these outstanding public servants at a luncheon at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Decatur.

Commissioner Wheeler received the Lifetime Achievment Award for his six decades of service. Wheeler served in the Army from 1942 until 1946 and continued to serve in the National Guard until 1976. He joined the Georgia Department of Veteran Service in 1949 and has served there ever since. He has been the Georgia Chairman of the National Veterans Day Committee and was appointed as the Chairman of the National World War II Memorial Advisory Committee.

We have an estimated 200,000 Americans returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom with Traumatic Brain Injuries. We are lucky to have dedicated individuals including those we honored on September 11 working to help these heroes and their families. I am committed to increasing the state funding for programs benefiting our Georgia veterans. It was a privilege to present these awards.