The popular Delaware County Veterans ID program will travel to the Annual Military Appreciation Night on Friday, Jan. 24, at Olentangy Orange High School. Delaware County Recorder Melissa Jordan, who launched the program in March 2014, will be onsite during the event, recording certificates of release or discharge from active duty — also known as “DD214” forms — and then issuing Document Identification cards to qualified veterans.
The cards, also known as Veteran or Vet ID cards, display a photograph of the veteran along with relevant information regarding their service to our country. In Ohio, County Recorders maintain veterans’ military discharge records, and a Vet ID card allows veterans to prove their eligibility for various benefits.
“Through veteran events like this, we’ve seen a 1,500% increase in the number of Delaware County veterans filing their DD214s for safekeeping,” Jordan said. “They’re also preserving their legacy for future generations. I am able to teach my children about their great-great grandfather’s service to our country because of the WWI discharge he filed in the Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Recorder’s Office back in 1934. So, I encourage veterans to look at it through that lens as well.”
In order to receive a Vet ID card at the event, a veteran must present an original or certified copy of his or her military discharge, as well as show two forms of current and valid identification. At least one form of identification submitted must be a photo ID.
Veterans with a discharge already on file in the Recorder’s office will not need to file their discharge again: Recorder Jordan will have the index books available to check filed status. There is no cost to record the military discharge and the ID card costs $1.
Olentangy Orange High School, located at 2840 E. Orange Road in Lewis Center, will host its 4th Annual Military Appreciation Night on Friday, Jan. 24. Military and veteran organizations will be in attendance to provide information and support to veterans throughout the evening. The event starts at 6 p.m. with the varsity girls’ basketball game, followed by a Military and Veteran Ceremony at 7:20 p.m., and the varsity boys’ basketball game at 7:55 p.m. All military personnel and veterans will receive free admission to the games with proof of service — like your Vet ID!
For more information about the Vet ID program, contact the Recorder’s Office at 740-833-2460 or mjordan@co.delaware.oh.us. For questions regarding military discharges, contact the Delaware County Veterans Service Commission at 740-833-2010. For questions regarding the Annual Military Appreciation Night, contact Terence McDermott at 740-657-5100.