TYLER COUNTY – Amy Lambre, who was named to the county’s Veterans Service Office position, in February, said that she feels as though she never actually has to work at all in her job.
As the old adage goes about one finding something they love to do, Lambre has found her calling, to help the veteran population of Tyler County, and it’s something she has been passionate about for many years.
Her day-to-day routine typically consists of meeting with county veterans who come to see her and helping them to maximize the amount of benefits they can receive.
Lambre is a Desert Storm-era Navy vet, herself, was active with AmeriCorps prior to being named to her appointment as the county’s VSO. She was friends with her predecessor, the late Tina Cleberg, who had stepped down from the position last fall to focus on her health. Lambre said that Cleberg had wanted to see her succeed her in the VSO position. “I was tickled to be appointed to the position,” she said.
Lambre said a big part of her acumen in her position is community outreach. She wants to be able to see every veteran in the county, and for them to know that she and the office exist to help them. She said that when a veteran comes to her for help, they usually don’t know what all is in store, but her office is the first stop, and usually it gives them hope. Her office has been of great service to veteran spouses, as well, as a support system.
“There are 330,000 veterans in the southeast region of Texas,” she said. “We have the largest concentrated veteran population in this country.”
Lambre said that a large number of the aging veterans in the area are Vietnam era vets, many of whom returned to the country distrusting of the government. Now, many are aging and needing some help, which Lambre said her office is fully equipped to do, from filing claims for benefits to providing transportation to and from the Michael DeBakey VA Hospital in Houston.
“Helping get our veterans connected with services is my main objective,” Lambre said. Her dedication is spelled out on her business card, too, which reads “Leave no Veteran Behind” on the back side.
Lambre, who came to Tyler County by way of the Houston area, said that helping others helps her, and it’s why she does the job.
“I was once a veteran who was suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder,” she said. “I believe that I get better as I serve veterans. It helps me.”
Lambre said that prior to being involved with veterans causes and being named VSO, she was in the funeral industry as a director for 11 years. She took a period of three years off from working, and discovered she wanted to get back to work to serve veterans.
She had served with AmeriCorps VISTA program, which was established in 1965 as a means to help alleviate poverty in America. VISTA is an acronym that stands for Volunteers in Service to America. Lambre worked with the Camp Shield community outreach part of the program, which is designed to empower female veterans, with the expressed purposes of reducing the incidence of homelessness and suicide with women vets, according to the AmeriCorps website. Lambre called Camp Shield “an amazing organization,” and called the experience and the work “very near and dear to my heart.”
“A lot of the work I did with AmeriCorps help prepare me for this job,” she said.
Outreach is paramount to Lambre, and recently, her office in conjunction with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2033 in Woodville, hosted a veterans’ symposium in Ivanhoe, which took place on Saturday. The event was designed to facilitate some fellowship within the community and allow the opportunity for veterans in Ivanhoe to meet Lambre, as well as to learn what benefits were available, and to sign up for some of those services.
An event that has become a tradition with the Tyler County VSO is approaching in June, and one that Lambre is most excited about. It is a birthday party at the Nutrition Center for veterans who are 90 years old and above. That is scheduled for Wednesday, June 17, at 1 p.m.
Lambre said she has more possible activities and outreach events planned, but more than anything, she is looking forward to meeting, and being of service, to every veteran in Tyler County.
For any veteran needing services through the Tyler County Veterans Service Office, Lambre can be contacted by email at Veterans@co.tyler.tx.us or by phone at 409-283-3751. The office is located at 201 Veterans Way, Suite 200, in Woodville.
