In an effort to engage more Indianapolis veterans and connect them to needed services, Mayor Joe Hogsett introduced two new Veteran Services Officers (VSOs) today. Bryan Schmidt and Greg Stevens will help veterans gain access to healthcare and wraparound services and will work under the direction of Matt Hall in the Office of Veteran Services.
The Office of Veteran Services supports veterans in Marion County by giving them a direct line to the Mayor’s Office. The two new VSOs are also tasked with assisting with a variety of issues facing veterans, including finding a permanent solution to homelessness and facilitating access to transportation and mobility, healthcare and compensation and pension benefits from the Department of Veteran Affairs.
VSOs Bryan Schmidt and Greg Stevens will spend most of their office hours out in the community, bringing services and information directly to veterans within Marion County. They will also coordinate efforts to attract veterans to Indianapolis and retain them as residents.
Office hours and locations for Officers Schmidt and Stevens are posted on the city’s website,my.indy.gov. Contact email for both VSOs isveteranservices@indy.gov; phone contact is (317) 327-VETS.
Bryan Schmidt
Bryan Schmidt enlisted in the Marine Corps while in high school, then served as a member of the Security Forces in Southwest Asia and as an Infantry Squad Leader with 1st Battalion 7th Marines. Upon returning to Indiana, Bryan attended Ball State and started getting involved in the community.
Over the course of the past decade, Bryan has been involved in numerous special events throughout the city while working in hospitality and tourism. His efforts led him to work locally with many different organizations, in which he finds the most satisfaction supporting the youth and veteran communities. He’s also co-founded a local triathlon team, which helps to further his cause. Bryan is passionate about his role and looks forward to his continued community service as a Veteran Services Officer.
Greg Stevens
Greg Stevens is a Marine Corps veteran and served with the 3rd Battalion 7th Marines Weapons Company. Greg was trained as an infantry rifleman assigned to a Weapons Company. He served in three combat tours consisting of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, a 2004 deployment to the Syrian border in Al Qaim, Iraq and took part in the Battle of Husaybah and re-deployed to Ramadi, Iraq, in 2005-2006.
After his enlistment in the Marines, Greg joined the Marion County Sheriff’s Department and spent two years there before moving to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. He spent a total of six years with IMPD and was medically retired from the department in 2015 after being shot in a police action shooting in 2013. Greg was a stay-at-home dad after being retired and decided to join the workforce again after two years with his kids. He served as the Director of Operations at Trinity Security before coming to work for the city of Indianapolis again as one of the new veteran services officers.
