'I have to be with the Veterans': Volunteer's dedication earns national accolades
By David Walter, Public Affairs Specialist
For Jennie Riemer, supporting Veterans is in her blood. And her support has earned her national recognition.
Riemer, 77, who volunteers with the Disabled American Veterans Transportation Service at the Milwaukee VA, has been honored as the national DAV Auxiliary Volunteer of the Year. She will receive her award during the DAV’s annual convention in Orlando, Florida, Aug. 1-4.
Volunteering to help Veterans comes naturally for Riemer. Her father served in World War II, as did all of her uncles. Her brother served during the Vietnam era. She also worked at the Milwaukee VA for a number of years and started volunteering just two weeks after her retirement.
She has vowed to keep on volunteering at the Milwaukee VA until she is unable to make the drive from her home in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.
“When I retired, I said to my husband, ‘I cannot walk away. I have to still be with the Veterans, whatever that requires,’” she said. “These are our heroes. We need to treat these people the way they deserve to be treated. That’s why I’m here.”
Working behind the scenes
In the DAV Transportation office, Riemer started out doing odd jobs before taking on routing duties for the drivers. She makes sure the drivers know all of their stops and timetables for the day.
She volunteers two days a week, or about 12 hours a week.
“This is very rewarding for me,” she said. “I really enjoy working with the other volunteers. They are just as dedicated as I am. You can’t find a bad one. They’re all here for the same reason — to do their best to make sure every Veteran gets everything he needs.”
DAV Transportation Coordinator Patty Davis said Riemer is an invaluable member of her team, noting that much of what she does is behind the scenes.
“She does so much more than people know,” Davis said. “She takes a lot of time to help Veterans find resources, and she works very hard. She’s such a big help. She deserves to be recognized for all the work she does here.”
Transforming the Hoptel
Before her retirement seven years ago, Riemer ran the Hoptel, which offers hotel-like accommodations for Veterans traveling to the Milwaukee VA for outpatient services. Located in Building 123 just west of the hospital, it is free to eligible Veterans traveling more than 50 miles to the hospital.
Riemer was key to transforming the Hoptel into what it is today, working with Veteran service organizations to secure donations which make it as homey as possible.
“We wanted to make it comfortable for our Veterans,” she said. “What you see there is mostly given by Veteran service organizations.”
She worked for eight years with the Hoptel. Previous to that, she worked in the Milwaukee VA kitchen for about two years. And before that, she cleaned homes around Lake Geneva, Lake Delavan and Lauderdale Lakes.
The day before her retirement, Riemer said a member of Milwaukee VA leadership praised her work for the Hoptel.
“She said I was the biggest advocate she had ever met for the Veterans here at the VA hospital, and that has stuck with me since that day,” she said. “It’s my nature to be an advocate for Veterans.”
She’s also active with the DAV Auxiliary, serving as senior vice commander of Milwaukee Chapter 19.
Proud of her service
Riemer, who is a big Disney fan, is happy to head to Orlando. Before COVID hit, she would travel to Disney World every couple of years. She plans to visit Disney Springs, which features shops, restaurants and entertainment venues separate from the theme park.
She also has to give a speech at her awards ceremony, which makes her a little nervous, but she said she’s proud to do it.
“I’m just blown away by the whole thing. This is enormous,” she said. “I’m proud of the service I’ve done for the DAV.”