A retired electrician who fought in the Vietnam War is the new head of the Bartholomew County Veteran Services Office.
Larry Garrity, chosen as veteran services officer by the Bartholomew County commissioners, will serve out the term of his predecessor, Tom Crawford, which expires at the end of December.
Discussions with the 71-year-old Garrity regarding longer-term employment will be held later this year, commissioners chairman Larry Kleinhenz said.
While the new veteran services officer says he’d like to keep the position indefinitely, Garrity says he wants more time in the leadership position to determine whether he’s the right person to give the best service possible to veterans.
Garrity has worked part time as an assistant in the office for nearly four years.
The veteran services officer helps former military personnel wade through federal rules and appeals processes when they seek benefits linked to their military careers, including health care and disability payments.
A Bartholomew County native raised in the Garden City area, Garrity worked for Cummins Inc. after graduating from Columbus High School in 1965.
Joining the U.S. Army on Dec. 1, 1966, Garrity was originally stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas. As a member of the 403rd Transportation Company, he was assigned to duty in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968.
After receiving his honorable discharge, Garrity returned to Cummins, where he worked 31 years before retiring from the research and development department at the end of 2000.
But it wasn’t long before Garrity began a second career by becoming a certified electrician and opening Larry’s Lectric, Inc, which he operated until 2011.
When asked about starting a second full-time post-retirement career, Garrity replied that “I like to stay busy.”
After volunteering by driving local veterans to medical appointments in Indianapolis, Garrity became assistant veteran services officer in August 2014.
Commissioners Rick Flohr and Carl Lienhoop said they anticipate a seamless transition in leadership.
“He’s proven that he’s very calm, level-headed and loves our vets,” Kleinhenz said.
Earlier this year, the commissioners told Crawford they had received complaints regarding his conduct from veterans and county employees, Crawford said. Two weeks after being informed he would not be reappointed in 2019, Crawford was fired by Flohr during a June 25 verbal exchange, Crawford said.
Crawford said he refused a demand to take down a posted sign in his office that indicated the number of days he had left at the job. Kleinhenz said insubordination was a factor in Crawford’s termination.
Garrity will be paid an annual salary of $38,625, the same as Crawford made, Kleinhenz said.
