This episode features an interview with Sue Irons Beachler, West Point class of 1989, and Veterans Service Officer. Sue talks about the path to becoming a Veterans Service Officer, her involvement within the WPAOG, and the importance of claiming the VA benefits West Point graduates are entitled to.
This episode features an interview with Sue Irons Beachler, West Point class of 1989, and Veterans Service Officer.
Sue received her commission as a Signal Corps officer from West Point in 1989. She is a Desert Shield and Desert Storm veteran and has earned the Bronze Star Medal and Senior Parachutist Badge. Upon completion of company command in Germany, Sue returned to her hometown, Canton, S.D., and has served as the Lincoln County Veterans Service Officer since 2015. Sue has also served as a WPAOG volunteer in various positions supporting Classes, Societies, SIGs, and her Region since 2017.
In this episode, Sue talks about the path to becoming a Veterans Service Officer, her involvement within the WPAOG, and the importance of claiming the VA benefits West Point graduates are entitled to.
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“It's our duty to file a claim or to use our VA benefits which we have earned. We raised our right hand to support and defend the Constitution, and in turn we went where we were told to go, we did what we were told to do, and we did all of that. But the handshake that the government gave us was, ‘when you're all done, we're going to take care of you’. And so, by taking care of us, those are our VA benefits, which we have earned.” - Sue Irons Beachler
“I think the most important reason why we need, and this is what our program is hoping to do, is to educate graduates and family members. If we can make a difference for one person, if we can save a life by getting somebody that's struggling access to benefits that will help them, then we've made a difference. And so we can do that one encounter at a time, one person, one conversation at a time, and that will spread. And that's how, again, connecting all of us, the long gray line, so that we can help each other. We can grip hands and do that.” - Sue Irons Beachler
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(01:52) Sue’s military career
(04:03) Becoming a Veterans Service Officer
(06:44) Getting involved with WPAOG
(13:55) Next steps in the program
(19:46) Final thoughts
(23:00) Spreading the word
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West Point Association of Graduates
[00:00:00] Narrator: Hello and welcome to the WPAOG Podcast. This episode features an interview with Sue Irons Beachler, West Point class of 1989, and Veterans Service Officer.
Sue received her commission as a Signal Corps officer from West Point in 1989. She is a Desert Shield and Desert Storm veteran and has earned the Bronze Star Medal and Senior Parachute Dispatch. Upon completion of company command in Germany, Sue returned to her hometown, Canton, South Dakota, and has served as the Lincoln County Veterans Service Officer since 2015. Sue has also served as a WPAOG volunteer in various positions supporting classes, societies, SIGSs, and her region since 2017.
In this episode, Sue talks about the path to becoming a Veterans Service Officer, her involvement within the WPAOG, and the importance of claiming the VA benefits West Point graduates are entitled to.
Please enjoy this interview between Veterans Service Officer Sue Irons Beachler, West Point Class of 1989, and your host, Retired Colonel Greg Gadson, Class of 1989.
[00:01:15] Greg Gadson: Greetings, Sue. What a pleasure and an honor to be here. My name is Greg Gadson, USMA Class of ‘89. I'm here with my classmate, Sue Irons Beachler, I'm super excited about this podcast. It's actually my first podcast as an interviewer, and when you asked me to do it, I was certainly honored to be able to interview you because of what you're doing, and we'll get into that as the podcast goes on. But before we get started, what I'd like you to do is, is really just tell us about yourself and what began your journey to West Point.
[00:01:52] Sue Irons Beachler: Well, first I want to say thank you, Greg, for doing this because, um, that was something I felt that it was important if I'm going to be talking about veteran services that one, I should be talking to a veteran and then also someone that has experience, you know, the Veteran Services, VA, and all of that that goes with that.
So, thank you. I'm a little starstruck because, you know, you are kind of famous and, um, but I've known you since 1985, so we have that. We go way, way back. So, about me, you know, I didn't come to West Point, maybe like a lot of people do. I actually wanted to be in the air force, but I happened to also apply to West Point and then I ended up getting my appointment there, never visited, didn't know anything really about the army.
You know, my first time seeing West Point was on our day. So that started it. Um, I was a, you know, girl from a small town in South Dakota and really didn't have any idea what I was getting myself into. So it was, my first year was a shock. Best time I ever had, you know, some of my life was at Buckner, met a lot of our classmates, and that's really where I decided, yeah, West.
Point is where I need to be. And so I continued on. I studied, uh, my degree was in leadership, which I felt was going to be useful. If I'm going to be, you know, leading soldiers someday, I thought that would be a good thing. I also didn't, going into West Point, didn't really know what I wanted to do. And I also knew that the military would tell me what to do.
So that was another thing. After West Point, I commissioned as a signal officer, spent time at Fort Bragg, 18th Field Artillery Brigade, and that's who I went to Desert Storm with. And then, uh, 50th Signal Battalion, and then I went to Germany with the 3rd Infantry Division. Rock of the Marne. Yeah, Rock of the Marne.
Battalion staff time as an assistant S3, battalion S1, and then company commander. And then when I PCS'd from Germany, that is when I left the Army. I met my husband, and we decided to raise a family. So I took that very seriously and we have five children and three of our five children are on active duty in the army right now.
[00:03:55] Greg Gadson: Well, it sounds like, uh, you create a legacy of service and, uh, and we're certainly, uh, get more into that and certainly proud of that. Just a little bit more about yourself. Tell me, what are your hobbies? What are your pastimes? What gets you fired up and
[00:04:08] Sue Irons Beachler: excited? I would have to say, you know, one of my hobbies and that's really kind of, it started at West Point was running, so I still do that, definitely not fast anymore, but I enjoy that, that's an outlet for me.
Another thing I really enjoy doing is helping, you know, I've done, you know, those Personality studies. And that is a trait that comes out over and over again. And so, you know, I think as a leader, as an officer in the army, you're helping, you're leading, you're helping your soldiers and you're helping your peers.
And so when I left the army, you know, I felt I needed to continue to do that. Of course, you know, we've been a lifetime of. Service is what, you know, we are instilled to do as West Point graduates. And so I became very active in my community, you know, volunteered for a lot of different things, boards, you know, at our church, at our children's schools, one of the things that I did do was become an EMT.
I'm back in South Dakota now, and, uh, you know, we have a volunteer ambulance service here in our community. And so I did that for eight years, really enjoyed that, uh, learned. So much. And as our kids started getting older and busier, then that was when I decided that I needed to focus on our kids more. And then that is when the job that I'm currently in, I have two jobs.
So we'll talk about that a little bit later too, but my current job, a little over eight years ago, I became a veteran service officer here in my county in South Dakota, and that is, you know, something that I hadn't, After I left the army, I just couldn't figure out exactly what it was that I needed to be doing and, um, this position came open.
in my county and I didn't really know anything about a veteran service officer and what one of those even was, but it was, you know, the job description somewhere and it said, helping veterans get their VA benefits. And I'm like, well, I like to help. And so there, it seemed like everything that I had done from the time I left the army, actually before, even from West Point up until then, everything that I had done led me to becoming a veteran service officer.
So what makes me tick is helping. Well,
[00:06:19] Greg Gadson: I appreciate you sharing that. And that really kind of lays the groundwork for what we're about to talk about now, because what I'd like you to share is a, because of this tremendous lifelong of service to, to so many communities, not just your local community, but our veteran community, how that led you to being, uh, on the AOG team.
So could you talk to me about how you got involved with AOG and, and what is. Let us up to this point in your evolution within AOG. That's an
[00:06:53] Sue Irons Beachler: also an interesting story. So I have my good friend, Kathy Kilner, who was the former director of class services. She and I were B3 bandits together as cadets. And my daughter.
She graduated in 2020, but of course her R day and A day were in 2016. And I was staying with Kathy for both of those. And she and I were having a conversation and she had been in her position for about a year. And I had been in my job as a VSO for about a year. We're talking about things and I had all kinds of good ideas.
And I thought that, you know, cause I didn't really know anything about AOG, but, you know, as I was learning more, I was like, well, they should do this. Or they should do that. And then I even asked, well, do they have veteran services? Because, you know, all of us that graduate are veterans and could, you know, potentially be eligible for veteran benefits as she was looking at me.
Like, you know, if you have all these good ideas, why don't you do something about it? And she said, I've got an idea for you. And it just so happened, our class, it was our turn to have a class advisor on the advisory council at AOG. And so Warren, our class president, reached out to me and said, you know, I understand that you are now going back to West Point a little more often because you have a daughter there.
And I was wondering if you'd be interested in being our class advisor. So that is what. I started my time at AOG and I didn't know anything really about what AOG did at that time. One of the things though, I've always said, if I'm going to be a member of a board or do anything, I'm not just doing it because I'm saying I'm on this, you know, council or board or whatever, I'm going to do it.
So I went to every meeting, I learned, and the more I learned, the more excited I got about what our association does for us. And so, while I was there, we have our different subcommittees. And one of the subcommittees that I happened to be on was the Alumni Support Committee. And we meet to talk about how can we better support, how can we being AOG, what can be done to better support our graduates.
And as a VSO, I'm always thinking Veteran Services, Veteran Services. And so, you know, I guess at that time I started, you know, talking about it with other people and I even. You know, once people find out you're AVSO, they like to ask you questions and so I'm one of them. Remember? Yeah. , yes, absolutely. But one of the things I didn't realize that I wasn't the only ignorant one about what is AVSO, what are veteran benefits?
A lot of our classmates, a lot of our peers, a lot of you know, younger grads and the older grads don't even know about their benefits that they have. I started to feel very strongly that this is something we should be educating our graduates and their families about. And then how can we do this and should we have a program?
And so I became a class advisor and I did that from 2017 to the end of 2019. Took a year off and then I became an advisor again for the North Central Region Society. You know, now I'm finishing up my time there as a society advisor. And so I've had the most six years. This has taken some evolution to get to where we are today with having a Veteran Services Program.
[00:10:17] Greg Gadson: Now that you're, uh, you're in the saddle, could you describe maybe a vision of expectation that you'd like to see and how this is going to strengthen the AOG network as a whole? So our
[00:10:29] Sue Irons Beachler: vision at AOG is to be the most highly connected alumni body of any college, any university. And how we can do that is by strengthening the bonds that we had from when we were cadets to being on teams or to being on different clubs, whatever companies, your cadet companies, your classes, all of that.
And how do we do that is by, you know, after you graduate, how do we stay connected? That happens through social media, that happens through reunions and different things. But what makes those connections meaningful is showing that we do care. I care about our classmates as I know you do. And, you know, sometimes, you know, it's just as simple as if there's a need and we can help somebody or we can collectively as a group help somebody that's in need.
That is what... We want to continue to have, it's that spirit of service again, and so what I can see AOG doing by helping, if we can help one person at a time, that will spread and we will all be connected in that vision of helping each other and helping, you know, in celebrating successes, helping each other through tough times, and veteran services is just one of those things that we can use to do that.
[00:11:50] Greg Gadson: What I'd like to share is, um, you know, we, uh, we lost a classmate, uh, Dave Harris, uh, a couple of months ago, and, and, um, that still hasn't really sunken for me personally, uh, he was a prep school classmate as well, but, um, a few of our classmates were able to get to see him before, fortunately, before he passed, and one of our classmates, uh, Gus Lee, and I were talking and sharing some of our challenges, you know, I'm dealing with, um, Prostate cancer.
That's the first time I think I've said that publicly. And Gus had shared that he had dealt with that as well. And that's how, you know, we really reconnected because he talked to me about You know, the services and making sure my records and, you know, it's just the benefits that we have earned that we can perhaps pass down to our families are important.
It's so important to make sure that, that our records are documented and accurate. And Gus told me that you were invaluable in helping him get his records up to speed, and and then of course you remember me connecting with you, and so I'm really proud that you have me in your hands and I don't need to worry about, you know, things getting kind of lost in the bureaucracy.
I should ask for all veterans to understand that Please don't think you have a claim or, or this is not important. These are benefits that you've earned and your family has earned, uh, with their service. And it's important for you to take time to use the services of a veteran service officer. And, uh, I'm really excited about the power of this program because as Sue said, every one of us is a veteran.
And that's another common link that we have that, uh, will strengthen our line as our model said. So I just want to publicly say thank you for looking out and taking care of me and my family. I just want to acknowledge that. Um, what do you see as, um, perhaps the next steps as we develop this, uh, program within AOG?
[00:14:00] Sue Irons Beachler: Well, first of all, Greg, thank you for sharing that. Um, that's really, really important that everybody hears that message that you just, just shared. I think tying into what you talked about, our next steps for the program are going to be education. And I think as West Point graduates, it's really hard to say that you, you know, need help.
Or you are going to get a benefit or any of that. And a lot of times what I hear is, is, well, I don't need it. And there are others that need it more than I do. And, you know, there's and, and, and, but I think what's important is, like you said, you know, the government needs to know what's going on with us.
What was the impact of our military service? On us and getting your records straight and making sure that that's understood, especially, you know, if it's, uh, you know, something that causes you to have a disability now, later in life, I would say, you know, going back to my three children that are currently serving in the army today, we don't.
tell the government the impact of our military service. And we do that by either filing a claim or using VA health care. If we don't do that, it's not going to make things better for our future generations of graduates and soldiers. We must use them. It's our duty to file a claim or to use our VA benefits, and which we have earned.
You know, we raised our right hand to support and defend the Constitution. And in turn, you know, we went Where we were told to go, we did what we were told to do. And we did all of that. But the handshake that the government gave us was, is when you're all done, we're going to take care of you. And so by taking care of us, that's our, those are our VA benefits, which we have earned.
But I think the most important reason why we need to, and this is what our program is hoping to do is to educate. Graduates and family members, but we have to, if we can make a difference for one person, if we can save a life by getting somebody that's struggling access to benefits that will help them, then we've made a difference.
And so we can do that one encounter at a time, one person, one conversation at a time, and that will spread. And that's how, again, connecting all of us. The long gray line so that we can help each other. We can grip hands and do that. And so this is a brand new enhancement. It's just me. And I may, you know, when I said I have two jobs, my full time job right now is in South Dakota.
I am working for AOG remotely and part time in that capacity. So we're growing the program and we're starting it, but what we want to do is do it right. And so we're not going to try to do everything, all the things all at once. We want to build a great foundation and education is going to be the key to that.
[00:16:44] Greg Gadson: Well, not to get any ideas, but one of the things I kind of talk about is as I look back at our journey is, um, you know, first of all, I've heard someone describe their occupational hazards to our military service and some more than others, obviously, but from an education standpoint, we can look at.
Educating the cadets before they graduate, you know, not at the last minute, but really a real education because this is a journey and, you know, for some of us, the journey is relatively short and for others, it's, it's quite long. But when you think about a lifetime of service. For most of us, we will serve longer out of uniform than in any uniform, if we're lucky, and it's just important that we stay connected and stay truthful, stay honest, like I said, you help other people by reporting some of your challenges because Those may be indicators of a larger problem, some kind of exposure, or whatever, and so it really is our duty and responsibility, not just for ourselves and our family, but for our greater community of service members.
[00:17:57] Sue Irons Beachler: I agree completely. And you know, it's interesting that you bring up cadets. Um, I just had a cadet reach out to me this week and said, you know, could you come and talk to our class about veteran benefits and veteran services? Because, you know, that is something we need to understand, not only for ourselves, but how we can help our soldiers that we're going to be leading.
And this was the class of 2025. So this was a cow. And I was just For someone that, you know, at that stage in their cadet career to be thinking like that and to have, you know, the classmates come together and ask for that, I thought that was really impressive and that is absolutely something that we want to do because if we can start that culture now and they can take that out into the Army, that's what West Pointers do.
We go out and we can create. You know, we're not the whole army, but we can get out there and we can make a difference. And so with our young leaders going out, that's what they can do because as a veteran service officer from all of the branches of the services, I hear no one told me anything about VA benefits.
Absolutely. That's right. I said, well, don't they have like, you know, the TAPs program and don't they have all, yeah, but no one, you know, they just say, just go see the VA when you leave here. And that's all that they're told. And it's not, so we can start our young leaders going out and taking care of their soldiers that are ETSing or that are retiring and saying, make sure you are.
You know, you're getting your records straight. That's what it is. It's really about records. And looking at education and understanding that whole process. I think that's going to be very important.
[00:19:35] Greg Gadson: Well, Sue, is there a parting message or, or something that you want to, um, double tap to make sure that we emphasize?
[00:19:44] Sue Irons Beachler: I sure do. So again, it's just me right now. I have a team at Alumni Services that is helping on the technology side, but what we're developing is a, like a landing pad, you know, where graduates can come to for information all in one space. And the other thing that we are going to be working on is I will be working with classes and societies because I, you know, each era is different.
And if we can cultivate within those classes and societies, somebody that has, you know, internal knowledge of veteran services, whether they've just Go through the process themselves and they are knowledgeable because of, you know, recent experience or maybe they themselves are veteran service officers.
I know I'm not the only veteran service officer graduate that, you know, is out there, but if we can create that network within those. Already established groups, you know, societies and classes, or, or shared interest groups, or teams, or whatever, and get, you know, we know what that network is so that when a graduate reaches out to AOG through the Grads Helping Grads program, we will then be able to touch, you know, somebody that we know and say, you're the expert in AOG.
South Dakota, can you help this graduate that needs your assistance there? And because they know who is good to talk to in South Dakota, we can help with that. So that is something that's coming. And the other thing that I really want to point out too, is some people don't even know where to start, where they're, you know, how do I get veteran services?
And I would say one thing is find a veteran service officer. Just to at least talk you through how to access your benefits or to just say, here, let me help you. And then they take it from there. The veteran service officer does. Don't try to do this alone because it is, as a government entity, the VA is the largest healthcare system out there.
You know, I believe in the world. And so there's some, you know, there's some, you know, long roads and some red tape maybe that has to be passed through, but don't try to do it on your own. And the other thing too, I will say is don't pay for somebody to do this. These are benefits you've earned. You shouldn't have to pay somebody to get those benefits for you.
And it's important to vet who you're talking to. Make sure you feel comfortable and trust them. Are they accredited? That's something that is also, uh, very important. And that's what our program, we are going to be, you know, developing partnerships with veteran service organizations that have VSOs that are accredited along with the society and class.
Veteran service liaisons, I think is what I want to call them, but we want to be able to utilize the partnerships that we are working on developing to help our graduates and try to streamline that process as best we can. Again, it's a very, you know, big, big ship that we're trying to get a handle on, but that would be probably one of the main things I would say.
That's
[00:22:46] Greg Gadson: a great vision, and I certainly appreciate it. What should we expect in the
near
[00:22:50] Sue Irons Beachler: term? Well, that's a good question. You know, when I became employed by AOG at the end of March of this year, this seemed like such a long ways away, but um, now we're almost here, and The program is going to be, we'll say launched, but it's going to be introduced to the Long Gray Line on Veterans Day of this year.
As I had mentioned, we are going to be reaching out to societies and classes and any graduate that has any experience or expertise in the Veterans Services arena because I want to know who those people are so that we can leverage the Long Gray Line to help. others that are in need of veteran services.
And if we don't know who they are, we can't leverage them. So I'm working with class services and alumni services so that we can find those people. And then once we know who we're talking to, there's an education aspect to that. And that will be talking about, you know, because there are so many VA benefits.
that are out there and what, you know, just even to know what those are and how to access those. And so that is something that our program is going to do is to help those that have, you know, reached out to us and make sure that we're all understanding the same things. So that would be also something that is important.
The biggest ask that I would have is as our program rolls out and we reach out through our class services, alumni services, and our advisory council and our advisors within the advisory council is that start thinking about how and who are the people that have expertise in this area. In addition to that, think about the people who are in need of veteran services as well, because that is where, again, the long gray line and the strength of the long gray line, we can, you know, a lot of people don't want to ask for help, but if you can offer that or just say, hey, I know a way that we can, We can figure this out.
Let's do this together. I think a perfect example of that would be, I have two. So our veterans that have been exposed to toxins, the VA has identified many conditions that if you were exposed to a certain toxin, for example, Agent Orange, if you were a Vietnam veteran, or if you served in the Middle East.
You know, our burn pits and other toxins. If you served in those areas, there's a specific list of conditions that the VA has identified that if you have these, you are entitled to benefits. A lot of people don't know that. The VA has educated veterans, but still I'm finding people don't know that. And so that's another way where as a class leader, if your class went to Vietnam, make sure that everybody is aware of those benefits.
And if There are surviving spouses, again, that's another group of people that's very, very important that we reach out to. And that was my second group. I think they feel like they've been left behind, but they may be eligible for benefits too. And that's where our leadership within our classes and societies, or not even the leadership, just getting the word out.
And that's, I guess, my biggest ask from everybody, if they can do that. I always say one veteran at a time, one surviving spouse at a time, because it makes a difference. And that will, the ripple effect will be tremendous if we can do that.
[00:26:17] Greg Gadson: Well, Sue, first of all, let me thank you again for the honor of interviewing you.
I'm proud. To be able to do so and really glad that we've got a chance to, uh, to tighten our circles again. And I know that, uh, we'll do a much better job of staying in touch, but more importantly, I want to thank you for your, uh, your leadership and your continued service. You're really living up to our motto of we strengthen the line and I can't personally thank you enough personally, but for all of, all of our classmates, all of our veterans, all of our grads, I want to thank you and what your community, uh, does for veterans and families every day. So God bless you and until we see again, until we meet again.
[00:27:02] Sue Irons Beachler: Thank you, Greg. Thanks for your inspiration.
[00:27:07] Narrator: This has been a production of the WPAOG Broadcast Network. Please take a moment to rate and review the show, and join us each week for a new episode. Thank you for listening.