Bay County Department of Veteran Affairs

08/26/2026

Five years ago, 13 American heroes made the ultimate sacrifice at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan.

America will never forget their courage and sacrifice.

08/26/2026

Support is always within reach.

The Veterans Crisis Line is here 24/7:

📞 Dial 988, then press 1
📲 Text 838255
💻 VeteransCrisisLine.net

08/25/2026

This week!

08/25/2026

08/21/2026

A new article from WCMU shares the story of Tec5/Cpl. James Torka, a Bay City soldier killed while serving with the U.S. Army's 32nd Infantry Division in Papua New Guinea in 1942. After 84 years, his remains have been identified and will finally return home to Bay City.

It's an incredible story of service, sacrifice, and the decades-long commitment to bringing our missing service members home.

Welcome home, Corporal. You were never forgotten.

Read the WCMU story:

Cpl. James Torka was killed in 1942 while serving as an infantry mechanic in the Pacific Theater during World War II. The U.S. Army was unable to find or identify him until this summer.

08/19/2026

🏆 Another honor for Bay County veterans!

The Bay County Department of Veteran Affairs is proud to have received the American Legion Department of Michigan’s Leo M. Leggett Award – Division 3, recognizing our office’s relentless effort to champion the needs of Michigan’s veteran community.

This marks two wins in the past three years, and that kind of recognition doesn’t happen by accident. It reflects the work our entire office puts in every day to serve Bay County veterans and their families.

And if you happen to see our main VSO, Mark Kaczmarek, make sure you congratulate him. Mark works tirelessly for every veteran who walks through our doors, and this award is another indication of why his success rate helping veterans with their VA claims is so high.

Awards are great, but the real reward is seeing veterans and their families get the benefits, services, and support they’ve earned.

And while we’re celebrating, our VSO team is out of the office this week doing exactly what helped earn recognition like this—learning.

They’re attending training alongside other veteran service professionals, sharpening their knowledge, staying current on changes to VA benefits and claims, and learning new ways to better represent every veteran and family who comes through our doors.

VA claims and benefits don’t get any simpler, and good representation requires continually learning. Our team takes that responsibility seriously.

We don’t just want to represent Bay County veterans. We want to represent them as well as we possibly can. 🇺🇸

Congratulations, Mark, and congratulations to the entire Bay County Department of Veteran Affairs team! 🇺🇸

08/13/2026

Our nation's Veterans and their families are the reason that the Great Lakes National Cemetery exists and our directors and staff take their commitments to honoring them to heart.

08/12/2026

EDIT - Thursday, 3:00 PM - there is no more corn, sunblock or flour.
EDIT - Wednesday, 2:00 PM - Update: there is no sunblock left and the corn will be outside, in front of the building.

We have corn-on-the-cob available as well as some sunblock and flour from yesterday.
**bring a bag; we do not have any available**
While supplies last.
Please only take what you can use for your family.

The Salvation Army Corps and Community Center - 401 Tenth Street, Bay City