Dawes County is looking for a new Veterans Service Officer for the second time this year.

Mike Kohler, who in May filled the vacancy created by the January death of Jeff Fankhauser is leaving a week from Monday to take a position at Ellsworth Air Force Base just east of Rapid City.

Kohler says family considerations led to his decision to take the Rapid City job even though they love Chadron and his short time as VSO has been enjoyable.

Kohler’s duties at Ellsworth will involving transition….helping airmen who’ve been deployed overseas transition back to being home, and families who are moving from the military back to civilian life

Kohler says he understands both types of transitions…being an Army veteran who deployed overseas 3 times…including once to Iraq.

Kohler says the Dawes County Commissioners are starting the search for his successor, but that the bulk of the work will be done by the County Veterans Advisory Committee…whose chairman, Alan Connell, served as the de facto VSO in the month’s after Fankhauser’s death.

Dawes County eventually worked out an interlocal agreement with Sheridan County to use its VSO…Gary Sones…on a limited basis, but Connell says a repeat is unlikely…although Sones will continue to help out informally.

One of the key requirements for a Veterans Service Officer in Nebraska is that the individual must be a veteran.