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Veterans Corner: Director, founder of Sarge’s Veteran Support moves to Oregon

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Photo courtesy Richard Bennett Joseph “J” Kinder, left, president of the Olympic Peninsula Chapter of MOAA, presents Sea Scout Boatswain Sutten Desser and ship Skipper Jared Minard of Sea Scout Ship Marvin Shields with a $350 check to send unit member Tristan Gordash to the National Youth Leadership Academy.

Photo courtesy Richard Bennett

Joseph “J” Kinder, left, president of the Olympic Peninsula Chapter of MOAA, presents Sea Scout Boatswain Sutten Desser and ship Skipper Jared Minard of Sea Scout Ship Marvin Shields with a $350 check to send unit member Tristan Gordash to the National Youth Leadership Academy.

By Lorri Gilchrist

Cheri Tinker founded Sarge’s Veteran Support, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, in 2011 with the mission of serving the vulnerable veterans of the Olympic Peninsula with shelter, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing. This mission will continue. The board is interviewing candidates for the executive director position.

Meanwhile, Sarge’s Place shelter is just finishing a remodel that includes a new kitchen, new flooring and a change from bays for men to transitional rooms. The Attic second-hand store has been put up for sale. This was a hard decision but it was losing money. The focus needed to return to housing veterans.

Future plans include moving the executive director to Port Angeles in a facility that has shelter beds for men and women veterans. If you have questions please email me at cdrlgilchrist@gmail.com. I am the president of the Board of Directors.

I am sure the community is sad to see Cheri go. She has been a dynamic, driving force to take care of vulnerable veterans in our communities. Cheri, may you have “Fair Winds and Following Seas” (a Navy saying). Thank you for your service to our local veterans.

On Wednesdays, three DAV Service Officers are at the Sequim Museum administration building, 544 N. Sequim Ave., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for help with VA claims and information. All veterans are welcome. For more information call 360-775-6482.

The Olympic Peninsula Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) recently presented the Sea Scout Ship Marvin Shields a $350 check to enable a unit member to attend the National Youth Leadership Academy. Chapter president, “J” Kinder presented Sea Scout Boatswain Sutten Desser, Scout Tristen Gordash and Ship Skipper Jared Minard with the donation from the chapter at a recent Sea Scout meeting in Port Angeles. Sea Scout Ship Marvin Shields is homeported in Port Angeles and is a unit of Scouting America that focuses on maritime training and safety, leadership, and citizenship.

Once again the Olympic Peninsula Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) has partnered with VFW Post 4760, 169 E. Washington St. in Sequim, to serve breakfast from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, March 29. The VFW and MOAA will serve Eggs Benedict and hash browns every fifth Sunday in 2026 for $9 per person. The Sequim VFW Post 4760 and the Olympic Peninsula Chapter of MOAA are nonprofit veteran organizations (501(c)19).

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Contributors: American Legion, Nancy Zimmermann, nmtzim@gmail.com; New Dungeness Chapter DAR, MOAA & Marine Corps League, Lorri Gilchrist, cdrlgilchrist@gmail.com; Voices For Veterans, Rita Frangione, rita.frangione@gmail.com; Korean War Veterans,Jerry Rettela, eletteor@msn.com; VFW 4760, Steve Henrikson, secretary@vfwpost4760.com ; VFW 6787, vfwcarlsborg@gmail.com, Fleet Reserve, Mike Sieg, mybadfish@gmail.com .

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