Community Corner
Veterans Service Commission Building To Be Renamed
It will be named in honor of local veteran and hero Chad Wright, who worked tirelessly to help veterans and others in the community.
MARIETTA, OH — The Washington County Veterans Service Commission operates underneath the Washington County Commissioners. They’re a self-contained organization, but they do have to run some things by the commissioners for approval. One of those things would be if they want to change the name of the building. Which they do. Their building is currently called the Washington County Veterans Service Office. Jared Smith is the Washington County Veterans Service Commission’s President, and he wants to name the building in honor of Chad Wright.
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Smith explained they want to rename the building because of who Chad Wright was. “Chad D. Wright was a legend of a man.” He says Wright was a veterans service officer and would help veterans after he’d punched the clock for his weekly 40-hours. “Even the weekends, even the holidays, his phone and social media was always available for people to message him. And he would jump all over it.”
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Wright was a Marine veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He co-founded the Mid-Ohio Valley Veterans Outreach where he became president. “He was president of MOVVO for three years until his untimely death.” He also founded the local Marine Corps League for Washington County in Marietta, Ohio. While Wright was President of MOVVO, he was able to help them attain nonprofit status. “It was because of his leadership that this came to fruition.”
Smith said that Wright’s work wasn’t limited to veterans. “He was the coach for many teams.” He says Wright would help anyone who needed it. “If you asked the man for the shirt off your back, he’d be inclined to give it to you, then ask if you needed anything further,” Smith said Wright never stopped. “He was going 24/7 and larger than life. Any way that you’ve ever heard anyone described like that for the positive, he was that and more.” People looked up to him.
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Smith says he was proud to have Wright as a friend and a peer. “Anyone who knows Chad, once you’re a friend you’re more like family.”
Today, the Washington County Commissioners voted unanimously to support a resolution fully supporting the renaming of the veteran's service office. When the veteran’s building is renamed officially, it will be the Washington County Chad D. Wright Veteran’s Service Office. They’re not changing the name of their organization, only changing the name of the building. But Smith says this is extremely appropriate. “Chad had been employed at the Veterans Service Commission since August 2012. Literally, he’s impacted thousands of lives, not hundreds.” He says the number of people who Chad Wright affected positively is mind-bending. “For a man to have that much of an impact in eight years.”
The building’s name hasn’t changed yet. They’ll dedicate the building to Wright on Memorial Day. “We’re going to do a celebration/dedication on Memorial Day.” That will be May 31, 2021. Details will be available on Facebook.
The renaming of this building is to cement his legacy on the building like he did on so many lives.
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