Veterans service officer: Helping fellow veterans along the way

For some veterans, their service doesn't end when they take off the uniform.

Michael Probst has 14 years of combined military service, and his job as a veterans service officer with the Missouri Veterans Commission allows him to continue to serve on a daily basis.

"Primarily, we assist veterans in gaining access to the benefits they are eligible for," he explained at his office, attached to Missouri Veterans Home on Veterans Memorial Drive in Cape Girardeau. "We interview veterans to see what they could potentially be eligible for."

Fourteen-year journey

Probst's military career began in 2004, when he enlisted into the Army. His initial training was at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. From there, he went to the Fourth Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, as an artillery forward observer. He deployed to Iraq in late 2005 for a year as a gunner on a gun-truck, serving as security escort for radar technicians throughout the country. He left active duty in 2007 and joined the Army Reserve, serving in a drill sergeant unit at Paducah, Kentucky. In 2013, he joined the Missouri Army National Guard and has served in the Guard since. In 2017, while attached to C Company of 1st Battalion, 138th Infantry Regiment, Probst deployed to Qatar, where his unit provided base security for Camp As Sayliyah, near Doha. He served as the sergeant of the guard at the post's main gate, overseeing troops searching vehicles coming onto the post. Recently, he transferred to the 220th Engineer Company, based in Festus, Missouri. He has attained the rank of staff sergeant.

When asked what he has enjoyed about his time in uniform, Probst has a quick answer.

"Camaraderie is a big one, obviously; that sense of almost instant family that you get from the military," he said. "With the Missouri Veterans Commission's service officer program, everyone has to be a veteran. ... So, that sense of purpose, that sense of drive and camaraderie is similar to the military."

Serving veterans

Probst joined the commission in 2016, a short time before he deployed to Qatar.

He explained his job as a process of connecting veterans with the various benefits to which they are entitled.

"Health benefits, disability, education, housing -- all those things. We help determine what eligibility is there and then help the veterans get the benefits," he said.

Nearly half of the veterans who come to him for help have never sought benefits, Probst said. Therefore, outreach, making sure veterans are aware of their earned benefits, is a big part of his job.

"It is very rewarding," he commented. "I enjoy the atmostphere of working with veterans. It lets me continue a form of service."

But the job isn't always easy.

"We work with surviving spouses as well. We do a lot with the families of veterans," he said. "Often when we see them, it's in the first few weeks after the veteran has passed. We try to give them peace of mind."

Probst added talking with veterans about their experiences can exact a personal toll.

"There is a certain aspect that is difficult, but there is a certain aspect that makes it somewhat therapeutic," he explained. "It helps, too, when you have a veteran who is struggling with something, you can identify with what they are struggling with."

Probst and his wife have five children, ranging in age from 3 to 12. He said military spouses are unsung heroes.

"I will always say it's a harder job for the spouse back home than it is for us."