Macomb County Veterans Services was established through the Michigan Legislature Public Act 192 of 1953. The department was created by the County Board of Commissioners and is under administration by the County Veterans Services Committee.
Therese Wrobel, Chairman
US Air Force - Oct 1973 to Aug 11, 2005
Therese served 32 years in the Michigan Air National Guard and active duty and retired in 2005. She was first appointed to Macomb County Veterans Committee in December 2009 where she currently serves as Chairman. She has two married adult daughters, one in Michigan and one in New Jersey. She is the past National and past State Commander for the Polish Legion of American Veterans, USA and is active with that organization.
Michael Salyers, Vice Chairman
US Army - November 2, 1988 - August 31,2009.
Mike served from 2 November 1988 thru 31 August 2009 and flew CW4 Hueys and Blackhawks medivac. He has been on the Committee since 2012 and is the Vice-Chairman. He has been a husband for 40 years; father to 4, and a grandfather to 6. He retired Fire Marshal of Clinton Twp, MI and ER tech at Henry Ford Macomb.
Don Martindale, Member at Large
US Army - August 1966 - May 1968
Don has been a resident of Warren, MI for forty years and has served on the Veterans Service Committee since July 2015 . He served in the US Army from August 1966 – May 1968, 1967 RVN 173rd Airborne, 1968 RVN 82nd Airborne. He has served with many Veterans Organizations for the past 25 years. He is a Purple Heart recipient.
Joel Rutherford, Member at Large
US Air Force- 1973 - 1977 and from 1981-1998.
Joel was appointed as a member to the Veterans Services County Committee on September 24, 2020. He is retired from the United States Air Force, serving just over 20 years active duty, with 10 of those years being overseas. He served as an air traffic control specialist, retiring from Barksdale AFB, the world’s largest bomber base at the time, in Bossier City, Louisiana. After retirement, he worked for the Department of Defense, first as a federal contractor, then as a federal service civilian air traffic control supervisor retiring from Selfridge ANGB MI. He held certifications in Enroute, Approach and Control Tower air traffic control operations. He was selected to remain at Tempelhof Central Airport, Berlin Germany, after the fall of the Berlin Wall to train incoming German civilian air traffic controllers to assist in the transition from military to civilian air traffic control. He was also Control Tower Operations Manager at Otis ANGB, Cape Cod Massachusetts, on 9/11, as his team launched F-15 fighter jets to attempt intercept of the airliners that crashed into the World Trade Center. Prior to his retirement at Selfridge, he was recognized as the Civilian Supervisor of the Year award winner for the 127th Wing. He attended Eastern Michigan University, Embry Riddle University, along with numerous military and air traffic control related schools.
Manuel Gonzales, Member at Large
US Army - 1979 - 1995
Manny served in the Desert Shield / Desert Storm conflict with numerous other deployments during his career. He is a recipient of the Combat Medical Badge and the Expect Field Medical Badge. He is Air Assault and Airborne qualified He is also a certified Law Enforcement Officer for the state of Iowa. He currently works as a Logistical Management Specialist and an advent DIYer. He have been a Committee member since 2021.
Wayne Fetty, Secretary
Air National Guard for over 40 years
Chief Master Sergeant Wayne Fetty was a long term and dedicated member of over 40 years to the 127th Maintenance Group and the Michigan Air National Guard. He stated his military career in 1976 and was only 17 years old. In 1979 he hired in full time as one of the first AGRs in the 127th Wing and then, six months later, converted to a Title 32 Technician. During his career he was worked on several aircraft to include F-100 Super Saber, A-7 Course Air, F-16 A/B & C/D Falcons and A-10 Warthogs. Supporting the organization and cross training career fields, he has held numerous positions; Aerospace Photographic System Repairman, Avionics Technician, A-7 Flight Simulator Supervisor, PMEL Lab Chief, Wing Air Base Operability Manager, Avionics Branch Chief, Specialist Element Superintendent, Back shop Avionics Superintendent, Production Superintendent, NGB Maintenance Liaison for Theater Airborne Reconnaissance System, 8010 Alert Facility Manager and Component Maintenance Flight Superintendent. Over the years Chief Fetty has deployed over 100 times both state side and abroad to places such as Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Italy and in operations such as Norther Strike, Red Flag, Green Flag, Angel Thunder, OIF, OSW, EOF, Combat Archer, Snowbird and more. Fetty retired from his military career on December 4, 2016. In his civilian life, he served a as a community leader in various positions: Youth basketball, baseball and football coach; established a local Cub Scout Pack holding positions as Chairperson, Cub Master, Treasury, Secretary and Den Leader. He was an elected school board member for ten years with six years as School Board President. He was a Catholic Church Stewardship Committee member and a Knights of Columbus member. He served as Director of the Selfridge Military Air Museum, board member of the Michigan Air Guard Historical Association and Founder and President of The Enlisted Heritage House. Wayne has been on the Committee since October 2022 and serves as Secretary.
Gary Purcell, Member-at-Large
US Army - August 1966 to August 1968
Gary grew up in East Detroit. He served 13 months in Vietnam in the First Calvary Division. He is a life member of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) Chapter 154 where he currently serves as President. He is also a life member of Shafer-Rachelle Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 6782. He is married and has two daughters and two sons. He is an avid and strong advocate for Veterans of all services and conflicts and active in his community. Gary has been on the Committee since October 2022.
2023 board meeting schedule