The Tate County Veterans Services office has a new location and a new face manning the office.

We are proud to announce the addition of Sybil Canon as the new Tate County Veterans Services Officer.  Sybil has a long history of service to others and in dealing with convoluted bureaucracies in her former roles as fundraiser at The Baddour Center, the Memphis Union Mission, and Northwest Mississippi Community College.

When asked why she wanted the Veterans Officer position, Mrs. Canon replied, “The short answer is that I have always wanted a way to honor my brother’s memory. I can’t chisel his name on the Vietnam Wall in Washington because he did not die “in country.” However, that country killed him. He was a Marine officer who served in Vietnam and was exposed to Agent Orange.

When he returned to Mississippi, he attended law school at Ole Miss and practiced law in Jackson. He was diagnosed with cancer, and it was verified to be related to exposure to Agent Orange. He died at the age of 47, leaving a wife, three children, and brothers and sisters who loved him dearly and have grieved his death.
My husband, Al Canon, was stationed in Germany as Senior Intelligence Specialist of the 5^th of the 81^st Airborne Artillery.

Al’s mother and father served during World War II, his mother, Thelma Woodruff Canon, in the US Navy and his father, Alfred Lee Canon, Sr., in the US Navy. More than a dozen uncles, cousins, and nephews also have served in various branches of the military.”

Mrs. Canon also had this to say. “My goal is to build on the selfless work done by Mr. Campbell over the past years. I can only hope to do as much good for our veterans and their families as he did.”

Mrs. Canon can be reached by telephone at 662-501-3050 or email at scanon@tatecountyms.gov.  Office hours are Monday and Tuesday from 8am to 4pm.

The new office will share space with the Mississippi State Extension Service office at 205 French’s Alley.  This new location of the Veterans Services Office is larger and should be easier to find. The French’s Alley office will have more parking closer to the front door. Ground-level access will make it more convenient for people with mobility problems.

About the Veterans Services Office:

The Tate County Veterans Services Office doesn’t actually provide benefits. Instead, the purpose is to help veterans and their families understand what benefits are available to them and then help them work through the system to get the benefits they have earned through their service.

A few of the benefits for available veterans are medical care through the VA system including hospitalization, home health, burial assistance, and hearing care.  The Heroes with Hearing Loss and other programs can help with services including captioned telephones for qualified veterans and their spouses.

Other VA benefits range from special loans for home purchases, housing for homeless veterans, disability filing, educational aid, life insurance, burial benefits, and benefits for families and caregivers of veterans.