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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Gonzaga will clinic helps veterans plan for the future

Seth Maier spends his professional life helping veterans find the services they need.

Last year, the U.S. Navy veteran attended the Washington Veterans Will Clinic at Gonzaga University and became a client.

“I came there for a will, and I walked away with all this information,” Maier said.

Volunteer attorneys at the will clinic, which served 149 veterans at the 2013 event, asked Maier questions he’d never thought about before. Like what would happen to his three children, ages 8 to 13, if both he and his wife died. Or how to ensure his collection of first-edition books – including many of Stephen King’s works and a rare version of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” – would remain in the family long after print becomes rare.

“It’s basically falling apart,” Maier said of the “Lord of the Rings” prequel. “But I don’t want to lose possession of it.”

The Sandpoint native left the Navy in 2005, after service overseas in the Persian Gulf during the late 1990s. After seeking a career as a teacher, Maier became involved in the WorkSource Spokane program as a veterans employment representative. He said his job mostly involves informing veterans of all ages of the wealth of programs available to them.

“I have literally walked in their shoes,” Maier said. “I can tell them it’s going to get better.”

It was at a meeting of the Eastern Washington Veterans Task Force that Maier learned about the will clinic, which will hold its third clinic at the Gonzaga Law School on Saturday. Jacob Brennan, a local attorney who chairs the organization, said turnout continues to grow and more clinics are planned statewide throughout the rest of the month.

“It was a great event last year,” Brennan said. “We were at complete capacity.”

Additional veterans aid organizations will be on hand for the event, which will likely run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Brennan said. Those planning to attend include the American Red Cross, Army OneSource, and both the state and federal departments of Veterans Affairs.

Maier said the process was quick and granted his family peace of mind.

“We’re a big family here,” said Maier, who in addition to his children also cares for his in-laws. “We’re doing the best we can. Like everyone else, we’re living paycheck to paycheck.”