Apr 14, 2025
Raised between Scotland and Canada, Colin Anderson now lives in Hamburg, New York, with his wife, Sue. He has three grown daughters: Heather, Elizabeth and Colleen.
Anderson joined the U.S. Army after he moved to the United States in 1991. He served at eight duty stations, one of which was in Germany. Anderson also was deployed to Bosnia for Operation Joint Endeavor and completed two deployments in Iraq. During his 21 years of active duty service, Anderson earned the first sergeant rank.
He began working as a VFW Accredited Service Officer in December 2018. He also became a VFW All State county commander and All State Post quartermaster around that time. Today, Anderson is the VFW Department of New York State Veterans Service director.
Anderson begins most mornings around 6 a.m. so he can complete administrative tasks in quiet. Later in the day, he conducts appointments, files claims and assists other service officers with their questions. He also keeps VFW Headquarters updated on his department’s accomplishments and meets with other veteran service agencies.
Anderson explained that his greatest challenge in the service officer role was when he represented veterans during the pandemic. Connecting with people in nursing homes and assisted living facilities was especially difficult amid the restrictions.
“New York locked them down for many months, and the VA had a hard time understanding our limitations. But after some trial and error, we were able to create successful remote and hybrid procedures to address their claims,” he said.
Since the pandemic, Anderson and his team have increased the number of veterans and families they are able to serve. Today, he oversees five service officers but plans to gain six more in the next couple of months.
“Once our expansion is running and stable, I think that will be our biggest success,” Anderson said. “I’m proud of what we have done in New York.”
Anderson is a Bronze Legacy VFW Life member. He asks that other members continue to support and spread the word about how VFW Accredited Service Officers can provide help.
Learn more about the VFW's National Veterans Service (NVS) program.