Our guest speaker for the evening is Steven J. Combs, Vice President, Richmond for Old Dominion Honor Flight. Old Dominion Honor Flight is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices.  Old Dominion Honor Flight of Virginia serves the Richmond area and Southeastern Virginia to include the Outer Banks and Northeast North Carolina.

Old Dominion Honor Flight is part of the Honor Flight Network – a national network of hubs that work together to honor our World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War Veterans by taking them to Washington DC to visit the memorials built to honor their service and sacrifice.  There is absolutely no charge for Veterans.  Old Dominion Honor Flight relies on the generosity of volunteers, donors, and supporters to make our trips possible.

Steve is the son of an Air Force veteran and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia in 1990 and then commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.  He served 10 years in the Air Force in operations and logistics, including a tour as a squadron commander at Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany.  Other assignments took him to California, Korea, the United Kingdom, Germany, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Nevada.

Following his military service, he earned Masters’ degrees in Business Administration and in Public Policy from the College of William & Mary. Steve joined the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) in April 2004 and has served as Chief Deputy Commissioner since June 2019.

He and his wife Brigitte live in Mechanicsville, Virginia.  They have six adult children, including daughters who are Navy and Air Force veterans.  He is a member of the Military Officers Association of America, the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, AMVETS, and the Air & Space Forces Association.  He serves on the Board of Directors of Families of the Wounded Fund and as an Officer of Election in Hanover County.  In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, reading, and the study of historic coast defense forts.