43
New Castle veteran earns state award for 2nd year
NEW CASTLE, PA.
Helping veterans transfer military skills and experience into civilian jobs is a major goal of Gary Zarilla Sr. of New Castle, who was named 2011 Local Veterans Employment Representative of the Year by the Pennsylvania Disabled American Veterans.
It is the second year in a row Zarilla, a Vietnam War veteran, has received the statewide award. He is a veterans employment representative with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry at PA CareerLink Lawrence County.
“His ability and efforts have gone above and beyond that required in outreach, counseling, job development, placement and employer contact on behalf of all veterans,” according to his nomination submitted by his supervisor.
During the award ceremony, state Sen. Elder Vogel Jr. of Rochester, Pa., R-47th, presented a senatorial district Certificate of Recognition to Zarilla.
“It is an honor to be selected out of all the veterans employment representatives in the state,” Zarilla said. “It shows we care and want to work with veterans and help them to find work.”
He said veterans employment representatives tout veterans as good employees with employers, union apprenticeship programs and educational systems while trying to match military skills and training of veterans with civilian jobs.
For example, he said the situation of Army medics and Navy corpsmen “just kill me.”
They have training and skills and front-line experience that should easily transfer to the civilian workplace if the state licensing boards would just take a look at them, Zarilla said.
“Why should we spend more money to train veterans in the same areas in which they already have training and skills when perhaps all they need is a refresher?” he said.
Zarilla, who is retired from the military, has worked for the Department of Labor and Industry since 2002 as an employment interviewer, CareerLink specialist and local veterans employment representative.
He retired as a sergeant first class with nearly 30 years in the Pennsylvania National Guard, Army Reserve and two active-duty stints from 1966 to 1969, which included 1967 and 1968 in Vietnam, and then from 1984 to 2000. He was in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive as a member of the 1st Cavalry Division, Bravo Co., 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Division. He has a combat-related disability.
A 1966 graduate of New Castle Senior High School, Zarilla attended Youngstown State University “on and off” between 1969 and 1975. He graduated in 2000 from Point Park College in Pittsburgh with a bachelor’s degree in public administration. Also in the late 1960s and early 1970s, he worked for the Nabisco Co. in Youngstown.
Zarilla and his wife, Denise, have three adult children: Gary Jr., Robert “Bobby,” and Kelly Zarilla, all of New Castle, and two grandchildren, Antonio and Olivia Zarilla.