SWAMPSCOTT — The local Disabled American Veterans chapter has a new leadership team, but Commander Jason Thompson said the organization’s mission remains unchanged: supporting veterans, serving the community, and making sure no one has to navigate life after military service alone.

Thompson, an Army veteran who served seven and a half years, including a deployment in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm, was recently sworn in as commander after serving as the chapter’s junior and senior vice commander.

Joining Thompson in the chapter’s newly established leadership are Senior Vice Commander Alicia Reddin, Junior Vice Commander Tammy Shovelton, Adjutant and Secretary Andrea Gayle-Bennett, and Chaplain Bob Lennon. Thompson said the group has worked together for several years and brings decades of combined experience serving veterans of the North Shore.

“I always wanted to work with veterans,” Thompson said. “I get to connect with people on a daily basis, and I get to help them in ways that they never thought that they could be helped.”

His commitment to that mission began long before joining the DAV. Nearly 17 years ago, Thompson became involved with the Run to Home Base program, which supports veterans and military families. It remains one of his favorite programs today. Through that work, he met members of several different veterans organizations before eventually joining the DAV. He now also serves on the Lynn Veterans Council and recently became the veteran service officer for the Town of Stoneham, a position he credits in part to relationships he built throughout the chapter.

While Thompson now leads the chapter, he said its mission extends far beyond meetings or membership rosters. The organization helps veterans file disability claims, connects them with VA services and benefits, and steps in when veterans or their families face emergencies.

Many veterans, he said, leave the military without realizing what assistance is available.

“These types of programs are very crucial,” Thompson said. “A lot of people will say, ‘Well, I’m not hurt’ or “I didn’t do anything in the military.’ It doesn’t matter. There’s still benefits out there. There’s programs out there that can help veterans.”

One of the chapter’s largest annual events is its beach party, scheduled this year for July 25 at Red Rock Park. The gathering brings together veterans, their families, service providers, and community members for a day of recreation while connecting attendees with resources that may benefit them. Thompson said the event is one of several ways the chapter introduces veterans to services they may not realize they have earned.

The chapter’s work, however, extends well beyond its own events.

Members volunteer throughout the North Shore, from hosting monthly pizza gatherings for veterans at Habitat Plus to staffing information tables at Red Cross blood drives and community events. The chapter also supports programs such as Freedom Fish and Operation Troop Support, awards scholarships at North Shore Community College, and regularly partners with other organizations serving veterans. Thompson said many members volunteer with multiple organizations, extending the chapter’s reach well beyond its own events.

At his first meeting as commander, Thompson challenged members to check in on one another between monthly meetings, especially those dealing with illness or family hardships.

“I don’t want to wait 30 days to see how they’re doing,” Thompson said. “If you’re in a hospital, I want to know so I can come visit you, send you something from the chapter … This year, let’s be about us. Let’s be about family and togetherness and check on each other.”

That sense of support starts with the chapter’s leadership team, which Thompson credits with helping guide both the organization and his own transition into the commander’s role.

“Those three women are the backbone of this organization,” he said of Reddin, Shovelton, and Gayle-Bennett. “They’re smart. They know a lot about the DAV. They know about helping veterans. … I lean on all three of them on a daily basis.”

For Thompson, that same collaborative approach is what he hopes veterans experience when they connect with the DAV for the first time.

“We actually do stuff in the community,” Thompson said. “We actually make sure that veterans and their families are taken care of.”