Melanie Corinne is a Marine Corps Veteran. She served between 2013-2018 as an Arabic Linguist in the military intelligence field. She deployed with Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force, Crisis Response Africa 18.1 (SPMAGTF CR-AF.) Her stateside support included anti-ISIS operations. She earned her undergraduate degree in English, Creative Writing from Fordham University. At Fordham she served as a chapter leader for Student Veterans of America. She interned in publishing, and for the writers room for CBS Blue Bloods. After school, she worked as a Social Media Strategist for ViacomCBS Veterans Network (Now Paramount.) She was accepted into the Writer’s Guild Foundation Veteran Writing Project 2021-22 Cohort. She is a proud member of Veterans in Media and Entertainment (VME.)

Currently, Melanie serves as the Project Coordinator for the Joseph Dwyer Veteran Peer Support Project of Suffolk County. She lives with her cat and her husband (also a Marine veteran!) She enjoys connecting veterans with resources and working in veteran and community mutual aid.

Sharran Chambers-Murphy served in the United States Army Reserves from 1986-1997. Her unit was deployed to Germany during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990. She has performed humanitarian missions in areas including Ft. Clayton, Panama and Guayaquil and Celica in Ecuador. In 2015, Sharran received her Master of Social Work with a concentration in substance and alcohol abuse from the School of Health Professions and Nursing at LIU Post and is currently working for the Nassau and Babylon Vet Centers, which is part of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) as the Veteran Outreach Program Specialist (VOPS) conducting outreach to community members and organizing women veteran events throughout Long Island. Sharran has been a Veteran Peer Mentor with the Joseph Dwyer Veterans Peer Support Project since 2013, co-facilitating our Liberty Village group as well as providing one on one support. She established a Women Veterans Support Group in 2018, a new and expectant moms’ group in 2019, an MST support group in 2021, and an LGBTQI+ support group in 2022. She has received numerous awards for outstanding service to her country and community. It is her desire to ensure that military service members are equipped with appropriate tools and resources that will enable them to transition and live a healthy productive life.

Brian retired from the Army as an E7/Sergeant First Class after 22 years.  As an AGR soldier assigned to the USAR’s 77^th Regional Support Command, he was the HHD First Sergeant and Battalion Operations NCO for the 354^th Transportation Battalion and the Truckmaster/Operations NCO for the 773^rd Transportation Company.  He also served as an AGR USAR Recruiter for the Des Moines Recruiting Battalion from 93-96.  Prior to his AGR assignments, he was an 88M Motor Transport Operator assigned to the 172^nd Transportation Company in Omaha, NE where he also deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Desert Shield/ Desert Storm 90-91.

Steve Dreyer entered the Army in December of 1967. He trained in Fort Walters, TX and in Fort Polk, LA. Steve deployed to Vietnam in February 1969, as an 11 Bravo, Combat Infantry, with the First Cavalry Unit. He ended his service later that year in December 1969, leaving the service with 3 purple hearts and a case of malaria. 

As a civilian, Steve married his wonderful wife Lori in 1974. They have three sons: Jamie, Tim and Dan. Steve is proud that his son, Tim, a 3rd generation soldier, followed in his footsteps and joined the Army, also deploying as Combat Infantry in both the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Steve earned his bachelor’s in Business Administration from C. W. Post (now Long Island University.) Steve worked in manufacturing, retired at 65, and now works as a veteran peer where he enjoys supporting fellow veterans in their wellness journeys. His hobbies include gardening, cars, and being an “at home tinkerer.”

Bio to be posted soon…

Nancy never served in the military, but is the proud younger sister of her retired Navy SEAL brother Charles who served his country for 26 years. She graduated from SUNY Stony Brook with Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She completed the certification program at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting and worked as the Senior News writer for WLNY TV 10/55 News in Melville from 2008 to 2012. 

She joined the Dwyer team part time in August 2015 and was promoted to full time in February 2020. Nancy coordinates events, updates our website, social media accounts and can be found at many Veteran events in the community.  

Adjahni Desire joined the United States Army in 2017 and served as 91E, Allied Trades Specialist. Within her time in service, she completed a rotation out in Illesheim, Germany, aiding soldiers of all ranks in housing accommodations and maintaining a comfortable standard of living. In 2021, Adjahni returned to Centereach, Long Island and began her pursuit of becoming a Screenwriter and Director. Armed with her engaging and challenging experience within the US Army, she aims to harness the growth it instilled in her to write and share stories of people and their struggles as accurately and respectfully as possible. Currently she is enrolled at CUNY Brooklyn College for a Bachelor’s degree in Film Production. She has three short films under her belt and is a fellow of The Writers Guild Foundation’s Veteran Writing Project 2022-23 cohort. Within this project, she has been able to connect with fellow veterans who also identify as writers. Together they bridge the gap between their military service and their creative futures.

As a Veteran Peer Mentor, Adjahni hopes to be able to continue serving her community in meeting its needs and aiding Veterans in bettering their lives as civilians. She is pleased to continue her service beyond her enlistment.