Mark Landers, center, poses for a photo with his daughters and their husbands at a Cincinnati Bengals game. The retired U.S. Army colonel, a Bellaire native, is being inducted Nov. 7 into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame. (Photo Provided)

A Bellaire native’s name will join the likes of U.S. President Ulysses Grant and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Wayne “Woody” Hayes as a member of the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.

Retired U.S. Army Col. Mark Landers’ rank and philanthropic efforts in his community earned him a spot among the 20 new inductees chosen from 81 nominees. The Dayton resident believes growing up in the Ohio Valley instilled in him the grit and leadership skills to thrive in his military career and post-service charitable endeavors.

Landers’ road to the Hall of Fame began with a decision to join the army fueled by his family’s competitive spirit. Landers wanted to reach the rank of officer, which his uncles, who served in the Navy and Army, had never occupied.

“We were always competitive as a family, so I think I always wanted to join the army because of my uncles,” Landers said. “They were always great mentors and gave me good advice.”

While Landers’s uncles supported his decision, his mother, Donna Jean Landers, who raised him as a single mother in Bellaire, was not as thrilled with his choice.

“To be honest, she probably didn’t want me to join the military,” Landers said. “She supported me but always wanted me to attend law school and return to practice in the valley.”

Despite his mother’s misgivings, Landers joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps during his sophomore year at Kent State University. After graduation in 1974, Landers was commissioned as a second lieutenant and headed to Aberdeen, Maryland, to complete a basic officer course.

Landers then traveled from Maryland to Fort Lee, Virginia, to complete the supply and service officers course and finished in St. Louis, Missouri, where he served as an Acquisition Officer.

In addition to completing his initial goal of achieving a higher rank than his uncles, Landers found a home in the military. He noted the camaraderie amongst his brothers-in-arms was “second to none.”

“You meet people from all walks of life – rich, poor, Black, white – but we all came together for the same purpose in service for our country,” Landers said. “That’s why we generally don’t have issues that you have in society in the military. You’re judged on your performance, not the color of your skin or how much money you have. I like that.”

Landers remained on active duty until 1977 and then transitioned to serving for another 27 years in the Army Reserves. During this time, Landers rose to the rank of colonel.

After his active duty service, Landers entered a career his mother fully supported: the legal field. Following a year of employment at the National Response Corporation, Landers enrolled in the University of Dayton Law School in 1981.

“I joined the military because of my uncles and then entered the legal profession to follow my mother’s wishes,” Landers summarized. “My mother isn’t demanding, but often what she says goes.”

While Landers admitted law school was “difficult,” he noted, “If you’re gonna fail (law school), you generally fail in that first year.” He found the discipline he had acquired through his service allowed him to see the first year through.

“The practice of law is a continuous learning operation because the law changes daily, so you have to keep up with it,” Landers said. “The military is the same in that you must keep up with the new practices. The military I went in in 1974 versus when I retired in 2005 was so different because of our new technology today.”

Landers’s more than 42-year legal career has included time spent as a U.S. government litigator, during which he successfully handled over 300 cases involving litigation exceeding $1 billion. Landers said many of his cases were “very long” and could recall one trial that lasted for six months in Washington, D.C.

Though Landers would sport a suit and tie on the weekdays as a lawyer, donning his Army uniform on the weekends to attend annual training or weekend drills was the most fulfilling for him.

“I always looked forward to those training opportunities,” Landers said. “I commanded several units, and I enjoyed that.”

After he retired from the reserves in 2005, Landers admitted he had “too much time on his hands,” which led him to discover another passion in his life – coaching. The leadership knowledge he acquired as a Colonel gave him the skills to coach local high school football teams in Dayton.

“Commanding an army unit is like coaching a football team,” Landers noted. “You have to be a motivator, you have to be disciplined, you have to know what you’re doing and you have to know how you’re going to execute it. If you can’t do those four things, it’s not going to work out for you.”

Landers’s coaching career tied into his efforts to become involved in his community. He was a founding member of Just a Pair of Shoes, which provides Nike shoes to children in need and raises substantial funds for local charities through 100+ Men Who Care.

The nonprofit has distributed more than 2,000 pairs of shoes and 100+ Men Who Care has donated close to $500,000 over the last eight years to various charities in the Dayton area.

Landers also found a way to tie his leadership skills to his post-retirement military involvement. He served as Montgomery County Veterans Service commissioner for 10 years and as the Executive Director of the Montgomery County Veterans Service Commission from 2018 to 2019.

Another way Landers found he could lead his fellow veterans was by playing a role in developing VetsLink, an online service that connects veterans to the resources they need.

Landers now advocates for veterans through his private legal practice. He is a Veterans Association-accredited attorney and expert advocate in securing VA benefits.

By uniting his military and legal career, Landers has clarified the “complicated” VA benefits system for fellow veterans. He noted that veterans often do not know what benefits they’re entitled to because they do not know how to assemble a claim package, make legal arguments or collect the documentation needed.

“The saddest cases are Vietnam veterans and even older veterans who have serious medical issues that do not know what they’re entitled to,” Landers said. “I’ve helped many people, and I’ll continue to do it because being a veteran allows me to develop an instantaneous rapport with a fellow veteran.”

Landers wants to expand his work securing VA benefits by partnering with other lawyers to form a nonprofit covering the legal fees for veterans who must use lawyers to secure benefits.

Landers finds his work as a legal advocate for his brothers-in-arms the crowning achievement of his military and legal careers.

“I generally know the background of a lot of the veterans I work with for legal consultation, and they know something about my background, too,” Landers added. “I think that gives me credibility with them, and I’ve never charged a veteran a dime.”

Landers believes his military service developed his leadership skills, allowing him to become a successful lawyer, coach and community leader.

Landers attributes the combination of his high military rank and various charitable efforts during his post-military career to earning him a spot in the 2024 Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.

What has driven Landers through his various military, legal and philanthropic efforts is his “commitment to see the mission through to the end.” He noted that this responsibility was instilled in him in the military.

“I try to instill that commitment into my football team,” Landers added. “I tell my players, ‘You have to do more than what you do here at practice, or you’re going to wake up here in the new future and be a very unhappy person.'”

While the military sharpened his drive to complete his goals, Landers believes that growing up in Bellaire, Ohio, made him the leader he is today.

“Growing up in Bellaire being raised by a single mother gave me my leadership skills,” Landers said. “Going to St. John Central Academy also made me the leader I am today because the academics were challenging, and that required discipline from me. That basis of leadership developed a lot further in the military, but I was always disciplined thanks to where I grew up.”

Landers is thrilled with his induction into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame, as the award not only recognizes his achievements in the military but his impact on his community.

“I’m very proud and humbled to be given that opportunity and be able to share it with my friends and family,” Landers said. “I wouldn’t change a single thing about what I’ve done, and it all goes back to that tough guy attitude I grew up with back in the valley.”