County’s veteran affairs officer talks about Appreciation Day

Davis talks to Kiwanis Club about veterans
Ouachita County Veteran Affairs Officer Jim Bob Davis speaks to Camden Kiwanis Club members about the growth of the Veterans Appreciation Dinner. The event is scheduled for September 12. See related article.
Davis talks to Kiwanis Club about veterans Ouachita County Veteran Affairs Officer Jim Bob Davis speaks to Camden Kiwanis Club members about the growth of the Veterans Appreciation Dinner. The event is scheduled for September 12. See related article.

— By PATRIC FLANNIGAN

Staff writer

Ouachita County Veteran Affairs Officer Jim Bob Davis is putting the word out early for this year’s Annual Veterans Appreciation dinner. This year’s appreciation will be held on Sept. 12 at Cullendale First Baptist Church.

Davis visited the Camden Kiwanis Club recently to talk about the history of the event and how it has grown.

Kiwanian and Camden Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Beth Osteen reminisced about the start of the veterans appreciation event before introducing Davis as the guest during its weekly meeting. She stated that she and Davis were inspired by fellow Kiwanian and war veteran Johnny Gaughan and felt like something should be done to recognize veterans. Osteen said that she brought up the idea at a Chamber of Commerce meeting and Ouachita County Judge Robbie McAdoo offered his full support. Davis said the appreciate dinner for the veterans started five years ago on the Ouachita County Courthouse lawn with about 75 veterans attending.

“It was hot,” Davis shared. “But we wanted to do something to show our appreciation for our veterans. The next year, we fed around 100.”

Davis said the event continued to grow until it was relocated to Cullendale First Baptist Church, and McAdoo declared September as Veterans Appreciation month.

“Last year, we fed around 450 veterans and their spouses,” Davis said. “The area industries donated so we could provide a meal. A lot of the local businesses donated door prizes.

“We had around $3,500 in door prizes… We want to let people know about it early because we want to eventually outgrow Cullendale First Baptist. We want to feed 1,000.”

Davis said the success of the event has been a testament to the support of the Camden community, the industries in East Camden, local businesses, the Camden Area Chamber of Commerce and the veterans themselves. He added that people from outside of Camden compliment what it has been able to do to show its appreciation for its veterans.

Davis also said that there are several business that support local veterans by offering discounts in September that he hopes he hopes more businesses will do so this year.

“It doesn’t have to be much,” Davis said. “Just something showing that you appreciate what they’ve done. That small act would mean so much.”

In addition to talking about the Veterans Appreciation Dinner, Davis also talked about his work as a Veteran Affairs Officer.

He said that he works on Tuesday-Thursday in Ouachita County and in Fordyce helping veterans with filing claims.

There are around 2,000 veterans in Ouachita County alone and 600-700 work in the defense industry.

He said that there are a lot of war veterans that have struggled with health issues like post traumatic stress disorder for decades that are just now trying to get help.

Davis explained that it is harder for veterans to get the help they need the longer they’ve been removed from duty. He emphasized that people who know younger veterans should encourage them to seek help immediately if they know they are struggling with any type of service related ailment.

“It’s been 50 years since Vietnam and a lot of people are just now coming out trying to get help,” Davis said. “The longer you are out of service, the harder it is to file a claim. 22 vets a day commit suicide and Arkansas ranks near the top in that category. So if you know someone that is serving, tell them to try and get help.”

Davis also talked about the “Challenge Coins” that are available to veterans. The coins have the veteran’s number on one side and the branch number on the other. He added that as a VAO, he helps about 170-180 local veterans a month. Davis said that his office corresponds van services for older and handicap veterans to get them to the hospitals in Little Rock for their appointments.

Davis also took time to talk about the tradition of the poppy flower and how it relates to veterans.

He explained that the poppy flower started back in World War 1 when a lot of veterans were unable to be transported back to the United States so they were buried in poppy fields.

This led to a lot of the handicap veterans putting together what they called “buddy poppies” to honor those that passed in the line of duty.

Davis said that members of the VAO ask for donations that goes into an account to help other veterans that have fallen on hard times. He shared that the donations from poppy flowers recently provided a veteran with $500 after a house fire.

“It’s not much, but it really helps,” Davis shared.

Davis added that 90-95 percent of the money raised from donations stays in Ouachita County and that the Veterans-Foreign Wars Post 4554 has been active in several community projects such as sponsoring two NJROTC cadets a year, softball teams and spreading education about veterans and their sacrifice.

He said that he is hoping to get Boys and Girls Scout started in the next year.

Davis stated that Ouachita County is designated as a “Purple Heart County.”

The Purple Heart County designation is part of the Purple Heart Trail program that shows that a county has met specific guidelines to show its appreciation for veterans and purple heart recipients.

Davis said that he spent four years in the United States Air Force and that it means a lot to him to live in a county that is so supportive of its veterans.

“We are very appreciative,” Davis shared. “A lot goes into becoming a Purple Heart County and there is no bigger supporter than Judge McAdoo.”

“Our education system in this country is good but it has kinda fallen back on the meaning of some things. There are a lot of people that get Veterans Day and Memorial Day mixed up. They think Memorial Day is another day for the veterans. It’s not. It’s for anyone who has lost their lives in the line of duty for the county.

“I’ve always taken my kids and grand kids to the cemetery like the one on Maul Road where they can see the rows of head stones.

“Something about seeing those head-stones just says, ‘Hey, we got it made here in America and that wasn’t free.’”

Davis closed by saluting younger veterans. He explained that he was young when the draft was going on but military service men and women are making a choice to serve.

“They are not forced to go,” Davis said.

“The people that go today we owe a great debt to. I got all kind of admiration and respect for veterans today.”

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