Page 7 - Veterans.2017

El Dorado NEWS-TIMES – Saturday, November 11, 2017 – 7
Veteran sees his service as positive experience
By Haley Smith
Staff Writer
Brian Evans served in the United States Navy from 1990 to 1995, and says the experience opened him up to oppor- tunities that he would have never had in south Arkansas.
Evans was born and raised in the Lawson and Old Union areas. He married his wife right out of high school and
joined the Navy after.
“I was raised with three options when I graduat- ed: school, work or the military,” he said with a laugh. “I was too lazy in school to get scholar- ships for college, I was too lazy to work in a fac-
tory so I said why not.” Although both his father and uncle were in the Army, he opted to follow in his aunt’s foot-
steps and join the Navy. “My dad didn’t have a
good experience with his time in the Army,” Evans said. “He wasn’t taught the skills he needed to move up. ... When he left he was left wanting.”
On the other hand, Evan’s aunt was a mem- ber of the U.S. Navy and had been all over the world, eventually retir- ing after 20 years of ser- vice. Traveling to see the world was a huge draw for him. As a poor kid from Lawson, he said,
the Navy presented the chance to see things that he never would have seen otherwise.
His military career was a relatively easy one, Evans said. Although he served during Operation Desert Storm, he was not involved in the operation. He was off the coast of Haiti and Somalia during some conflicts but never saw action.
Since his retirement, he
has been active in several veterans' organizations. He is the bingo caller at the American Legion Post 10 on Thursdays, visits the veteran’s clin- ic in El Dorado and is even a member of the VA’s weight loss group, MOVE.
“I wish I had joined groups like the American Legion earlier,” he said. “I get support and have fun with men who have been through things like
I have.”
He said he also feels
like the military is a great option for young people in allowing them to see the world, experi- ence diversity and show them how to appreciate where they come from.
Haley Smith can con- tacted at 870-862-6611 or at hsmith@eldoradone- ws.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter at @hsmithEDNT.
Serving those who served us
Education benefit programs
Veterans are eligible for multiple education benefit programs. Below is a quick introduction to some of the main benefit programs.
Post-9/11 GI Bill
Available to those who served at least 90 days of aggregate service after Sept. 10, 2001. Veterans must have an honorable discharge to be eligible. In order to be eligible for 100 per- cent of the benefit, they must have served an aggregate of 36 months of active duty service or have been discharged for a service-connected disability after 30 days of continuous service after Sept. 10, 2001.
If you served less than 36 months, the per- centage of benefit ranges from 40 percent to 90 percent:
90 percent - served 30 total months, includ- ing service on active duty in entry level and skill training.
80 percent - served 24 total months, includ- ing service on active duty in entry level and skill training.
70 percent - served 18 total months, exclud- ing service on active duty in entry level and skill training.
60 percent - served 12 total months, exclud- ing service on active duty in entry level and skill training.
50 percent - served six total months, exclud- ing service on active duty in entry level and skill training.
40 percent - served 90 or more days, exclud- ing service on active duty in entry level and skill training.
The percentage equals how much of the tui- tion benefit, monthly housing allowance and stipend for books and supplies a veteran is eligible for.
Approved training under the Post-9/11 GI Bill includes:
• Graduate and undergraduate degrees; • Vocational/technical training;
• On-the-job training;
• Flight training;
• Correspondence training;
• Licensing and national testing programs; or • Entrepreneurship training and tutorial assis-
tance.
Available to active duty service members after two years of active duty. Available to veterans who entered active duty for the first time after June 30, 1985; received a high school diploma or equivalent before the end of your first obligated period of service; received an honorable dis- charge; and continuously served for three years or two years if that’s what you first enlisted for.
The bill provides up to 36 months of educa- tion benefits for:
• College, business, technical or vocational school;
See GI, Page 8
Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty
WBy State Sen. Trent Garner
e have a duty to serve those who served us. I learned this from first- hand experience, because it was my privilege to serve as a special forces
Green Beret with two tours in Afghanistan in sup- port of Operation Enduring Freedom.
I felt compelled to serve after the terrorist attacks on our great nation on Sept. 11, 2001. I was already a member of the Arkansas National Guard, but after seeing those towers come down and after seeing our country under attack from radical Islamic extrem- ists, I knew I wanted to do more.
That is why I went through a grueling selection process and spent more than two years in training to earn my green beret. I wanted to go after those who attacked us. During two tours in Afghanistan I saw heavy combat, and I feel that I made a difference in the war on terror.
I am proud of service, and I am proud of the men and women with whom I served. But I knew my obli- gation to my brothers and sisters in arms didn’t stop after I was honorably discharged from the Army. I knew that I still had a duty to continue serving, so I decided that if I was ever in a position where I could make a difference for our veterans, I would.
Thanks to the voters of District 27, I now have the opportunity to work for our veterans in the state senate. Growing up, I didn’t have political ambi- tions. But I learned that the decisions of the political leaders we elect have a direct impact on our military. The consequences of those decisions may be good. That happened after the bold decision by President George Bush to increase troop numbers in Iraq, and to support much-needed increases in funding for military equipment and supplies, and to approve aggressive rules of engagement that allowed us to fight the enemy as needed.
I’ve also seen the consequences of bad decisions by national leaders, such as the sequester that severely hurt our nation’s fighting ability and the disastrous foreign policy decisions by President Barack Obama’s administration in Libya, Syria and Iran. I’ve seen the blunders of some staff in the Department of Veterans Affairs that affected veter- ans in dire need of help.
Since being elected I’ve worked hard to fulfill my duty to our veterans. Although we still have work to complete, I’d like to list some of the accomplish- ments that help veterans, for which I am proud to have contributed my part.
First, the Legislature created a tax exemption for military retirement pay. That means the men and
women who served their country and retired with a military pension will not have to pay one cent of state income tax on
their retirement benefits.
This is not only a sincere
expression of gratitude
to the men and women
who served, but research
shows that it will pro-
duce long-term economic
benefits by encouraging
retired veterans to live in
Arkansas. We enacted this
tax exemption in a fiscal-
ly responsible method by
keeping it revenue neu-
tral. Trent Garner
Next, I was the lead
sponsor for the Arkansas
Stolen Valor Act. It penalizes people who fake mil- itary service in order to defraud others. It protects the integrity of military service, and also prevents evil people from taking advantage of the generosity of civilian organizations that give so much back to our veterans.
Another goal was to improve educational oppor- tunities for veterans, so I sponsored legislation that awards high school credits to National Guard members who complete basic training between their junior and senior years in high school. With the same goal in mind, and with leadership from Gov. Asa Hutchinson, the Legislature also voted to provide free college tuition to our National Guard soldiers.
Finally, Arkansas is leading the way in honoring the families of those who fell in combat. The lawn of the Capitol in Little Rock will be one of the first in the nation to have a Gold Star family memorial. This monument will be a place where everyone can honor the men and women who died in combat in service to our country, in recognition that it is not only veterans who make sacrifices, but it is also their families and loved ones.
It is an honor and privilege to serve all the citizens of Arkansas in the state senate, but I will always hold a special place in my heart for veterans and military members. I will continue to fight for those who fight for us.
Sen. Trent Garner represents Arkansas District 27, which includes El Dorado, Smackover, Junction City, Calion, Strong and Huttig. Garner served two tours in Afghanistan and earned a Bronze star with V device, Combat Infantry Badge and Special Forces Tab.
Report: Arkansas has high rate of suicides among veterans
By the News-Times staff
Arkansas has the highest rate of suicides among veterans in the southern region of the United States.
Data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs show that in the southern region, which is composed of 16 states and the District of Columbia, Arkansas has a veteran suicide rate of 48.1 per 100,000 people, compared to the southern region’s rate of 37.9
Veterans Day 2017
We salute our American heros!
and the national rate of 38.4.
The report from the VA, which was released in 2016 and exam- ined more than 55 million records from 1979 to 2014, noted that after “accounting for differences in age, the veteran suicide rate in Arkansas was significantly higher than the national veteran suicide rate” and the overall national sui- cide rate, which includes those of
civilians.
According to the report, 72
percent of veteran suicides in
Arkansas in 2014 were committed with the use of firearms, while 14 percent were committed by suf- focation and another 14 percent were committed by poisoning and other methods.
Finding a solution
In order to help address the growing rate of veteran suicides nationwide, the VA has expanded
See RATE, Page 8
We are in debt for your service.
8910
1428 N. West Ave. • El Dorado • (870) 639-8133
www.slinginarrows.com
L D McMullan
State Farm Agent
101 W. 5th Street El Dorado,AR
Bus: 870-862-4661
LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR, STATE FARM IS THERE.®
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Thank you, Veterans!
REDI-MIXED CONCRETE COMPANY
0717
MSGT WILLIAM A. FIELDER
USMC (Ret) Vietnam War Veteran
Your family
Mrs. Billie Fielder,
and sons James, Michael, and Jerry Fielder honor you....
& all the men and women who have served our country in times of peace and war, we salute and honor your courage and commitment to the preservation of freedom to one and all.
VIETNAM
Master Sergeant Norman E. Faith, Jr.
USAF 1967-1987
8941
Remembrance
4971