LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - Arkansans celebrated Veterans Day on Monday, reflecting on all that our men and women in uniform have done to protect us. The local V.A. is taking a different approach, one it hopes will give everyone a greater connection to those who served.
The portraits of 24 local veterans line the halls at Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System facilities as part of the “Faces of Veterans” exhibit and videos of their time in the armed forces are online.
“Learn about these people. Learn them. Get to know them,” Chris A. Durney said, “and if you see them on the street somewhere, thank them for their service.”
Durney, a public affairs officer for CAVHS, helped select the veterans who would be featured, photographed, and interviewed for the project.
"The veterans here in Arkansas are truly diverse,” he said. “They’re wonderful people. They served in all of our conflicts, all of our services, and all are worthy of this kind of honor.
“Ceremonies are great. Ceremonies are wonderful. But we reach out and we say to veterans on one day, ‘hey, we love you. We appreciate everything you’ve done; the service, the sacrifice, and all of that.’
Here at the VA, we see veterans every day, all year long, and for us, we wanted something that would last, and something that takes a piece of that veteran that lets other people see them.
“When you look at these faces, and you look at them and you read their quotes and their service, you get a sense of what that person is like. I mean, who went to war for us? It’s easy to say, oh, you know, a bunch of guys went off to war and have really done some great things for us, but when you come here and see these people, and you meet them, you get a true sense of what they’ve done for our country and for our state.”
Some of the people included in the exhibit continue to serve, including a few who also work for CAVHS at the same time. One of them, Durney stated, earned two Purple Hearts but works in the MICU at McLellan Memorial Veterans Hospital.
The veterans featured in the project were asked only three questions during their interview, then allowed to say whatever they wanted about their service.
George Cooks served in the Army’s 275th Signal Corps during World War II, praised the VA for caring for him for 75 years, and had positive things to say about serving in the war.
“I enjoyed the Army,” he said. “It learned me discipline and it learned me how to teach discipline. And when I came out of the Army, taught me how to lead people.”
Carlos Cervantes described signing up for the Army during the Vietnam War and the lasting bonds of brotherhood formed in battle. “It didn’t matter what color you were,” he recalled. “You didn’t distinguish black or brown or whatever. We were all united.”
Dr. Ron Braswell, a Lt. Col. in the Arkansas Air National Guard, said he served for several years, took a hiatus to be with his family, but wanted to return the military. “It is a way to give back,” he explained. “It is a way to interact with our veterans. It allows them some commonality, when we’re taking care of veterans, that they understand that I understand what they have been through, to some small degree.”
Durney said that while this is the first year for the “Faces of Veterans” project, he believes it will continue for years to come. It is an extension of a current project that places portraits of World War II veterans along the hallways of the hospital.
“What we’re hoping,” Durney said, “and what we’re going to do is, we’re gonna reach out to each of these 24 and ask them, ‘hey, would you nominate somebody that you know that you think can represent us for the next year?’ And we’re gonna continue that tradition as we go, so that we’ll get to see how Arkansas veterans develop the new ones that are coming to us, and just get to meet all kinds of wonderful people here in the state.”
Anyone can go into the VA facilities and see the photos on the walls until Friday. The interviews are being added a couple at a time to the CAVHS Facebook page where anyone can see them, as well.