Jim Davenport

Veterans Service Officer, McHenry County

Towner

How many veterans do you know that need to get medical care but can’t drive; are single and don’t own a car; children can’t get off work; spouse can’t drive and the list goes on and on. In the end the veteran doesn’t get the medical care they need.

I personally interviewed ten veterans and ask them if they knew that transportation was available to them for just a phone call. Nine out of ten, said “no.” The one veteran knew it was available because he heard about it on the radio, but wasn’t fast enough to write the number down. So, here we are again. Who suffers? The Veteran.

What can we do about it? Here are several options.

First and foremost if you are a veteran or know a veteran who needs help, call the Ward County Veteran Service Officer, 857-6490. They know how to get a veteran from point A to point B FREE.

One can also call the Veteran’s Readjustment Center at 852-0177. Another source is Souris Basin Transit. They will provide a veteran with transportation from point A to point B, back to point A, free of charge.

One last resource is to call the North Dakota State Veterans’ transportation hotline 1-800-920-9595. This office will give you the sources for you to call and make arrangements for travel. They spent time and money to establish a highly rural Veteran Transportation network. The Veterans Administration has six vans that are strategically placed throughout the state, one of which is based in Minot and a second in Towner.