I'm probably not the first person to wind up in Bentonville, Arkansas with no interest in visiting Wal-Mart’s corporate offices, but it is probably a small fraternity. But I digress...
After my goodbyes to Mike and the gang in Henryetta, OK, I made my way to Rogers, Arkansas, just across the freeway from Bentonville, for a visit to the local American Legion post that generously offered to sponsor my visit.
I was blown away by their mention of "Operation Reboot," a program they developed after a series of happy coincidences, to help veterans once off the street. Apparently, the powers that be decided it would be a good idea to find veterans housing to get them off the street. Unfortunately, once off the street they had four walls and a floor to sleep on and not much else.
The Post Commander, Barbara Aguirre, started taking donation of bedding, dishes, silverware, etc. to try to help out a little. To date, they now have a warehouse and two storage lockers full of donated furniture, bedding, etc…AFTER outfitting nearly 80 veterans over the last 16 months. I visited the warehouse and witnessed Barbara and 11 other dedicated veterans and interested helpers working diligently to assist the next in a long line of needy vets. They are truly an inspiration. They get no money or other support from the State or National Legion Headquarters, or any other source, just plowing ahead the best they can doing the best they can.
I hope the news spreads rapidly and other programs like "Operation Reboot" get started all over the country. Our veterans certainly can use the help.
They also told me of two additional memorials that had escaped my research, one in Avoca and the other in Bella Vista, both on my way north to Missouri. Turns out the Bella Vista memorial is a generic site to all conflicts in our history, not quite fitting my guidelines for the tour, but one that is grand in scope, very well designed and worth visiting. It is no less sacred in my eyes than any other just because it is not Vietnam specific.
Spent the next couple of hours winding my way slowly through two-lane country roads en route to Branson, MO for the night. I found the next place on my list of memorials inside a restaurant, Jackie B. Goode's Uptown Cafe, diagonally across the street from a half-scale replica of the Titanic, complete with bow wave shaped fountain and mock iceberg...go figure.
The owner is a younger brother of a Viet vet who died in battle, for which he was awarded the Bronze AND Silver Star posthumously, and who purchased and renamed the diner for his brother, and set up a memorial wall inside the restaurant. A very moving and personal tribute.
On to Springfield and Carthage Missouri later today.
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