30 Jun 2024 Helping our heroes
By Carol Rolf
Veterans helping veterans. That’s what it’s all about at the Faulkner County Veterans Service Office in Conway.
Terry Hooten and Albert Meyer are both veterans. They now serve under the supervision of the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs as Faulkner County Veterans Service Officers, serving at the pleasure of Faulkner County Judge Allen Dodson, who took office Jan. 1, 2023. Their job is to help veterans, their families and survivors in processing claims with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“We held a ribbon-cutting ceremony here at the new office at 714 Locust St. on Nov. 14, 2023,” Dodson said, adding that the former location on Robinson Street is no longer in use. “We also announced the addition of Terry Hooten as the county’s first full-time Veterans Service Officer. Al Meyer has been serving part-time since 2010.
“With over 7,000 veterans in Faulkner County, my administration, along with the Quorum Court, recognize an increasing need to provide additional resources for our veterans,” Dodson said. “We made these changes to provide support to our veterans with a standard of respect, dignity and services our veterans and their loved ones deserve.”
Hooten, who as the son of a Navy veteran, calls himself a “Navy brat,” graduated from high school in Monett, Mo., and joined the Air Force a couple of years later in 1991. He is a retired Air Force master sergeant with 26 years of service as a flight mechanic. Meyer, who is a native of Conway, served in the Marine Corps from 1957-1961; his father served in the Army and was killed in World War II when Meyer was 4 years old. Dodson, who is a graduate of Conway High School, is also a veteran, having served in the Navy for two years and then as an officer and flight instructor in the U.S. Naval Reserves; he is a seventh-generation Faulkner County resident.
“My job is to help folks get their benefits regarding injuries and illnesses,” Hooten said. “Plus, we help folks with a variety of services ranging from educational to mental health referrals. We provide a listening ear. Most of the time, when folks start talking about their military service, it’s emotional to them. So I know we can help pull them out of their shell a little bit to get their information while helping relieve some of the stressors caused by their service. We’ve had three or four people break down and cry because no one has listened to them before.”
Meyer refers to the Veterans Service Office (VSO) as “the best-kept secret in town.”
“I needed a DD214 (a report of separation from military service) and didn’t know where to find one,” he said. “I didn’t even know there was a VSO office in Conway. I’m a junior, named after my dad, and my name kept coming up with his records. I finally met with Jim Havens (the Veterans Service Officer at the time), and he got it all straightened out. I hung around him for a while, and one day, he asked me if I’d like to have his job. He had cancer and knew he wouldn’t live too long. (Havens, a Marine Corps veteran, died in 2011.)
“That’s how I got this job,” Meyer said, smiling. “Like Jim Havens, Terry and I are happy to help all veterans find documents, or whatever they need. Terry carries the bulk of the workload because he has additional training; I’m here to assist in any way I can.”
Hooten said veterans and/or family members are welcome to visit the office or call to set an appointment.
“It may take a couple of months to get the veterans set up and for us to get the documents we need to help them,” he said. “And in tougher situations, it may take 130 days or more. But we are committed to helping them as best we can.”
Hooten said their office also works closely with the VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic on East Dave Ward Drive in Conway. “We often send referrals there, and they do the same for us,” he said.
“We want to send a clear signal to veterans that we value them, we value their service to our country and we are here to support them in any way we can,” Dodson said. “We hope to add a part-time clerical position to this office very soon, and that may not be the last addition either. This office is now seeing over 100 people a month. We knew we would see an increase of veterans seeking help, and we’ve seen that in spades. We expect that increase to continue.”
For more information, call 501.329.5945 or 501.499.5752, email [email protected], or stop by during normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, knowing that Hooten and/or Meyer are in and out of the office daily.
