New opportunity for veterans in Izard County

According to Joshua Morrison the Veteran Services Officer for Izard and Independence counties there is a new opportunity for veterans in Izard County to network and get questions answered.

Each Tuesday beginning at 12 noon, a veterans can gather for lunch.

Initially the meeting was held in the back room at the Las Playitas Mexican Restaurant in Melbourne for the meeting; however,  the upcoming meeting will be held June 3 at The Family Fork in Melbourne.

Morrison said this weekly meeting is more than just about getting questions answered, it’s also about comradely.

“I am in Melbourne every Tuesday and we got the idea because I do this same type of things in Batesville. We have a breakfast in Batesville at the Whistlestop every Friday morning at 8 o’clock. It’s 30 to 35 people deep every Friday and the feedback I get from the veterans is that it is the best part of their week and they love coming,” Morrison said. “At first, I thought they would just come as long as their claims were open, but I’ve been proven wrong. They come to the breakfast for the social interaction.”

Morrison said it is was a pleasant surprise to see the number of veterans who participate in the breakfast at Batesville, and he hopes to see the comradely expand in Izard.

“I’m shocked because we as veterans can become pretty isolated at times and we don’t feel like we relate to others very well. So we kind of do our own thing. Especially Vietnam Veterans who came home to a not so welcome, welcome. I founded this type of meeting because of one volunteer and a veteran. The veteran volunteer that I have took a Vietnam veteran to Memphis for an appointment and they hit it off and began to meet for breakfast,” Morrison said. “After about three weeks they told me about it and we started to meet and branch out.”

Morrison said the initial meeting location in Independence County was at McDonalds but the location was soon outgrown by the group.

“We talk about everything. Nothing is off limits and nobody takes offense to anything. We’re good to each other and I began thinking since I am in Melbourne every Tuesday, why not start something in Izard County because the veterans are even more isolated,” Morrison said. “The geographical location of Izard County has a lot of rural veterans and they stay to themselves for the most part, word of mouth seems to be the biggest thing that works.”

During the first meeting, Morrison said some of the veterans from Independence County to the meeting in Melbourne to offer a show of support and to meet veterans in their neighboring county.

“We packed that room and we had a great time, we’re going to keep doing this. I try to get word out any way I can to get these guys to meet up. You know, Izard County is very big and it’s far and spread out. You’ve Calico Rock, Franklin, Horseshoe Bend, Oxford and the list goes on of these smaller communities and so Melbourne was kind of a centrally located place and a good start for now,” Morrison said.

For those who may be unable to make the noon meeting on Tuesdays, Morrison encouraged veterans to reach out by phone or to come visit with him in person.

“I always tell Veterans to call my Batesville office, even if you’re 100 percent permanent and total disable and you think you can’t benefit any more from the VA. If you think you don’t have any more kind of benefits but don’t know for sure, call me 870-793-8812 is my Batesville number. It has a voicemail where my Izard County office doesn’t so that is the number I give out,” Morrison said. “I am in Izard County every Tuesday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.sometimes 3:30 p.m. so you can always stop by and see me. There are a lot of veterans who prefer a face-to-face meeting. Whatever you do, get the ball rolling. Come in and see me.”