“I am a Marine veteran, and I served as a combat military soldier for four tours of duty in Vietnam. I now enjoy the camaraderie I share with fellow veterans at the Rocky Mount VFW.

I had never heard of an Area Health Education Center until one day an Area L AHEC nurse drove up to the VFW parking lot. She asked if she could talk with the veterans about different ways Area L AHEC could help them and other veterans. She came to several of our meetings and soon began to ask our thoughts related to planning veteran-related programs at Area L AHEC. We were all honored that our opinions would matter when planning educational programs that were going to be presented to physicans, nurses, and other medical staff.

The Rocky Mount VFW veterans were also honored when we were asked to speak at Area L AHEC’s 2nd Annual Veterans Symposium. Patty Collins and the Area L AHEC staff asked veterans from four wars to speak and by allowing us to tell our stories, they showed their compassion for the well being of veterans.”