In the News

State Veterans Day event draws crowd to honor service members

By Hunter Field

Veterans Day is about reflection, according to a variety of former service members who gathered in Little Rock on Monday.

For Chindera Lewis, an Army veteran from Pulaski County, it's about honoring all veterans for protecting American freedom and opportunity.

Gerald Corrigan, a Vietnam veteran from Sherwood, spent the day thinking about his two now-deceased brothers who served alongside him.

For Sharri Briley of Little Rock, it's about remembering her husband, Donovan, a special forces helicopter co-pilot who was shot down and killed in 1993 in Somalia during the Battle of Mogadishu.

All three gathered at the Arkansas Arts Center for the state's official Veterans Day observance.

"I'm glad they do it because I do want people to know who my husband was," Briley said. "It does make me sad, but I'm honored to be here to represent him."

Veterans Day was on Sunday, but the state held its ceremony Monday, a state and federal holiday. Gov. Asa Hutchinson spoke to an audience that included veterans, their families, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Brian P. Fort and Rick Monday, a retired professional baseball player from Batesville who is now a broadcaster for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fort, an Arkansas native, is the commander of Navy Region Hawaii and the Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific.

Hutchinson noted that his grandfather served in World War I and his father in World War II as he thanked veterans for their courage and sacrifice.

The Republican governor said that veterans come from all walks of life and serve in large part due to a sense of duty and patriotism. He asked the audience a question: What do we owe them?

"We owe them our thanks," Hutchinson said. "We owe them our unwavering support for the wounded and for those that return and struggle in life. We owe our unwavering support for the veterans' families, and yes, we owe them the opportunity to have a job, to work and to use the leadership skills they own."

Len Cotton, chairman of the Arkansas Veterans Commission, said ceremonies like Monday's offer Vietnam veterans the opportunity to receive the honor and thanks that wasn't shown to them when they returned home from the war.

Dwight Witcher, another Vietnam veteran, said Veterans Day and the events that go along with it are reminders to those who served in the military that their sacrifices and service won't be forgotten.

Witcher is helping organize efforts to erect a monument at the state Capitol honoring the family members of those killed in combat. The group started the day needing about $150,000 to reach its fundraising goal of $550,000 to purchase and place the black granite monument.

The effort received a fundraising boost Monday as Little Rock TV station KARK held an all-day telethon. Hutchinson; Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin; U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark.; and several other state officials donated time and money to the telethon.

By late afternoon, the telethon had raised more than $40,000. Austin Kellerman, the station's news director, said he expected more donations later in the day.


There are more than 40 Gold Star family monuments located across the United States, but this would be the first built on the grounds of a state capitol.

Witcher said organizers hope to break ground after next year's legislative session and dedicate the monument on Sept. 29, which is Gold Star Mother's and Family's Day.

At the end of his speech, Hutchinson quoted Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who was born in Little Rock.

"Old soldiers never die; they just fade away," the now-deceased five-star general said in the closing of his farewell speech to Congress.

"This Veterans Day, let's purpose to show Gen. MacArthur that he was wrong on one point," Hutchinson said. "Let's remember our veterans and those that have served our country. Let them not just fade away."