ALLEN COUNTY, OH (WLIO) - Tonight's featured Jefferson Award winner is a Vietnam veteran who is using his life experiences to help other veterans in Allen County.
"I just love it; I will help anybody I can help," says Richard Brewer.
Richard "Butch" Brewer served in the United States Army from 1965 to 68, and during some of that time, he was on the ground in the middle of the Vietnam War.
"When we came home from Vietnam, we didn't get any help from anybody," says Brewer. "And most of us hid and just stayed away. Well, we are passing what we've learned in the last 58 years, we're passing that on to the veterans of today. And we are trying to keep them from going through what we've went through."
For over 20 years, Brewer has shared his knowledge and experience of dealing with the war and navigating the Veterans Administration System with other veterans. He also serves as a mentor in veterans court, commander of the local disabled American veterans, president of the local chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America, and serves on the Allen County Veterans Services Commission. But it's the therapy group "Veteran Helping Veterans" that shows veterans that they don't walk alone when dealing with PTSD and other mental trauma from serving.
"We see quite a few guys from Iraq and Afghanistan. When we can get them to talk in here, it is amazing how much it helps them," adds Brewer. "And anything we talk about or do is confidential; it does not go anywhere else. Period."
Thomas Rees nominated Brewer and works alongside him, helping veterans by sharing his own experiences. He sees the benefit of the work they are doing with the men and women who served and their spouses.
"Allen County and Lima is really much better off with what we do," says Thomas Rees. "In fact, Richard sometimes deals with people from different states with his ability to navigate the system. So, he gets calls from all over."
But one call from a veteran sums up everything that Brewer is and does.
"A man came up to me and he said, 'Butch, when I talked to you on the phone, I was headed to the basement; I was going to take care of my problem.' And his wife called me, and I talked to her. She handed him the phone, and the man's doing great right now. And that is the most wonderful feeling in the world."
That was Richard "Butch" Brewer, one of your Jefferson Award winners.
