Stories

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — In 2018, Navy Veteran Ronald Kraus weighed a self-described “miserable” 461 pounds and suffered from back and knee pain so bad that, at times, he didn’t want to live. Today, he has a new lease on life, the result of losing 163 pounds through VA’s MOVE! weight-loss program.

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. – In honor of Vietnam Veterans from across the region, the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center hosted a recognition ceremony Friday, March 29, National Vietnam War Veterans Day.

FARMINGTON, Mo. – A Farmington chiropractor and Air Force Veteran has earned national recognition for his poem about a historic farm and the barn that stood on it for 120 years, earning first place in the creative writing/poetry rhyming division of VA’s 2023 National Veterans Creative Arts Festival.

“I did what needed to be done to help the guy as best as I could,” said Michael West after being presented with an ICARE Award of Excellence for his recent actions to save a patient from choking.

POPLAR BLUFF, Missouri — The chaplains at the VA Poplar Bluff Health Care recently reached a milestone that puts them into rare, if not exclusive, company — both have earned their Doctorate of Divinity degrees.

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — A much-needed health care service has become a reality at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Ninety-year-old Fred Stier needed something to occupy his time and keep him busy, and what he found was much more than that through friendships, camaraderie, and learning new skills.

GLEN ALLEN, Mo. — Going above and beyond for the Veteran patients in their care is routine for the team at the Cape Girardeau VA Health Care Center, but it was put to the test after a recent storm.

WEST PLAINS, Mo. — “It really makes you feel good to help people, and I’ve always enjoyed driving,” says West Plains’ Larry Cochran, who’s been a volunteer driver for the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), part of the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center’s Volunteer Transportation Network, for more than 20 years.

MINER , Mo. — It had been more than 4 months since Army Veteran Terry Nelson had been able to hold his wife Trudy’s hand and tell her he loved her in person, but a little help from his caretakers at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center made his wish, and hers, a reality.