New office for vets adds to celebration

After a year’s hiatus because of covid, Veterans Day activities were celebrated once again Thursday. That in itself is a grand turn of events.

But veterans and those who love and support them in Jefferson County had to be especially proud because a new veterans office opened the day before.

Now we have the Sgt. Elga Lee Roberts Jefferson County Veterans Service Office, a new facility that was long overdue.

The facility that veterans previously had to use was lacking in a number of areas that most people take for granted when entering a public building: restrooms and other plumbing, air conditioning, heating and the internet. Those “conveniences” could not be relied on in the old building.

It’s no wonder that one of the items on County Judge Gerald Robinson’s “to-do” list was to provide an upgrade of services for the more than 4,000 veterans who live in Jefferson County.

The “how” was another question, but then Robinson happened upon the P3 group, a real estate developer that helped the judge figure out a way to get a new building and lease it. Three cheers for that arrangement, which was helped by a $1 million donation from Simmons Bank to the veterans office and to a new county health unit. Simmons Bank has grown and grown and kept growing, but it hasn’t forgotten its roots.

“For more than 100 years, Simmons Bank has been committed to community,” said Daniel Robinson, community president of the bank. “Donating a gift to support our veterans and our local health unit is investing in the future of Pine Bluff, our hometown and our headquarters.”

The new 5,191-square-foot building is a pleasure to behold and is named for Sgt. Roberts, an Army veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm and who died 30 years ago.

Said Sgt. Roberts’ only sister, May Catherine White Neal: “It’s a pleasure and a sadness in my heart to speak of my brother after 30 years. What a true honor to be at a ribbon-cutting for a building named after him.”

State, county and city officials attended Wednesday’s grand opening, with Mayor Shirley Washington saying it was a new day for veterans.

“Many times our veterans appear to be overlooked, many times our veterans appeared to be underserved,” she said. “This will change and it will give them the recognition, this building will give them the appreciation, and it will provide the services that have been long, long overdue.”

Said Army veteran Wallace Rayford, who served from 1980 to 1994: “We’ve been needing a new VA here in Pine Bluff. We finally got a new building. This means a lot, especially for the veterans here in Pine Bluff.”

We suggest tapping a veteran on the shoulder and thanking them on Veterans Day for their service. It’s nice, for once, to be able to do a little more than that.