Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Protect And Serve Describe Veteran
After serving 13 years in law enforcement, joining the U.S. Navy seemed a natural step for Prairie Grove native Earl Vinson.
“It’s kinda been my role for a long time, looking out for other people,” said Vinson, who was honorably discharged in May after serving about seven years. He will serve on inactive reserve for two years to complete his contract with the service.
Vinson, 40, is a former officer with Prairie Grove and Farmington police departments and also worked for Washington County Sheriff’s Office. He left law enforcement in 2008 and managed apartments for Lindsey Management Co., for about a year before realizing he needed to find employment with health benefits for him and his four daughters.
“I applied with Walmart and the U.S. Navy at the same time and the Navy beat Walmart by a day or so,” Vinson said.
He joined the Navy in 2009 and headed to boot camp near Chicago, Ill. From there, Vinson went to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, where he was assigned to the Navy’s canine program because of his experience as a K9 police officer. He returned to Chicago for more training and then headed to the Naval Base in San Diego, Calif. While in San Diego, Vinson’s ship was deployed for eight months to the Japan area to be available as needed.
Serving in the military service provides a greater foundation for protecting others, Vinson said.
“When in Prairie Grove, I was restricted primarily to protecting Prairie Grove. Being in the Navy is on a lot bigger scale. You’re protecting the country as a whole.”
Serving in the military also has changed his perspective.
“Until you’ve been in someone else’s shoes, you can only try to understand. The hours we put in, oh my gosh.”
His eight- month deployment had what he described as several “wow factors.” He was on the destroyer, the USS Gridley, and the ship stopped at 10 different ports during the eight months. It was placed on standby following the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011 and damaged the Fukushima nuclear plant.
One of the destroyer’s missions during deployment was to escort the ship carrying Navy Seals headed to raid Osama bin Laden’s compound. Vinson didn’t know about the mission until several months after the fact.
“When I found out, it was kinda a wow,” he recalled.
The destroyer chased Chinese submarines during its deployment and the ship was heavily damaged by rough seas. The ship was in the South China Sea during winter months and the water was so rough it tore apart the structure of the ship. Vinson said he had watched scenes of rough water on television or in movies but could not have imagined what he saw in person.
“It’s hard to believe anything in mother nature can damage a 600-foot destroyer but it twisted it up pretty well,” he said.
Vinson met his wife, Heather Wilson, while stationed in San Diego. Wilson grew up as a military child. Her father, grandfather and uncle all served in the military so she mostly understood the military life. She grew up on military bases and attended military schools.
But when she toured the USS Gridley for the first time, she said it hit home what the day-to-day life of living on a ship meant. She described Vinson’s bed as a rack no larger than their dining room table. The cafeteria was smaller than a lunchroom for a small elementary school. The laundry room had three washers and three dryers for 600 people serving on the ship.
“These are the men who have signed on the dotted line to give their lives over,” Wilson said. “These conditions in which they live, for me, they are maddening because I feel our service men and women deserve so much more.”
Wilson travels around the world with her job and said she felt guilty for the inconveniences she endured compared to living on a Naval destroyer.
“It really gives you a different perspective,” she added.
For his part, Vinson said when he compared his living conditions to those in other military services, he didn’t feel he could complain. Many were in combat. Some were digging holes for a place to sleep. For many, it was a luxury to be able to wash clothes just once a week.
Vinson’s desire to protect and take care of others did not change when he left the Navy. Even though his wife’s job was based in San Diego, he knew he wanted to head home to northwest Arkansas to his daughters, who are 9, 15, 18 and 19 years of age. His 15-year-old
daughter, Madison Vinson, lives in Prairie Grove and is a sophomore at the high school where she plays basketball and softball.
Wilson’s employer agreed to her request to move to Arkansas and travel out of Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport. The couple relocated to Cave Springs and Vinson started a small business called American Dad Tree Services. He had a similar side business while working in law enforcement.
Vinson said he missed out on his daughters’ lives while he was serving in the Navy and wanted to try to make up lost time.
“The military was the big thing that took me away from them to begin with so I wouldn’t feel like much of a man if I thought, ‘you know what, I like San Diego or I like California or anywhere else in the world, I think I’m going to go live there now that I’m not in the military.’ To me that would be a horrible example of parenting.”
He said it is hard making up time but he and his daughters are now making new memories.
Serving in the Navy has not changed his view of observing Veterans Day, Vinson said. To him, it still remains the same in importance. Veterans Day is a time to remember those veterans who served in combat or served during war time.
Wilson encouraged people to thank veterans for their service. Her father served more than 28 years in the U. S. Air Force and three tours in Vietnam.
“Those thank yous go a long way,” Wilson said.