Generations of war veterans show what team work really is

Veterans from WWII to Afghanistan swap war stories, share bonds in Henderson courtroom
Las Vegas Sun
By Jackie Valley
Friday, March 8, 2013
WWII Veterans Honored in Henderson

Ninety-year-old Richard Zimpfer considers himself the lucky one.

The World War II veteran — part of a small team charged with maintaining anti-aircraft systems during the war — once drove a Jeep to retrieve an explosive that didn’t detonate. He returned unharmed.

Now he chuckles at the memory, but don’t call him a hero. He says he’s just one of many who served.

“I just feel I am lucky,” said Zimpfer, choking back tears as he spoke during a ceremony Thursday in Henderson’s Veterans Treatment Court. “I had a good time, and I have never regretted having served.”

Zimpfer and two female World War II veterans, Evie Hallas and Billie D’Entremont, received handmade quilts thanking them for their service and, perhaps more important, a round of applause from the people sitting in the courtroom, including a few younger veterans.

Veterans Treatment Court, a specialty court launched in June 2011, aims to help veterans who face issues — whether it be post-traumatic stress disorder or drug and alcohol addiction — after they return home from service. It enrolls veterans charged with certain misdemeanor crimes, such as drunken driving, petty larceny and possessing marijuana, and attempts to rehabilitate them through a team approach.
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