In for the long haul; volunteer still has drive to help fellow Veterans
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.
Cochran is a U.S. Navy Veteran, having served 4 years on active duty, including 2 in Vietnam, before working at the former McDonnell Douglas aircraft manufacturing plant in St. Louis for decades. Upon his retirement in 1997, he moved to West Plains to be near his childhood home of Koshkonong.
“I’ve got a small farm that keeps me busy, but when you retire, if you don’t want to do something one day, you can do it tomorrow,” he says. So, with extra time on his hands, Cochran developed a desire to serve others, and in 2002, he committed to helping Veterans like himself as a DAV driver, something he’s been doing ever since.
"I wanted to help my fellow Veterans, and I enjoy meeting people,” Cochran says. His logic is simple: “Someday, I might need a ride myself.”
When he first took on the driver role, Cochran says, he made nearly daily trips to the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, transporting Veterans to their medical appointments.
Over the years, as VA policies have changed to get Veterans to the nearest provider, his routes have changed.
As one of 4 active DAV drivers at West Plains, Cochran says, “We don’t go to Poplar Bluff nearly as much as we used to, maybe once or twice a week. Now we go to Springfield, Mountain Home, Arkansas, Rolla …”
The trips can be long, and, Cochran notes, he’s driven up to 460 miles in a single day. The round trip from West Plains to Poplar Bluff and back is 234 miles alone, plus there is refueling and paperwork time involved at the end of every day.
Reflecting on his years of service, Cochran says, he’s “seen a lot, and I’ve hauled a lot of interesting people.”
Still, even after so long, he has a passion for what he does.
“Sometimes we are up before daylight to get the van ready to go, but it’s all worth it,” he says with enthusiasm. “The main thing is to help my fellow Veterans.”
His dedication has not gone unnoticed by those Veterans, either, with one telling him recently, “You guys have saved my life. I don’t think I would be here if it wasn’t for you getting me to my appointments.”
Scott Smith, the hospital service coordinator in the DAV office at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, says “Larry takes a leadership role in West Plains. If I have a last-minute request, I call Larry. He finds an available driver to make it happen.”
Just recently, Cochran estimated how much volunteer work he’s put in over the years, and the numbers might turn heads.
“These are rough numbers, but as of the end of 2022, I figured I’ve put in over 6,000 hours, and I’ve hauled over 1,200 individual Veterans,” he says.
He also estimates he’s driven “a little over 175,000 miles.”
And, at 80 years old, he’s not done. Even with that many miles behind him, Cochran plans to continue driving Veterans to their appointments as long as he can.
“I’m the only one left of the original 8 or 10 drivers who signed up in 2002, but I’m going to do it for a while yet,” he says. “It gets harder all the time, and the older I get, it’s more tiring, but as long as I can keep going, I’m going to keep driving.”
Besides, he says, he needs to stay active.
“The way I feel about it, if you just sit down, you’re just going to dry up and blow away,” he surmises. “You’ve got to keep doing something.”
For more information on the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center’s Volunteer Transportation Network, please call 573-778-4276.