Police officer recognized for assisting Veteran in crisis
After driving 774 miles from Wilmington, Delaware, William Fletcher, his wife and their four rambunctious boys finally found their home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in the fall of 2021.
“My wife wanted to move down here more than I did,” Fletcher said. “I didn’t think we’d get down as fast as we did, but we love Tennessee and thought it would be a great place for us to raise our four boys.”
Fletcher admits the boys – ages three, eight, 10, and 12 – keep him and his wife occupied. Despite how busy they may be, Fletcher still makes the time for his passion—helping Veterans at VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System.
On July 6, the senior police officer drove to the Alvin C. York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro to start his shift. As he pulled into the campus, he spotted a car stopped in the road and a man slowly emerged from behind the car talking on a cell phone and walking toward the nearby trees.
“At first I thought maybe he was a contractor or someone surveying the land,” Fletcher said. “I told myself to get geared up first and I’d drive by later to see if the guy was still there.”
To his surprise, the gentleman was still there sitting under the cool shade of the tree. As Officer Fletcher approached him, he noticed in one hand the gentleman held and spoke into his phone and the other hand clutched onto a pack of cigarettes. Fletcher noticed the distress in the man’s face and knew something was off as he approached.
“At this point, I knew the guy had to be a Veteran, and I was afraid he may have been suicidal based on my previous experiences, so I wanted to help him as soon as possible,” he said. “I started talking to him and he told me his car ran out of gas. I told him we’d get it taken care of, but I wanted to make sure he was okay first.”
The Veteran told Fletcher he wasn’t a patient at TVHS but had his DD214, which are discharge papers given to service members after they depart from the military. Fletcher drove the Veteran to the enrollment team and helped him get enrolled in VA health care. From there, Officer Fletcher brought him to the Urgent Care Center.
“He told me he just ran out of luck that day and really wanted to talk to a social worker because he was struggling with housing,” Fletcher said. “He was also worried about getting his car towed, but I told him I had it covered.”
After connecting the Veteran with a social worker, Fletcher and the groundskeeping crew filled up the Veteran’s gas tank. Fletcher was awarded a director’s star award by TVHS Associate Director Edward Payton on August 10 because of his efforts to ensure the Veteran’s wellbeing and safety.
“It means a great deal to me to recognize someone who exemplifies our values,” Payton said. “It makes a difference having team members who truly care and are passionate about public service.”
Fletcher has been a VA police officer for 14 years and started his role as a senior police officer at TVHS in October 2021.
“It felt really good to help that Veteran out, and it was awesome getting an award from leadership,” Fletcher said. “This is what I like doing. I don’t want to work for another agency. Being a VA police officer is what I want and helping Veterans is what I love to do.”