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Vietnam vet gets mobile again

Thanks to Dept. of Veterans Affairs local man regains independence

Thanks to the help of the Memorial Health System Driver Rehabilitation Program and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Vietnam veteran Dale Herb is independent and mobile again.

He recently completed a six-session rehabilitation program that will put him behind the wheel again and picked up a new handicapped-accessible van on Wednesday provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The 67-year-old Marietta resident served in combat with the Army during the Vietnam War. He suffers from Parkinson’s Disease due to Napalm warfare and the chemicals he was exposed to.

“My time in Vietnam was typical,” said Herb. “I was exposed to a lot of chemicals. I went out in the jungle and did assignments as I was supposed to.”

Herb said after his time in Vietnam, he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and still doesn’t discuss some details about his time there.

“I retired about 11 years ago and recently really noticed how my body was just quitting on me,” he said. “My arms were getting weaker and my legs were getting weaker.”

He’s now in a wheelchair and has no use of his legs from the knees down.

“I’m paying the price of serving my country but I would do it again in a heartbeat,” Herb said. “I have no regrets about what was done to serve our great country.”

He will even ask for assistance in standing while the National Anthem is being played at any sporting events he attends.

“I will ask people around me, usually law enforcement, to help me out,” Herb said. “I will not sit for our National Anthem.”

Herb said it has been more than a year since he had been at all independent. His wife, Deborah Herb, 65, said it was challenging to transport Dale anywhere.

“The quality of his life will be so much better because he can be independent,” she said. “It was too exciting to get the van on Wednesday.”

Dale uses an electric wheelchair that allows him to be more mobile than in a standard wheelchair but it was too big and heavy to be taken anywhere. The new Chrysler van he’ll be cruising in is made to haul his wheelchair and let him drive without using his legs. Dale had to complete six sessions with the rehabilitation program before he was approved to be on the road again.

“Wednesday was unbelievable, like I’ve worked for this and wow, there’s the van,” he said. “I can now do whatever I want without any help.”

Herb coached baseball and basketball in the area for 34 years and said he looks forward to being able to watch a baseball game whenever he pleases.

“I can’t explain what this means to me,” he said. “I did my job and worked a lifetime before receiving assistance from the VA. I just want to encourage anyone that is a veteran to utilize their benefits. It isn’t a handout because they earned it.”

Deborah explained that people don’t understand not having the ability to go wherever you want until you live it.

“It’s a different world,” she said. “Daily things are more difficult when you’re handicapped. This is just one of the many ways that he can get independence again.”

Dale can now drive wherever he wants to go without needing assistance from anyone in his family.

“I think the impact on the family sometimes gets lost,” said Dale’s son, Ryan Herb, 33. “We are very grateful for this opportunity.”

At a glance

¯ Dale Herb, 67, of Marietta, is a disabled Vietnam War veteran who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease.

¯ He successfully completed the Memorial Health System Driver Rehabilitation Program to learn how to operate a vehicle without his legs.

¯ He has no use of his legs from the knees down.

¯ After completing the process through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, he was given a handicapped-accessible van.

Source: Dale Herb.

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