Gov. Asa Hutchinson, along with other state and local officials, praised Arkansas’ new veterans home and the care those living at the facility will receive at a ceremony in North Little Rock Friday morning.
Veterans, their loved ones and state and local lawmakers faced an empty chair covered in a black shroud representing prisoners of war and those missing in action as Hutchinson spoke at the ceremony, which marked Veterans Day and the opening of the new facility. The governor commended the new space and acknowledged the sacrifices that are made in the pursuit of freedom.
He praised the Department of Veteran’s Affairs for their work in creating the facility, which sits on 31 acres with eight individual homes serving 12 residents each.
“With this innovative design, the facility will offer top-notch care to Arkansas’s veterans and leaves plenty of room for expansion in the future," he said.
“It’s quite an accomplishment, but we still have more work to do,” he added.
North Little Rock Mayor Joe Smith also addressed the audience and called the facility a “much needed and first class home.” Smith said North Little Rock is a military town and always has been.
“It’s not just today we salute our vets in North Little Rock,” Smith said. “[It's] every day."
Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.