World War II veterans from Schuylkill County served from the airfields of Britain to Normandy’s beaches, and beyond.

You’d think they could find somebody willing to drive them from Pottsville to the VA Hospital in Lebanon.

Schuylkill County veterans, from a wide range of military service, are in dire need of volunteer drivers to operate the county’s Disabled American Veterans van. County Director of Veterans Affairs Brenda Zechman said that her list of volunteers is now down to one person.

“The VA has been bringing a van up from Lebanon, trying to help, but that’s not a permanent solution,” Zechman said. “We need a minimum of three volunteers so that we can keep the veterans going to their appointments.”

Zechman said that drivers can volunteer for one day to five days a week and that there is no age limit for volunteers. There are so many veterans who need to get to their appointments that the DAV could run a van every day. She said that normally eight veterans at a time can be transported in the van, which is a Ford passenger van.

For information about becoming a volunteer, people can stop in at the Veterans Affairs office on the main floor of the Schuylkill County Courthouse. They must get a physical and certain clearances, qualifications which are explained in a packet of information. The packet can also be mailed by calling the office at 570-628-1400.

The DAV operates a fleet of vehicles around the country to provide free transportation to VA medical facilities for injured and ill veterans. DAV stepped in to help veterans get the care they need when the federal government terminated its program that helped many of them pay for transportation to and from medical facilities.

The vans are driven by volunteers, and the rides are coordinated by more than 178 hospital service coordinators around the country.

DAV Departments and Chapters, through a partnership with Ford Motor Co., have purchased 3,517 vehicles at a cost of more than $80.1 million, that have been donated to Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers nationwide since the program began in 1987 to ensure that injured or ill veterans are able to get to their medical appointments.

The DAV van is always fueled and ready to go.

“I really hope that we will hear from people in the community who are willing to help,” Zechman said. “This is a very important service for all of our veterans.”