DUNCAN ADAMS
The Butte afternoon burned with heat but lacked the sweltering humidity and incoming artillery of Guam or Vietnam.
The mood was celebratory but lacked a youthful sailor exuberantly kissing a pretty young woman in the town square. Though it seemed clear that James Ingram, a veteran of the U.S. Navy and a resident of the Southwest Montana Veterans Home, would have readily volunteered for such duty.
Tuesdayâs celebration focused on fruition: achieving a long-sought goal of providing dignified housing, activities and nursing care for aging veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, especially veterans with ties to southwest Montana.
He was welcomed Monday by Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, among other dignitaries, staff and community members.
Davis retired in 1976 after 10 years in the U.S. Army and 10 years in the U.S. Air Force.
In Montana, veterans represent 10 percent of the population.
âWhen you enter a facility like this, it is nursing care, said William Willing, chair of the Southwest Montana Veterans Home Selection Committee. It s towards the end of your life for the veterans. We re trying to make you feel a warm home environment, you know, a safe place. Instead of an institutional type of hospital setting.â
According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, up to 30 percent of veterans can struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Southwest Montana Veterans Home welcomes first resident kxlf.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kxlf.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.