NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Jumping out of a plane while taking rapid fire in the Panama sky is one of the many experiences Delvin Bourn remembers while serving as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army. While serving in the early millennium, Bourn deployed to several countries including Panama, Iraq, and Somalia. When he completed his military service, Bourn said his arms and legs went numb. His doctor diagnosed him with an autoimmune disease that required an immune transplant. For four hours a day, five days a week, Bourn had to come to the VA Hospital in North Las Vegas for treatment. The process left him too tired to drive home, leading him to sleep in the car in the hospital parking lot on hot summer days.
One day, a volunteer with the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) tapped on Bourn’s car window. He learned about a transportation service that the organization offered. Bourn signed up, and Pete, a Vietnam veteran, became his volunteer driver.
“He would come pick me up at my house and drop me off,” Bourn said. “Sometimes he’d even come in while I was getting infused.”
Delvin and Pete became good friends after spending hours together every day.
In Nevada, there are more than 207,000 veterans. The North Las Vegas VA Medical Centertreats more than 82,000 veteran patients. A ride to the VA hospital is one of several services DAV offers to veterans in Southern Nevada. Recently, DAV had nine veterans who needed a ride to the hospital, but there were only three drivers available. Now the organization is calling on the community for volunteer drivers.
Volunteer drivers must have a valid driver’s license, and insurance, and be at least 21 years old. For more information to sign up as a volunteer driver, go to DAV volunteer page. Veterans applying for the service can call 702-791-9000 extension 1934.
