FORT SILL, Okla.-- Three celebrities were at Fort Sill to thank Soldiers for their service and to promote a free legal service to active-duty service members, National Guardsmen, reservists and veterans.
Former star University of Oklahoma defensive back Roy "Superman" Williams, custom motorcycle designer Dar Holdsworth and NFL player Reggie Smith, representing Pros 4 Vets, spoke to about 100 Soldiers from the Warrior Transition Unit March 28 at the Graham Resiliency Training Center.
Pros 4 Vets consists of about 550 Oklahoma attorneys who donate at least 20 hours of legal assistance a year in virtually any type of case, said Deborah Reheard, Pros 4 Vets executive director in Oklahoma City. The nonprofit organization was founded in 2010, and its motto is, "Fighting for you because you fought for us."
Williams said he appreciated everything that service members and their families do.
"It means so much to me to pay homage to all of the troops," said Williams. "My grandfather was in the Army, and I remember sitting on his lap listening to all his (military) stories."
Williams said he would get angry when he heard his football teammates say they were going into battle, going to war.
"No, we were going to play a game," Williams said. "Seriously, if I messed up on a play my coach would be mad at me and cuss me out. If you guys mess up, you may not come back."
The Oklahoma Bar Association partnering with Pros 4 Vets provides attorneys specialized training in military law, said Reheard, a former Oklahoma Bar Association president. Many of the lawyers are veterans.
"They run the gamut," Reheard said. "They come from rural areas, we have 'tall building lawyers,' we have new attorneys out of law school, we have Afghan, Iraq and Vietnam war veteran attorneys," she said.
Although they can only handle Oklahoma legal matters, Pros 4 Vets lawyers can usually find a reference, or resource, for the veteran in another state, Reheard said. Texas and Arkansas also have Prose 4 Vets associations.
In its 28 months of existence, Pros 4 Vets has assisted about 2,000 service members and saved them more than $2 million in legal fees, Reheard said.
Holdsworth, who owns Darwin Motorcycles in Oklahoma City, is an Air Force veteran, who served in the first Gulf War. His business takes donated motorcycles, fixes them up and gives them to veterans.
"I do it because vets hold a special place in my heart," said Holdsworth. "It's my way of giving back."
Smith, who was making his first Pros 4 Vets appearance, said he was touched and honored to be with troops. He said he was thankful to be able to play football, "but it's nothing compared to what you guys do."
Afterward, the celebrities signed autographs for Soldiers and family members.
Active-duty enlisted personnel E-6 and below can use the Pros 4 Vets services.
Guardsmen and reservists E-6 and below may also use the program, however, their civilian job income must be less than $40,000 annually. Eligible retired veterans must be honorably discharged and have an annual gross income of less than $40,000.
For more information, visit www.pros4vets.org or www.okbar.org/heroes.
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