CINCINNATI — Lincoln Ware is known for his longstanding radio show and decades on air discussing community issues and concerns ranging from City Hall and county administration to day care costs and youth violence.
What some may not realize is that a young Ware had dropped out of college right as Uncle Sam’s lottery to serve in Vietnam was about to pull his number.
"My birthday came up number 13 out of 365. So, I got my letter for the Army and I was like, 'I don't want to join Army. I'm joining the Marine Corps,'" Ware said.
So that’s what he did. His specialty was assigned after Marine Corps boot camp, artillery meteorology.
"I managed to finagle my way out of this artillery meteorology. I had to go to school in Fort Sill, Oklahoma with the Army and I was like, 'Nah, that's not me,'" Ware said. "I went to sea duty. There's a Marine detachment on every aircraft carrier, you know. And we handle security, the brig and and a few other things. They got radio and TV station on the aircraft carrier and, and so that's how I ended up doing radio on the aircraft carrier."
The radio bug stuck with him, and he made it a career after his service.
For decades, he never thought twice about going and getting medical care or checking to see if he qualified for benefits tied to the VA. Then he met Greg Allen, the minority veterans program manager at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center in Cincinnati.
"He ... pretty much talked me into going, 'Man, you should go check it out.' I'm like, 'OK, I'll go.' ... He said, 'At least get in the system, you know, whether you use it or not, get in the system.' So, I got in the system," Ware said. "They took me through the whole thing. And I was amazed at how you know, well, they treat you when you become part of the VA medical system."
The VA recognizes that the number of Hispanic and Black veterans is growing and there’s a need to ensure they get the benefits they qualify for tied to their service.
"That is the purpose of my position, to quantify and qualify the reasons why minority veterans can get the services they need," Allen said.
Allen said one of the biggest challenges is a generational issue of a family member or friend who had a bad experience in the past. He calls many of the urban legends just that, legends. He said today's VA is doing everything it can to squash them.
"There has been a lot of disparaging things that have been committed against minority veterans, but the new VA, which I'm proud to say to new VA, our motto is, 'Trust us,'" Allen said. "It's reached out to minority veterans, as well as all veterans, to bring them back into focus with the mainstream of veterans who get benefits and get services that they need."
Allen has gone on Ware's show a number of times to talk about the VA and its benefits. In those appearances, he’s actually given out his personal number and promises personal service from his office.
"What I would do personally is walk them through the process. I would start at the front desk, and before they leave, I would try to have them ask the questions (they want) answered, and the benefits they need to get and get them started in the right direction," he said.
If you’re a minority veteran and would like to see if the VA can help you, reach out directly to Greg Allen’s office by calling 513-487-6032.
Ware can be heard Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on 1230am WDBZ.
If you have a veteran story to tell in your community, email homefront@wcpo.com. You also can join the Homefront Facebook group, follow Craig McKee on Facebook and find more Homefront stories here.
