Little River facility to provide assistance for returning heroes

By Janelle Frost

Vietnam veteran Kris Tourtellotte has dedicated his life to helping fellow veterans.He has been an advocate for veterans since 1996 and was the former director of a resource center that was built by vets in Rochester, N.Y.Now the 60-year-old, who has lived in the Myrtle Beach area the last three years, is continuing that help for vets along the Grand Strand with a new resource center in Little River.

The Veterans Welcome Home and Resource Center at 4254 Stella Drive in Little River will have a grand opening at noon today.

The Veterans Welcome Home and Resource Center at 4254 Stella Drive in Little River will have a grand opening at noon today.

Starting Monday, the center will be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday to assist veterans with various needs including food, clothing, shelter, medical claims or health benefits, said Tourtellotte, founder and director of the resource center.

The nonprofit organization also is set up to make sure veterans get a proper "welcome home," Tourtellotte said.

Organizers greeted a veteran who returned home from Iraq Thursday at Myrtle Beach International Airport.

Based on data released in April, there are 26,271 veterans in Horry County and 6,965 in Georgetown County, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In South Carolina, there are 409,648 veterans.

Bill DeVaughn, a volunteer adviser, said he found a lot of veterans’ organizations got behind the resource center because they felt a need for such a facility, which is partly the reason DeVaughn became involved with the organization.

"I felt like if they had a resource center back then, maybe a lot of problems and issues wouldn’t have happened then," said DeVaughn.

He said the center also will be a place for veterans to chat or hang out. "We want to provide them with straight information. A lot of times they get the run around."

Tourtellotte’s passion for veterans has also led to the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce assisting with the welcome home program and becoming interested in the resource center, said Brad Dean, the chamber’s president and CEO.

The resource center "is a much-needed service to help veterans adapt back to civilian life and return to our economy," Dean said. "We recognize their vision with the resource center … like most veterans, we appreciate what they have done. The least we can do is to welcome them home and show our appreciation."

Starting Monday, the center will be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday to assist veterans with various needs including food, clothing, shelter, medical claims or health benefits, said Tourtellotte, founder and director of the resource center.

The nonprofit organization also is set up to make sure veterans get a proper "welcome home," Tourtellotte said.

Organizers greeted a veteran who returned home from Iraq Thursday at Myrtle Beach International Airport.

Based on data released in April, there are 26,271 veterans in Horry County and 6,965 in Georgetown County, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In South Carolina, there are 409,648 veterans.

Bill DeVaughn, a volunteer adviser, said he found a lot of veterans’ organizations got behind the resource center because they felt a need for such a facility, which is partly the reason DeVaughn became involved with the organization.

"I felt like if they had a resource center back then, maybe a lot of problems and issues wouldn’t have happened then," said DeVaughn.

He said the center also will be a place for veterans to chat or hang out. "We want to provide them with straight information. A lot of times they get the run around."

Tourtellotte’s passion for veterans has also led to the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce assisting with the welcome home program and becoming interested in the resource center, said Brad Dean, the chamber’s president and CEO.

The resource center "is a much-needed service to help veterans adapt back to civilian life and return to our economy," Dean said. "We recognize their vision with the resource center … like most veterans, we appreciate what they have done. The least we can do is to welcome them home and show our appreciation."