Joyner named to N.C. Veterans Affairs Commission

RICHMOND COUNTY — Jeff Joyner, a longtime advocate for Richmond County veterans, has been appointed to the North Carolina Veterans Affairs Commission by Gov. Jeff Stein. The appointment marks a historic moment, as Joyner becomes the first Richmond County resident selected by Stein since the governor took office in January. With more than two decades of public service, Joyner has held several leadership positions at the local, state and national levels, always keeping veterans’ well-being as a priority.

Joyner said the appointment came as a complete surprise, one he welcomed with gratitude.

“Extremely happy. Around three or four years ago, my name had come up. One year ago I had filled out an ethics thing for it, but I didn’t get it. I just assumed that’s fine. I’m an old man, they didn’t need another old man there. I was so surprised as much as anything because I had no clue that it was coming at this time,” said Joyner.

The foundation for Joyner’s leadership began during his military service. He credits his time in the Navy, particularly in submarines, for instilling the sense of unity he still carries with him today.

“I probably experienced more in the submarines because in submarine service, each man knew what to do at any time, any situation, anywhere they were at when it happened. So that means supporting my friends, neighbors and that’s probably stands with me today now. Our current motto in American Legion is ‘be the one’ as in be the one to help one, be the one to listen to one, be the one to beside one. It’s a new motto, but it’s certainly not a new idea,” said Joyner.

That spirit of service has kept Joyner deeply rooted in the American Legion for more than 50 years. What began as a way to connect with others after moving to Richmond County has since grown into a lifelong commitment.

“Don’t have a clue,” Joyner said jokingly, when asked what has kept him committed to the American Legion for more than five decades. “When I got involved on the state and then even more so in a national level, I’ve become more committed. I joined it, there was more people like me when I joined. I had just moved to Richmond County in 19670, so I didn’t know anybody much. In 1970, it was a veterans organization of other veterans. Even though, as in most cases, it couldn’t be more and more of us, I was the only submarine veteran there, I was certainly not the only navy veteran there. The other military, when you peel back a bunch of lip service we give each other, there’s not a lot of difference. Now, the ones that went over to battle and faced the hardship, they’re different than me. We all sort of became one in the navy and the American Legion.”

Still, he believes more work needs to be done to make veterans aware of the benefits they’ve earned. Education, he said, is key.

“I’ll probably get a lot of flack for this answer, but education. These programs, there’s disability, that’s the VA Service, there’s a lot of stuff out there to help veterans, but a lot of them don’t know what it is or where to reach out to get it. I recommend to anybody to join a veterans service organization— I recommend Legion, but I also tell them to get on any veteran service organization’s mailing list, read your magazines. If you need to file a complaint about the VA or if you need to apply for benefits from the VA, every veteran service organization has a veterans service officer. The county also has a full-time veterans service officer downtown to help and answer questions or fill out papers,” said Joyner.

Beyond veterans advocacy, Joyner has also been deeply engaged in local conservation efforts. As chairman of the Richmond County Soil and Water Conservation Board, he has made it a mission to support both agricultural and municipal needs.

“My approach is a little different because you’ve got to keep it bind all the county and the state rules and all that. I’ve been fortunate. I’ve been on the board for maybe 23 or 24 years. I’ve been chairman for maybe the last eight or 10 years. I try to make all of our area meetings. I try to make to make to all of our annual meeting held once a year— I try to go to these meetings. I try to set in the education in the breakout sessions to see what I can bring back to Richmond County to enhance the farmers and the city. We’ve got a Community Conservation Assistance Program (CCAP) program that’s in town. We’ve done a project a couple of years ago on drainage. Here again, I go back to the motto, ‘soil and water yours for life.’ Does that mean soil and water as long as you live because that’s the only soil and water you’re ever going to have? Or does that mean you’ve got to have soil and water to live? Soil and water is ours to protect and these natural resources need to be looked after and maintained,” said Joyner.

He sees a direct connection between these projects and larger national goals, especially when it comes to helping farmers thrive.

“If we can come up with programs that will help the farmer so he can afford to put maybe some stuff in practice that he really couldn’t afford to do or economically afford to do any other way, then we’ve helped this county, this state, this nation by starting on that little small farm. We’re proud of the amount of money we bring into the county,” said Joyner.

Among Joyner’s current goals is to advocate for increased care facilities for veterans, including the reopening of a facility in Fayetteville.

“I’d like to get another nursing home back open. If I have any input and work with it, I will work to get the Fayetteville Nursing Home back open,” said Joyner.

He attributes his lifelong dedication to his upbringing, especially the example set by his mother.

“Time spent helping the veterans and community is not wasted time. It’s time that accomplishes help. A lot of people say ‘how do you take time to do this?’ I don’t know, it fits into my personality. I would probably go back all the way to my mother. I come from a small farm, but my mother was very involved in the local church— she was actively involved in a lot of stuff, so maybe some of that comes from her,” said Joyner.

Throughout his life, Joyner has embraced the value of service, even in the face of failure.

“I’ve regretted some of my failures, but I’ve never regretted trying,” said Joyner.

Among the moments that stand out in his memory is the day he earned his submarine dolphins, an honor that required weeks of intense training of the vessel’s operations.

“Probably when I got my submarine dolphins. In order to earn your dolphins, you have to know everything about that submarine. Almost wherever valve was at. You had to train, it took me about six weeks of intense study to accomplish that. The last two things you do is a walk through the whole submarine with the executive officer followed by a full-man board that you have to set before. It’s not for everybody, but probably the day the captain pinned my dolphins was my most meaningful day,” said Joyner.

Joyner said that even in a small town like Rockingham, change can begin with local voices. Over the years, he and other American Legion members have helped craft legislation that made a difference statewide.

“We found an article many years ago that we were one of the seven states that didn’t have a veterans nursing home. We wrote a resolution at Rockingham, we booted up through state, it went to the state veterans council, got behind it. Over five, six or seven years later, we got our first nursing home Bill from a resolution that came out of Rockingham. The start of it came out of Rockingham’s [American Legion] 147, but it was with everybody. A few years later, we had a member come in. Lowe’s was giving discounts to veterans, but who carries around their DD 214 with them in their pocket? So, he came in and we talked about it and we wrote a resolution and got Representative Goodman and Larry Howell to help us. The resolution went through the state— I think I was probably state legislative chairman at that time, which made it easier. We got veterans put on North Carolina drivers license, so any veteran can get ‘veteran’ put on their driver’s license and that campout of Rockingham. So sometimes, we’re little, but we’re loud,” said Joyner.