“People who hurt, I hurt with them”: Vietnam veteran eager to reach out to veterans
It's Monday morning, and 75-year-old Dick Naylor is ready for work.
For the Vietnam veteran, though, the idea of visiting and checking in on fellow veterans is anything but work. It's an honor, he said.
About five months have passed since Naylor immersed himself in the St. Charles Veterans Center, joining his local American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and AMVETS organizations. He didn't expect it would be a life-changing experience.
A retired Army lieutenant colonel, Naylor quickly became a leader. He's the center's chaplain and already is being groomed for other leadership positions.
“For some reason, I've tricked the whole group into thinking I'm a nice guy,” Naylor said with his standard self-deprecating humor. “I won them over, maybe by buying a doughnut or two.
“But, actually, they were able to see that I enjoy being there, and I came every time I had an opportunity,” he said. “I love the Lord. I love the veterans. I've had a wholesome change about a lot of things. And I just wanted to know more about all of them.”
Naylor, a graduate of Reavis High School and Northern Illinois University, joined the Army in 1969 after college intending to become a jet pilot. He tried the Air Force and Navy, but problems with his teeth prevented him from joining.
The Army trained him to become a helicopter pilot. After officer training and advanced flight school, Naylor spent about eight months in Vietnam as part of the 1st Cavalry Division, flying military leaders in and out of the jungle.
Naylor caught the flying bug when he and his girlfriend Peggy — now his wife of 51 years — went to the state fair and rode a helicopter for the first time. Even though American involvement in the Vietnam War was near its apex, Naylor still chose to enter the military to follow in the footsteps of his father, a World War II veteran.
“I'm just that kind of person,” Naylor said. “I just felt obligated to serve in the military when 99 out of 100 people thought that was the dumbest thing that anybody would ever do.”
A 12-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week grind from a base northeast of Saigon ended when Naylor finished his active duty stint in May 1972. Missing the camaraderie of the military, Naylor joined the Army reserve and retired from the military in 1996. In 2016, he retired from a career in corporate insurance.
He and Peggy raised four children in the Fox Valley and now have 16 grandchildren. In addition to taking on duties as the veterans center's chaplain, Naylor and veteran Dennis Larson spend time visiting veterans homes or the actual homes of struggling veterans. Whether it's having lunch together, playing a game or just talking, Naylor wants them to know he's available.
“I just hope I can be what I should be and serve the Lord well with that job,” Naylor said. “It's easy for me to meet new people, and I'm good with people who are hurting. People who hurt, I hurt with them. That's just the way I'm made.”
Now that he's entrenched at the veterans center, Naylor is looking for new ways to reach veterans and bring them into the fold.
“It's a real joy,” Naylor said. “I want to be here to help whoever needs it.”