By Traci Chapman
Managing Editor
Okarche Police Department is once again standing with those who have served in the United States military, as Chief Forrest Smith and his officers spearhead a November veterans collection drive.
Items collected will be taken to the Clinton Veteran’s Home. Among those most requested and needed are:
- Disposable razors
- Body wash
- Batteries
- Shampoo/conditioner
- Spray deodorant
- Denture adhesive
- Aftershave gel
- House shoes
- Word search/puzzle books
- Pocket t-shirts
- Sweat pants (L-5XL)
- Books on CD/paperback books
- Decks of cards
- Lotion
- Hard/sugar-free candy
- Stationary/envelopes
- Toothbrushes or toothpaste
- Nail clippers
- Scares/hats/gloves
- Shaving cream
- Magazines
- Lip balm
- Socks
- Blankets
- Tweezers
- Chewing gum
Items may be taken to Okarche Police Department, 300 W. Colorado; anyone who brings an item to Okarche High School’s first home basketball game on Friday, Nov. 11, will get free admission to the game, Chief Smith said.
The drive was first envisioned in November 2020, when someone approached Chief Smith after the department implemented a November patch initiative honoring the military.
“So when I was approached by a local citizen asking if I would assist her in a donation drive for our veterans of the Clinton Veterans Center, a resounding ‘hell yes’ was given,” the chief said.
“Okarche citizens have been very giving – we have literally filled our conference room, year after year, with many needed items for our veterans,” Chief Smith said. “I’d like to think these items make life a little easier for our heroes – after all, we owe them.
“I’ll never be able to repay them, never,” he said. “But I’ll do my best, that’s a promise.”
With Veteran’s Day in the forefront, Smith and his staff were excited to further honor veterans. For the chief, the link to military service was strong.
“I’ve always been in aww of our military, our veterans,” he said. “I grew up with a father who proudly served in the Army and learned early on about respect – he fought for our country in World War II.
“There’s not a day that goes by I don’t think about him,” the chief said. “I still get emotional every time I hear our national anthem play.”
For officer Eric Vincent, that connection was even more direct – hired earlier this year and assigned to the evening/night shift, Vincent served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
I joined the United States Marine Corps in January 2009 at the age of 21,” Vincent said.
After attending boot camp in San Diego, Vincent completed marine combat training at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and then went to Ft. Leonard Wood for military police training. He served at his duty station in Yuma, Ariz., until February 2013.
Like Chief Smith, Vincent’s father is also a veteran – a retired first sergeant of the Oklahoma National Guard after 36 years of service.
“All my life I have felt it was my duty to provide some type of service – I lived that as a Marine and I am now an Okarche police officer,” Vincent said. “I am very blessed to be here, and I hope and look forward to being here for many years to come.”
“Eric is extremely active and has been a great asset to Okarche,” the chief said.
