FAIRBURY - He spent a couple of years as a commended member of the Army in the Vietnam War and now has spent the last few decades working to support fellow former members of the military. 

February's Jefferson County Veteran of the Month is Southeast Nebraska native Don Meyer. 

Born in Diller in 1946, Meyer graduated from Diller High School and attended Fairbury Junior College and Peru State College before he was drafted by the Army in 1968. Highway 136 to Beatrice was closed, Meyer said, when he and four other young men from Jefferson County were selected to join the service, so they had to travel up through Plymouth in order to get to Omaha and eventually, to Fort Ord in California. 

From there, Meyer's career in the military took him to Vietnam for more than a year, where he says he "grew up awful fast." Not only did Meyer and company need to battle against the Viet Cong, they constantly struggled against heat, sickness, and a lack of clean water. Meyer is a rare recipient of this recognition that had to serve in the thick of combat, including in August 1969 where many of his comrades died and one received the Medal of Honor after a battle in Vietnam.  

Nowadays, Meyer serves as the American Legion Commander in his hometown of Diller and sits on the Jefferson County Veterans Board, where he was instrumental in establishing a local tradition where flags are planted around the downtown square in honor of Veteran's Day. 

“When we started it [that tradition], we thought, man, how are we going to get all these flags filled?” Meyer said this week. “And I don’t know how many’s left down there, but I know there’s a few that were purchased down there that there’s no flag on yet because they’re not deceased – and one of them’s mine!” 

Don married Virginia Logan in 1969, and the pair worked in the Beatrice State Developmental Center together for nearly a decade once Meyer returned home from service. He has received many awards and commendations from the military, and was recognized for 50 years of service to the American Legion a couple of years ago.