Finding purpose after service, Speedy is helping fellow veterans
Since writing this story, we have learned that details regarding Mr. Lefevre’s service are not supported by official records.
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Kenneth Speedy LeFevre walks with a limp and six metal fletchettes in his wallet.
Both come from an IED that hit the convoy he was traveling in while deployed to Syria.
“It was a 30-vehicle convoy, and the vehicle in front of us hit an IED, and we suffered repercussions as a result,” he said matter-of-factly.
Four servicemembers died along with Speedy’s service dog, Karma.
Thousands of fletchettes were embedded in his back, neck, and leg, “quite a few in my shoulder,” he added, including the ones in his wallet.
He lost the entire use of his left side from the explosion. They originally told him he’d never walk again, but he was able to relearn and now gets around with a brace that extends from his hip down to his foot.
He was able to watch the drone footage of the attack later. “It’s pretty crazy when you see yourself flying through the air and then lying on the ground,” he said.
He had planned on doing 20 years in the Corps, but nine months after the attack, he was medically retired as a lance corporal and returned to Dubois County.
He spent a couple of years doing different jobs and volunteered with the Civil Air Patrol. Last year, he was approached by Steve Lindauer, a fellow veteran and member of the Marine Corps League, about the county’s need for a new Veterans Service Officer.
“He told me he thought I’d be perfect for the role,” Speedy said.
Though Speedy had his doubts, he applied anyway and was hired in November. He is now honored to be serving the estimated 3,400 veterans in Dubois County.
The position comes with moments of joy, as well as deep sadness and even anger, as Speedy navigates the Veterans Affairs bureaucracy and the limitations of his office.
Moments of joy, like finding a lost DD 214 — paperwork that proves a person’s service and is necessary for any veteran benefits — through the happenstance connections to other veterans willing to look through dusty storage boxes in barns.
Or reconnecting two best friends who served together over a framed drawing donated to his office.
The drawing originated from a veteran who stated that his best friend in the military had created it, and he couldn’t find a suitable home for it. He didn’t want it to be thrown away. Speedy told the vet he’d be honored to hang it up in his office.
“About three weeks later, another guy comes in…he saw the picture and said, ‘where’d you get that,'” Speedy said.
He told him about the donation and the story behind the image. Well that’s really cool. I drew that, the veteran responded.
So Speedy called up the other veteran who donated it and helped reunite the two friends. “First time they’d seen each other since Vietnam,” he said.
But some break his heart.
Like when someone calls and says their father is in the hospital and he’s got about six months to live, and the family is trying to get him what he deserves finally.
“And my earliest (available appointment) is February,” Speedy said.
Or when someone misses an appointment and he can’t reschedule them for months down the road. He tries to keep Friday afternoons available for those appointments. However, with the high demand and the time it takes to work on a VA claim, rescheduling appointments can be challenging.
He meets with veterans and their family members four days a week during office hours, Tuesday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and works outside those hours to continue helping as much as possible. The stack of files, including claims and paperwork, exceeds the 28 hours he has been allotted by the county to support its veterans’ needs.
While veterans who visit want to talk to him about their service, sharing stories, Speedy tries to keep them on track for the reason they are visiting him. Even so, an appointment can take an hour and a half, and between the paperwork submission, resubmission and appeals process with the VA, a single case can take up to seven hours of work on his part.
“A lot of times the veterans don’t know what they are there for,” Speedy said. “They know they have cancer. But there are a bunch of secondary conditions that go along with that.”
He spends time helping them navigate the system to ensure they get all the benefits they qualify for, and for the sake of efficiency and service to the other veterans he has to help, he sometimes has to keep them on track rather than spending time reminiscing on their service, no matter how much he loves hearing their stories.
But, knowing that veterans need to be heard, Speedy helped create a Thursday breakfast at Cranberries open to all veterans. It started with about three and now exceeds twenty veterans meeting around a meal at the restaurant. State Senator Daryl Schmitt and U.S. Senator Mark Messmer have also dropped in to meet with the veterans on Thursdays.
He is also collaborating with other organizations and veterans to establish a supportive community for local veterans, regardless of when or how they served.
Last Thursday, he helped 17 veterans or veteran family members with VA paperwork at a special event held at the American Legion. More of these events are being planned for the other American Legions in Dubois County in efforts to bring his services closer to veterans’ homes and with extra hours outside of his office hours.
He is also helping to plan the first Veterans Oktoberfest. The new event is designed to fundraise to support mental health initiatives for Dubois County veterans. It is set to take place on October 18 and will feature traditional Oktoberfest festivities at the River Center and Thyen-Clark Cultural Center.
Speedy loves what he’s doing. He understands that veterans have a need to be part of something greater than themselves. He is honored to be helping them navigate the complex system that enables them to be part of their community.
“By and large, veterans are good people, and if you take care of them, they’re going to stick around,” he explained.
They joined the military because they wanted to give back to the nation, “and I don’t generally see them lose that when they are out of uniform. They still want to serve.”
He still wants to serve.
In the early hours of the morning, when he can’t sleep because of his post-traumatic stress disorder or the traumatic brain injury he sustained, Speedy has been writing about his own experiences as well as those he learns about from the veterans he helps.
These interactions are woven into a manuscript that flows from his own struggles and thoughts about service and war, to stories shared with him by the veterans. Feelings of inadequacy and duty juxtaposed with small victories or special moments spent with service members who want to be seen and heard.
He asks them if it’s okay to share their stories, but changes the names to respect their privacy. Writing from about 2 to 5:30 a.m., he’s got about 20,000 words down, as much about them as it is about his own healing.
Someday, it will be a book, he hopes.
If you are a veteran or the family member of a veteran, it is important to file paperwork with Veterans Affairs to see if you are eligible for assistance. He recommends service members file it 180 days before discharge. For help with the process, Speedy is available at the Veterans Service Office, located at 602 Main Street (the County Annex), and can be reached at 812-481-7090.
