Bennett “Tray” Traylor is a retired Air Force veteran and a Vietnam veteran who has been working at the VA for 20 years. He served in the U.S. Air Force from December 1971 to January 1992.

Tray wishes he had volunteered for more overseas assignments, as if serving in Guam, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea and Japan were not enough. He was once asked what he would say to a young person considering the military and he said “It’s the best place to grow up and to learn about discipline and responsibility.”

He then retired from Fairchild AFB and attended Spokane Falls Community College, graduating with an Associate Degree in substance abuse and specializing in drug and alcohol counseling. He was hired by the VA and started out in a work study program to learn how the VA functioned. Tray learned that not enough information was being given to the veterans so he set out to make a difference. Counseling taught him how to get veterans to open up and to supply the information needed to help them. His main job is to get veterans into the healthcare system and not to give up while he finds solutions.

Tray has been recognized for his outgoing personality and cheerful disposition, even in adverse situations. Colleagues have referred to him as the “Mayor of the VA” because he fixes all the problems and thinks out of the box. Tray says he does his very best to advocate for our veterans in the Spokane VA system and wants to make sure all veterans get the healthcare they deserve. He also says he has a can-do-will-do attitude to make it happen. Faith in God and placing God first in his life guides him thru the challenges of helping other people.

Tray has learned that a veteran’s personal records can be found in pay, personnel or medical so it’s not uncommon that specific information needed for a claim will be found in anyone of these places. Often times a veteran can have more than one DD214. He is always willing to share his vast knowledge with the other members of the team.

Teaching, giving seminars, handing out packets of information, speaking at forums and special events, using Telehealth© and Power Point© presentations are Trays means to get the word out to veterans. He adds his skills at comedy to help people remember the important facts of what could become a dry or boring presentation for some people. His people skills make him a sought-out speaker at many events, which to date have numbered around fifteen and counting. In the past, he has volunteered at Scope, the Juvenile Court System and at Fairchild AFB retirement events.

Counseling veterans and helping them sign up for medical benefits can be interesting and sometimes eye opening. Veterans who have experienced life changing events from combat and POW status have sat across the desk from Tray and told their very private experiences. He has heard stories of The Bataan Death March, Pearl Harbor attack, a German prison camp POW, Battle of the Bulge, Vietnam tunnel rat followed by becoming a POW, B17 pilots being shot at with flack, a nurse’s experience in Vietnam and many more.

“Tray is a huge asset to the Mann-Grandstaff VAMC with his knowledge of the Enrollment System but his compassion and drive to help every veteran is what makes Tray invaluable to the VA. Tray’s tenure working in Eligibility really helps when we have turnover and he can share his years of wisdom and knowledge with the new staff. The reason the current Eligibility team is so amazing is his willingness to share his knowledge and expertise”, Kelly Young, Assistant Chief Health Care Administration. He also told me “The Vets love him.”

Tray says he will retire when his employment at the VA becomes a job!

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Darrel Maddux, is a Veterans Help Net Correspondent and American Legion Historian.