MH man on hunger strike, protest

A Mountain Home resident says he is not moving from the downtown veterans plaza until he hears from either U.S. Sen. John Boozman, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton or President Donald Trump.

Jerry Bibb, 71, sat down next to the veterans statue in the plaza Monday morning to protest Vietnam-era military veterans who served in Okinawa, Thailand and Guam, not being considered Vietnam War veterans.

Bibb, a U.S. Air Force veteran who served overseas on Okinawa Island in Japan, said he is staying on the plaza until he hears from either U.S. senator or the president. Bibb said he is also on a hunger strike, having avoided all food and water since Sunday afternoon.

“I think I’ve got about three days (before I will die) out here with no water,” Bibb said Monday afternoon. “I’m not afraid of dying. If it takes me dying to get the attention this deserves, I’m willing to do it.”

Bibb joined the Air Force in 1965 out of high school. He was trained as an inertial navigation repairman and serviced B-52 bombers and KC-135 tanker planes in Okinawa.

“I was working on the planes that were fighting in the war,” he said. “I’ve had other veterans tell me, ‘If it wasn’t for your work, we would have lost more boys over there.’ ”

He recently discovered that he is considered by the federal government to be a Vietnam-era veteran and not a Vietnam War veteran, a distinction determined by where he served during the war.

Bibb said he contacted the offices of both Cotton and Boozman, but neither office could help him be re-classified as a Vietnam veteran.

“I told them, ‘If I don’t hear back from you, I’m going out to the veterans statue Monday to protest,’ ” he said.

Bibb brought an American flag, a rifle and a Bible with him for his sit-in. The American flag shows he is a citizen, he said, while the rifle stands for those who gave their lives for this country. The Bible is a family keepsake originally presented to Bibb by his mother before he joined the Air Force.

Bibb said his protest was not about himself, but about the Vietnam-era veterans being recognized as actual war veterans.

“There’s not a lot of us left,” he said. “The government won’t do it because of money, because of the additional benefits they would have to give out. We can give tax breaks to the rich, but we can’t give these benefits to our veterans?”

Bibb said he planned to stay at the veterans plaza overnight and was not leaving until he heard from a governmental representative.

“My wife’s not happy I’m out here doing this,” he said. “I can’t tell you what she told me. But this has to be done.”

Bibb said several people have honked their car horns or waved at him as they drove by Monday. A teenager stopped by midday to offer water and ice cream, which Bibb politely declined.

“I was really proud of that teenager, and I still am right now,” Bibb said Monday afternoon. “I’m proud of everyone that honked their support.”

Bibb asked that The Bulletin share his cell phone number with its readers — (870) 404-3290 — in case anyone wished to contact him during his protest.