Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center
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Walla Walla VA's Chaplain Turns 90
Chaplain Ben Vegors receives his 40 year pin and certificate from Director, Brian Westfield at a recent All Employee Meeting, held in the VA's Chapel.
God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with him.~ Jim Elliott
Where do you see yourself at 90 years old? For each of us, a lot of different images pop into our heads. But one image most of us don't think of is - still working. Walla Walla VA's Chaplain, Benjamin (Ben) Vegors, recently celebrated his 90th birthday, 40 of those years have been devoted to serving Veterans right here at the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center. He still maintains a daunting 40+-hour work week counseling Veterans, performing weekly chapel services, and contributing tirelessly to numerous other requests – all because of his dedication to serve others. When asked what called him to the ministry, Chaplain Vegors is quick to tell about a pact he made with God while serving in the Army Air Corp during World War II. He flew 30 missions without incident. On three occasions, however, he missed getting on the planes, and on all three occasions, the planes crashed with no survivors. He also tells the story of one particular mission over Germany when two of the plane’s outboard engines were shot out. The plane left formation and slowly lost altitude. The pilot needed to make an emergency landing quickly. The enemy soldiers were in pursuit, and Ben felt certain that they were all going to die. If they bailed out of the plane, they surely would be shot in the air; if they stayed in the plane, they were sure to go down. While sitting in his usual landing position, which was on top of the bomb bay, he unhooked the snap of his parachute harness, set it aside, and said, “Lord, if you will please spare my life, I’ll serve you as long as I live.” As you can guess, the plane did land safely. According to Ben, although he wasn’t a member of any church, in his heart he was a Christian and was trusting in the Lord. Following discharge from the military, Ben went back to school and then the Seminary, where he met his future wife, Betty. He says it was love at first sight and two years later, they were married. His pastoral career began in Astoria, Oregon, followed by a ten-year post in Junction City, Oregon, and then to Walla Walla, where he met Jim Dennis, the Chaplain at the VA Hospital. Chaplain Dennis invited Ben to accompany him on his night calls to Veterans. This led to an intermittent chaplaincy appointment with the VA and eventually to a part-time chaplaincy position. Then, in 1972 he was appointed as a full-time chaplain. Over the years, he has had the opportunity to cross paths again with Veterans who eventually took Ben’s advice to “trust in the Lord for the rest of your life.” Knowing that he has made a difference in the lives of the Veterans has led to a fulfilling career, and it is also what continues to keep him at the VA. He says that he would serve 1,000 years if he could. The Veterans, staff, and the agency are indeed fortunate to have Chaplain Vegors at the VA Walla Walla. And, he sure does make 90 look good!
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