2025 Hometown HEROES Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS June/July 2025 Page 11 “I still wanted to serve in some capacity.” In October of 2016, Benedict was hired to be the superintendent for the Logan County Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC). Benedict helps veterans in several ways, such as assisting with VA home loan certificates of eligibility and helping veterans navigate the VA healthcare system. If Benedict is not able to help a veteran himself, he always finds someone who can and gets the veteran in contact with them. Before the Logan County VAC was established, Benedict said, veterans assistance on these issues was very limited to the county’s veterans. A state veterans service officer would come to the Oasis Senior Center once or twice a month, and that would be it. While this was something, it was extremely limited. The establishment of the VAC helped fill this void, making the assistance veterans need available when they need it. Benedict was also instrumental in getting the Logan County VAC moved to its new home at the John Logan Building at 122 N. McLean Street in Lincoln. Previously, it was located in the Logan County Courthouse, and Benedict shared that this created a barrier for some veterans. In an interview about the new location, Benedict stated that some veterans are not always very keen on the idea of going into a government building. In addition to that, some of them may not have been able to climb the stairs and were unaware of the exterior elevator on the southeast side of the building. A wheelchair ramp was added to the VAC’s new location to eliminate this issue. Benedict also stated that having the VAC in its own dedicated space may remove that barrier for veterans not wanting to enter a government building. Many people in the community were very excited to talk about Benedict and share why they believe he should be a hometown hero. Long stated that he was on the VAC board as the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) representative when Benedict was hired in 2016. Long referred to Benedict as a “Godsend to all veterans in Logan County.” He also praised the work Benedict has done, stating that no one can “beat the work he does.” Long had trouble putting his thoughts on Benedict into words, not believing that words could do Benedict’s accomplishments and contributions to the veteran community justice. “You can’t describe a guy like that,” Long said, “he’s the greatest.” The next person to speak on Benedict and his accomplishments was Marsha Fernandes. She described Benedict as “one of the best human Continue --
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