Veteran dedicates decades to help other veterans in Charlotte area

CHARLOTTE — Less than half of all eligible veterans in Mecklenburg County have gotten the benefits they’ve earned, but there’s one local veteran who has spent decades helping his fellow vets win millions in benefits.

For many veterans, the wounds of war last far longer than their service. The Veterans Affairs system can be notoriously difficult to navigate, and that’s a problem that Sgt. Darrell Bonapart knows all too well.

“It’s extremely frustrating to the point that you wonder, ‘What is this all for?’” said Bonapart, who served in the U.S. Army and Army National Guard for 15 years.

Bonapart was temporarily paralyzed, and for 13 years, he said the VA wouldn’t classify him as 100% disabled. So he turned to Daren Graves, a veteran advocate at the Mecklenburg County Veterans Service Center.

Graves picked up the fight and got Bonapart his full benefits.

“Our bodies go through so much trauma serving this country,” Bonapart said through tears. “I would do it again, but I would like to know there are Darens out there waiting on us to make sure we are recognized for what we sacrifice. That makes the difference.”

Graves is a disabled veteran, himself, and he’s not afraid of a challenge.

“I don’t let it go,” Graves told Channel 9. “When claims get denied, I say, ‘Round one, round two, sudden death, overtime, let’s go.’ I won’t let it go.”

He grew up in west Charlotte, graduating from Harding High School. Then Graves spent 23 years in the Army before being injured in Iraq. That injury shaped the next 20 years for Graves, but now he goes to battle for veterans’ benefits.

Since taking on his new mission, Graves has won more than $21 million for veterans and their families.

“I thought the benefits were for someone who was more serious, worse off than I was,” said Lee Ratliff, a veteran in Mecklenburg County. “I didn’t want to take anything away from someone else, that’s why I never filed a claim.”

Ratliff served in the Army as a paratrooper, but he suffered silently with nerve damage and other injuries for 18 years. Graves told him he didn’t have to do that anymore.

“I know what I went through, what I experienced, and what I suffered through, and I know he was there and he supported me and my family to make sure we were compensated,” Ratliff told Channel 9. “It’s hard for you to be able to say the things he’s done for you, I know it’s God’s hands that put him where he’s at.”

Graves says many veterans don’t attribute their health issues to their service, or they often worry a claim will take money away from others.

“The money and the funds have been allotted from Congress for this; we aren’t going to run out, we aren’t going to run short,” Graves said. “You gotta get in line and stay in line to receive it.”

Words that inspire

There’s a word that hangs in Graves’ office and is prominently displayed: “Believe.”

“My superpower is keeping them focused, keeping them believing and keeping them in the fight,” Graves told Channel 9.

The wall in his office is a testament to keeping thousands of veterans in the fight. It’s covered from floor to ceiling in cards from veterans he’s helped, expressing their gratitude.

He draws inspiration from the words on the cards, and he knows many of them by heart.

“I met you at Planet Fitness, you told me you would change my life. Not only did you change my life, but you saved my life,” Graves read from one card.

“When you look at this wall, what do you see?” Channel 9′s Genevieve Curtis asked Graves.

“I see victory,” he said.

>>The Mecklenburg County Veterans Service Center sees veterans by appointment. You can call 704-336-2102 to set up an appointment, or visit their website for more details.

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