FAIRHOPE, Ala. — While most people snoozed at 4:30 a.m. Thursday, Bob Fass drove to Pensacola, a trip he has made many times the past few years as district service officer for the South Alabama office of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

He was on his way to meet with wounded veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I don’t care about medals,” Fass said. “There are a lot of guys who got wounded and never got a Purple Heart.”

What Fass does care about is helping local veterans get the benefits their military service has earned them from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

He commitment to that work resulted in his being named this year’s “Veteran of the Year” in Fairhope.

“Bob is a great asset to local veterans,” said Joe Birindelli, a main organizer for today’s Veteran’s Day Parade. “Fairhope is fortunate to have such an unsung hero as this year’s Veteran of the Year.”

Fass, 64, is a retired Army Special Forces major who moved to Fairhope and became active in the local VFW post.

The garage of his Fairhope house is a vivid testament to his tours of duty in Vietnam, with pictures of his fellow soldiers, maps of where he served, a handwritten letter from Gen. William Westmoreland, and walls and bookshelves filled with other evidence of his years of service.

“Bob’s service did not end with retirement,” Birindelli said. “Bob has spent 20 years in volunteer service to other veterans and is handling over 700 cases for veterans who have filed disability claims with the VA. His selfless service helps World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans obtain the services they have earned in service to our country.”

Fass said veterans must take an active role in securing their military benefits, and it’s not always the first thing on their mind when they get home.

“Three out of five vets coming home now have some kind of post-traumatic stress and they don’t always want to deal with it,” he said. “But every vet has got to get into the VA system.”

He said that initial work of registering with the VA is crucial to prove benefits regarding conditions that might only surface years later.

“Often those wounds will get worse, and you will need proof,” he said. “The VA does only minimal work at the start. It’s 99 percent up to the veterans.”

Much of Fass’ work is helping veterans navigate the VA bureaucracy and deal with the paperwork. He also says the demands on the system make the work more difficult and understanding what to do and get it done becomes even more important.

“The Montgomery VA does a fantastic job,” he said. “But they can only handle about 1,500 claims a month but they’re getting between 2,800-3,500.”

Around 2003, Fass was asked by the local VFW to start helping local veterans when he moved to Fairhope from New York. He was qualified in helping veterans and opened an office at the local post, serving in a volunteer capacity but with long hours.

He not only helps veterans but also their families.

“We help obtain dependent claims for wives of guys who have passed away so they can get benefits and the kids get college tuition,” he said. “There’s 100 different forms to fill out.”

When Fass leaves the house on his trips to Pensacola and the local VFW Post 5660, he wears an MIA bracelet honoring a friend, Mike Milner, who has been missing in action since 1967.

“We were on the same patrol,” he said, referring to when they got “slammed” by North Vietnamese soldiers, the last time he saw his friend. “I wear it when I go out.”

On Friday, Fass got another call that he was needed in Pensacola to meet with some more returning soldiers who live in his district.

“Local veterans need to know if they have a problem to give me a call,” he said before he left.

VFW South Alabama District Service Officer Bob Fass can be reached at the VFW Post 5660 at (251) 928-8259.