JONESBORO, Arkansas (KAIT) – A new type of wheelchair in Arkansas is helping veterans who may not be able to walk miss out on some of life’s most precious memories.

The Action Truck Chair, also known as the Truck Wheelchair, was purchased by Jonesboro’s Veteran Services Office to change the lives of those who have served their country.

That’s exactly what veteran Eddie Watson did, and he said this opened all sorts of doors that were previously closed to him.

“You can go fishing, you can go hunting, you can go to the beach, you can do everything you normally can’t do in a wheelchair,” Watson said.

Most recently, the chair has allowed Watson to go on family beach trips and get on the sand like never before.

“I drove my wheelchair to the water’s edge and my grandchildren on either side grabbed my arm and took me into the water,” he said.

Watson says the chair changed his life, and Larry Pearce of the Office of Veteran Services says that’s why he got the chair in the first place.

“That’s what we do for those memories,” Pierce said. I’ve seen pictures of how it turned out.”

Chairs are available free of charge to any veteran living in Arkansas. You must present proof of work. For more information, contact the Veterans Services Office at (870)-933-4598.

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