Jim Clemons may seem like any average citizen. A pharmacist for more than 40 years, Clemons could easily be described as a happily retired sports fanatic of 64. The truth is, Clemons is anything but average.

Running parallel to his seemingly simple life is a history that runs deep with military roots, education and ultimately a great sense of patriotism and community service.

Walking the paths of his father and three uncles, all of whom served in World War II, Clemons would also find himself in service of his country at the age of 22. After receiving his undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, Clemons continued his education as a pharmacist studying for his masters degree in research at Northeastern University. All this would come to a sudden halt when Clemons found himself among many drafted into the Army as the country prepared itself for the war in Vietnam.

“I had never fired a weapon in my life,” said Clemons. After being shipped to Fort Dix, N.J., for infantry school, the Army would soon call upon Clemons’ skills as a pharmacist and station him to work at the hospital on base. Clemons would provide his services to this hospital for a year before receiving the news that his name was on the list. He was going to Vietnam.

Clemons was shipped to Long Binh, Vietnam, located 22 miles south of Saigon and located almost directly in the middle of the country, as a member of the 24th Evacuation Hospital.

It was here that Clemons would use his medical skills to assist wounded soldiers, his hospital designated as a facility treating those suffering from head-related trauma.

Clemons was one of a staff of 300 working at this particular hospital. A requirement of the job, Clemons also treated patients at an outpost dispensary. It was here that he would use his medical knowledge to screen wounded soldiers, deciding which patients could be treated immediately and which required a better-equipped medical facility.

Clemons referred to himself as a jack-of-all-trades, adding that besides his responsibilities to the hospital, he was also the in charge of a facility housing ammunition.

After working 17 hours a day, seven days a week, assisting doctors in more than 2,000 surgeries a month, Clemons would eventually find himself on a plane back home, but in many ways, his war was far from over.

Clemons was 25 when he set his feet upon American soil for the first time after being a soldier – but there wasn’t a parade. People didn’t wait to shake the hand of a man who was asked to put aside his personal goals to defend his country. Instead, Clemons remembers a group of young men spitting on him. For the first 10 years after his return from Vietnam, Clemons said he would attend patriotic parades, but never march in them.

Clemons said it wasn’t until around the 1980s, when Operation Desert Storm began to get underway, that Vietnam veterans were seemingly alleviated from some of their often public alienation; it was at this point Clemons remembers Vietnam veterans becoming more active in organizations and parades.

Developed in November 1981, Clemons is an original member of Bedford’s Richard K. Harvell VFW Post 8401. It’s here that the organization’s two-time past post commander and current quartermaster dedicates his days to helping other veterans and their families. “They’re our peer group,” said Clemons. “If we can’t help them, who can?”

Over the past year, the Bedford VFW has provided the town with flags, a tangible gesture of their love for this country, and over $2,000 worth of scholarship funding.

The organization is also currently planning its annual Poppy Drive. Disabled veterans sell handmade artificial flowers in hopes of raising money that will help other veterans and their families.

Clemons and the Bedford VFW have also been busy helping certain veterans graduate from homeless shelters to apartments and other living situations. Along with his wife, Betty Joan Clemons, the organization’s quartermaster has managed to assemble a large collection of household items that he donates to help the transition between homes as smooth and natural as possible.

This Memorial Day, Clemons planned to be among the many participants gathered at the New Hampshire Veteran’s Cemetery to honor those who served their country and made the ultimate sacrifice. With this in mind, it suddenly becomes clear that Jim Clemons isn’t your average citizen; in fact, there seems only one word courageous enough to describe him. Veteran.

“In all life is cost, and serving your country is a big cost,” said Clemons.