NATCHEZ &8212; Area veterans will soon have free transportation to the doctor.

The Natchez-Adams County Veterans Service Office is joining with Lincoln and Franklin County offices to transport veterans to the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center in Jackson.

A van will run from Natchez to Jackson with stops in Meadville and Brookhaven.

Free transportation to the center is vital, Service Officer Erle Drane said.

&8220;Within a 50-mile radius of Natchez, there are 15,000 veterans, not counting Louisiana,&8221; Drane said. &8220;Many of them can&8217;t afford to pay for a ride.&8221;

Not all of those veterans would use the transport system, and Drane said he was in the process of finding out how many would.

&8220;Our target group is in the thousands,&8221; he said.

Drane said he has been working on the project since he started four years ago.

&8220;The very first week, I started getting calls from veterans wanting a ride,&8221; he said.

And the project is finally coming together. The counties pitched in money to buy the 12-passenger van. Most of the money for the van will be paid for by the Disabled American Veterans, a national organization.

Such a van usually retails from $28,000 to $38,000, Drane said, and counties and veteran service offices put together the necessary $12,500 co-pay.

The van is not a sure thing, Drane said, but things are looking very good. If all goes well, it should arrive in January.

Now, the three-county organization needs drivers. Already, a number of religious and civic organizations have stepped up and volunteered, but Drane said he could use as many as he could get.

&8220;We have a long list of volunteers, but I&8217;ll never get enough,&8221; he said.

If the van ran twice a week, it would mean 104 rides a year, and they always need to have a backup driver, he said.

Drivers only have to have a driver&8217;s license, insurance on their private vehicle, and attend orientation and a medical exam in Jackson.

Drane said he has more plans to improve the lives of

Miss-Lou veterans in the near future.

&8220;This is just scratching the surface,&8221; he said. &8220;My hope is for a veteran&8217;s home in southwest Mississippi.&8221;

Anyone interested in volunteering to drive should call (601) 445-8706.