“You never leave a man in the field.”

That is a motto Enid DAV driver Buck Horner has embraced, and he doesn’t care if that man is on the beaches of Normandy or in need of a ride to Oklahoma City.

“You have to realize the veteran is closer than blood,” Horner said. “If he bleeds, you bleed for him.”

Horner has worked for Disabled American Veterans for nearly a decade. After his wife died, he said he needed to find something to do, so he answered an advertisement: “Volunteer drivers needed.”

He’s been behind the wheel for DAV ever since, and he also is the local hospital service coordinator who schedules other volunteer drivers.

“He’s a wonderful guy,” said Eric Anderson, hospital service coordinator for the Oklahoma City DAV service area. “He’s very, very dedicated to the veterans.

“I love him to death.”

Horner says the job comes with little prerequisites.

“You have to have a volunteer spirit to do this, and a love for your fellow man and especially the fellow veteran, because they need help,” he said.

Horner’s love for his fellow veterans — he served three years during World War II — is evident to those with whom he works. He was honored by the local DAV Chapter 66 for his service last year, and then the big surprise came.

“I had no idea it was coming,” Horner said.

He was coerced to attend an awards banquet in Oklahoma City where he was named the 2007 DAV Driver of the Year for his “outstanding contribution to the Veterans of the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center.”

“Surprised?” Horner said, with an ear-to-ear grin. “Oh ... it liked to took my breath away.”

Anderson said Horner is very deserving of the honor and the recognition that comes with it.

Horner makes all long, out-of-town drives, taking veterans to the VA hospital or to other appointments, but he relies heavily on his other drivers for in-town and area runs.

Unfortunately, his driver pool is shrinking. Horner said he has logged in 300 hours a month since September between his administrative and driving duties. The local chapter covers veterans’ needs in Garfield and surrounding counties.

Horner said he and his drivers logged almost 60,000 miles in 2008, and 33,000 were driven by Horner.

“I could use at least four more drivers,” Horner said.

Volunteers do not receive monetary compensation, but the DAV furnishes the vehicle, gas and a meal. Those applying will undergo a physical and a background check, as no one with a felony record can volunteer. A driver’s license and insurance are mandatory.

Those interested can contact Horner at (580) 584-0553.

“We could use ’em,” he said about volunteer drivers.

Horner said his time as a volunteer has produced its own rewards.

“A man told me a long time ago, ‘If you’ve got the love of God and the love of your fellow man you can never go wrong.’”