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Missing Vietnam veteran found alive, 400 miles from Virginia home

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PETERSBURG, Va. — Louis Wingard Jr., a 77-year-old Vietnam veteran who was diagnosed with dementia last fall, was found alive Wednesday morning –some 400 miles from his home in Petersburg, Virginia.

Wingard Jr. was found sitting in his truck outside a business in Annandale, Pennsylvania, according to his step-daughter, Keisha.

She said someone saw Wingard Jr. in the truck and called police when they realized he was disoriented and needed help.

When police entered his name through a database, they learned he had been reported missing in Virginia.

His family drove to Pennsylvania to bring him home.

The Petersburg man had been missing since Monday morning when he failed to show up to a doctor’s appointment at McGuire VA Medical Center in south Richmond, according to his family.

His family said they believed he got confused while driving and was likely too prideful to ask for help.

The following information is available on the Department of Veterans Affairs website:

Care for Veterans with Alzheimer’s or dementia is provided throughout the full range of VA health care services. Depending on the Veteran’s needs, services may include home based primary carehomemaker and home health aiderespite careadult day health care, outpatient clinic, inpatient hospital, nursing homepalliative care, or hospice care.  Caregiver support is an essential part of all of these services.

If you’ve been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease or are caring for someone who is, become familiar with the symptoms, types, stages, and treatments: