Jeremy Rasmussen MARK WAITE / PVT Bruce Cox Advertisement

Bruce Cox, a health technician at the Pahrump Veteran's Administration clinic, was recently named State Veterans Health Employee of the Year by the Disabled American Veterans.

Cox is a veteran himself. He was a U.S. Army medic for 13 years and a senior medic for the 24th Infantry Division during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

Cox said the award was totally unexpected. He was nominated locally, the announcement was made after a vote by statewide officers of the DAV in Reno.

"It's just the best feeling I could ever imagine, serving the community and the DAV and being a veteran myself. It had a lot to do with my working here at the VA and I do community service with the Special Olympics I coach the basketball program," Cox said.

His position at the VA is equivalent to a medical assistant at a regular clinic.

Cox said the Pahrump VA clinic can see 100 to 130 patients per day. There are 3,000 veterans registered with the clinic, he said.

Cox boasted his Special Olympics team won three gold medals during the last three annual southern Nevada tournaments held in Las Vegas in April.