22-05-2025
Army vet now leads others on the road to recovery
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Lajuan 'Juan' Letson has spent his life in service — first in the U.S. Army, then in law enforcement, and now helping others overcome addiction.
Letson graduated from high school in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1987 and went straight to work at the county jail. He was just 18 years old at the time and needed special permission to carry a weapon.
'I had to get permission from the sheriff. I had to carry a weapon for transports and things, couldn't even buy my own ammo at that time,' he said.
When a hiring freeze kept him from advancing to patrol and with a fiancée to support, Letson made the decision to enlist in the Army just before the start of the Gulf War.
'I was kind of nervous at first, not because I was scared to go over there,' he said. 'I was nervous because I had this new family, this new wife. I'm thinking I don't know what the outcome is going to be but I'm also excited because I've always been an adrenaline junkie.'
After training as a light artillery soldier with the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Letson was deployed to Iraq in 1990. He arrived just as Iraqi forces began launching SCUD missiles and setting oil refineries on fire.
'When Saddam started shooting all the SCUD missiles and things of that sort, we walked through the oil fires when he was setting all the oil refineries on fire,' Letson recalled.
Tune into KSN News at 10 every Wednesday for our Veteran Salute
During his deployment, Letson's unit spent much of its time patrolling and clearing villages. But some of his most vivid memories involve something more underfoot.
'I didn't like standing on the ground too much because there was a lot of creepy crawlies around there,' he said. 'I'd rather fight two-legged people than 6-to-8-legged people.'
Letson returned to Fort Campbell after about six months but was sent back to Iraq three months later. An injury brought him home shortly after that, and a tough choice followed.
'Already beat up, I was ready to get back with my family,' he said. 'So after talking with my wife, I decided it was in our best interests to just not reenlist.'
Back home, Letson began a new career in law enforcement in Arkansas. He worked for the state for 14 years, eventually joining the narcotics division of the Arkansas State Police.
'And that just went into nothing but undercover drug work from there, and I just loved that part of it,' he said.
An injury later ended his time in law enforcement, and Letson relocated to Kansas for work. Today, he's the director of Reflections Recovery Center, where he continues to serve others—this time by helping people struggling with substance abuse.
'I specifically walk them, put them in the van and I take them to this VA—which is one of the best VAs that I've been a part of, and I've been to a lot of them across the country,' Letson said. 'And I will take them and get them in services so that when they get out of my 28-day program, they have resources. They don't have to be unhoused.'
From the battlefield to the front lines of addiction recovery, Letson's life remains rooted in the same principle: serving others.
If you want to nominate a veteran for our Veteran Salute, send an email to connect3news@ or fill out our online contact form!
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
