Suzanne Le Breton
St. Tammany News

The sign is passed by thousands of cars a day as people zoom by on U.S. Highway 11 between Interstate 12 and Slidell, but how many people really know what is Veterans Pond?

Located off Addis Boulevard in an area of the parish known as Solider Town, 61-year-old Vietnam Veteran and owner of Veterans Pond Bill Heffner said the area is a project in the works, and thanks to him its future looks much brighter than its past.

Bill Heffner stands in front of the sign he built dedicating his property and pond to the veterans. (Staff Photo by Suzanne Le Breton)

Heffner, who is referred to by friends as Heff, saw to having the property donated to him eight years ago when he noticed it had been taken over by drug dealers and prostitutes.

Heffner said the pond, which takes up most of the property, was dug out to provide dirt to build the overpass over the railroad tracks in the 1930s.

“There are ponds all over the parish like this and they need to be used,” he said, adding that he wishes the parish would take the iniative to make those ponds into something the public can use.

He knows this pond was once called Marsh Hand Pond, but he is not sure where it got that name, and he said it had became a dumpsite when he stumbled upon the area.

With the owner at the time’s permission, he began cleaning up the debris and trash. Overgrown and unoccupied, the area, he said, became a popular hangout for drug users and other unsavory individuals. With local law enforcement’s help, Heffner cleared the area of that debris too.

He said he hauled out bags of discarded needles and other drug paraphernalia as well as every other kind of garbage one can imagine. He spent the better part of a year diving into the pond itself and using a line and hook to clean out the pond.

He pulled out at least two boats. He now uses those boats to hold the aluminum cans he collects

His goal is to make the area a green space that is open to be enjoyed by all.

His first order of business once he ran the riff-raff away was to clean the lake.

He said the water had become somewhat of a toxic soup with everything from boats to dirty diapers and used hyperdermic needles in.

“And people were eating the fish they caught in there,” he said with a shudder.

The water was a murky brown, and while it is now still very acidic, it is a natural greenish color, and the fish are thriving.

His goal is to be able to catchy healthy fish out of the pond. Right now the water is still too acidic, which effects the taste of the fish. However, that is due to the amount of pine needles in the lake.

“I had to rebuild the ecosystem out here. That was the hardest part,” he said.

He works from sun up to sun down, clearing paths around the pond and the public is welcomed to come out and fish or just get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

He has constructed benches and picnic tables around the lake, and from the trees hangs painted tin cans.

“Those are for the cigarettes,” he said. “There is no littering whats ever here. I don’t even like for people to spit in my pond.”

Heffner is not much for the hustle and bustle. He said he saw a lot and did a lot in Vietnam, and the war changed him. He much rather prefers to live off the land, and hones his skills hunting deer and turkey.

He lives at Veterans Pond in a small camper and uses hand tools to work the land.

He has few creature comforts, a radio, which he plays while he works and a small television set.

He uses a barbecue grill to cook and a bike to ride into town. He says he has money, but doesn’t spend it and doesn’t see a need to make any more.

He spent 20 years in the U.S. Marines, but says he wishes he would have done 40. He tried to sign back up after 9/11, but they wouldn’t take him.

He named Veterans Pond in honor of the troops who are fighting now as well as in the past.

“I like to support the troops, if I can’t be with them, I can do this for them.”

“I feel bad for the guys that have to be there (at war) but everyone has to be some place and evidentally I am supposed to be here.”

He said some of his most frequent visitors are veterans, looking for a place to get away, a place to keep them sane as they remember the wars they fought in and the enemies they killed.

Heffener understands that need. It is the same need that keeps him raking up pine straw day after day creating a place of solitude.

He appears to be winning this war, but said he is fighting a different kind of enemy, one he doesn’t understand.

He questions how people could litter and trash the very community in which they live.

He has had to fight many of the people who he ran off the property as they seek to reclaim their drug hangout and twice the area has been set on fire.

To help control future fires, he had built walls of mud and tree limbs to create fire walls throughout the property. He plans to plant flowers in the next couple of weeks to bloom and add some color. He has started planting some berries and locating other natural herbs and foods on the property. He plans to plant corn and watermelons and possibly start a bee hive.

He welcomes help and said he would like to get some volunteers out the first weekend in April to help do some work to prepare for the spring and summer.

“Man’s footprint has dirtied this place up,” he said. “I aim to clean it up.”

Have you ever wondered? Is there something in, around or about St. Tammany Parish that has you puzzled or curious? Is there a question that’s been tugging at your brain, and you just don’t know how to find the answer? St. Tammany News wants to help. Ask us, and we’ll share whatever we can find out. Also, if you know something you think might be stumping somebody else, feel free to provide both the question and the answer. We’ll be happy to pass it on. Contact Suzanne Le Breton at 892-7980.�