Army reservist's veterinary clinic gets helping hand while he's overseas: loan program helps...

Rick Parsons realized a dream in 1997 when he opened his own veterinary practice not far from where he grew up in suburban Rochester, N.Y.

But his dream nearly turned into a nightmare when Parsons, an Army reservist, was sent to Afghanistan for

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His salvation was a low-interest Small Business Administration loan that provided the money to keep his Churchville Veterinary Hospital running while he was in Afghanistan from October 2002 until August 2003.

Parsons received a $72,800 loan through the SBA's 3-year-old Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. The Treasury-backed loans are available to companies whose business is hurt when essential employees are called up by the military reserves or National Guard.

"If it wasn't for that loan, we'd be bankrupt," Parsons says. "Now things are coming back again, which is good."

Parsons' clinic was one of 142 businesses out of 240 applicants that received a total of nearly $11.9 million in military disaster loans between Aug. 24, 2001, when the program began, and the end of 2003, according to Colleen Hiam, spokeswoman for the SBA disaster office in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The average loan was $83,768.

In addition to reservists like Parsons and members of the National Guard who own businesses, the loan program can provide relief to companies affected by the call-up of key employees.

More people probably could take advantage of the SBA's MREIDL program if they were aware of it.

"The hardest thing is getting the word out about this program" Hiam says. "When you're being deployed, the first thing you think about usually is your will and making sure your house is in order so your wife and children are taken care of. Many times (reservists) don't think about what the impact of being gone is on their business until they get back and see what happened."

Reservists and National Guard members have up to 90 days after they are discharged from active duty to apply.

Parsons heard about the loan program before he left for Afghanistan, and his wife, Maria, went through the application process after he shipped out with the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion.

Parsons, a captain, used his military salary to pay household costs back home, while the SBA loan covered expenses to operate the animal hospital.