Next week a number of veteran recognition activities are planned. Fortunately those events are not the only times people in this community recognize past and present military service.
Boots on Broadway was another recent event honoring our military. I wrote last week about 3rd Brigade once again deploying to Iraq, and they are not alone. Military units of all types on Fort Benning continue to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Civilian contractors, many being veterans or retirees, process through and deploy overseas from Fort Benning. A lot of families in town have loved ones serving away from home in all of the military services.
A number of organizations in the area work hard to say thank you to soldiers and their families.
The 3rd Brigade soldiers said their farewells to families at Kelly Hill and then were bused to Lawson Army Airfield. That farewell is never easy. Those young men and women are going in harm’s way. Their families know that. While most people were working, watching television, or sleeping, military families were saying goodbye for the next many months. Other than a short leave to return home while deployed, the soldiers are away for a year.
Unless peace suddenly breaks out, some of these brave young folks will be hurt while in Iraq, and they will return to their families with those wounds. These goodbyes are special indeed.
Most people in our society — other than the families of public safety personnel like those who work in law enforcement and fire departments — rarely have to worry about the physical risks of work.
Several groups helped with these goodbyes by continuing this process after the soldiers left their families. Volunteers from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), Red Cross, CB&T, United Service Organization (USO), and Operation Homefront were on hand to pass out all types of supplies from donuts, coffee, cookies, bottled water, sodas, goodie bags, paperback books, exercise bands and playing cards for the trip. This support is not new. These same groups have provided a smiling face and friendly hand to many units and individuals passing through the doors of Freedom Hall at Lawson Army Airfield.
As a community we should be thankful that we have such people who give of their time to try to make soldier departures a little easier. I also want to single out one person who has come to signify for me this volunteer spirit with regard to helping soldiers — Steve Hesler. Without his efforts in coordinating and encouraging people to act, some of this would not happen.
There are many other groups that work very hard to help our military personnel, veterans, and their families. I appreciate them a great deal and have written about many of them in the past. I encourage all of you to volunteer and help continue this good work.
We need to continue this record of service so that our military personnel depart and return knowing that we care and so that their families know that we will help them when they need it.
John M. House is a retired Army colonel who lives in Midland, Ga.
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