Veterans at Home, on a Mission of Compassion
New York Times
By TINA ROSENBERG
February 26, 2014
Rachel Gutierrez was an army sergeant in Iraq, but back home in Phoenix she leads a platoon. At 2:30 in the morning last Oct. 18, members of the 1st Platoon Phoenix gathered at an all-night McDonalds in a bad neighborhood downtown. Their mission was to comb the streets for chronically homeless veterans (who tend to sleep in groups but scatter during the day) and register them to get housing and other services.
A program based on the proven idea that helping others is healing, usually more healing than being helped.
This was the platoon’s first mission. Thirty of its members worked over the three nights of the mission ; there were veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan, Desert Storm and Vietnam, and one 78-year-old who served during the Korean War. The platoon members worked with the Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness, the state’s Department of Veterans Services and Community Bridges, Inc —125 volunteers in total. The organizations drew a grid of the city and divided it between them.
Once on the street, the platoon quickly fell into military habits. “When we came across abandoned homes that were drug dens, we didn’t have to say anything, we just formed a perimeter,” said Gutierrez. “It happened naturally.” They moved quietly, separated by no more than five meters, using the standard military hand signs for stop or rally.
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Extraordinary stories of veterans making a difference
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Fort Hood recognizes humble heroes at ceremony
Fort Hood recognizes humble heroes at ceremony
Fort Hood Sentinel
By Sgt. Matthew Thompson, 7th MPAD
FEBRUARY 20, 2014
The legacy of volunteering runs at the core of the Army. Soldiers volunteer their time and lives to the country, their Families volunteer their services to the Army and retirees continue to volunteer their time in the Army community.
The quarterly Hood Heroes Award luncheon and ceremony to honor those service members, Family members and civilian employees who went above and beyond the normal aspects of volunteering was held in Club Hood’s Grande Ballroom Feb. 11.
As the applause died down, the recipients made their way to the stage to receive their awards.
“You’ve chosen to serve something greater than yourself and do it in a completely selfless manner. Most importantly, you’ve done so without asking for or expecting thanks,” said guest speaker, Brig. Gen. Douglas Gabram, deputy commanding general of 1st Cavalry Division.
Sgt. Dennis Moses, a criminal intelligence noncommissioned officer with the 411th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, approached the stage with all due modesty to receive his award.
Moses devotes his off-duty time to his Family and to the children at a local area hospital.
“If I can go out and help people, I’ll go do it,” Moses said. “You help others before you help yourself. My Family still comes before everyone else, but if someone needs help, I’ll be there right away.”
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Fort Hood Sentinel
By Sgt. Matthew Thompson, 7th MPAD
FEBRUARY 20, 2014
The legacy of volunteering runs at the core of the Army. Soldiers volunteer their time and lives to the country, their Families volunteer their services to the Army and retirees continue to volunteer their time in the Army community.
The quarterly Hood Heroes Award luncheon and ceremony to honor those service members, Family members and civilian employees who went above and beyond the normal aspects of volunteering was held in Club Hood’s Grande Ballroom Feb. 11.
As the applause died down, the recipients made their way to the stage to receive their awards.
“You’ve chosen to serve something greater than yourself and do it in a completely selfless manner. Most importantly, you’ve done so without asking for or expecting thanks,” said guest speaker, Brig. Gen. Douglas Gabram, deputy commanding general of 1st Cavalry Division.
Sgt. Dennis Moses, a criminal intelligence noncommissioned officer with the 411th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, approached the stage with all due modesty to receive his award.
Moses devotes his off-duty time to his Family and to the children at a local area hospital.
“If I can go out and help people, I’ll go do it,” Moses said. “You help others before you help yourself. My Family still comes before everyone else, but if someone needs help, I’ll be there right away.”
read more here
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Platoon of Medics from Fort Bragg Honor VA Patients
Cross posted from Wounded Times
February 9, 2014
Platoon of Medics from Fort Bragg Honor VA Patients
Fort Bragg medics connect with veterans at VA Medical Center
Fay Observer
By Sean Neal Staff writer
Sat Feb 8, 2014
Fort Bragg soldiers reached out to their predecessors today, visiting veterans at the Fayetteville Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
And the platoon of medics discovered they had more in common with the veterans than just their uniforms.
"I got to speak with an Army boxer. I used to be a boxing coach myself," said Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Davis. "Being able to have that connection with them. Even though there's a generation gap, there's a lot of similarities."
Davis is a medic from the 3rd Brigade's 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 82nd Airborne Division. Today, he and other soldiers spent time with veterans in the hospital's Community Living Center, which is for patients needing long-term care.
The visit was part of National Support for Veteran Patients Week, which officially begins next week. The soldiers were led from room to room to speak with veterans, gathering to share stories and hand out 3rd Brigade coins.
"Really the main focus is just to remind the community that we have veterans here, and to thank them for their service," said Norma Fraser, the Voluntary Services Chief at the medical center. "The Fayetteville community support is fantastic."
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Fay Observer
By Sean Neal Staff writer
Sat Feb 8, 2014
Staff photo by Cindy Burnham
Medics visit VA
Retired Army Sgt. Richard Gomez, right, shares a story about jumping from C-130 aircraft with medics from the 1/505th (PIR) Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team. Soldiers from that unit visited with veterans at the Fayetteville VA Medical Center Friday Feb. 7, 2014.
Fort Bragg soldiers reached out to their predecessors today, visiting veterans at the Fayetteville Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
And the platoon of medics discovered they had more in common with the veterans than just their uniforms.
"I got to speak with an Army boxer. I used to be a boxing coach myself," said Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Davis. "Being able to have that connection with them. Even though there's a generation gap, there's a lot of similarities."
Davis is a medic from the 3rd Brigade's 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 82nd Airborne Division. Today, he and other soldiers spent time with veterans in the hospital's Community Living Center, which is for patients needing long-term care.
The visit was part of National Support for Veteran Patients Week, which officially begins next week. The soldiers were led from room to room to speak with veterans, gathering to share stories and hand out 3rd Brigade coins.
"Really the main focus is just to remind the community that we have veterans here, and to thank them for their service," said Norma Fraser, the Voluntary Services Chief at the medical center. "The Fayetteville community support is fantastic."
read more here
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
National Guardsman injured helping others after crash
Soldier injured while helping motorists involved in Kellogg pileup
KAKE News
By: Jason Tarr
Feb 03, 2014
WICHITA, Kan. -- On his way home from work late Friday night at the El Dorado Correctional Facility, Eric McFarland came up on a big accident on icy westbound Kellogg near the Hillside exit. As a national guardsmen, his first instinct was to get out and help and make sure everyone was alright.
McFarland, 22, went vehicle to vehicle, finally reaching a damaged van with three emotional young women inside.
"That's the absolute last thing I remember," McFarland said.
What happened next would leave him in the hospital for days.
read more here
KAKE News
By: Jason Tarr
Feb 03, 2014
WICHITA, Kan. -- On his way home from work late Friday night at the El Dorado Correctional Facility, Eric McFarland came up on a big accident on icy westbound Kellogg near the Hillside exit. As a national guardsmen, his first instinct was to get out and help and make sure everyone was alright.
McFarland, 22, went vehicle to vehicle, finally reaching a damaged van with three emotional young women inside.
"That's the absolute last thing I remember," McFarland said.
What happened next would leave him in the hospital for days.
read more here
Monday, February 3, 2014
American Legion Camp Pendleton Super Bowl Party
Super Bowl party thrills veterans, Marines
ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
By KENDRA ABLAZA and JOSEPH PIMENTEL
Published: Feb. 2, 2014
NEWPORT BEACH – On the morning of Super Bowl Sunday, American Legion’s Newport Harbor Post 291 hosted more than 400 people – mostly Marines and other military personnel from Camp Pendleton and local veterans – with a Super Bowl party that looked mostly like a manly carnival.
Guests walked underneath a large inflatable tunnel shaped like an eagle while organizers and volunteers clapped as they went by.
A mechanical bull and ping pong and arm-wrestling tables stood on the grass, while inside the hall were masseuses, cigars, a manicure station, a yoga demonstration and rooms adorned with 10 flat-screen TVs to watch the game.
Dylan Breault, a 20-year-old Marine from Somerset, Wis., stood outside a hallway waiting for a friend who was getting a massage.
“Usually we get weekends off but there are times we only get one weekend off a month, so I’m just walking around and trying to take this all in,” Breault said.
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ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
By KENDRA ABLAZA and JOSEPH PIMENTEL
Published: Feb. 2, 2014
Marine Cpl. Josh Johnson reactes to a replay showing an incomplete pass for the Seattle Seahawks during the 6th annual Super Bowl party for Camp Pendleton Marines in Newport Beach.
MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
NEWPORT BEACH – On the morning of Super Bowl Sunday, American Legion’s Newport Harbor Post 291 hosted more than 400 people – mostly Marines and other military personnel from Camp Pendleton and local veterans – with a Super Bowl party that looked mostly like a manly carnival.
Guests walked underneath a large inflatable tunnel shaped like an eagle while organizers and volunteers clapped as they went by.
A mechanical bull and ping pong and arm-wrestling tables stood on the grass, while inside the hall were masseuses, cigars, a manicure station, a yoga demonstration and rooms adorned with 10 flat-screen TVs to watch the game.
Dylan Breault, a 20-year-old Marine from Somerset, Wis., stood outside a hallway waiting for a friend who was getting a massage.
“Usually we get weekends off but there are times we only get one weekend off a month, so I’m just walking around and trying to take this all in,” Breault said.
read more here
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Fort Hood Soldier Making Her Community Better
1st Air Cav warrant officer puts others before self, volunteers to better community
DVIDS 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs Story
by Sgt. Christopher Calvert
January 31, 2014
Fort HOOD, Texas – Being a soldier and a single mother of two, some might say she has her work cut out for her.
But one warrant officer in the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade hasn’t let this stop her from volunteering her time to organizations in Virginia and Texas for the better part of the last decade.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Penny Johnson, an electronic warfare technician with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Air Cav. Bde., 1st Cavalry Division, has consistently volunteered her time twice a week to sexual assault and domestic violence shelters, child development centers, and family advocacy programs since 2008.
“I feel like I’m giving back to the community to those who need it the most,” said the Victoria, Va., native. “It’s all about helping someone other than just yourself.”
Johnson enlisted in the military as a watercraft operator in 2005. During this time, she advanced from the rank of private to staff sergeant in five years.
However, the road to entering the military was not without challenges.
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DVIDS 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs Story
by Sgt. Christopher Calvert
January 31, 2014
Sgt. Christopher CalvertChief Warrant Officer 2 Penny Johnson, an electronic warfare technician with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, poses for a photo at Hood Army Airfield, Fort Hood, Texas, Jan. 29. Johnson is actively using her past experiences of dealing with physical and emotional abuse in a relationship to help others in the local community who are undergoing the same struggles.
Fort HOOD, Texas – Being a soldier and a single mother of two, some might say she has her work cut out for her.
But one warrant officer in the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade hasn’t let this stop her from volunteering her time to organizations in Virginia and Texas for the better part of the last decade.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Penny Johnson, an electronic warfare technician with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Air Cav. Bde., 1st Cavalry Division, has consistently volunteered her time twice a week to sexual assault and domestic violence shelters, child development centers, and family advocacy programs since 2008.
“I feel like I’m giving back to the community to those who need it the most,” said the Victoria, Va., native. “It’s all about helping someone other than just yourself.”
Johnson enlisted in the military as a watercraft operator in 2005. During this time, she advanced from the rank of private to staff sergeant in five years.
However, the road to entering the military was not without challenges.
read more here
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