Reservists spread holiday cheer to Dayton VA residents

  • Published
  • By Capt. John T. Stamm
  • 445th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio --  The spirit of caring and giving was celebrated Dec. 1 at the Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center when members of the 445th Airlift Wing joined patients for the annual Christmas party organized by the Air Force Sergeants Association Kittyhawk Chapter.

Chief Master Sgt. (ret.) Chuck Worm has been helping to organize the veteran's holiday party at the Dayton VA for so long he can't remember when it started.

"It's been at least 20 years, I'm sure of that," said Worm, the operations officer for the local Air Force Sergeants Association. "When we started, we just handed out little bags of goodies. That's all we had, but every year it has grown and now we have a nice lunch and presents."

Some of that growth is attributable to the generous donations and volunteer efforts of members the 445th Airlift Wing. Worm said that the contributions from the wing help "tremendously" estimating that the gift and monetary donations were worth at least a thousand dollars.

Staff Sgt. Jawahna Hollins, 445th AW executive assistant, said the experience put things into perspective for her. She wanted an opportunity to "give back" even if it was only for a few hours.

"No matter how difficult things may seem, there's always somebody else going through something more," Hollins said. "The most surprising thing was having the veterans say, 'Thank you for your service' to me. I didn't expect that. Some of these veterans are in wheelchairs and suffering other physical or mental deficiencies and they were expressing their appreciation to me. It was a very humbling experience indeed," Hollins added.

Free haircuts were given to veterans. Along with the gifts, the 445th brought a barber along. Tech. Sgt. (ret.) Steve Adams, former 445th Civil Engineer Squadron, manages Brownie's Barber Shop in Dayton.

"I've been volunteering at this event for years," Adams said. "One year I brought my barber supplies and ever since either myself or someone from the shop is here giving cuts."

Heather Weikert, stylist at Brownie's, volunteered this time.

"It's my way of giving back," Weikert said. "I really enjoy talking with the veterans and hearing their stories."

Weikert isn't the only one who likes to hear the stories. True, veterans love to tell the tales of their service time, but they also like to hear them. For Logan Bulls, a young man not yet out of his 20s and a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, the VA holiday party is an opportunity to bond with others like himself.

"It's a brotherhood," Bulls said. "Each one of these men and women has fought for our country. The situations may have been different, but the effects are the same. They looked out for one another just like me and my buddies did in Afghanistan. I really enjoy this party, and I want to thank everyone who makes it possible."

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