The Veteran Connection

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Charlie Miller
  • 445th Airlift Wing
DAYTON, Ohio --  The main dining facility at the Veterans Administration Nursing Home on Gettysburg Drive, Dayton came a live December 9, 2006. The young and the old, the uniformed and formerly uniformed along with two talented military musicians, all got together for a delightful holiday lunchtime party.

This is an event I always volunteer to cover for the Buckeye Flyer. My boss has to pry me away from the assignment. Yes, at the party there's a ton of good food, wonderful live music and dozens of brightly wrapped gifts, but for me the real attraction is hanging out with the veterans.

Over the years, I've met and talked with men and women of all ages and from all branches of the military that live there. Some have friends and family that visit, call or write. Other residents have literally no one. Somehow, someway, my walking up to them in my uniform stirs something in both of us. Turns-out that we both serve or served proudly.

"This lifts the veteran's spirits up," said resident and Army veteran Danny Sanford. "Some of us here don't have family and we appreciate this party."

Some of the veterans were physically unable to attend the party in the main dining facility so many of the volunteers took the party to the wards.

"It's wonderful going into their rooms and spreading joy and cheer," said Senior Master Sgt. George Broome, 88th Medical Group Resource Management Superintendent and Vice President of the Air Force Sergeants Association, Kittyhawk Chapter. "We have to give it back, pay it back."

The AFSA once again led the way sponsoring the 11th annual party for the residents and patients at the VA center. About 25 AFSA members from Wright-Patterson, some with their spouses and children, some students from the Air Force Institute of Technology and a group Air Force reservists from the 445th Airlift Wing served food and good cheer to the veterans.

"It's a time to give and not receive," said Senior Master Sgt. Matt Preissler, an Air Force Institute if Technology staff member. "I just got back from 6 months in Iraq at the end of September but this is all about helping people out, that's what it comes down to."

Air Force reservists from the 445th, now in year 12 of participating, visited with the veterans, helping them get their lunch and taking food to the veterans in their rooms that could not come to the party in the main dining facility.

Tech. Sgt. Steve Adams, 445th Civil Engineer Squadron, was, for the 7th year in a row, volunteering his barbering skills giving free haircuts to the residents. Sgt. Adams is part of a family hair care business located just outside Dayton in Northridge. One of the employees from his barbershop also cut hair for the veterans.

"Once you start doing something you realize that you get a lot more than you give," Sgt. Adams said. "This makes my holiday season. I look forward to this every year; it's my way of giving back to the veterans."

The AFSA has been sponsoring this party, a summer picnic and other events at VA centers locally and around the country for some 25 years now. Not a small task, or a cheap one, for that matter. I know the VFW nationally visits hundreds if not thousands of veterans and other organizations also have outreach programs in place.

"These are the true people who served before us," said Staff Sgt. Jennifer Keyes, an AFIT staff member. "It's an honor to be here, to learn about their past time in the military."

Master Sgt. Henry Harlow, 445th Maintenance Squadron, routinely told the veterans in years past that he was there to visit them and "to see where I'm going to be living" in the future. Needless to say, the vets always got a kick out of Sgt. Harlow's line.

"Being here gives me a sense of giving," said Senior Airman Verna Sasao, a bioenvironmental technician with the 88th Aerospace Medicine Squadron. "They used to do what you do now."

"Systems Go," the light jazz duo from the Air Force Band of Flight, played holiday favorites and smooth jazz tunes. Their music set a comfortable and festive mood for the party.

For me, it's hard to visualize just what some of the guys went through. I love to hear their war stories, but for a traditional reservist such as myself, I can't really put myself in their shoes as much as I try. And while it's easy, almost automatic actually, to say to the veterans "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas" to honestly and with real heart-felt "thanks for serving" that's a different animal.

87th Aerial Port member Tech. Sgt. David Woods said that for him the party was a history lesson, learning where these folks have been and where they served. Sgt. Woods suggested that everyone in the wing should do this at least once. He was dead on, 100% correct. Next December, or at the summer picnic, come out and connect with the veterans. It could just be a life changing experience. It has been for me.