Home Front: 'Cold Steel' has day in the park

Photo By Rob Strain | Capt. Brent Bosson, the rear detachment commander for the 615th Aviation Support Battalion, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, and other members of the battalion hand out backpacks to children at the unit's back to school bash, Aug. 12, in Killeen's Long Branch Park.  

08.14.2007

Story by Sgt. Rob Strain 

Fort Cavazos Public Affairs Office

By Sgt. Robert Strain
1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

KILLEEN, Texas – Soldiers and family members from the 615th Aviation Support Battalion, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division gathered together Aug. 12 at Killeen's Long Branch park for a back-to-school bash.

The gathering was meant to be a way for the battalion's families to get together and get out of the house before school started and units started returning from Iraq, said Oklahoma City native Kathy Vela, who coordinated the event.

She explained that there had been a long time since the last battalion family event, and she wanted to do something to bring everyone back together before they got busy.

"Once school starts, people get busy - between sports, band and other after school activities," Vela said.

Besides the playground equipment at the park, the battalion provided an inflatable house for the kids to bounce around in and hot dogs cooked by the Hewitt, Texas, local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).

The VFW also provided school supplies, including notebooks, pencils, glue, and markers, to put in 100 backpacks, which were then given to the kids at the party, Vela said.

Also donated by the VFW were six bicycles, which were given away to kids at the bash.

Brandon Garcia, 8, enjoyed the day, especially the hot dogs, but the highlight of the day for Garcia was winning a 15-speed mountain bike, he said. He said it was something he did not expect when he came out to the bash, and that he also liked the backpack full of supplies.

Harry Munn, the commander of VFW Post 6008 and native of Hewitt, Texas, said he enjoys doing things like this with not only the Soldiers, but their families too.

"It's what the VFW does," Munn said. "When the Soldier goes to war, the family goes with them."

Munn said that the VFW plans on doing more events for the Soldiers when they return from Iraq later this year and early next year.

"Being here when the Soldiers come home – it's very gratifying to be able to serve our country in this way, to serve our Soldiers and their families," Munn said.

• Date Taken: 08.14.2007
• Date Posted: 08.14.2007 12:22
• Story ID: 11813