Courtesy Photo | Soldiers and Leaders of Delta Battery, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery visit...... read more read more
By Spc. Tara Barney
D Battery, 3rd Battalion 2nd Regiment ADA, 31st ADA Brigade
LAWTON, Okla. - Special occasions arise all the time that bring groups together in unity. It does not necessarily need to be a holiday in order to celebrate or remember, but perhaps just a simple visit with those we care about
That is exactly what the soldiers and leaders from Delta Battery, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, the “Diamondbacks” did when they paid the residents of the Lawton/ Fort Sill Veterans Center a very respectful visit.
It’s not every day that the veterans center sees such a large group of people coming to visit the residents, it is even more saddening to know that some of the residents never get visitors at all. The Diamondback soldiers and leaders walked into the veterans center not knowing what to fully expect. Some of them jumped right in and began talking to the residents, while other decided to be completely entertaining and play games with the residents.
The Diamondbacks’ commander, Capt. James Davis, had a different plan in mind for himself and a few select soldiers, this was to visit the “Yellow Wing.” The Yellow Wing is an intensive supervision area designated for residents diagnosed with illnesses such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
Spc. Tara Barney was one of these select soldiers who had the pleasure of visiting the Yellow Wing. Most days the residents in this wing do not even see outside their rooms. The nursing staff was excited to see us there and began bringing out some of the residents to the main sitting room, where they got to visit with them and hear a little bit about their lives. Upon leaving the wing one of the nurses told us how much she appreciated the visit and that the soldiers really “brightened their day.”
When asked why this was such an important event, Capt. Davis said, “It’s important to give back to the community and to our veterans. There is comfort in knowing the veterans enjoyed the visit and that comradery still exists.”
First Sgt. Kevin McConkey also added, “It was really uplifting to the veterans. You could see it on their faces.”
Not only was visiting the veterans center a great experience for leaders, but for soldiers as well.
Spc. Matthew Wilkes said, “It felt good to connect with past comrades and bring joy to their lives.”
This was a very proud day for all of the Diamondback soldiers and leaders to be a part of. Overall, it was a rewarding experience to be able to give back to those who helped build the foundation for the Army we have now.
| Date Taken: | 11.11.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 11.12.2013 05:06 |
| Story ID: | 116572 |
| Location: | LAWTON, OK, US |
| Web Views: | 334 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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