Army Leadership Course graduates support Fisher House Foundation mission

Photo By Gen. Rajagau Tuan Lante | Chief Warrant Officer 4 Robert Hembrook, command chief warrant officer of Army Reserve Cyber Operations Group, presents a check for $1,125.75 to Mary Considine, Fisher House Foundation Headquarters chief of staff, and Brian Gawne, vice president of operations, in Rockville, Md., Feb. 27, 2015. (Photo by Makenzie Schulz)  

FORT RUCKER, AL, UNITED STATES

04.11.2015

Courtesy Story

76th Operational Response Command

Story by Shadi May, contributing writer

FORT RUCKER, Ala. - Graduates of the Warrant Officer Intermediate Level Education course at Fort Rucker, Alabama, donated more than $1,100 to the Fisher House Foundation, Feb. 27, 2015.

Traditionally, professional military education classes donate money to local or national charities, to help make a difference in their missions, by coming up with a list of charities and then decide which charity by a majority class vote.

“I believe in the Fisher House Foundation because it supports not just the Soldiers but also their families during tough times,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Robert Hembrook, command chief warrant officer for the Army Reserve Cyber Operations Group out of Adelphi, Maryland, and February 2015 WOILE graduate. “I convinced my classmates to go with the Fisher House, because it spends it largest percentage of their donations serving military and veterans’ families. We collected an attractive sum of money, for a class of 56 students, and we wanted to make sure we would give it all back to our own.”

The Fisher House Foundation is most know for the free homes or lodging it provides to military and veterans’ families while their loved ones receive medical care, but it also operates other programs such as the “Hero Miles” program, which gives donated frequent flyer miles to bring family members to the bedside of injured service members and the “Hotel for Heroes” program, which provides donated hotel points to allow family members to stay at hotels near medical centers for free of charge. In addition, it also supports other military charities to include scholarships for military children, spouses and children of fallen and disabled veterans.

“We have received donations from other military schools, such as the Army War College and the Army Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, but this is the first time we have received a donation from the Army Warrant Officer Career College,” said Mary Considine, Fisher House Foundation Headquarters chief of staff.

Donating money or goods to help out local or national charities is an integral part of many military PME schools. The effort is intended to unite students who are from Army active duty, Reserve and National Guard for a common cause and doing something above and beyond the academic requirements.

“The course we attended was about leadership and it is a fundamental concept of successful leadership to take care of your troops and their families,” added Hembrook, a native of Texas but whom calls Virginia his home. “We thought taking care of our own military families by donating to the Fisher House would be the best use of our money.”

• Date Taken: 04.11.2015
• Date Posted: 04.11.2015 17:03
• Story ID: 159742
• Location: FORT RUCKER, AL, US
• Hometown: ALEXANDRIA, VA, US