Leon County showers Fort Hood unit with baby gifts

FORT HOOD, TX, UNITED STATES

07.24.2015

Story by Sgt. Garett Hernandez 

41st Field Artillery Brigade

FORT HOOD, Texas – New and expecting parents within 1st Cavalry Division Artillery, 1st Cav. Div. received a helping hand from the small town of Centerville, Texas, here Friday.
Centerville, which has a population of about 900 people within Leon County, donated items such as diapers, wipes and clothing for a DIVARTY-wide baby shower for Soldiers expecting a new addition to their families, or who had children within the last two years.

“I didn’t know things like this happen,” said Sgt. Dwayne Sanders, a signal support specialist with Task Force Light, DIVARTY, 1st Cav. Div. “I got a stroller, a bunch of clothes, diapers, hangers, and wipes.”

The partnership started eight years ago with the 41st Fires Brigade while the brigade was deployed to Iraq. The 41st Fires Bde. became the 41st Field Artillery Brigade, which gave way to the return of DIVARTY, known as the “Red Team.”

During the years, the unit has undergone many changes, but one thing has remained the same - the partnership with Centerville.

Centerville and Leon County, which are about a two hour drive from Fort Hood, have given much during their relationship with the unit, said Susan Maples, a volunteer from Leon County.

“Our driving force is that we care so much for them [the Soldiers], and we want them to know it,” Maples said.

Along with the biannual baby shower, Centerville holds an annual Christmas toy drive for children of the Red Team. Each October, the town also holds a military appreciation day, which hosts a guest speaker and free food for troops.

“They [Centerville] have a big heart and they love their military very much,” said Ilesia Lortz, mother of two. “I greatly appreciate it. My family greatly appreciates it.”

• Date Taken: 07.24.2015
• Date Posted: 07.28.2015 14:23
• Story ID: 171351
• Location: FORT HOOD, TX, US