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    Soldier, mother of five pays it forward

    WBAMC volunteer pays it forward

    Courtesy Photo | (From left) Georgina Biehl, guest speaker, Command Sgt. Maj. Bobby J. Breeden,...... read more read more

    FORT BLISS, TX, UNITED STATES

    05.03.2016

    Story by Marcy Sanchez  

    William Beaumont Army Medical Center

    Former Chief of Staff, Gen. Raymond Odierno, once said, “The professional ethic (of a U.S. Army Soldier) is not a 9-to-5-ethic. It's a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week ethic."

    A Soldier embodying that ethic is Spc. Kellie Brisco, a health care specialist currently assigned to the Hugo V. Mendoza Soldier Family Care Center Exceptional Family Member Program clinic.

    Brisco was recently recognized as William Beaumont Army Medical Center’s Volunteer of the Year during Fort Bliss Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation’s annual volunteer appreciation dinner, April 15.

    “I was kind of surprised that I was put in for it,” said Brisco, native of Winchester, Virginia. “I don’t feel like I need recognition for doing what I enjoy doing.”

    Aside from spending countless hours helping in her community, Brisco is also a wife and mother of five. According to Brisco, one of the reasons why she volunteers is to set a good example for her children, who range in age from one to 11 years old.

    “I’m the type that needs to stay busy,” said Brisco. “It’s uplifting for yourself for your own morale.”

    Most of Brisco’s volunteer efforts go toward the Family Readiness Group, Troop Command, WBAMC. Recently the 30-year-old Soldier volunteered to be the FRG lead, a role essential to the group’s success.

    “She’s always been involved and stepped up to the plate when we needed someone to be the FRG lead,” said Shelly Crowley, family readiness support assistant. “She has a great personality, great volunteer, great person to have around.”

    With the FRG alone, Brisco has accumulated more than 1100 hours of volunteer work over the past few years. To put into perspective, that’s about a month and a half straight.

    “She volunteers because it’s in her heart, Kellie has a heart of gold,” said Crowley. “To her it’s not volunteering, it’s giving up herself to pay it forward.”

    Brisco also volunteers at her church by putting together back-to-school bags for children, packing supplies for humanitarian bags and on Fort Bliss with post-wide blood drives.

    To Brisco, volunteering is second nature as her mother and grandmother both volunteered plenty without asking for anything in return.

    As a child, she would always volunteer in the library while in school, to the extent that Brisco was named Miss Gainesboro Elementary School when she was 10 years old.

    Although Brisco was awarded the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal over a year and a half ago, she continues to give her time and service to her community.

    “It’s how I was raised,” said Brisco. “It’s what keeps me grounded.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 05.03.2016
    Date Posted: 05.03.2016 14:26
    Story ID: 197176
    Location: FORT BLISS, TX, US
    Hometown: WINCHESTER, VA, US

    Web Views: 191
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN