Photo By Staff Sgt. Joel Pfiester | Veterans from the Missouri Veterans' Home and Airmen from Whiteman Air Force Base,...... read more read more
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The 509th Logistics Readiness Squadron (LRS) hosted the veterans after Staff Sgt. Ryan Jardina, the NCO in charge of armor shop from the 509th LRS, decided to show the veterans how much he and fellow Airmen appreciate their service to this country.
Volunteers from the 509th LRS make a weekly visit to the Warrensburg Veterans’ Home in Warrensburg, Mo., every Friday for happy hour to spend time with those who served before us. Jardina could sense their interest in coming out to base and decided to set up a visit for them.
“Spending time with the veterans at the home every Friday and always having them ask me questions about the B-2 made me want to bring them out to see it and hear from the pilots about it,” said Jardina. “Once I started planning the event, they were all getting so happy and excited about spending time with us on base, I knew I had to make it happen. The smiles on their faces throughout the tour made every minute of hard work worth it.”
Upon arriving to Whiteman, the 509th LRS had a vast hands-on display of mission-essential equipment that various squadrons on base use during everyday operations. Security forces personnel, firefighters and explosive ordnance disposal technicians from the 509th Civil Engineer Squadron were on hand to explain and exhibit how their equipment is used in today’s military. Volunteers escorted and sat with the veterans to trade stories of each other’s service before Col. Aeneas Gooding, the 509th Mission Support Group commander, welcomed and thanked the veterans for their service.
Following the panel, the veterans headed to the flightline to tour and have their photos taken with the B-2 Spirit. Pilots fielded questions and gave statistics on the B-2, which was then followed up with a barbecue at the vehicle maintenance shop where troops and veterans alike indulged in an all-American style meal. Each veteran received a LRS Bulldog coin and a certificate from Maj. Kellie Courtland, the 509th LRS commander, who recognized them for their outstanding service to our country.
"It was the perfect chance to take away some wisdom and knowledge from our greatest national treasure...our veterans,” said Courtland. “I could not be more proud of the LRS for putting this very special event together. We are the best equipped, trained and supported military in the world because of our veterans who paved the way and set us up for immeasurable success. We can't possibly thank them enough for their service. This event was just one simple way for the LRS to show our appreciation."
| Date Taken: | 08.30.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 08.30.2016 12:23 |
| Story ID: | 208506 |
| Location: | WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, MO, US |
| Web Views: | 105 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Missouri Veterans’ Home visits Team Whiteman, by SSgt Joel Pfiester, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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