Photo By Spc. Jailene Bautista | U.S. Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Jake McAllister, a Clayton, North Carolina native and...... read more read more
GREENBELT, Md. -- The military community dedicates April as the month of recognition to the children of service members. Purple Up! For Military Kids, is a slogan used to thank them for their strength and sacrifice to this nation’s greatest fighting force.
U.S. Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Jake McAllister, a father of three assigned to U.S. Coast Guard Sector Virginia, is one of the many service members who are currently assisting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at the mass vaccination center in Greenbelt, Maryland, where they aim to vaccinate 3,000 community members daily.
“I think serving our country is great work,” said McAllister. “I think it’s a great example for my kids to see personal sacrifice and personal courage to do work for the greater good.”
McAllister said he feels that having children who are proud of what he does every day, gives him peace of mind to be mentally present and focus on the mission at hand.
“The U.S. Coast Guard is here integrating with the Department of Defense, to help with the greeting, screening, scribing, and observation operations at this vaccination clinic,” said McAllister.
To McAllister, it doesn’t matter whether he is the first face a community member sees when they enter the vaccination center, the person verifying their information or the person checking in on them during their recommended observation period. He will help in any way possible to support the Greenbelt Metro Community Vaccination Center. All the while knowing that his daughters and son are doing the same back home.
“It’s tough being away when you miss the ball games and miss hearing how school was for the day, but I’m incredibly proud of them for being able to hold things down while I’m gone,” said McAllister.
While on deployment, he speaks to his children every single day. However, because they are highly-active children, he tries not to interrupt them during their extracurricular activities.
“They are incredibly busy, but I do want to let them know that I am still here, thinking about them and that I love them,” said McAllister.
McAllister makes it a priority to speak to his children about resiliency all the time. Even though his children are still young, they understand their duties as a family. They remain strong at home so he can continue to be someone they look up to. McAllister is away from his family helping community members through their vaccination process in hopes that the COVID-19 vaccine helps the citizens see their families.
“It would be very tough to perform without my family,” said McAllister, “They give me motivation to put on the uniform and to go out and serve.”
| Date Taken: | 04.14.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.20.2021 13:07 |
| Story ID: | 393860 |
| Location: | GREENBELT, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Our armed forces back home, by SPC Jailene Bautista, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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