Brig. Gen. David L. Weeks, commander of 411th Engineer Brigade, 412th Theater Engineer Command, and a select contingent made a special trip to Germany and presented the Purple Heart and other awards to Warrant Officer Stephen Gilmore at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Mar. 21, 2012.
Gilmore, a member of the 306th Engineer Company, 854th Engineer Battalion, is recovering at Landstuhl from wounds sustained when his vehicle was struck by an Improvised Explosive Device less than two weeks prior in Afghanistan.
In communicating his thoughts to Maj. Gen. William Buckler, commander of 412th Theater Engineer Command, Weeks reflected on the meeting at the hospital as "really a day of Thanksgiving for us -- and especially for Mr. Gilmore. He relayed over and over to us about how fortunate and blessed he was."
"I was truly humbled by the entire experience, especially not knowing what I might find when I walked into his room. All Mr. Gilmore wants to do is get back to his unit and to his Soldiers, the same message relayed to me by SPC Long who was injured in the same blast and currently at Walter Reed," said Weeks.
"I am more than humbled at their sense of honor and duty and their commitment and dedication to the unit and to their comrades. If one really wants to get a ground truth understanding of the Army values -- spend some time with these Soldiers," he added.
The brigade commander was accompanied by Command Sgt. Maj. Andrew Krom, Chaplain (Capt.) Karen Hallett and Capt. Jason McKnight.
Social Sharing