ANCOC students assist Annapolis homeless

The war on terrorism has taught the U. S. military many valuable lessons in recent years. One of those lessons is that wars canAca,!a,,ct be won by simply employing superior battlefield fire power, decimating the opposition, and going home.

You have to care about the people left behind.

The U.S. Army has taken that lesson to heart and now teaches Soldiers about the customs and traditions of the places they are deploying to during pre-deployment training. That doctrine has also reached more traditional training grounds such as the Signal Corps Regimental Non-Commissioned Officer Academy Detachment at Ft. Meade, Md.

Sgt. 1st Class Terrence Hayes, of Jacksonville, Fla., the senior small group leader for the 46Z career management field at the academy, integrates community service as a part of the Advanced Non-Commissioned Officer's Course (ANCOC) he instructs. He assigned Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Ewer to be the Community Service Project Coordinator for class 002-09-(RC).

About half of the men who get help from the Light House are military Veterans. That information struck a chord with the group when Ewer presented the three options he had developed to the class. The vote to support the Light House was unanimous.

"After extensive coordination with a number of charities and community groups we easily selected the Light House as our best option," said Ewer, a native of South St. Paul, Minn. Aca,!A"This was largely due to their service to the homeless and the unusually large number of homeless veterans they help.Aca,!A?

The small band of senior NCOs arrived in Annapolis, Md. at the unassuming storefront of the Light House Homeless Prevention Center, commonly called the Light House, on a cheerful Saturday morning ready to get to work.

They entered the shelter and were met by David Chi, Resident Assistant and Pantry Coordinator for the Light House. He gave the group a tour of the facility and then put them to work.

"I had them stock the pantry with food that has been donated by local churches and businesses, organizations, private individuals and also the Maryland Food Bank in Crownsville," said Chi. "We had a lot of food from the food bank this week that needed to be stocked," he added. There was more work to be done. "They reorganized our linens, which is towels, blankets and sheets for the residents here. We have about 20 residents here at the Light House right now," said Chi. Oh, and one more thing.

Aca,!A"Lastly, they cleaned and waxed the floors," said Chi with a smile.

The mission of the Light House is to be a homeless prevention center and it does that by giving people a place to stay for about 90 days where they can find refuge from whatever is causing them a problem on the street, hopefully find employment, and save about 80 percent of what they make. At the end of those 90 days they will have the funds, and hopefully the skills, to go out and get a place of their own.

Sgt. 1st Class Paul McGuire, from Oklahoma City, Okla. spent some time visiting with a resident.

"I had never spent any time in a homeless shelter," said McGuire. Aca,!A"I had no point of reference.

Aca,!A"What I encountered were people who had similar experiences to me in life,Aca,!A? McGuire added. Aca,!A"The gentleman I spoke with was going through a rough period and just needed a helping hand to get back on track. He had a very positive outlook on life and I was very heartened that there was a place like the Light House that could be there to support him. It was very gratifying for me to be able to make some small contribution to their mission.Aca,!A?

In a few short hours a small group of NCOs made a difference in the lives of people in need; demonstrating the Army values of selfless service, respect and honor.