1st Class Eric Pettengill, sexual assault resource coordinator; Sgt. Derick Pierce, command operations center NCO, and Sgt. 1st Class Darrell Earnest,
operations NCOIC, all Soldiers f... VIEW ORIGINAL
retired Army master sergeant; Sgt. 1st Class Paula Henderson, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment first sergeant; and Staff Sgt. Raymond "Lee" Patterson, command ope... VIEW ORIGINAL
TRIPLER ARMY MEDICAL CENTER, Hawaii -- For the third year in a row, Soldiers from the 599th Transportation Brigade visited residents of the Veterans Affairs Center for the Aging on the Tripler Army Medical Center campus Nov. 6 to honor their fellow Veterans on Veterans Day.
599th personnel said they appreciated the opportunity to visit with the Veterans.
"I think it's a powerful message to show future generations that Veterans who are serving want to give back to those who went before us," said Sgt. 1st Class Darrell Earnest, 599th noncommissioned officer in charge of operations.
"The opportunity to meet those who served before was so heartwarming to me. It was a privilege to be there and talk with those Veterans. It was something I really enjoyed, and I would do it again," he added.
Capt. Paul Conrad, 599th Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment commander, remarked on the similarity of U.S. Army Soldiers no matter when they served.
"It's important that each day we take care of Soldiers in our own formations. While doing so, it's equally important that we remember and honor those who came before us.
"They are all out of the military and don't have the formations to look to anymore. We have to provide that companionship and leadership," Conrad said.
Sgt. 1st Class Eric Pettengill, sexual assault response coordinator, also enjoyed talking to the Veterans.
"I like talking to the older guys. A couple of the guys were World War II Vets. One Marine had landed on Iwo Jima and one Army vet talking about landing and working their way up Italy. There are not too many of those guys left who can talk to you about how it actually was," said Pettengill.
"They appreciate visitors, but I think they especially appreciated us because we are Soldiers. Because we're all military we have more in common with them and can relate to their memories. We need to go more often than just Veterans Day," Pettengill added.
Individual members of the unit are planning to visit again soon. Command Sgt. Maj. Claudia Shakespeare, 599th command sergeant major, and Staff Sgt. Raymond "Lee" Patterson, command operations center NCOIC, are coordinating to visit the center on Thanksgiving.
The facility has beds for veterans recuperating from illness, accident or surgery; long-term residents; and hospice or end-of-life care.
Although the building is on Tripler Army Medical Center, it is run by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, fifty-five percent of the 22.7 million Veterans in the United States are age 60 and older.
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