Groome Transportation is helping wounded Soldiers newly assigned to Fort Benning's Warrior Transition Battalion.
Groome Transportation partnered with WTB to offer free shuttle services from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to wounded troops reporting to the unit.
The service began June 29.
Many wounded Soldiers reporting to Fort Benning are being medically evacuated from destinations such as Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Md., and Landstuhl, Germany, said CPT Robert Strawley, commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, WTB. They aren't familiar with the Atlanta area or Fort Benning and get confused trying to arrange transportation to the post, he explained.
As a result, two of the detachments' eight squad leaders must meet each wounded warrior arriving in Atlanta.
Strawley, in an effort to simplify the process of getting the troops to the post, reached out to Jeffery Weynand at Groome Transportation to find out how they could help.
Groome Transportation provides round-trip shuttle service from Columbus and Fort Benning to the Atlanta airport more than 30 times a day. The 24-hour service operates seven days a week transporting 600 passengers a day on average, Weynand said.
Weynand knows first hand how difficult and stressful it can be for wounded troops.
Weynand is a disabled veteran serving as the manager of Groome's Columbus branch on Double Churches Road. He was discharged from the Army with service-connected disabilities in 1983.
In his last duty station, Weynand served as an Infantryman with 197th Infantry Brigade on Fort Benning, he said.
"I spent a year traveling between various hospitals to get my leg injuries repaired," Weynand said. "It's hard when you have to transfer from one unfamiliar place to another on your own. Throwing a disability on top of that makes it even harder."
It was this understanding, Weynand said, that led him to contact his corporate office in Virginia to ask about a possible free shuttle service for all wounded troops reporting to the WTB.
"Depending on their situations, these troops may be coming in without any type of funds. It strikes a chord in my heart," he said. "It's fantastic we have people volunteering to be in the military in the first place. To see them come back wounded ... we need to take the time to say thank you and assist them in any way we can."
Groome began providing door-to-door service Monday, delivering the troops directly to the WTB. The service would normally cost $37.
Strawley said he expects between two to three Soldiers per week will be able to take advantage of the free service.
The partnership will benefit not only wounded troops, but also the battalion as a whole, he said.
We are responsible for picking up wounded Soldiers from Lawson Army Airfield and Columbus Regional Airport as well as Atlanta, Strawley said.
"This will alleviate a lot of stress on the part of the battalion as well as the traveling Soldier," Strawley said. "It's a testament to the support the Columbus community gives its troops."
"With the help of Groome, we can continue to meet the needs of all WTB Soldiers," he said.
The partnership is part of the battalion's efforts to streamline inprocessing procedures for troops.
The battalion recently stood up a reception platoon specifically to handle administrative needs for all incoming WTB Soldiers before they move to the company level.
We're working closely to ensure orders for medevac'd troops flying into Atlanta now include information directing them to the free Groome shuttle, Strawley said.
Weynand said the Columbus office has set no end date on the free service.
"As long as I am manager here, we will continue to offer this service to wounded warriors medevac'd to Fort Benning until our troops come home from Iraq, Afghanistan and anywhere else they are," he said. "This service is in line with Groome's commitment to the Fort Benning community."
For more information, visit www.groometransportation.com, call the Columbus branch at 706-324-3939 or e-mail columbusoffice@groometrans.com.
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