FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – The Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare & Recreation (DFMWR) with the help of volunteers provided Christmas trees and holiday cheer to Soldiers and families during the annual Trees for Troops event from Dec. 2 to Dec. 3 at Thunder Mountain Activity Center.
DFMWR staff and volunteers unloaded a FedEx truck laying 200 Christmas trees in formation across the outdoor pavilion as the sun rose.
“The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation and FedEx have been doing Trees for Troops annually for many years,” said Stacy Sandlin, DFMWR marketing director. “Both businesses team up with tree growers across the nation and donate real Christmas trees to bases for military members around the country.”
According to TreesForTroops.org, the program is in its eighteenth year providing free, farm-grown Christmas trees to armed forces members in all branches and their families, through donations, sponsorships, grants and the work of many volunteers.
FedEx donates shipping to the Trees for Troops effort, Sandlin added.
“We are picking up a Christmas tree!” exclaimed Spc. Sylwia Whitmire, a supply specialist from the 2-13th Aviation Regiment, to her daughter.
Whitmire held her daughter Macy’s hand as they walked the rows to find a perfect tree. The toddler pointed at the tree she wanted.
“What are you going to put on our tree?” Whitmire asked her daughter. “A big red star?
Macy shook her head and said she preferred to top her Christmas tree with a cupcake.
“And candy canes and strawberries,” she added.
Families continued to pick up trees as DFMWR personnel served hot cocoa, played Christmas music and shared the holiday spirit.
# # #
Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM)/9th Army Signal Command and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, key components to the national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with a rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.
We are the Army’s Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.
Social Sharing