FORT RUCKER, Ala. – Fort Rucker Soldiers and members of the Aviation Center of Excellence (AVCOE) Command Team hosted veterans from the Command Sgt Maj Bennie G. Adkins State Veterans Home in Enterprise, AL at the Dining Facility (DFAC) on Fort Rucker for the monthly “Legacy Lunch” on July 2. The Legacy Lunch gives soldiers an opportunity to connect and build a relationship with local veterans in our community, trade stories, share experiences and an opportunity for the younger Soldiers to gain experience, knowledge and advice from veterans who have already been to where they are heading.
The Legacy Lunch is held on the first Wednesday of each month at the DFAC at Fort Rucker. Twenty plus veterans travel by bus from the veteran’s home to have lunch, make new friends, and eat in the “Chow Hall” again.
“We are so excited about the relationships we are building here each month with the Soldiers at Fort Rucker. This has been a big moral booster for our veterans and team members especially during this time of displacement as the Veterans Home goes through repair from a recent fire,” said Les Hogan, administrator for the Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins State Veterans Home in Enterprise, AL. “We look forward to many more visits to Fort Rucker and the soldiers coming out to the Veterans Home to visit there with us as well.”
The veterans had several dining choices to choose from on Fort Rucker but chose to eat with the Soldiers in the “Chow Hall” each month. Ashly Daggins, DFAC facility manager stated that “It’s wonderful for the veterans to come in and eat with us. The young Soldiers can meet the veterans, talk with them and learn from their experiences. We are honored to have the group from the veterans home each month and love hosting them here at the DFAC.”
Bill Bell, a former captain in the United States Marines and one of the veterans who attended this months Legacy Lunch, summed it up by saying, “It’s been a great honor to spend a little time with active-duty soldiers who have volunteered their service and are willing to sacrifice their own lives in order to protect ours.”
Maj. Gen. Clair A. Gill, commanding general, AVCOE and Fort Rucker said about the monthly Legacy Lunch, “This is a great opportunity to share our Army culture with these veterans who were at the Veterans Home in Enterprise but have been spread out and displaced recently because of the fire that occurred earlier this year. It gives them an opportunity to come and connect with the next generation of soldiers, share some stories, and it allows our soldiers to share how the Army is impacting their lives. I am very proud of these types of opportunities, we look forward to connecting with our local veterans whenever and wherever we can.”
The next Legacy Lunch is scheduled for August 6th at the DFAC on Fort Rucker with the veterans of the Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins State Veterans Home in Enterprise, AL.
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