HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD, Ga. - "We got a good tree, Daddy!" three-year-old Ryder Delany, yelled to his dad, Sgt. Nigel Delany, Company C., 1st Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, who carried a six-foot Christmas tree over his shoulder.
The Delanys were one of 125 Hunter Families who stood in line outside the Auto Crafts Center parking lot at Hunter Army Airfield, and received a free Christmas tree as part of the "Trees for Troops" program, Dec. 4.
The Christmas Spirit Foundation and FedEx donated 125 trees to Hunter to give to Soldiers as thanks for their service.
"This event is to show the Soldiers here at Hunter that (the foundation) appreciates what they have been doing by donating these Christmas trees," said Command Sgt. Maj. Gilbert Adkins, Hunter garrison command sergeant major. "This is a great event. The Soldiers appreciate getting the trees; they're steadily coming out here to get them, and we're going to give them out until they're gone."
The first tree was given away at 9 a.m., and by 9:45 only 32 trees remained.
"Soldiers come here and receive a Christmas tree," Command Sgt. Maj. Adkins said. "They get one per Family, and it's first-come, first-serve."
With a steady flow of Families, all of the trees were gone by 1 p.m.
Captain James Martin, 1/3 Aviation, 3rd CAB, got a tree around 10 a.m., after he and his wife ran the Enmark Savannah Bridge Run 5K that took place earlier in the morning.
"It's just nice, because myself, and I'm sure many of the people here, we were not here for Christmas last year [3rd CAB was deployed to Afghanistan]," he said. "Knowing that the community cares, we appreciate it.
"And my wife always likes live trees, so we're getting a live tree," Capt. Martin added.
The gesture was appreciated by all who walked out with a Christmas fir.
"We thought it was a neat thing they offered us," said Sgt. 1st Class Robert Casella, 603rd Aviation Support Battalion, 3rd CAB, who brought his daughters, Sarah, 12, and Mary, 14, to help pick out the perfect tree. "We did this two years ago, too. It's great to get a free tree."
Last year, Trees for Troops donated more than 16,000 Christmas trees to U.S. servicemembers on 54 bases around the world.
Captain James Martin, 1/3 Aviation, 3rd CAB, got a tree around 10 a.m., after he and his wife ran the Enmark Savannah Bridge Run 5K that took place earlier in the morning.
"It's just nice, because myself, and I'm sure many of the people here, we were not here for Christmas last year [3rd CAB was deployed to Afghanistan]," he said. "Knowing that the community cares, we appreciate it.
"And my wife always likes live trees, so we're getting a live tree," Capt. Martin added.
The gesture was appreciated by all who walked out with a Christmas fir.
"We thought it was a neat thing they offered us," said Sgt. 1st Class Robert Casella, 603rd Aviation Support Battalion, 3rd CAB, who brought his daughters, Sarah, 12, and Mary, 14, to help pick out the perfect tree. "We did this two years ago, too. It's great to get a free tree."Last year, Trees for Troops donated more than 16,000 Christmas trees to U.S. servicemembers on 54 bases around the world.
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