TBolts assist wounded warrior

  • Published
  • By Stephen Delgado
  • Thunderbolt staff writer
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  When one hears of all the wars, crime and political strife, it easy to feel a sense of hopelessness, but there are a lot of good things happening that can restore hope.

One such event took place on a sweltering late-August day at Luke Air Force Base.

"I received a call from Jenny Voss, a retired Air Force major, who was a combat nurse in Iraq, asking for help in finding volunteers to help her load boxes into a U-Haul truck," said Vickie Muniz, 56th Force Support Squadron Airmen and Family Readiness Flight community readiness specialist. "She was moving to San Antonio and needed help.

"Ms. Voss had made the moving van arrangements in coordination with the Wounded Warrior program office at Randolph Air Force Base, (Texas)" Muniz said. "I asked Master Sgt. Tanya Myers, Airman and Family Readiness Center superintendent, to put out a call for volunteers. The response was overwhelming."

The volunteers had a few obstacles to brave including triple-digit heat.

"It was 117 degrees that day, and we had to wait at Ms. Voss' house for 35 minutes until the U-Haul arrived," Muniz said. "I didn't hear any complaints about the heat or having to wait. The people who helped were professional and made a good impression on the Voss family. The task was completed in a little more than an hour."

"The Wounded Warrior program point-of-contact at Luke is Sandra Gray, 56th FSS Airman and Readiness Flight community readiness consultant," said Cory Carmichael, 56th FSS AFRF community readiness technician. "We are here to assist our people and don't want anyone to fall through the cracks."

The Wounded Warrior program exists to help Air Force personnel who are injured in combat by working one-on-one with the service member to ensure their needs are met. This help includes pay, employment, medical and the Veterans Affairs. Each wounded warrior is assigned a case worker who follows the member for approximately five years after their return to the United States. A big team at Randolph coordinates the program.

In all, Gray said she works with a fabulous team whose number one concern is service to military personnel and their families. An example of this commitment is that Muniz bought water, pizza and other beverages for the volunteers out of her own pocket.