Airman prescribes dose of ‘fun,’ boosts morale

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Lee Roberts
  • 12th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  Tech. Sgt. Daniel Vargas is not certified to practice medicine. Nonetheless, he admits it feels good whenever he can prescribe a good dose of “fun” to boost the morale of injured servicemembers recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.

Sergeant Vargas is an information manager assigned to the Air Force Recruiting Service headquarters here. He often volunteers, organizes and coordinates with community leaders across the state to sponsor injured Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines to an evening out.

“They get to dine out, enjoy complimentary sporting events and concerts, and other forms of entertainment,” he said. “It is medicine you can’t bottle up.”

Most recently, more than 50 patients received a patriotic welcome as guests of the city of Ft. Worth. Arriving Nov. 12, the charter bus carrying America’s military heroes received an 11-motorcycle police escort from the outskirts of the city all the way to Billy Bob’s Texas nightclub.

The group then met the mayor and event sponsors, ate a barbecue dinner, watched a rodeo and finished with a Willie Nelson concert.

Behind the scenes, Sergeant Vargas worked throughout the event ensuring everyone received a pleasurable experience. He even arranged for two Soldiers to go back stage and meet Willie Nelson’s bass player, Bee Spears. They also socialized with other fans who were quick to thank them for their service and sacrifice.

Army Cpl. J.R. Martinez is one of the Soldiers who went back stage. After the concert, he said he was grateful Sergeant Vargas made it possible for him to enjoy himself and get his mind off of the dozens of surgeries and hundreds of physical therapy sessions he received. Corporal Martinez was injured when he ran over a landmine with his Humvee in April 2003 in Karbala, Iraq.

Corporal Martinez, who served with the 101st Airborne in Ft. Campbell, Ky., said he is touched by the outpouring of support from everyone at the hospital, other servicemembers and the public.

He said he is especially thankful Sergeant Vargas has shown such an incredible interest in their well-being.

“It’s really touching to see that the American people are stepping up to support you no matter what their political beliefs,” Corporal Martinez said. “It’s heart-warming that Sergeant Vargas uses his personal time to arrange events like tonight with the Willie Nelson concert.”

Over the past several months, Sergeant Vargas has gotten close to a lot of the wounded troops participating in the various activities he has put together. That closeness is what many of the patients appreciate as much as the events themselves.

Army Master Sgt. Pam Nelson, a reservist assigned to the 172nd Corps Support Group in Broken Arrow, Okla., injured her back while serving at Camp Anaconda in Ballad, Iraq, in January.

She said Sergeant Vargas has done a great deal for the Soldiers and other servicemembers going through rehabilitation.

“He’s done such a wonderful job of showing how much he appreciates what we’ve done,” Sergeant Nelson said.

At the concert, Sergeant Nelson said she always wanted to see Mr. Nelson in person.

“I remember listening to Willie as a kid growing up, and it was a dream come true for me to actually get to see him,” she said.

Another appreciative Solider at the concert was Army Sgt. Joe Washam from the 321st Military Intelligence Squadron, a Reserve unit in Dallas. He suffered burns when a chemical warehouse exploded April 21 as he sat in the gun turret of a Humvee while assigned to the Iraq Survey Group. He has been recovering at the medical center since.

“The concert was great,” Sergeant Washam said. “The public attention toward the wounded was sensational. It was a huge morale boost for all of us.”

Sergeant Washam also praised Sergeant Vargas for setting up another superb activity for the troops like him who have come back from war with visible and invisible scars.

“I’ve asked Sergeant Vargas several times why he gives so much of himself for us,” Sergeant Washam said. “He just says it could easily be him, and he would not want to be forgotten.”

Sergeant Vargas said he wants to be a conduit for others to show their appreciation for what these brave men and women have gone through, and he wants the wounded to get out of the hospital for an evening of fun now and then.

“It’s very simple,” Sergeant Vargas said. “This could be me. This could be you. This could be anybody who is deployable. We have air bases right now that are on the front line, and they are getting shelled every night. You don’t hear about it on the news, but it is happening.”

He said his commitment to boost the morale of the wounded troops stems from imagining himself in their situation.

“We have to remember the wounded coming back home have to live with this the rest of their lives,” he said. “Every time they look in the mirror, they remember what happened to them, so I think anything we can do to show them they are appreciated and to let them know their sacrifice was just is worth doing … and I for one am not going to forget about them.”

Sergeant Vargas has also arranged outings to a Keith Whitley concert in San Antonio, Texas Rangers baseball game in Arlington and Texas Longhorns football game in Austin. He has organized several trips to concerts at a local amphitheater and was instrumental in Sea World providing free tickets recently to wounded troops and their families staying at a Fisher House in San Antonio.