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Volunteer organization lifts spirits of wounded veterans

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Scott Wagers
  • Air Force News Agency
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany (AFPN) --  Within a week of sustaining injuries in Iraq and being airlifted to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a Marine diesel mechanic finds himself being taken to Sunday brunch by an Air Force NCO Academy instructor and his family.

Moving slowly with the aid of a cane past intricately organized food displays at the Ramstein Air Base Officer's Club, Cpl. Wayne Lukasik pauses, plate in hand, half-way between a short order line for grilled waffles and a refrigerated buffet of freshly sliced fruits.

"There's so much food, I can't decide where to start," he said. "This definitely beats the food back in Al Asad."

As an outpatient at LRMC, located near Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Corporal Lukasik received word about an Air Force volunteer organization called "Mission: Just Us" that focuses on boosting morale for wounded service members returning from down range.

Four days a week, military and civilian personnel from the Kaiserslautern Military Community volunteer their off-duty time and privately owned vehicles to provide LRMC outpatients such as Corporal Lukasik with free transportation to local restaurants and base shopping outlets. On Sundays each week, the recently chartered non-profit organization picks up the tab for brunch at the Officer's Club.

Master Sgt. Joel Shepherd, an Air Force instructor who teaches at the nearby Kisling NCO Academy, learned about the organization's need for volunteers through a local newspaper article and saw it as a unique opportunity to interact with Soldiers and Marines.

Sergeant Shepherd, with his wife Erica and 3-year-old daughter Lei Lani in tow, picked up Corporal Lukasic at a dormitory for outpatients near LRMC. Flyers announcing the organization's weekly agenda, along with pick-up times and locations are posted in the hospital dorms to cue residents about the free chaperoned trips into the local community.

That morning, a half dozen other wounded servicemembers billeted at the temporary lodging facility showed up at the rally point and shuffled into cars driven by volunteers.

Sergeant Shepherd reflected on the 15-minute commute to brunch where he became acquainted with the 23-year-old Marine from Cherry Point, N.C.

"Listening to Wayne talk about some of the things happening on the ground in Iraq made the hairs on my arm stand up," he said.

In between bites of his breakfast, the two-year veteran Marine with ornately tattooed forearms further described to the Air Force instructor and his family how his deployment foiled his wedding plans and why his subsequent injuries could make simple tasks, like playing ball with his young son, very difficult.

"It really puts things into perspective," Sergeant Shepherd said.

At a nearby breakfast table two Army Airborne Infantry soldiers, with legs wrapped in casts and Ace bandages, ate western omelets and compared notes on fighting insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Even though patients have access to a recreation center, an Internet cafe and an entertainment club for use during free time between medical appointments, they said they appreciated the opportunity presented by Mission: Just Us for a change in pace from a hospital setting where their stay which can sometimes range from one to two weeks.
 
LRMC averages 455 outpatients per month.

In 2005, an Air Force senior NCO, upon visiting a friend at Landstuhl hospital, realized the opportunity to provide patients with access to the local community and founded the Mission: Just Us organization.

Now, with a dedicated pool of some 80 volunteers -- mostly active duty Airmen, family members and civilians from Ramstein Air Base -- the non-profit organization recently became chartered, which enables them to conduct fundraisers.

Current president of Mission: Just Us, Staff Sgt. LaKeesha Holmes, said 100 percent of money donated to the organization goes to wounded service members. Because volunteers use their own resources to provide transportation and fund their own meals when dining with patients at local restaurants, there are no administrative costs involved. About 60 outpatients a month accept invitations for the brunch on Sundays.

"The unique thing about our Air Force organization is that most recipients of our volunteer efforts are Soldiers and Marines," said Sergeant Holmes, a supply technician assigned to the 435th Material Maintenance Squadron at Sembach Air Base.

Sergeant Holmes also said spending off-duty time to help wounded veterans is addictive. She spends nearly every Saturday and Sunday interacting with outpatients.

"Once I started volunteering I couldn't stop," she said. "They're just good company to be around."

Second Lt. Cayman Kokaram, a communications officer at Ramstein AB, began volunteering for Mission: Just Us in 2006 in honor of his father, an Army veteran who was often deployed.

"He went to almost every military incursion we had, and not seeing him often but seeing him come back safe every time was a good relief. Seeing the injured Soldiers over here feels like I'm giving back," he said.

After being taken to a Ramstein-area restaurant that feeds wounded veterans for free on Tuesday nights, outpatient Army Sgt. Jason Von, of the 1st Cavalry Division, admitted that being cared for by a group of volunteers, something usually done only by his wife, made him a bit uneasy.

"I'm very independent and I've always taken care of other people. Coming here and being surrounded by you good people makes me feel uncomfortable, but uncomfortable in a good way," he said.

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