Photo By Sgt. Christopher Zahn | The Dickinson family and design team from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition stand on the...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, S.C. - Help comes in many shapes and forms. It can be as simple as lifting a box for your neighbor, or as complex as braving enemy fire to rescue a wounded comrade. No matter what, we are always there for each other. That camaraderie extends past the uniforms, past the workspaces and into the soul of Marines.
When Extreme Makeover: Home Edition chose Staff Sgt. William Dickinson, a non-destructive inspection technician with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 31, as the recipient of a new home, they chose a family that was in dire need of one. They also chose to help a devoted father and husband who has served his country for more than 17 years.
“He is a family man, he loves his children and he is a great Marine,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Brantley Jones, who works with Dickinson in the NDI shop at MALS-31. “Most people come to work and just do their job; he does it with a smile on his face every day. He is the kind of person you want to be around when you’re working.”
Having a comfortable home is something that a Marine family can’t put a value on, but the dream house the Dickinson’s will receive is something they will cherish. Dickinson poured his heart and soul into making his home suitable for his family, but the task at hand was too much for one man.
“Home is your place of peace; you want to come home and just relax, forget about everything that you have been dealing with for the last six months in another country,” said Staff Sgt. Jeremie Fischer, non-destructive inspection technician. “He never really got that, he was always trying to fix his house for his family.”
Despite the burden that his house was putting on his shoulders, his fellow Marines say that he never let that affect his personality.
“We don’t really know what we are capable of unless we are in his predicament, but it’s amazing how he can go day to day in a good mood,” said Gunnery Sgt. Shane Alman, Air Frames Staff non commissioned officer in charge. “He is an outstanding person.”
Those feelings extend beyond just the Marine and include the entire Dickinson family.
“This family is pretty incredible, living in a house that is beyond any one person’s resources to fix and he is deployed,” said Lt. Col. Russell Blauw, the commanding officer of MALS-31. “He has his wife and children here, who understand that he has to deploy, that it is his job as a Marine and they support that. They are a very strong Marine family.”
When Dickinson deployed to Afghanistan in November, he had no idea that his dreams would come true while he was gone, and that his fellow service members would help make it possible. They turned out in droves to pitch in any way possible and let the Dickinson family know how much they support them.
“They need to know that we are here for them no matter what, that even while he is gone, we will take care of them,” Fischer added. “He is our brother and they are a part of our family. We will support them any way we can.”
For seven days, through the rain and cold of a Lowcountry winter, the community rose up to support this family in their hour of need. The house has been completed, but for those who volunteered to help, they also helped build the morale of a family both here and in Afghanistan.
“For the first time in many months he will be able to sleep knowing that he is doing his job [in Afghanistan] and his family is being taken care of,” Blauw added.
| Date Taken: | 01.14.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 01.21.2011 11:07 |
| Story ID: | 63936 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 222 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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