Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Kimberly Calkins | Sgt. Timothy L. Hooks (left), and retired Sgt. Tony A. Hooks (right) discuss Timothy's...... read more read more
FORT JACKSON, S.C. – Among pine trees and gentle sloping hills, multiple leveled buildings rise as barracks, housing men and women attending basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C. drill sergeants shout at the sweating men and women as they hurdle over and under wooden obstacles at the physical fitness course. The newly transforming soldiers form a repetition of physical exertion along the landscape.
However, these are not the only soldiers who are struggling to overcome hurdles on these historical training grounds. Obstacles are present for those whose physical and mental well-being is currently challenged by a medical condition. One soldier, with shrapnel still in his knee from a deployment in Afghanistan, limps along. A soldier maneuvers in a wheelchair because of a collapsed hip. Others appear physically fit but struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. These are just few of the soldiers assigned to the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Jackson, S.C.
The 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Charleston, S.C., currently has 54 soldiers assigned to WTUs, not only at Fort Jackson, but also Fort Stewart, Ga.; Fort Gordon, Ga.; and Fort Bragg, N.C. One soldier is currently under care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
The command leaders conduct visits to WTU soldiers every six weeks and maintains contact by phone and e-mail between visits.
“We want soldiers to know they are still a part of their units, this brigade,” said Col. Waymon B. Storey, the 218th MEB commander. “While they are assigned to the WTU, we want them to receive successful treatment.”
The command staff enters a small conference room to meet with soldiers who are available for visitation. They mingle with their WTU soldiers, breaking the ice, before getting down to the real question-and-answer session.
The goal of the visits is to address issues or follow up on issues soldiers may have concerning their medical care, said Sgt. LaMar J. Resch, the WTU liaison officer and human resource specialist for the brigade. Additional issues discussed include family care, promotions, awards from deployments and finances, she said.
Storey asks each soldier about the care they are receiving, if he has issues at home the chaplain can assist with, or if families are experiencing financial or emotional difficulties in their absence.
On average, soldiers are assigned to the WTU for six months. While there, they receive active-duty pay along with family-separation pay if they are stationed outside a 50-mile radius of their home, said Resch.
While most soldiers are stationed at the nearest WTU to their home of record, the type of medical care needed supersedes the convenience of home.
Each soldier tells his side of his WTU experience, a few are waiting for their release papers, some waiting for medical answers.
The soldier’s quality of life is most important, said Storey. We want our soldiers’ medical conditions addressed with the best care, so they can resume a decent quality of life with their family, said Storey.
One soldier’s quality of life has been an ongoing battle. Sgt. Timothy L. Hooks, currently assigned to the WTU at Fort Jackson since April 2009, is suffering from a collapsed left hip. He sustained the injury during a deployment in Afghanistan. Because of his condition, Hooks is confined to a wheelchair. His twin brother, retired Sgt. Tony A. Hooks, is his nonmedical assistant.
“Tony takes me to appointments, cooks my meals, helps me with
personal needs,” said Hooks.
Timothy Hooks, however, is no stranger to the WTU. He has been in the system since January 2009, first at Fort Stewart.
“I had spinal surgery and surgery in both hips while at Fort Stewart,” said Timothy Hooks, who is currently attending physical therapy and orthopedic therapy at Fort Jackson until he has his left hip replacement surgery.
“The longer it takes to have surgery, the longer I’m in a wheelchair,” he said. “I’m ready for the surgery so I can get back to a better quality of life.”
Once Hooks has recovered from surgery and physical therapy, he will receive a medical discharge and retire after 20 years of service from the South Carolina Army National Guard.
After soldiers are released from WTU, they receive an additional six months of medical care, and then they can apply for Veterans Administration benefits, said Resch.
“The biggest struggle for WTU soldiers is their ability to adapt to an environment that is counter to their unit’s specific mission,” said Storey. “It’s hard for them to focus on treatment, therapy and quality of life; they are not used to focusing on themselves.”
Two and half hours have passed since the beginning of the WTU meeting. Issues have been laid on the table and brought to the command’s attention. The issues will continue to be dealt with as soldiers overcome their medical obstacles, until all of the 218th MEB soldiers come home.
| Date Taken: | 01.11.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 03.08.2011 13:43 |
| Story ID: | 66688 |
| Location: | CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 244 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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