Photo By Sgt. Roland Hale | Fort Riley soldiers gathered in Junction City June 15 to build a wheelchair ramp for a...... read more read more
Subscribe
FORT RILEY, Kan. - A platoon of helicopter maintainers from Fort Riley set up shop in Junction City June 15 to build a wheelchair ramp for a local man.
Soldiers from D Company, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, gathered on Franklin Street to build the ramp for 62-year-old Roger Nations.
Sgt. 1st Class Marcelino Benitez got the idea for the project several weeks ago when, driving home from Wal-Mart, he saw Nations using a piece of plywood as a makeshift ramp up his stairs. Benitez stopped to help, and after talking for a while, told Nations he wanted to help.
“I don’t think he believed me at first,” said Benitez, “but when I came back in uniform he realized that I actually wanted to help.”
Over the next few weeks, Benitez and the platoon raised funds to get the materials they needed. Two dozen soldiers, 700 pounds of concrete and one day’s work later, the ramp was built.
Benitez said he hopes the project will give some locals a fresh outlook on Fort Riley.
“We wear this uniform, and people need to know that we’re here to support,” he said. “We go into other countries and spend billions of dollars, but right now we’re here to spend the time and effort on these people at home that need it.”
“The community supports us,” he said, “and it’s only right that we give back however we can.”
| Date Taken: | 06.15.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 06.15.2011 19:32 |
| Story ID: | 72144 |
| Location: | FORT RILEY, KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 159 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Fort Riley troops build wheelchair ramp for Junction City man, by SGT Roland Hale, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
