Fort Rucker Soldiers Participate In Inaugural Festivities

Capt. Jane Secord, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Sean Wojasinski, Sgt. Charles Scott, Spc. Raven Cornett and Spc. Joshua Labadie were selected to attend the military-appreciation event, “Saluting Those Who Serve,” because of their exceptional service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The event brought together thousands of active-duty and retired servicemen and -women from all branches of the military as well as family members of servicemembers killed fighting in OIF and Operation Enduring Freedom for an afternoon of commemoration and celebration.

“They did this ceremony right with the things they did to (convey) to us as Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines the appreciation the country has for our service,” said Wojasinski of the gala’s planners. Currently an AH-64D Apache Longbow instructor pilot with A Company, 1st Battalion, 14th Aviation Regiment, Wojasinski received an Air Medal with valor device for his efforts in OIF.

Any sadness the Soldiers felt during the ceremony was tempered by immense feelings of pride, according to Secord, Wojasinski and Cornett.

One of the most touching parts of the afternoon for Secord and Cornett – both Purple Heart recipients for shrapnel injuries – was seeing the amputees who had been brought to the gala from Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

“We feel fortunate because we’re not crippled,” said Secord of herself and Cornett. “There are people who lost lives, or they are crippled for life. We just feel so blessed that we’re still alive and walking and still doing physical training fine.”

Secord, a communications instructor with the Combined Arms Division of HHC, 1st Battalion, 145th Aviation Regiment, also received a Bronze Star Medal during her year-long deployment to Iraq.

Another poignant part for Secord and Cornett was when Soldiers’ letters home – dating from the Civil War to the Global War on Terrorism – were read aloud to the audience.

“I thought a highlight was the letters from the Soldiers past,” said Cornett, a military paralegal with the Office of the Fort Rucker Staff Judge Advocate. “Even ‘George Bush Sr.’ read one of his own letters from when he got shot down in World War II.”

“The way (former President George H.W. Bush) described it, we could almost picture the moment when he was in the water and not sure he was going to make it,” Secord added.

For Wojasinski, an especially enjoyable part of the gala was being in the company of so many “true American heroes.” Seated right next to the Fort Rucker group were 60 Congressional Medal of Honor winners, seven of whom Wojasinski was able to meet. One of the winners even bought a soda for him, he said.

Two days after the gala, the Fort Rucker Soldiers attended the inaugural parade but were not able to get close enough to the street to view the activity.

“Our (ticket) line happened to be three-quarters of a mile long,” said Wojasinski.

“You see a lot more on TV,” Secord added.

The Fort Rucker Soldiers arrived in Washington the night of Jan. 16 and returned home Jan. 21.

In their free time, the Soldiers toured the many sights of the nation’s capital, including the Smithsonian museums, presidential monuments, war memorials and Arlington National Cemetery. Cornett, who used to live in the area, was the only Fort Rucker Soldier who had been to Washington before.

Secord, Wojasinski and Cornett said they were very grateful to the command group at Fort Rucker and to their individual units for the chance to take this trip.

“I got to spend a week with some of the greatest that America’s got to give – some Purple Heart recipients and other award recipients for their actions in support of OIF,” said Wojasinski of his trip companions. “It was absolutely fantastic.”

“There are a lot of people deployed, and I feel extremely honored that I got chosen to represent Fort Rucker,” Secord said.

Scott, a supply-operations NCOIC with HHC, 1st Battalion, 223rd Aviation Regiment, received both an Army Commendation Medal and an Army Achievement Medal for his contribution in OIF. Labadie, a flight-operations specialist with HHC, 1st Battalion, 212th Aviation Regiment, received two Army Commendation Medals.