By Carl Norman Country music superstar Darryl Worley visited General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital May 21 to thank Warrior Transition Unit Soldiers, cadre and their families for their service and sacrifice to our country. Worley, who topped the charts with singles "I Miss My Friend," "Awful, Beautiful Life" and "Have You Forgotten?" stopped by before performing a free concert on Fort Leonard Wood. He spent nearly two hours signing autographs, taking photos and talking with the nearly 100 Wounded Warriors, their family members and WTU cadre who gathered in the hospital’s MEDDAC Classroom. “We’re indebted to you for your service and sacrifice,” he said. “We love ya and appreciate what you do. You make sacrifices for me and my family and I want to thank you for that.” Visits from celebrities like Worley are not only a morale booster, but are somewhat therapeutic, according to WTU Soldier Sgt. Robert Green. “It means a lot when a celebrity comes to personally thank you for serving,” Green said. “It makes you feel like the things you’re doing are not forgotten and that people really do appreciate the military. It keeps us going and reminds us of exactly what it is we’re fighting for.” And the appreciation, gratitude and respect are a deep-rooted two-way street, according to Worley. “I grew up around the military and have seen the effects war can have on a military family,” he said. “I remember my grandmother fretting over her son who was killed in Vietnam. So, if I have a talent that I can share and serve those who serve us, I’m happy to do it.” The Fort Leonard Wood Warrior Transition Unit’s mission is to provide command and control, primary care and medical management for all Warriors in Transition to establish conditions for healing and promote their timely return to the force or transition to civilian life. |