JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
For as long as I have worked as an Air Force pharmacist, I have enjoyed the pleasure of working with retired military volunteers and their spouses.
The places I've worked where morale was always the highest also had the highest numbers of volunteer staff. The fact is most military treatment facility pharmacies in the continental U.S. have become more or less dependent on their volunteers to maintain the services the pharmacy provides.
Throughout the years, many of our honored military retirees and their spouses have given selflessly of their time to continue to serve as volunteers. Their continued service has enabled every section where they work to provide more robust support to our troops. Our often uncounted volunteer staff is truly a treasured force multiplier.
Our volunteers not only enrich us with the work they do but also with their experience and the experiences they share with us. Many of the volunteers have worked in their sections as volunteers for many years. I have worked with retirees who have volunteered in the pharmacy for more than 20 years - longer than some people's active-duty careers. They have seen the active-duty staff come and go over the years, as well as the changes that have been made, ideas that have worked and ideas that have not worked. It always pays to listen to what our seasoned volunteers have to say.
Some of the things which have stuck with me the most over the years are some of the experiences retired volunteers have shared with us. At my first and second assignments, I had the honor of working with a couple of B-17 pilots who served in World War II. They had bailed out of their bombers over Nazi Germany after their planes were shot down and were taken as prisoners of war.
I remember the retired Navy chief petty officer who related the horrors he experienced as a medic in Vietnam, and I'll never forget the time a retired World War II Navy corpsman brought in some old film he had found in a trunk in his attic which had been forgotten about.
He had just stopped to pick up the developed photos on his way in to work his shift in the pharmacy. We gathered around as he opened the seal on the photo package. No one, not even the Navy corpsman, knew what the photos were going to be of.
We were all surprised to see good quality photos of the Japanese signing the treaty ending World War II on the USS Missouri battleship. The corpsman was happy to see the photos and to tell us about the event. Other than a slightly brownish appearance, the glossy photos were in very good condition. While I had seen film and photos of the treaty signing before, I had never seen photos from the vantage point we were then looking at. It was like being there when some lost treasure was found.
Another little piece of history shared by the spouse of a World War II pilot and volunteer was a "Short Snorter" signed, among others, by Lt. Col. James "Jimmy" Doolittle - of the Doolittle Raiders. These are just a few of the many examples of the heroes and volunteers I have been fortunate enough to have met and who shared their experiences.
I've sadly noticed throughout the years the number of retired military volunteers seems to have gotten smaller. I'm not sure why. Maybe the volunteer spirit was greater in past generations, or maybe we do a poor job of letting people know of the volunteer opportunities which exist, or maybe as the size of the military gets ever smaller, it produces fewer retirees and therefore fewer retiree volunteers. Whatever the reason, we are slowly losing more than just members of a volunteer force. We are losing an enriching part of our identity and character as a military.
Volunteering is an active way to continue to support our troops while meeting other retirees in the local community. There are many volunteer opportunities at Joint Base Charleston for anyone interested. Opportunities exist to volunteer for as little as two to four hours per week. Anyone interested in being a volunteer can contact the Retiree Activities Office at 963-2228 or the Airman and Family Readiness Center at 963-4406.
For those of you who do not know what a "Short Snorter" is, just ask the next World War II, Korean, or Vietnam-era pilot or aircrew member you see.