Posted by Ray Nason on December 16, 2014
Last month, in recognition of Military Family Appreciation Month and Warrior Care Month, members of my team and their families and friends and I assembled care packages at the USO Center at Fort Belvoir for our deployed servicemen and women serving around the world. For hundreds of years, military units have built esprit de corps by working and playing together as a unit in service to our country. In much the same way, volunteering together gave our Booz Allen team the chance to build spirit and share a great sense of purpose.
Every day, my Booz Allen team’s work is focused improving defense capabilities and the health and well-being of service members, their families and caregivers. It was great to spend a couple hours of our free time in support of these same men and women by volunteering with the USO Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore, a firm nonprofit partner.
Standing in the USO Center on Fort Belvoir early on a Saturday morning brought back a personal experience from a few years ago when I was in Afghanistan. A helicopter landed nearby and I noticed a small group of soldiers and airmen beginning to congregate. I made my way over and saw Robin Williams telling jokes and sharing stories with us - making all of us laugh and feel a little bit closer to home. It’s hard to express how much it meant to us for the USO to arrange this event in a war zone. It truly lifted our spirits.
When I think back on our volunteer experience with the USO a few things stand out. 1. It’s clichéd, but true, that giving is better than receiving. 2. I had an opportunity to get to know my colleagues and members of their family and friends in a way that’s not possible in the office and 3. Our small act of assembling care packages will be a reminder to the troops that our country cares about them.
As Military Family Appreciation Month came to a close, the firm kicked-off our national support for the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Drive for a 23rd consecutive year. I’m proud to work for a company that continuously finds opportunities support the needs of our military, veterans and their families.
