JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
The Fort Eustis Diamond Council distributed gift cards as part of their Random Acts of Kindness campaign to show their appreciation for junior enlisted service members at Joint Base Langley-Eustis March 9, 2017.
The council’s first sergeants gave approximately $400 worth in gift cards for the Exchange Food court to E-4 and below service members.
“Every so often we take money from the different fundraisers we’ve done and invest it into some sort of gift card,” said U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Melissa White, Foxtrot Company, 222nd Aviation Regiment, 128th Aviation Brigade first sergeant and Ft. Eustis Diamond Council president. “Those junior enlisted sacrifice a lot, in my opinion, and they’re the ones down on the ground doing everything, so we just wanted to thank them.”
Many of the service members were not expecting the token of appreciation they received from the council.
“I thought they were trying to sell me something at first, so I was going to keep walking past them,” said U.S. Army Specialist Johna Russell, 690th Rapid Port Opening Element forklift operator. “But it was a pleasant surprise; it means a lot, and I’m definitely going to use it to buy my lunch today.”
The council, which was formed in 2015, also included their business cards with the gift card, asking members to give it to their unit’s first sergeant.
“We’re hoping it will inspire more first sergeants to join the council so we can do even more for those on base,” said White. “And ultimately, we want the junior enlisted to see first sergeants are to be respected, but approachable at the same time.”
For more information about the Ft. Eustis Diamond Council or their events, contact the council at fteustisdc2015@gmail.com.