LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Virginia –
Sneezing and sniffling, an Airman new to the base makes his way to the information desk in the 1st Fighter Wing Hospital. His head aches and all he wants are directions to his clinic without having to decipher hallways and lists of offices.
Luckily, Army Col. (Ret.) Ed Wood is manning the information desk. He has been a hospital volunteer for nearly five years, and he knows the hospital like the back of his hand. He points the Airman in the right direction; he could almost tell him how many steps it will take to get him to the clinic.
The phone rings as Colonel Wood talks with the Airman, but he doesn’t flinch or move to answer it. He pleasantly finishes his first conversation before answering the phone with a smile and a “1st Fighter Wing Hospital.”
This is how the 88-year-old veteran spends his time in retirement -- helping others.
“I had a civilian job for 19 years after retiring from the military,” he said, “I just got tired of sitting around in retirement.”
Like most volunteers at the hospital, clinics and pharmacies, Colonel Wood is prior military. According to Nick Ruggeri, the hospital volunteer liaison officer, there are 225 retiree and 25 Red Cross volunteers.
“Some of these people have been with us since we started the Retiree Volunteer Program 27 years ago,” said Mr. Ruggeri. “There are a million reasons to volunteer, and each of us has a different reason for volunteering. Most of us have one thing in common, we love it and by volunteering, we remain a part of the military family.”
The hospital staff and patients should appreciate the volunteers’ work, especially when the hospital is shorthanded. They benefit patients and hospital staffs because they cut down staff work and patient wait time.
“They step in wherever they can to make sure we can accomplish our mission, we are all one big team” said 1st Medical Group Commander Col. Kory Cornum. “They cut down on patient wait times by filing paperwork and handing out prescription slips at the pharmacies.”
Even with the current file of names Mr. Ruggeri manages, there is still a need for more volunteers.
“People will not realize how much these volunteers mean to the hospital -- mean to the patients, and we are all patients some days,” Colonel Cornum said. “It will be unfortunate if we do not get more volunteers. Wait times will definitely increase.”
Not all volunteers work in administration positions.
Army Col. Retired Alvin Klien volunteers as an instructor for the Smoking Cessation classes at the Health and Wellness Center. It would be hard to find a more suited person for the class, as Colonel Klien was the man who developed the program.
Walking around the hospital, clinics and pharmacies, Colonel Cornum often wonders, “how is it that so many of these veterans, some of whom were prisoners of war or fought in combat, can find so much time to give back to all of us.”