Top Enlisted Leader Visits Armed Forces Retirement Home

By Petty Officer 1st Class Derrick Ingle, USN
Special to American Forces Press Service

Aug. 9, 2007 - The U.S. military's most senior enlisted member locked up his office yesterday in pursuit of other seniors – senior citizens living in the Armed Forces Retirement Home here. Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his travel crew of two soldiers, a sailor, an airman and a Marine spent their workday visiting military veterans and retirees at the home.
The Armed Forces Retirement Home is funded by 50 cents deducted from all military enlisted members' pay each month, and only former enlisted servicemembers may reside here. Whether the residents once wore green fatigues or blue dungarees, Gainey and his staff gave the retirees something a half dollar just can't buy: their time.

"How are you doing, ma'am? So I hear you were in the Army, but you were married to a sailor. Well I won't hold that against you," Gainey jokingly said to a 76-year-old World War II veteran. "I thank you and your husband for giving me my freedom.

"It's not about the Navy, the Marines Corps, the Air Force or even the Army. It's just about us, yesterday and today," Gainey said. "You cover up the branch name on everybody's uniform and what's left? The initials U.S. I thank you for your service."

The Armed Forces Retirement Home is a true home to more than 1,000 former U.S. military members. The 272-acre college-like campus keeps residents busy and entertained with an indoor movie theater, a bowling alley, a fitness center, two fishing ponds and a nine-hole golf course. Yet for many veterans, no commodity can compare to the joy of sharing war stories with today's servicemembers.

"(Gainey) was telling me about how nice it is over in Okinawa, Japan. I was laughing at how much it has changed. Back in World War II, we got bombed nearly every day over there," 85-year-old veteran Charles K. Wallace said. "I'd hardly call it nice. The bombs used to explode so hard that it would knock me out of my rack while I was sleeping. I can't complain. At least I was able to get up. Not everyone was so lucky back then."

Nine-year Army Air Corps veteran Edna K. Ast celebrated her 97th birthday during the Gainey's surprise visit. "I'm just happy to have made it this long," she said. "I was shocked to have so many new visitors for my birthday. I enjoyed today's visit so much. Sergeant Major Gainey and his staff really made my day."

Whether visiting with smiling veterans with walkers or talkative retirees in wheelchairs, Gainey and his joint team enjoyed their time spent with those who once wore the uniform they wear today.

"The trip was good. It brings you back down to earth," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Kohles, who provides security for Gainey. "It made their day to see us in our new uniforms. They were surprised with how much the services have changed. I enjoyed comparing and contrasting stories with them.

"Fifty cents just isn't enough for what they've done. I would gladly pay more money in to the AFRH," Kohles said. "One day that could be me. There were people there that had two years in service, and some were retired 25-year veterans. The AFRH is a good deal. It's too bad more don't come out to visit."

Officials here noted the Armed Forces Retirement Home is always looking for military and civilian volunteers to help out in their fish ponds, flower beds, and dining areas. Many take for granted the residential "house of heroes" located near the White House and the Capitol and once home to four U.S. presidents, including Abraham Lincoln. Yet the Defense Department's top enlisted leader realizes that future trips here are just a hop, skip and a jump away from his office at the Pentagon.

"I would encourage everyone one in uniform to find time to visit the AFRH," Gainey said. "The minute you enter the door, you will feel the warmth. You'll actually be reliving history with every veteran you talk with. I plan on coming back at least once a month."

(Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Derrick Ingle is assigned to the Joint Staff.)

Retirement Home Chief: Resident Care 'First, Foremost' Concern

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

March 22, 2007 – Resident care is the paramount concern at the Armed Forces Retirement Home here, and allegations of poor conditions "are without merit," the facility's chief operating officer said in a statement released yesterday. Tim Cox responded to the Government Accountability Office's request that the Defense Department investigate allegations against the historic home in the heart of the nation's capital that has housed four U.S. presidents, including Abraham Lincoln.

"Because nothing is more important than the safety and health of our heroes, we take these allegations very seriously," Cox said.

Cox noted that the GAO has not conducted its own investigation into what he called "inflammatory allegations" made by unidentified critics, despite the fact that GAO inspectors recently visited the campus twice on an unrelated inquiry required by Congress.

He acknowledged that the home has experienced incidents consistent with a nursing home environment. Half its residents are over the age 80, and many are frail and suffer from chronic health conditions, he said.

The GAO said patients may be at risk due to health-care problems ranging from serious pressure sores to one case involving maggots in the wound of a resident.

Cox noted that one particularly troublesome incident, involving maggots in the leg wound of an 87-year-old resident, occurred in August.

"Our medical staff discovered it and immediately took remedial action," Cox noted. He said the fact that the resident had refused medical treatment was no excuse for the incident, and that eight health-care workers were fired after an investigation showed they had failed to meet the home's standards of care.

The home is getting a close evaluation. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. William Winkenwerder sent a team of doctors on an unscheduled visit to the campus yesterday to assess conditions for themselves, Cox noted. In addition, legislative staffers are expected to visit the facility to see firsthand the care and security its staff provides. "We welcome these visits," Cox said.

More than 1,100 enlisted military veterans live at the home, which Cox said offers all the amenities of a retirement community. That's in addition to an extensive health care system, ranging from a wellness clinic for those who live independently to assisted living to long-term and hospice care.

"We are proud of our home for heroes, and put resident safety, health and security first and foremost," Cox said.

Congress consolidated the U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home here with the U.S. Naval Home in Gulfport, Miss., in 1991, creating the Armed Forces Retirement Home as an independent establishment in the executive branch of the Federal government. Ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, the Gulfport campus closed in 2005. Nearly 400 residents of the Gulfport facility were relocated to the Washington campus.

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