Operation Patriot Supplies America's Heroes

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shawn Rhodes
  • 927th Air Refueling Wing
Baldomero Verans' Home, Land O' Lakes, Fla. --  Approximately 120 veterans at the Baldomero State Veterans' Nursing Home wait every month for the news that their living expense check has arrived. While many people in the Tampa community spend their extra money on the latest movie or digital music download, the veterans here never even consider spending their money on anything but toothpaste, shaving cream, and other essential toiletries. Thirty-five dollars a month doesn't go very far, after all.

While many enjoyed the day off on November 11 and hit the stores to stock up on barbecue supplies or Veterans Day sales, there was a group of people who had better things to do. In the early morning hours, a yellow moving truck backed into the loading dock of the Baldomero nursing home. Located in the countryside of Land O' Lakes, Fla., the state-run facility cares for veterans who require help with daily activities like using the restroom and getting in and out of bed. The people who began to unload the truck weren't moving men or friendly neighbors - they were members of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. They moved quickly to unload more than 200 boxes from the truck - boxes full of toothbrushes, razors, and other toiletry items are in high demand at this veteran's home.

"These veterans are only given $35 a month for everything they need besides food and medical care," said Sgt. Ken Escobio, a police officer with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Escobio is also president of Operation Patriot, the non-profit organization that works to provide veterans with these essential items so that their $35 may go toward other needs. He added "I saw the veterans had a need here, and I wanted to do something about it."

Escobio began his journey with Operation Patriot when they were gathering Christmas presents for the veterans at the nursing home in 2003.

"When I found out that the veterans were only being provided $35 from the state to provide for all their toiletry items, I knew there had to be something I could do to help," Escobio said. Working with other concerned volunteers, Escobio set up Operation Patriot as a 501C-3 non-profit organization and began to work towards making difference. In 2004, he and other volunteers delivered the first truck of toiletry items to the veteran's home. He saw there was room to expand the program, and he jumped at the chance.

Many of the veterans are wheelchair-bound, and spend much of their days watching television. However, the state does not provide the money for the cable television expenses, nor the money to fund the big-screen televisions' repairs when they break.

"If one of these TVs broke before, there was no money to repair or replace them," Escobio said. "We worked to raise the money to pay the cable bill for the veteran's home, to buy them TVs, and even a Nintendo Wii!" he said with a smile. Escobio and others with the charity use their free time to write grants and solicit donations - all of which go to provide the veterans at Baldomero with things they wouldn't otherwise have.

"There's no way the state would budget for some of these things, but we see how happy they make the veterans here," Escobio said. In addition to purchasing the new electronic items, Operation Patriot also makes them user-friendly for the veterans.

"We mounted the Wii and some computers on rolling carts so they could be moved to the rooms of veterans who have trouble getting out of bed," Escobio said. The charity also pays for internet access for the veteran's home so residents can keep in contact with their families and the world wide web.

When Escobio described the joy he was able to bring the veterans at Baldomero, it wasn't long before others in the sheriff's office were joining the cause.

"As soon as I found out about Operation Patriot, I jumped on the project," said Deputy Robert Thornton. Thornton and 9 others from the Sheriff's office were present on Veteran's Day this year to unload the boxes and participate in the day's ceremony at Baldomero.

Work began in August so that the boxes would be ready for delivery by November 11, Escobio said. He coordinated efforts between 20 resource officers in various middle and high schools around the county to collect the toiletry items, DVDs, and other luxury items the veterans could enjoy.

"One of the officers works in a school that has trouble raising money for things like this," Escobio said. He added, "The officer wanted to do something, so he wrote Operation Patriot a check for $150, out of his own pocket."

Going above and beyond is infectious at Baldomero State Veterans Nursing Home. When residents check in, their records are examined to see if residents rate any awards they never received. Each Veterans Day, residents are awarded the medals they never received. Operation Patriot covers the cost of the medals. The veterans often have no idea they rated the awards, but are always happy to receive them. This year, more than 60 medals were presented; they included the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, two of the highest medals a servicemember can receive.

The Veteran's Day ceremony is the culmination of a year's worth of work for the members of Operation Patriot. The ceremony brings in current and former members of the Armed Forces in addition to the commanders of local Air Force units; all feel the need to recognize the residents at the nursing home,.

"This is the greatest nation on earth, and it is because of what each of you have done," said Col. David Pavey, the commander of the 927th Air Refueling Wing. Pavey was a guest speaker at the ceremony, where he expressed his appreciation for the veterans and helped present them their long-overdue medals.

Few had more appreciation for what Operation Patriot did for the veterans than Sgt. 1st Class Tim Loveall, a military policeman who was on leave from a combat deployment in Afghanistan during the ceremony. While there were many members of the military present to support and thank the veterans, Loveall's father is among the residents at Baldomero, making the ceremony especially significant for him.

"I'm very pleased (with Baldomero) ... it relieves a lot of worry for me to know he's being taken care of," Loveall said. He added, "My father spent 3 years in the Pacific during World War II, and what they do here is incredible. They definitely didn't have to do all of this."

The members of Operation Patriot would disagree with Loveall, however.

"These veterans feel loved, and are so happy that people still remember them," said Sharon Richmond, the secretary-treasurer of Operation Patriot and a volunteer at Baldomero. She added, "Nothing could be more important than this."

In addition to providing long-deserved medals, providing cable and internet service for the residents, replacing electronic devices and coordinating the efforts of toiletry-drives, Operation Patriot also works to make life easier for those veterans at Baldomero who may not be aware enough to enjoy the televisions and video games - those suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

"Around 70 of the veterans here are in the Alzheimer's ward. People suffering from Alzheimer's will spend all day standing near the door to the ward, either waiting for someone to visit them or waiting for a chance to run," Escobio said. Operation Patriot found a solution to the problem by painting a mural around the entrance to the ward that blends in with the door. Escobio added, "The residents follow the mural toward the door and around it, then walk back into the ward."

Additionally, the charity raised money to build shadow boxes that sit outside of each resident's room on the ward. These boxes are filled with pictures of the residents when they were in the military, complete with medals they earned and certificates from awards they received.

"We think the (shadow boxes) are a great help to the veterans on the ward," Escobio said. "They can see pictures of themselves and maybe remember the good times of things they've experienced in the military."

The hour-long appreciation ceremony Thursday ended with a 21-gun salute and the playing of TAPS, in remembrance of the veterans who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Escobio and other members of Operation Patriot had a small moment of rest when they joined the veterans in the dining hall for lunch and entertainment.

However, with hopes to make next year's Veteran's Day delivery even bigger and with all the things they can do for the Baldomero veterans in the meantime, the volunteers of Operation Patriot won't have time to rest long.