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MORNING STAR • NOVEMBER 11 - 17, 2010
Washington works to help members of armed forces By James Diehl Georgetown-area resident Tina Washington will never forget the day more than nine years ago when she was sitting in a classroom at the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pa. People were running in and out of the room; everyone knew something out of the ordinary was going on, they just weren’t sure what it was. When she learned exactly what was happening, she took a deep breath, thought of her friends and family and realized how lucky she was. The date was Sept. 11, 2001 – just a month earlier, she was working at the Pentagon and could easily have been in the section of the building where terrorists crashed an airliner into the hub of the American military earlier that morning. “I realized two things right away. First, if I had been at the Pentagon, I wouldn’t have been too far away from where the plane actually hit,” remembers Washington, who spent most of her career with the Defense Department, but retired from the Department of Homeland Security in 2006. “I also realized that there were a lot of people in that area of the building who I knew. I lost some ladies that day who I had close relationships with.” The attacks were hard to get over; they affected everyone in her class at the War College and most of the people she knew. “It was eerie because just a month before the attack, we were all working together,” she remembers. “That really just put my life more into perspective.” Washington always knew that when the time came for her to retire and she had a little more free time on her hands, that she would like to volunteer with an organization that aided members of the military, both present and past. Today, she spends much of her free time working with the ladies auxiliary of the Oak Orchard-Riverdale American Legion near Millsboro. Currently serving as the organization’s vice president and community service chairperson, one of her main goals in life these days is to help the members of our nation’s military. Sometimes, that involves working closely with veterans of the United States armed forces. Other times, it involves community awareness and working with area children.
Heroes Series
If you know of someone who has dedicated his or her life to service to others, suggest their names for this series. Contact James Diehl at 302-222-2685 or email Bryant Richardson, brichardson@ mspublications.com It all revolves around helping members of the armed forces, men and women she once worked so closely with. “One of the things we do with the auxiliary is to go into the schools with our ‘veterans in the classroom’ program, which has been very well received in our local school districts,” says Washington. “We show the kids how to do pocket flags and we’ll also take the honor guard with us. They’ll do the folding of the flags and tell the children what each fold in the flag means. The young people are very enthusiastic about this.” After Washington finished the yearlong program at the War College, she returned to her job at the Pentagon, where her interest in helping veterans and veterans’ organizations grew. She had the opportunity to see first hand what the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were really all about – the real life examples of the conflicts were hard to ignore. “The generals started bringing in these kids who were coming back from Iraq; they would bring them to the executive dining room once a week and sit and have dinner with them,” Washington remembers. “These were just kids, most of them 18 to 20-years-old who were coming back with no legs or in wheelchairs. But they were so grateful that people at the Pentagon would sit and have a conversation with them.” Washington thinks back on those moments today when she’s organizing special events, coordinating press coverage or simply spending time with veterans of the United States military. Some are younger, some are veterans of Vietnam or World War II – all laid their lives on the line for our country. It’s Washington’s goal to garner them some much-deserved recognition, whether they
Georgetown-area resident Tina Washington has been volunteering with American Legion Post 28 for more than four years, currently serving as the vice president and community service chairperson for the ladies auxiliary. She is flanked in this photo by pictures of her son, Bernard Hynson, left, and her nephew, Walter Harvey.
desire it or not. In 2008, one of these humble warriors touched Washington’s life in a special way. She will never forget the way World War II veteran Otis Handy reacted to his special day. “I arranged for him to come to our post for lunch the day the national commander was here,” recalls Washington. “Everybody was just so in awe of him and he is such a humble man; I was really amazed at the treatment he got here. He couldn’t understand, though, why people were making such a big fuss over him. But he kind of took it all in and appreciated it.” Be it programs in the schools, spending time at Post 28 or merely doing her part to help the ladies auxiliary be as successful as it can possibly be, Washington is doing her part to help veterans and veterans’ causes throughout the area. She even goes out of her way to do what many don’t take the time to do – say a simple “thank you” to members of our
military whenever she can. “If I’m in the airport and I see people in military uniforms, I’ll walk up to them and thank them for their service,” says Washington, with a big smile creeping onto her face. “It’s not just saying that, but it’s their reaction to me that always makes me feel good. They are almost incredulous because most people don’t take the time to do that. But I do.” Washington has been volunteering on a regular basis for American Legion Post 28, the third largest American Legion in the world by membership, since 2006. Her father was a military man and her son, Bernard Hynson, currently serves in the United States Army. She has a special connection to America’s military, a connection she honors and treasures every single day. “As long as I’m doing what I need to do and I know it’s helping our veterans, then I’m happy,” she says matter-of-factly. “That’s really what life is all about.”
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