American Legion Post 233 provides meals at Fort Campbell Soldier Recovery Unit

Blanchfield Army Community Hospital

Fort Campbell, KY – Days at the Fort Campbell Soldier Recovery Unit are typically filled with medical appointments, adaptive reconditioning, transition assistance classes or temporary work assignments for the wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers served at the unit.

So, it was a special treat when a local and national organization joined together to offer a free barbeque lunch outside in the common area for SRU Soldiers to enjoy on September 8th, 2021.

“It takes a community to do SRU’s mission and this was a good opportunity to recognize those involved. We had our Soldiers and cadre and also other friends of the program who help us out with a variety of things. This allows us to enjoy a bit of camaraderie and fellowship,” said Lt. Col. Joseph Reagan, SRU commander.

The Fort Campbell unit is one of 14 Soldier Recovery Units Army-wide, which fall under the Army Recovery Care Program. The SRU mission provides complex medical case-management for wounded, ill or injured Soldiers requiring six months or more of medical treatment that precludes them from training or performing duties in their unit.

Each wounded, ill, or injured Soldier at the SRU is supported by a Triad of Care team that coordinates a comprehensive recovery plan developed for each Soldier’s specific needs.

“The meal was good and it was nice to see some of the hospital staff I met during my time here,” said Sgt. Maj. Del Masters, who came to the SRU after sustaining injuries while deployed with the 38th Infantry Division, Indiana National Guard.

The lunch was made possible through a program to support wounded, ill and injured service members.

“There is an organization from one of our American Legion posts out of Illinois, the Warrior Barbequers, who have a grant from Operation Comfort Warrior and they spent all night out here cooking barbeque with members of the local American Legion post at Fort Campbell so we could feed our troops some good home cooking and give them a little break in their routine,” said attendee James Baca, a Coast Guard veteran and executive director at the American Legion National Headquarters.

Formerly known as the Fort Campbell Warrior Transition Battalion the unit was reflagged as the Fort Campbell SRU in 2020 and is part of the Army Recovery Care Program.

To learn more about Warrior Care programs in the Department of Defense visit https://warriorcare.dodlive.mil