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Variety in the Heartland |
Wounded Soldier Center Opened
07/28/10 MRC/AP
A new $6 million center to serve the needs of wounded soldiers and their families opened its doors on Tuesday at Fort Campbell.
The Soldiers and Families Assistance Center, which has been in operation since 2007 but was previously housed in an older building, now has 15,000 square feet of offices, computer labs, a child care center, a recreation room and other services to assist soldiers who are ill or injured.
The facility is part of a larger complex being built at Fort Campbell for severely injured troops, including new barracks currently under construction.
Michael Britton, the director of the center, said the facility will be a centralized portal for wounded soldiers and their families for services like child care, education, financial counseling, vocational services and other programs.
Staff Sgt. Josh Forbess, the noncommissioned officer in charge at the center, said he hopes the new building is more inviting for both soldiers and their families to seek help. Forbess was severely injured in a 2003 helicopter crash in Iraq.
Spc. Kyle Sexton, who injured his back and now wears a brace around his chest to keep pressure off the discs in his lower back, said he was worried about his future, but said the center has helped him make the transition easier by helping him look for jobs and answer questions from him and his wife.
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