By Sgt. 1st Class Sheila Tunney

PHILADELPHIA, PA. (July 2004) -- The parents of fallen Army Reserve Soldier, Spc. Luke Frist, from the 209 th Quartermaster Co., Lafayette, Ill., were honored with the 2004 Volunteers of America Good Samaritan Award in Service during VOA’s national convention here.

Volunteers of America’s South East director, Margaret Coley, presents Dennis and Patti Frist with an Operation Uplift coin. Photo by by Master Sgt. Rich Gribenas, 99th RRC Public Affairs Office

Still grieving, Patti and Dennis Frist of Lafayette, Ill., continued to lead and volunteer for the 209 th Family Readiness Group throughout the unit’s deployment to Iraq, which ended in April.

“They are they ultimate example of volunteering…giving when it hurts,” said Maj. Gen. Kenneth Herbst, Deputy Surgeon General for Mobilization, Readiness and Reserve Affairs who introduced the Frists and spoke on behalf of Army Reserve Chief Lt. Gen. James Helmly.

Spc. Frist, 20, died Jan. 5, just days after the fuel truck he was driving in Iraq was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade.

The Frists accepted their Good Samaritan Award on behalf of themselves, the 209th Quartermaster Company’s Family Readiness Group, and the Army Reserve. “The Army,” Patti said, “goes above and beyond for the family to do all they can do to comfort them.”

A special thanks was also given to the 88 th Regional Readiness Command, St. Paul, Minn., which helped arrange for the Frists to fly to Germany to escort Luke to Brooke Army Hospital, San Antonio, and be with their only son during the last days of his life.

Dennis and Patti Frist met with Gen. (Ret.) Erik Shinseki, former Army Chief of Staff, and his wife, Patty, who were also recognized by Volunteers of America. Photo by by Master Sgt. Rich Gribenas, 99th RRC Public Affairs Office

The Frists are still a part of the group, which helps prepare families for the hardships that come with separation for military duty. Their entry into the group shortly after their son joined the Army, they said, was also for their own benefit.

“Luke was very cryptic…training us on this need to know basis,” Patti said.

“That’s part of the reason we jumped right in-

-if we were to know what was going on with our son during this mobilization,” Patti said.

But their volunteer efforts encompassed much more than learning what was going on in Luke’s life. The couple was involved throughout the deployment in assisting families with pay and health insurance issues, arranging fundraisers, pre-deployment paperwork assistance and rallying the community for material support. They received the prestigious VOA award because they kept up their volunteer efforts even after the devastation of losing their son.

“My philosophy was to become somewhat like surrogates, so Soldiers wouldn’t have to worry about anyone here—they could focus on their jobs there,” said Dennis Frist.

“When you think about it, these Soldiers are going to spend 12 months—really 18 months ‘boots on the ground.’ I can give up some of my time compared to what they are giving up,” said Dennis. “I want the public to know--we still have people in harm’s way; we still have Reservists and active duty military people working over there. We’re back here working to help them. A lot of people over here are supporting them.”

The community of Lafayette, Ill., also pitched in--120 tradesmen volunteered their services to help with household maintenance for the families of deployed Soldiers. The Frists commended them and all the people throughout the country who have built memorials to fallen servicemembers in communities and schools.

“We get letters from people in our area. One family found a memorial on a beach in Florida,” Patti remembers. Small crosses for each fallen serviceman had been placed in the sand and labeled with their name. “This family went around and found Luke’s name in the memorial and sent us a picture of it.”

Luke’s entry into the military was not surprising for the Frists, they said.

“He really found his niche in the military through the Civil Air Patrol. He did a lot of groundwork, search and rescues, wore the BDUs and went out on missions—he even had the dress blues,” said Patti.

“Luke was always hard to wake up in the morning for school, but when he had (Army Reserve) drills or Civil Air Patrol, he had no problem,” she said.

It’s sometimes hard for the Frists to talk about Luke, they said, but they obviously have not become withdrawn or bitter about Luke’s death. Instead they are letting the people they have helped in the past help them.

“We’ve leaned on each other, family members and members of the 209 th Quartermaster Co. and its family readiness group,” said Patti. “Some of Luke’s school friends drop by just to talk. They’ve become sons and daughters. One in particular wanted to take something of Luke’s with him when he went to basic training.”

VOA found out about the Frists when the organization’s public relations manager, Julie Anderson, called up her friend from graduate school, Maj. Rebecca Leggieri, Office of the Chief, Army Reserve, to see if she knew of any Army volunteers who deserved special recognition. When Leggieri told her about the Frists, Anderson was so moved she nominated them for the award.

VOA is a national, nonprofit, spiritually-based organization providing local human service programs and opportunities for individual and community involvement from rural America to inner-city neighborhoods.

VOA this year also honored Gen. (Ret.) Eric Shinseki, former Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, for his 38 years of public service, receiving The Ballington and Maud Booth (VOA founders) Award.

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