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KILLEEN, Texas - Every Soldier that enlists serves his or her
country in their own way. Some serve for a few years, others make a
career out of the military. However, there are some unique cases
when an individual will continue to give back to the military
community long after their contract ends.
Retired Army Maj.
James Wright, also known as Old Ranger, and his wife moved to
Killeen after his retirement in 1992 to be closer to family. They
began to look for ministry opportunities with one of the local
chapels on Fort Hood. After attending several services at Chapel
Next, the senior chaplain there asked Old Ranger to teach the single
Soldiers Sunday school class.
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Retired U.S. Army Maj. Jim Wright also
known as Old Ranger runs with Soldiers during Army Physical Fitness
Training on Fort Hood, Texas, August 20, 2014. Wright a retiree of
more than 20 years dedicates his time to encouraging Soldiers on
Fort Hood. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Brandon K. Anderson)
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He has such love and devotion for the military community
that even 24 years after retirement he continues to serve.
Whether it is a motivational morning run with the troops, a
one-on one-conversation with Soldiers, or mentoring others,
Old Ranger does what he can to encourage and motivate his
military family through his ministry.
His time spent
with soldiers in Sunday school led to being more involved in
their daily military lives. During an evening event at
Chapel Next, he met some Soldiers, asked what unit they were
with and mentioned that he might come down to do physical
training with them one morning. The next day he introduced
himself to the Soldier's first sergeant and asked if he
could do physical training with the unit, to which the first
sergeant agreed.
“After that, other first sergeants
saw me and wanted me to come over to their unit. I think now
there are probably 18 first sergeants that want me to come
to their units,” said Wright.
Old Ranger said this
opened up even more doors and opportunities than he could
have imagined. He originally intended to help and mentor
specifically junior enlisted soldiers. However, he soon
began receiving requests to come speak to and mentor
noncommissioned officers as well.
These interactions
with troops don't just stop at the basic meet and greet
stage. When doing P.T. with units, he gets there before
first formations to ensure the soldiers know he is there to
talk to if they desire.
“Doing P.T. with the troops,
I try and split it between 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and
most of the units from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team
because some of the sergeants major there want someone to
hang out with troops and find out about things going on,”
said Wright.
He continued, “Anyone can come talk to
me. I'm not a chaplain. I'm not active duty; I have no
requirements on post. So they willingly talk to me at
breakfast, at first formation, just about anywhere.”
Old Ranger knows when and where to direct Soldiers who come
to him for help as well as keeping their situation
confidential.
“If it's a spiritual situation, then I
go find the chaplain and work through them,” said Wright.
“If it's a military situation, I usually take it to either
the first sergeant or sergeant major because they can work
it through the chain of command.”
Morning P.T. is not
the only time that Old Ranger offers his services to troops.
He said that he opens his house to troops in need as well.
Whether it's a bible study session with his group from
Chapel Next, soldiers just needing somewhere to hangout away
from the barracks, or families needing a place to stay
during a PCS his house is available.
Old Ranger said
that the motivation and drive behind his passion for helping
troops is based on his own military background and
experience. The leaders who trained him showed such a
dedication to taking care of their troops that it stuck with
him.
“I took care of soldiers. That was one thing
that Gen. Omar Bradley impressed upon me,” said Wright. “He
was big on taking care of soldiers; train them hard but take
care of them.”
He said one of his current goals is to
continue serving and mentoring soldiers until the day he
dies.
“I just wanted to motivate and encourage a few
soldiers when I first started,” said Wright. “I didn't
realize it was going to expand in to something more.”
By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Michael Folkerth
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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