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DARLINGTON, S.C. - ‘It' has transformed over the years from just
a sport to a way of life.
‘It' has but two simple rules:
drive fast, turn left.
‘It' has its own language: echoed by
thousands in just three heart-pumping words: boogity, boogity,
boogity!
And fans across America argue ‘it' is the real Great
American pastime.
For many, walking trackside at Darlington
Raceway can be exhilarating: that oh so familiar smell of burning
oil and rubber against the, that familiar roar of high octane Sunoco
racing fuel burning through state of the art engines on a mile and a
quarter egg-shaped track. Yet, for others it can be burdensome and
that's where the Army Reserve comes to the rescue.
A combined
effort of thirty volunteers consisting of Soldiers and their family
members from the 108th Training Command (IET) and 335th Signal
Command took to the track on an overcast Labor Day weekend to lend a
hand with one goal in mind, help those who need help.
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Thirty Army Reserve Soldiers and family members with the 108th Training Command (IET) and 415th Chemical Brigade gave up their long Labor Day weekend to shuttle disabled people from the ADA parking lot to the track for the Bojangles' Southern 500 NASCAR race in Darlington, S.C., Sept 5-6,
2015. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hamilton)
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During a two-day mission, those selfless
volunteers, with a playful smirk upon their faces, occupied
30 six–passenger golf carts and shuttled hundreds of
disabled (and a few inebriated) race fans to and from the
ADA parking lot to their seats along trackside, the infield
and the museum, coincidentally logging close to 500 miles
themselves along the way during the Bojangles' Southern 500
Race weekend.
“I've been working with the disabled
for seven years now. I love it. And I love working with the
Army Reserve, but you all sure do tear some stuff up,”
laughed Richard Jernigan, the Americans with Disabilities
Act supervisor for Darlington Raceway.
“You did
better this year though!” he added.
Jernigan logs
close to 14 hours a day overseeing the shuttle operation on
race weekend but says he'll keep coming back as long as
they'll let him.
“I don't ever get to see the race,
but that's all right. I like to talk and there no better
people to talk to than these people right here in
Darlington.”
Staff Sgt. Rahman Williams, 108th
Training Command (IET), made the drive from Charlotte, North
Carolina, to lend a helping hand for his first NASCAR event
at the request of a persuasive sergeant major but said he
was very impressed with all of the volunteers and the race
itself.
“The need to help others was there and I
didn't have anything else to do so I said OK. The workload
was pretty heavy today compared to yesterday but it was fun
and the little bit of the race that I got to see was pretty
cool. I'll do it again next year if they ask,” Williams
said.
Other more experienced volunteers echoed that
same thought.
Three year Darlington veteran, Staff
Sgt. George Rice, 415th Chemical Brigade, 335th Signal
Command said, “This isn't just work. This is how we give
back to the community and let them know that the Army
Reserve is about more than just war. We're about helping
those in need as well.”
“Plus I get to see my man
Jimmy Johnson, number 48,” added Rice with a celebratory
clinched fist, all be it a tad premature.
So with a
celebratory backflip and another 14-hour day in the books,
everyone was whisked safely back to their rides. All that
was left now was for those thirty Soldiers and family
members of the Army Reserve to gather and tell their war
stories from a long weekend of racing.
“Do we get a
driver's badge for this?” joked a physically and mentally
exhausted Sgt. Terrance Sullivan, an IT specialist with the
108th Training Command (IET) as he walked towards his ride
for the two-hour trip home.
The answer: probably not
Sullivan. Probably not, but hey, there's always next year!
Boogity, boogity, boogity!
By U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hamilton
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
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