386th defenders show support from half a world away

Published July 25, 2009
By Capt Larry van der Oord
386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- All it took was the mention of someone in need, and the 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron here jumped at the chance to answer the call for help.

When Mr. Jeff Jones, 386th ESFS training manager, heard from a family friend back home in San Antonio, Texas, that a 10 year-old girl named Marisa was battling cancer, he and his fellow defenders put a plan in motion to show their support.

An aggressive chemo therapy treatment caused Marisa to lose her hair. To help lift her spirits, the 386th ESFS put the call out to its members looking for those willing to shave their own heads.

Not surprisingly, there was no shortage of volunteers eager to get involved. The top three enlisted leaders from the 386th ESFS; Chief Master Sgt. Garth Freund, 386th ESFS manager, Senior Master Sgt. Shaun Guilfoil, 386th ESFS operations superintendent, and Master Sgt. Chet Spires, 386th ESFS first sergeant, were among the first in line to lose their locks.

"We are all very sympathetic to what she's going through at such a young age," said Sergeant Spires. "Even though we're deployed right now, we realize there's someone back home who has it worse than we do."

The 386th ESFS plans to send the group photo of its members' new "haircuts" back to Marisa in hopes of encouraging her to keep fighting.

"More than anything, we just wanted Marisa to know that there are people a long way from home who may not know her, but who are still thinking about her and praying for her daily," said Mr. Jones.