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Volunteers help restore national treasure

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DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  More than 95 volunteers from Dover Air Force Base, Del., drove to Gettysburg National Military Park, in Gettysburg, Pa., Oct. 8, to assist National Park Service staff with maintenance and preservation of the hallowed grounds of the national cemetery and civil war battlefield.

The semi-annual event is organized by the Air Force Sergeant Association chapter 201 and the First Sergeants Council.

And while the event took many hours of publicizing and organization to reach the level of volunteers it hat, the volunteers jumped at the chance to go to Pennsylvania and work on giving the grounds of Gettysburg a face-lift, said Tech. Sgt. Tammy Hintz, 436th Aerospace Medicine Squadron. In fact, the volunteers provided approximately 400 man-hours of labor for the Gettysburg project.

This year the volunteers worked on resetting an straightening the veteran's headstones in the national cemetery where President Abraham Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address. They also cleared brush and debris and planted new grass on Cemetery Ridge.

"It is a humbling experience to work here and see the sacrifice of warriors that preceded us," said Sergeant Hintz. "It brings satisfaction to know we have helped preserve and protect this national treasure. We will continue to assist the National Park Service as long as they need our help."