By Allison Weissert | 

“Honoring the Past, Defending the Future”, the Army declared this as its theme for the Army’s 249th anniversary celebrated on June 14th. Brig. Gen. Ed Barker, Program Executive Officer Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors (PEO IEW&S) took the spirit of that message to the fullest when he, along with Soldiers from PEO IEW&S, visited the Perry Point Veterans’ Administration Medical Center located in Perry Point, Maryland to celebrate the Army birthday with residents, patients and staff at the facility.

The Perry Point VA Medical Center provides comprehensive mental health care to Maryland’s Veterans and a full range of inpatient medical, intermediate and long-term care programs to include nursing home care and low-level rehabilitation. This is an annual event PEO IEW&S supports and they spent the afternoon conversing with many of the residents throughout the facility. This was Barker’s second time celebrating the Army birthday at Perry Point. He said “I believe it is both a pleasure and an honor to take the time to talk to and, more importantly, listen to our veterans. Many of these former military members reside in the facility and a visit from us on the official Army Birthday is a great way to show our appreciation and let them know that they are not forgotten.”

A part of the annual celebration is a cake cutting ceremony where the youngest Soldier present and the oldest Soldier present cut a cake together with a commemorative sword. This year Maj. Matthew Szarzynski , Assistant Product Manager at Project Manager Positioning, Navigation & Timing (PM PNT) fulfilled the role of youngest. He said “I appreciated being part of the cake cutting ceremony at Perry Point. I’ll admit that this was the first time I was the ‘youngest’ Soldier in the room. Still, it was great to share this moment with so many Army veterans and remind them their legacy still matters to our military. When the veterans tell you their stories, they remind you that their service and our current efforts build the future for the next generation of Soldiers.” He shared this moment with Veteran, Kernie Thompson, who turns 100 years old in January. He was 18 years old when he was drafted into World War II. This was his second year cutting the cake and he said he looked forward to doing it again next year.

Kelley Anthony, the Assistant Director of the facility met with the visitors as they arrived. She was grateful for the visitors’ time spent with the patients. She said “The patients will be talking about this for weeks. We truly enjoy having this event on the Army birthday, it gives the residents an opportunity to share their stories and meet new people. We can’t wait to further support next year.”

In addition to visiting with patients throughout the facility, PM PNT and PM Electronic Warfare and Cyber (EW&C) provided volunteers who shared their technologies with the Vets. PM PNT presented their Dismounted Assured PNT System (DAPS), which enables dismounted Army forces to shoot, move, and communicate in global positioning system (GPS)-challenged environments. PM EW&C provided a demonstration of their Modi, a dismounted manpack programmable system that provides full spectrum coverage allowing Soldiers the ability to maneuver with increased protection against radio-controlled improvised explosive devices. The engagement among the volunteers, Soldiers and vets was a success. Dale Perry, Assistant Product Manager for Dismounted PNT and volunteer said “As a retired veteran, it was truly a heartwarming experience for me. Our group of veterans, while small, was very engaged. They knew what we were talking about, though their baseline was a bit dated as one would expect, they understood what we are working on and providing to the warfighter. I believe they enjoyed our presence and the feedback and questions they offered are invaluable.” The visitors also brought posters representing past technologies compared to today’s, sparking conversation throughout the event. The vets were impressed by the advances, particularly with regard to challenging environments and jamming.

Eric Baughman, technical representative for the Modi team, said “We had a great group of Veterans at the demonstration, who had a lot of great questions about the equipment. The team at the demonstration were all veterans, so we had a lot in common with the patients and had a wonderful time.”

The staff at Perry Point appreciated the visit almost as much as the patients. One nurse at the hospice building was especially grateful when Barker visited those patients, spending time and thanking them for their service. Veterans throughout the facility were happy to tell the visitors their experiences. Another patient, Paul Smith, talked about how he remembered firing his weapon for the first time, and that you don’t really forget what you see as a Soldier. The visitors were honored to be there and listen.

In a short speech during the event Barker said “The very fabric of this nation was built on your backs and your sweat and sometimes your tears. So, we are truly appreciative of everything you have done for us, it allows us to do what we do today.”