I am writing to you to see if you may see the justice in what has been done. November of last year, I discovered that a person could be too nice, as I have been punished for sharing. November of last year I found out that because I treated soon-to-deploy soldiers as if they were siblings, I am being reassigned. Apparently, the Army has a problem with me allowing soldiers to have one last taste of home. I was assigned to Camp Shelby for over two years now as a paramedic on a civilian contract. Since my partner and I first began working at Camp Shelby, we have always invited soldiers over to eat, watch TV, or just lounge around. In addition, as a result of my routine insomnia, soldiers, MPs, and even Camp Shelby Police stop in at the station throughout the night for information, minor bandaging, hot coffee, or just someone to talk with. Never, in the previous two years, had there been a problem or a word said concerning anyone coming into the ambulance station; now, suddenly, I have been told that I have done something wrong and without so much as hearing my rebuttal or allowing a defense, I have been reassigned.
Actually, I have effectively been put in a difficult situation. My 9-year-old son has ADHD and, due to his mother moving eight hours away, depression. While at Camp Shelby, I am able to be at home within 30 minutes or he can be brought out to the ambulance station. Because of the Army demanding I am replaced, I am left with only one option for reassignment, stay in a new district that 65 miles and a 1 hour and 25 minutes away. I moved to Petal, MS, so that I would not be that far away from him while I was at work. Now, I am forced to go to work that far away again or resign from the job that I have had for four years. Additionally, because of the payrate differences between my previous assignment and my new assignment, not only am I forced to spend and extra $60 a paycheck in fuel to go to and from work, I can no longer meet my monthly bills as I once did. Now, the person that a community depends on, that is available at anytime day or night, that provides lifesaving solutions to everyone must work two jobs in order to survive.
See, where I grew up, if we had something that someone else close-by did not, we invited that person to come enjoy with us. For example, the only means to cook at the Camp Shelby station is on an outdoor barbeque grill; so, every time we buy groceries for work, we bought enough to feed one or two extra people. When we cook, we open the door to the station and allow folks to come up and ask questions, sit down, enjoy some television, and even have a plate of nearly home cooked Southern food. I have, on more than one occasion, been thanked repeatedly for providing that little taste of home to a soldier. In fact, the last group that we entertained is the first all-female infantry squad from the Florida region. We do not discriminate, nor do we alienate. Every soldier we run across is treated as a green brother or sister. We have never barred the door or allowed this person and denied that person. When the Alaskan National Guard soldiers were preparing for deployment and several members of their group were intoxicated but refusing medical attention, I kept a check on the whole gang so that most of the soldiers could sleep; I took it upon myself to walk the 200 yards every 15 minutes throughout the night so that I could listen out for these intoxicated soldiers and allow their comrades to get a good night’s rest inside the barracks next door. What have I found to be the price of Southern hospitality and old-fashioned good manners? Alas, I have learned from this event that my Southern hospitality, good manners, and support of American fighting men and women is ill-placed and reason to put a father and husband either out of work or out of touch.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I appreciate any thoughts and welcome any comments that you may have.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey W. Russ
NREMT-Paramedic
EMS Forum 
