GreenCare for Troops Story: The Westbrook’s

A soldier who had been serving our country for several years was still deployed in the Middle East and had put in for retirement. His wish? To be able to walk out his back door onto green grass. His country was his priority, which kept him from completing a few tasks at home and taking time out for himself.

While the soldier was home for R&R, we contacted his wife to let her know that a landscaper had offered to make the yard transformation. It was all she could do to keep from exploding, since the new yard was to be a surprise.

Unfortunately, the economy hit the landscaper hard as the months passed, and they were unable to follow through with their commitment. We thought the surprise was a goner until, only two days after knowing we needed help, we received an e-mail from a professional who asked how he and his company could get involved with GreenCare for Troops in their area. Their area happened to be near our military family, and we knew just how they could become involved with our soldier’s wish.

While our professional was rounding up volunteers, we were contacted by the soldier’s wife with some sobering news: Her husband had been in an ambush in Afghanistan. He had been transported to Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he was recovering from gunfire wounds.

During his recovery time, the soldier’s wife informed him that his wish was going to come true. He was thrilled and couldn’t wait to see photographs of the process and then go home to his green grass.

Sadly, our soldier took a turn for the worse and passed away. But before he died, his wife whispered in his ear, “Your wish is coming true. The grass will be there.” The soldier raised his eyebrows and nodded…one of our country’s strong heroes.

The landscaping project took place on Saturday, October 24, 2009. The military family’s yard was filled with volunteers. All materials needed for the project were donated by green industry suppliers. In awe of their new yard, the soldier’s sons stood with their mother and said, “This is incredible. This type of thing happens to everyone else, but not us.”

The volunteers who made a wish come true for fallen hero Sgt. Kenneth Westbrook are:

* Adjutant General Thomas Belcher
* The Blue Water Veterans Association
* John Rossie and Chaplain RC Lewis
* Metropolitan Homes, Inc.
* Rob Kuck
* Mike Premer
* Melodee Gerlach
* Tony Fanzo
* Pat Cartwright and Christine Hickey
* Green Belt Turf Farm
* Craig Giesbrecht
* Pioneer Sand & Gravel
* Mike Osborne
* CPS Distributors
* Dennis Kimsey
* Metco Landscape
* Mark Tomko
* Jake Hardin and crew
* Valley Crest Landscape
* James West
* Javier Mora
* Kurt and Emily Siekmeier
* Bubba Bolen
* Greg Krause
* Darrell Sargent.

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