By Melissa Buckley, Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Fort Leonard Wood service members will get the opportunity to pick out a free, live holiday tree again this year, as the Trees for Troops program returns to the Auto Skills Center Dec. 13 and 14.

Active-duty, Reserve and National Guard service members and their spouses may reserve a pick-up time between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Dec. 13 at Bldg. 1383, by calling the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation’s Leisure Travel Services at 573.329.8587, or by visiting the FMWR website, FMWR Marketing Manager Nia Dickinson confirmed.

“Families register to secure their tree as they are limited. Registration also helps alleviate some of the wait time when selecting your trees at the Auto Skills Center,” Dickinson said. “When patrons register, they pick a timeslot that best suits their schedule. We do ask patrons to double check their registration times prior to arriving.”

A military I.D. is required at time of pick up.

“When patrons arrive onsite, volunteers will be available to assist with loading up your free tree to your vehicle,” Dickinson added.

All other FMWR authorized patrons are welcome to pick-up a free tree on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last between the same times the next day, Dec. 14, Dickinson noted, adding there is a limit of one tree per family.

“Trees for Troops is great for Fort Leonard Wood not only to boost the holiday spirit, but to alleviate some of those holiday costs with a free tree,” Dickinson said.

According to the Trees for Troops organization, a total of 309,644 fresh, farm-grown trees have been donated to troops and military families in the United States and overseas since the program started 19 years ago.

This year, Trees for Troops is collecting more than 15,000 donated trees from 50 locations around the country.

“Fort Leonard Wood is part of over 90 military installations that will be receiving Trees for Troops this holiday season. This program has such an impact on military communities — so many military families are away from home during the holidays, and while a joyous occasion, the holidays can add additional stress; knowing that we can help add a little joy by offering free trees makes this program one of our MWR Team’s favorite event to host,” FMWR Director Megan O’Donoghue said. “This program resonates the nation’s support of our military, as tree farms from over 20 states and thousands of individuals from across the nation donate thousands of trees to this program to give the gift of the holidays and say, ‘Thank you.’”

She said her favorite part of the Trees for Troops program, “is watching the families pick out their tree, many whom had never had a real tree before. It is hard not to smile and feel the holiday spirit when seeing someone’s face light up when they found the perfect tree. When that tree finds its home, it is the start of the season.”

O’Donoghue said she also enjoys reading the handwritten messages from those who donate trees to the families receiving them.

“Many trees come with tags with pictures drawn from children, messages of support, messages of thanks and messages of holiday greeting — these small messages show our service members that people from across our nation appreciate and support our military. These small tags hold such big thoughts of gratitude and appreciation,” O’Donoghue said.

Learn more about the program by visiting the Trees for Troops website.

Media interested in attending the event should contact the Public Affairs Office no later than 1 p.m. Dec. 12.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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About Fort Leonard Wood

Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.

Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.

Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.