Widowed veteran guides outreach to wounded soldiers

Widowed veteran guides outreach to wounded soldiers
BY MARTHA QUILLIN - STAFF WRITER
Published: Sun, Jun. 14, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE -- Soldiers often say they serve in the military to make a difference in other people's lives.

Wesley Bauguess makes a difference in soldiers' lives.

Her focus is on the soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division who get sent back from a deployment injured or sick. Though many organizations are dedicated to helping those soldiers, the Wounded Warrior Committee that Bauguess oversees concentrates on making them more comfortable during their recovery at Army hospitals with useful items emblazoned with the logo of the storied 82nd.

"In the Army, your unit members are your family members," said Bauguess, who served five years in the Army before getting out to have the first of two daughters. "We want to keep these soldiers in contact, even though they're far away. We're saying, 'You are 82nd, and we are with you. You are still part of this team.'"

A couple of years ago, after her soldier-husband, Larry,(Maj. Larry J. Bauguess Jr) was killed in action, Bauguess wasn't sure what her place was on the team.

"I believe God was getting me ready for this," she said. "Those experiences were all building blocks that add up to this."

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