Veterans honored at JetBlue Park

Alberto Padron joined the military for a sense of purpose, the pride of wearing the uniform of this country and to honor his immigrant parents.

He served in the Air Force from 1990 to 1996, when he was medically discharged.

Later he felt a void in his life as he was unable to do what he wanted to do most.

Then, something happened that would change his life and give him purpose in the time following COVID.

His son, who enlisted in the Air Force, told him about Home Base Florida, a local non-profit founded by the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital, located here on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University.

They offered Padron a renewed sense of belonging and community and helping his family along the way.

Millions of young men and women have given their time, and some even their lives, to serve a cause bigger than themselves, to preserve, protect and defend this country and preserve peace around the world.

With this area having such a large veteran population, it seems only natural that the Boston Red Sox would do something to honor them and thank them for their service.

On Saturday, before and during the Red Sox and Minnesota Twins game, the Red Sox Foundation did just that, holding a night to honor veterans in partnership with Home Base Florida, an organization that provides all types of support to veterans.

Home Base is one of the first and largest nonprofits in the country dedicated to healing the invisible wounds of war through clinical care, wellness, education and research – all at no cost to veterans and their families.

Concerned by the rising number of suicides and the health challenges Florida veterans were facing when they returned home, Home Base opened Home Base Florida in 2014. Partnering with Florida Gulf Coast University, Lee Health, Tampa General Hospital and David Lawrence Centers, Home Base Florida provides world-class clinical care, wellness-based programs and peer support for veterans, service members, and their families.

Honorary director of Home Base Florida, retired four-star Gen. Fred Franks, sees the organization as a real benefit to veterans, an organization that he could have used back when he served and others could have used before Franks got involved in bringing Home Base here a decade ago.

“We’ve lived in Naples for more than 25 years. I went to the VA hospitals and found that veterans really didn’t have anything for invisible wounds from service in Southwest Florida,” Franks said. “I got with the Red Sox and decided we needed to start a program in Florida. We decided on a health and fitness program.”

Franks commanded LEFT HOOK during Desert Storm in 1991 with 146,000 troops and had been in the armored cavalry his whole career. He graduated from West Point in 1959 and retired in 1994.

Franks lost his left leg due to wounds suffered in battle in Cambodia during the Vietnam War, but fought to stay in a combat unit.

Franks said while he was recovering from his injuries in Valley Forge, he saw how veterans were being treated back then and didn’t like it.

“That was fractured trust. I strongly believe that any man or woman who answers our nation’s call to preserve, protect and defend our constitution and give their lives if necessary, creates a bond of trust that we will be there for them,” Franks said. “That’s where Home Base comes in, to fulfill that trust.”

The Red Sox Foundation donated more than 170 tickets for Home Base Florida veteran and family participants who walked onto the field to be acknowledged for their service during the pregame ceremony.

Fans were introduced to the Home Base mission and to Padron, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch. His family also kicked off the game with the official “play ball” announcement.

Following the pregame ceremony, Padron joined Home Base Florida senior leadership for a reception, where he shared his experience in the military, his challenges transitioning to civilian life and how Home Base Florida helped him and his family.

During the game, Red Sox mascot Wally the Green Monster, visited the veterans and supporters sitting in the Home Base sections

During the seventh inning stretch, announcers scanned the Home Base Veteran and Family section and showcased the hometown heroes in attendance, recognizing them for their service.

Suffolk Construction and its foundation, Suffolk Cares, was the presenting sponsor for the event. Pete Tuffo, president of the Gulf Coast region for Suffolk Construction, said the company, based out of Boston, has a national relationship with Home Base, helping sponsor events like this one among other things.

“We donate our money and time, as Suffolk itself has a lot of veterans that utilize some of the services Home Base provides,” Tuffo said. “This started in Boston and migrated down here. Through a lot of interaction and to maximize our participation, we’ve supported them any way we can.”

Home Base executive director Jack Hammond is a retired brigadier general, serving with the Army from 1991-2012. After finishing his final command in Afghanistan he returned home and thought “now what?”

“Someone told me the Red Sox and Massachusetts General were looking for someone to head up a veteran program and I threw my hat in the ring,” Hammond said.

Hammond said after being involved in the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since the inception, he had seen the impact it had on soldiers in multiple deployments.

“We saw the epidemic of suicide starting and the effects of traumatic brain injury. Anything I could do to get involved to stem the tide was where I wanted to be,” Hammond said.

Hammond can relate. He had back-to-back deployments in Afghanistan in 2002-03 and was in rough shape at the end of that. He got help at that time, and it was a game-changer for him. He added not everyone got the same help.

“If I hadn’t, my career would have gone in a different direction, my family situation would have degraded. I got the help and preparation I needed to stay in and go back two more times,” Hammond said. “At the time, the spin cycle was pretty rough. You’d go, return home for a year and go back again. The tempo was so high it was tough.”

As for the health and fitness program, that went from the first class of 16 in 2014 to more than 1,000 veterans and their families in 2023.

Which brings us back to Padron. He served in the Air Force from 1990-1996 as a senior airman. However, shortly after his discharge, he found himself divorced and disabled.

Padron rebuilt his life, but he had a void left by the loss of the military community which intensified during the isolating times of COVID, particularly after relocating his family to Southwest Florida.

Padron learned about Home Base Florida, which helped him carry the weight of that void and offered a renewed sense of belonging through working with fellow veterans through their Warrior Health and Fitness Program and Adventure Series.

The impact of Home Base extended beyond Alberto when his wife entered the Warrior Health and Fitness Program, and his eldest son received mental health support after serving in Afghanistan in 2021.

This made Padron and his family one of Home Base’s true success stories.

Padron emphasized the sense of community that comes from Home Base.

“Home Base really stepped up for us when we moved from the Miami area to here three years ago. They stood up for us in ways that were unexpected,” Padron said. “It created a sense of community. In the military, community is factored in as a big plus in the mission of the military or the mission of life.”

Padron said not only did they provide community, but the specificity of care they provided. The clinical component.

“Many of the organizations I was with up until that point were veterans specific. Home Base has a very special differentiator in that it serves the entire family,” Padron said. “We have some special needs in behavioral health and mental health that Home Base stepped in and offered their services.”

Home Base Florida has helped thousands throughout Southwest Florida and beyond.

Dan Sussman, who was in the Signal Corps in the U.S. Army in 1968-69, said he was one of the fortunate ones who didn’t have to go to Vietnam, being allowed to become a teacher instead at Fort Monmouth, N.J.

Unfortunately, he contracted cancer three years ago, and a doctor at the Veterans Administration suggested he get some physical therapy.

“I didn’t know what Home Base was, but someone from there called me. I went to FGCU and did the paperwork necessary to be accepted,” Sussman said. “They changed my life. I was at a low point physically after radiation and chemo and they brought me back. I got my strength and stamina back.”

Troy Bolivar, who lives in Lehigh Acres, served from 2011-16 in the Navy, mostly overseas. He had his own community being so far away. When he was discharged, he lost that.

All alone, he sought the Help of Home Base to find community and resources to give him a sense of purpose and value.

“Home Base does a really good job bringing veterans together with their families and creating a community where we can be ourselves and feel supported,” Bolivar said. “They bridged the divide and provided mental health for the veterans.”

Larry Whitmore, an Army veteran who was later commissioned into the Air Force after graduating college, retired as a lieutenant colonel. He served between 1990 to 2016.

He was deployed overseas many times doing electronic recognizance. Once he retired, Whitmore said he felt a loss of identity.

“I felt a loss of mission and purpose. I tried a few things. I went back to college to earn my masters degree in social work and that’s when I got involved with Home Base,” Whitmore said, who now works with them. “The thing that drives me back is the sense of service which I was missing after I left the service.”