Fire Association receives Sevens Seals Award

Members of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) and the Ashburnham Firefighters Association were joined by officials such as (center l. to r.) state Sen. Stephen Brewer (D-Barre), state Rep. Robert Rice, and Ashburnham VFW Commander Dennis Driscoll at the presentation of the Sevens Seals Award to the Ashburnham Firefighters Association on Tuesday morning. JOURNAL PHOTO/CAITLYN KELLEHER It was the letter from a couple in Norcross, Georgia, that brought tears to the eyes of many standing in the large meeting room in Ashburnham's Town Hall on Tuesday morning.

The letter, which was accompanied by a $100 check for the Ashburnham Fire Association to help fund sending a fully stocked ambulance to Afghanistan, stated it was a privilege to help.

"I've always believed you are all angles sent to walk among us," stated the letter writer.

Town Administrator Kevin Paicos read the letter, which helped to honor the Ashburnham Fire Association when they were presented with the Sevens Seals Award. Paicos recognized the members of the Association not only for their work on the ambulance but also for their commitment to their job.

Members of the United State military, active and reserve, attended the celebration for the Firefighters' Association. JOURNAL PHOTO/CAITLYN KELLEHER "Thanks for being our angles on Earth. Thanks for being our heroes," he said.

The ambulance that is being sent over isn't simply a vehicle; it is a vehicle stocked with bandages, stretchers, and a cot as well as spare shocks, windshield wipers and a power steering column.

"Everything they need to run it," Zbikowski said.

The 1983 ambulance has 31,000 miles on it and was used as the spare ambulance for Massachusetts Fire District 14, which donated it.

Paicos, a medic with the U.S. National Reserves' Special Forces, said the hospital in Farah is using a Land Rover with two benches in the back as its ambulance at the moment. This replaced the Toyota pick-up truck they had been using.

"They will be totally blown away by this vehicle," said Paicos, who just returned from a year's deployment to Farah, Afghanistan.

The Sevens Seals Award is the highest award presented by the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), which is a volunteer organization founded to promote cooperation and understanding between reserve members and civilian employers. The organization that is part of the Department of Defense was established in 1972.

The Seven Seals that are the namesake for this award represent the seven military reserve components — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine and Coast Guard reserves, as well as the Army and Air National Guard.

State Sen. Stephen Brewer (D-Barre) and state Rep. Robert Rice (D-Gardner) each presented commendations from the state legislators.

David St. Germain, of the ESGR, presented the Seven Seals award to Zbikowski and Rick Sicard, the president of the Association.

"The word has gotten out in the military community," St. Germain said. "All I can do is offer this small token of thanks."

He said the morale boost this gives soldiers is one thing, but the support it shows the Afghan people is important to the commitment to winning their hearts and minds. It was a sentiment echoed by Dennis Driscoll, the commander of the Ashburnham VFW.

"This country will take up what you have done," he said.

Zbikowski may get to go to Farah, to see the ambulance delivered to the hospital in that province of Afghanistan. The U.S. military will fly the ambulance to Afghanistan from a base in South Carolina.

Zbikowski is not yet sure if he will get to go the Middle Eastern country, but said his wife and four children have already given their blessing to the potential trip.

"I'm pretty proud of them that they look at the bigger picture," Zbikowski said.

Paicos and Zbikowski are ready for the next project now, or will be once the ambulance goes over. They would both like to see more ambulances go overseas.

Paicos is working to form a 501c3, nonprofit organization, to help the Afghans and the war effort.

"The idea will be to get one or two ambulances a year," he said.

The non-profit, the formal name of which has not been determined, will be run through a board of directors and a formal set of bylaws once it is granted legal existence.

"For me, at least consciously, it is sustaining the work that I started over there," Paicos said. "It is working to create a stable society and a way of supporting the war effort."