They say the average American spends five years of his life waiting in line. Of course, we know Soldiers are way above average - the "average" Soldier will tell you he spent five years standing in line in basic training.

 

The average American spends six months of his life sitting at a traffic light and eight months opening junk mail. It's true, the average individual spends an awful lot of time accomplishing very little. I'm here to tell you that there's nothing average about the Fort Benning community.
 
This past Thursday we recognized the members of our Fort Benning community who gave their time to make a difference in the lives of Soldiers and their families. Just as the NCO is the backbone of the Army, the volunteer is the backbone of the Army community. 
 
They donate their time, their talents, their money and sometimes their blood. They volunteer for the Red Cross, Army Community Service, our schools, our chapels, Child and Youth Services, Santa's Castle, the tax center and anywhere else they see a need.  
 
These volunteers contributed approximately 91,218 hours in 2009. That equates to more than 11,400 eight-hour work days, or the equivalent of nearly 43 years of work-all in one year. They saved the Army more than $1.9 million dollars. 

 
I want to thank our corps of volunteers for their noble service & their inspirational leadership. By answering the volunteer call to duty, you have helped immensely to improve the quality of life of our Soldiers and their families. All of you are truly great Americans. Thank you again for serving Fort Benning and America's Army.