CAPTION: Sara Simmonds (furthest left) and the Apple Pie Brigade welcome a soldier returning from deployment with a warm pastry and a soft drink. (Courtesy of Fort Polk Public Affairs Office)
CAPTION: Sara Simmonds is honored for the variety of charity and philanthropic efforts she is involved in in Central Louisiana during a Fort Polk Progress luncheon held on Monday, Aug. 31. (From left: Fort Polk Progress Chairman Michael Reese, Sara Simmonds, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce President Deborah Randolph.)
LEESVILLE, La.-- Sara Simmonds is a fixture in Central Louisiana -- she is one of the last people Fort Polk soldiers see when they leave on deployment and one of the first to welcome them back when they return.
She and half-a-dozen of her friends make up the Apple Pie Brigade, a group that shows appreciation for soldiers by giving them each a warm, freshly-baked fruit-filled pastry and a soft drink when they depart and return from deployment. No matter the time of day, the 97-year-old and her friends make sure they present each incoming and outgoing soldier with a little taste of Americana as a gesture to thank them for their service to the nation.
Friend and fellow Apple Pie Brigade member Jim Leggett said Simmonds started the group in 2004 out of the kindness of her heart and a desire to express her patriotism. Soldiers who have gone on multiple deployments even get to know her a little, according to Leggett.
"She's really outgoing," he said, adding that Simmonds will often take a box of apple pies and disappear into the crowd of soldiers. "As soon as you meet her, you won't forget her. She puts the rest of us to shame."
Fort Polk Progress presented Simmonds with an award for her efforts on Aug. 31 during a luncheon with several area chambers of commerce. Chairman Michael Reese said the regional community is proud to honor Sara Simmonds and her efforts to make sure each soldier feel appreciated.
"We continue to showcase to the Army the tremendous amount of support and patriotism that exists in Louisiana," Reese said. "There may be no better example than the generosity and dedication of Ms Simmonds."
"Sara Simmonds is devoted to soldiers and their families," said Deborah Randolph, President, Central LA Chamber of Commerce, of which Simmonds is a member. "No matter the time of day or night, she and her Apple Pie Brigade are present at the Army Processing Center to offer warm handshakes, expressions of thanks and warm apple pies to soldiers who are deploying or returning from deployments. Many Americans say they are grateful to military families. Sara proves it through her actions."
Simmonds embodies the spirit of service. Not only is she the founding member of the Apple Pie Brigade, she also holds membership in the the Military Affairs Committee for the Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce, the Alexandria Rotary Club, the Louisiana Interchurch Conference, the Central Louisiana Community Foundation, White Lake Property Advisory Board and attends the 1st United Methodist Church in Alexandria. She and her late husband Noel T. Simmonds, M.D. also offer an endowed scholarship at Centenary College.
She was also named an Honorary General by former Brig. Gen. James C. Yarbrough.
--end--
| 
