BY STAFF REPORTS
news@theballstonjournal.com
Jillian Ferron, a 2008 Ballston Spa High School graduate currently serving with the USO, recently received the President’s Award for performance above and beyond the call of duty, along with the rest of the staff and volunteers of USO Kandahar. The staff was given the award for quick action during the flooding of their USO facility, saving thousands of dollars worth of equipment. Ferron’s contribution alone, by quickly rounding up a work detail to get 30 cloth La-z-Boy chairs in the theater stacked on the high end of the room, saved the USO more than $4,500, according to the organization.
“Jesse Boyles and Jillian Ferron were on shift as the water came into the center,” said USO Kandahar center manager Richard McCarty in an email to USO President Sloan Gibson, explaining what happened after a recent storm flooded the center. “They took quick and important steps to ensure the safety of the customers in regards to electricity and the protection of the center’s valuable furniture and electronics by cutting breakers as needed to provide safety, but also minimizing the inconvenience to the people stuck inside still watching TV’s and on phones.”
According to Gary Bibeau, regional vice president, the entire floor of the Kandahar USO center
Jillian Ferron at her USO facility in Kandahar, Afghanistan (Photo courtesy Lee Ferron)
was underwater for a period of time. The flood ran through the entire center, depositing mud on the both the floor and on the furniture.
“By the time I got there, the staff and volunteers had taken the furniture and electronics out and put it all in storage, limiting any damage,” Bibeau wrote in follow-up documentation.
The clean-up effort that began the following morning would take 2 1/2 days to complete. Employees Penn Walker, Blair Ciccocioppo and Randy Montesi joined Boyles and Ferron first thing in the morning to start the arduous work of removing 8,000 square feet of ruined flooring and carpet and sweeping out the excess water and mud.
Several of the outdoor port-o-johns had also tipped over, adding some sewage to the soaking mess. Because of concerns about mold and toxic material in the water Bibeau asked the local Navy medical unit to do a health inspection after the site was cleaned up. It has since been cleared for safe occupancy.
“We are very proud of her,” said Ferron’s father Lee in an email to the Journal. “The center was back in operation in three days, making sure that phones and the internet were available to the service men and women so they could contact home.”
Ferron is a 2008 graduate of Ballston Spa High school, and graduated from George Mason University in 2011 with a B.A. in Government and International Politics and a minor in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. “She felt that getting some work experience in the Middle East supported that and offered her a great opportunity,” Lee Ferron said in his email. “Ultimately, she is hoping to work for the U.S. Embassy Corps, U.S. Foreign Affairs office or similar.”
The USO is a nonprofit, congressionally chartered private organization providing support to troops serving overseas and around the world. Their motto is “Until Everyone Comes Home.” For information or to donate to the USO visit their website at www.uso.org or call 1-888-484-3876.
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