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Many are familiar with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It is one of the most important memorials in the United States.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier sits on top of a hill in Arlington National Cemetery overlooking Washington, D.C. For many people, it’s a bucket list destination where they can pay respect to America’s unidentified soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice. For one SCDOT employee, it was an honor she didn’t want to miss out on.
District Five Mechanical Engineer Lorena Pate grew up in a family full of veterans. Her father served two tours in Vietnam, both of her grandfathers served in World War 2, her husband was in the National Guard and her father-in-law is a Korean War veteran.
As a girl, Lorena grew up under the influence of her paternal grandfather, Paul Boger Sr., a man who loved the Braves, was down to earth and served in World War 2 in Europe. Using her connection to her grandfather, Lorena joined the American Legion Auxiliary back in 2014. She is now the state president for South Carolina and prides herself on her service to those who served our nation.
As state president, Lorena was asked to join the state commander of the American Legion in placing a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. She was accompanied by her father and sister on what she described as a huge honor.
“I feel like it’s my way of paying them back for all they’ve done,” Lorena said.
Being the state president, Lorena gets to choose a theme and project. She says her theme this year is called “One is Too Many” and it focuses on preventing veteran, soldier and military personnel suicide. To Lorena, her work with the auxiliary is a labor of love.
“Some of these veterans just need someone to listen to them,” Lorena said. “If you have time to do something like that, it puts a smile on your face. Veteran and military personnel suicide has become an epidemic and we, as the largest military organization, are trying to bring awareness to this issue.”
As part of her project, Lorena works with Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services (PAALS) to provide veterans with trained service dogs to help with PTSD and other challenges they may face. She and her team also visit veterans graves, collect school supplies for schools in need, help veterans move and welcomed soldiers home and see them off to their deployments.
Lorena says she got inspired by her mother.
“Back when the gulf war started, my mother who was a teacher would take collections of things to send to soldiers overseas. The feeling you get from helping someone and being there for someone is great.”
Lorena says that it’s important for people to help where they can. She said that volunteering for things can make a big difference to those who served.
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