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Salvation Army hails captain's homecomingBy JOY DAVIS-PLATT
© St. Petersburg Times, BROOKSVILLE -- Complete with an all-American picnic in the park, Hernando County's Salvation Army welcomed home one of its own on Sunday. Capt. Tim Williford, head of the Salvation Army's Hernando County corps, recently spent two weeks in Washington, D.C., helping with terrorism relief efforts. Besides returning to his wife, Denise, and daughters, Lindsey, 7, and Caitlyn, 2, on Oct. 2, Williford came back to the congregation at the Salvation Army's church where he preaches. "The support I've gotten has been really great," said Williford, who is expected to receive a proclamation from Hernando County commissioners and a congressional recognition from U.S. Rep. Karen Thurman. "The support and thanks were more than I could have ever imagined." Standing on the park's white band shell, Williford recounted the time he spent in the nation's capital helping to keep six mobile canteen trucks stocked and ready to feed 6,000 relief workers three meals a day. After several days of helping feed relief workers, Williford's assignment changed to procurement. Much like the Grape Nehi-drinking Cpl. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly in the television series M.A.S.H., Williford said he was charged with finding all manner of necessary items for law enforcement and military personnel. During his tour, he scrounged everything from tool belts to sunglasses to industrial fans. "People started calling me Radar," he said. "Anything they told me to get, I'd find a way to go out and get it." Unlike other disasters during which he has joined relief efforts such as the storm of March 1993 and the ValuJet crash in South Florida, Williford said this assignment left him and his family feeling apprehensive. When his daughters ask if he is going to fight in a war, Williford, 38, said he tells them he is too old to fight in battle, but not too old to do his part. Their part, he tells them, is to support him and wait for him to come home. "This one is much more emotional," said Williford's wife, Denise, who is also a captain with the Salvation Army. "It's not like any other natural disaster." Williford expects to be called to help with recovery efforts in New York sometime after Easter. When he goes, his wife said, she will take care of things at home. "We're preparing for that," she said. "That's all we can do." Salvation Army volunteer Les Varwig was up at 4 a.m. on Sunday making sure the turkey was ready for the afternoon picnic. During his two years in Brooksville, Williford has gained the love and admiration of his congregation, Varwig said. "We are all awfully proud of the captain," he said. "He's a real go-getter." For three years, Salvation Army volunteer Harriet Varwig has helped out with local emergencies like sinkholes and fires and said she understands why Williford feels compelled to help. "It's such a blessing to be able to help people," she said. "In many ways, we get more out of it than the people we serve." Williford said the image that will stay with him is of the Washington Monument lit against the nighttime sky. Nearby, the Pentagon building was lit with bright lights while investigators continued their efforts into the night. "Driving past, there was a moment when the monument looked as if it was rising out of that gaping hole in the side of the Pentagon," he said. "It was the ultimate symbol of power next to the ultimate symbol of freedom. That's when you see what the cost of freedom really is."
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