With dad in Iraq, son beautifies armory

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

Staff Sgt. Kenneth Bottoms, a member of the 278th, is shown in Iraq with some of the Iraqi children who have befriended American soldiers.

The Army isn’t especially known for curb appeal, but a local Eagle Scout candidate has made sure McMinnville’s local armory is the exception.

Candidate Cody Bottoms, 14, has landscaped the planting beds at the armory in honor of his dad, Staff Sgt. Kenneth Bottoms, who is currently deployed to Iraq with the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment’s local I Troop.

“I just thought the Army looked kind of bland and it needed a facelift,” Bottoms said of his project. “And, my dad is in the 278th.”

Leaning upon family, friends, members of I Troop and others for support, Bottoms was also able to gather almost 70 bushes and plants from area nurseries to landscape the armory’s planter areas. He said once people learned his dad was deployed, they were more than happy to donate.

That kind of support, he added, is critical to local families coping with being split apart by combat.

“It means a lot,” he said. “It’s hard to be away from your family.”

In all, Bottoms has more than 200 man hours invested in the project, but his reward for that investment will be best known when his dad comes home to see all the work he did.

Sgt. Jason Perry, who is currently assigned to the local armory and who helped plan the project with Bottoms, said he knows the effort will be duly noted upon the soldiers’ return from Iraq.

“Speaking as a solider, I know how they’re going to feel when they come back. I think it will be great when they pull back in here on the busses and see that it looks nice, as opposed to what it was,” Perry said.

“The ribbons are great, and to actually see that there have been some young guys and even some old ladies out here working on this, they will be thinking they really cared enough to do a project like this.”

Asked about the level of community support in Warren County and what people can do, they said they were glad to see yellow ribbons or business signs supporting the 278th, but noted there could be more of it demonstrated.

Kenneth Bottoms’ wife and Cody’s stepmother, Denise Bottoms, had similar thoughts.

“Show your patriotism some how, some way,” she added.

Scoutmaster for Troop 631 Kelly McVey, who has supervised numerous Eagle Scout projects over the years, said he believes the project is unique.

“I love this project. We clean trails, do the normal Eagle projects and the cemeteries are a big thing. To do something different and original, my hat is off to Cody for doing this.”

And Bottoms is just yearning for the day his dad comes home to see it.

“It means a lot to me because it’s done in appreciation for my dad and the 278th,” he added. “It’s for them.”