Soldiers help deploy playground equipment

When it came to getting the job done at Brookwood Elementary School on Wednesday, Sam Newton decided to take a drastic measure.

He called out the Marines.

"I called First Sergeant Thomas Covington, explained our dilemma and he said 'When and where?"' said Newton, a member of the school's Parent Teacher Organization. "Now, the Marines are here. There's also a few Navy people, too."

The assignment? Deliver the equipment for a new playground to the school.

"This is what we're here for, to help the community and to help the country," said Covington of the Navy/Marines Reserve Center in Augusta.

In all, 11 Marines and Navy personnel from the Augusta office visited the school, unloading playground equipment - colored red, white and blue - from the back of an 18-wheel truck. The equipment had been purchased by the school with money raised from a fall carnival, silent auction, pizza sale and private donations.

Newton said the problem was that the school had a difficult time finding someone willing to unload the equipment free.

"This is a bad time of year for volunteers," he said.

The school's new playground will be constructed by a certified installer. It should be available for use starting Jan. 2.

"After hours, it will be open to the community, because we're proud of it," Newton said.