The Kappa Alpha chapter at Georgia Southern University, along with chapters from Jacksonville University and the University of West Georgia, presented Army Master Sergeant (Ret.) Karen Dery with an all-terrain “Trackchair” during last Saturday’s Georgia Southern football game at Paulson Stadium.

“I am so grateful to (the Georgia Southern KA chapter) the rest of the KA Order for their amazing gift of the Trackchair,” Dery said. “The chair is going to open so many options for me, especially hiking, which I dearly miss. I am very grateful to The Independence Fund for making this all possible.”

A Trackchair has been described as a “Humvee of personal mobility solutions.” It has treads instead of wheels and can be used in forests, fields and even swamps. They can cost as much as $18,000.

In accepting the chair, Dery was joined on the field Saturday at Paulson by her husband, John, grandson, Justin and Park Gaskin, president of the Kappa Alpha Georgia Southern Chapter.

“Our chapter is grateful to be a small part of Karen’s life,” Gaskin said. “There is no greater joy for us than to be able to give back to the people who have given so much for our freedom.”

The Independence Fund was founded in 2007 to help catastrophically wounded, injured or ill veterans overcome physical, mental and emotional wounds incurred in the line of duty. Since 2016, The Independence Fund and Kappa Alpha chapters have partnered together through Operation K.A.R.E. to give wounded veterans back a piece of their independence.

Operation K.A.R.E., which stands for Knowledge, Awareness, Results and Empowerment, is a student-led effort aimed at raising money to provide Trackchairs to wounded veterans. Since 2016, K.A.R.E. has raised and donated more than $500,000 to the Independence Fund to provide trackchairs and other wellness programs for veterans around the country.

A Milwaukee native, Dery joined the Army in1983. After leaving active duty, she joined the Air Force National Guard. She was stationed with the Milwaukee unit when she was deployed to Desert Storm and spent 3.5 months in Egypt in a refueling unit. Dery deployed multiple times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She continued to serve until 2004 when she was released for early medical retirement due to service-related Multiple Sclerosis.

During her career, Dery worked in administration, personnel, as a flight line management, radar technician and in crew communications.

The three Kappa Alpha chapters worked together on fundraising efforts to provide Dery with her Trackchair.