Garrison Commander Col. Laura Richardson (right) congratulates the volunteers of the Tax Center, (left to right) Capt. Geovanni Rojas, Staff Sgt. Carrie Cole, Pfc. Alpay Orcan, Staff Sgt. Priscila Funes and Pfc. Nathan Parks.
The volunteer staff of the Fort Myer Military Community Tax Center was given a hearty thank you May 2, for their effort in helping Soldiers, family members and retirees from the region get the best tax service available. The tax center was open from January 14 to May 1.
Three Soldiers — Capt. Geovanni Rojas, the officer in charge; Staff Sgt. Carrie Cole and Pfc. Alpay Orcan — were given the Army Achievement Medal. Tax Center NCOIC Staff Sgt. Priscila Funes and Pfc. Nathan Parks were awarded a garrison coin by Garrison Commander Col. Laura Richardson for their work.
The tax center processed more than 100,000 returns over the nearly four months it was open.
‘‘What they did here epitomizes what Soldiers can do when they’re helping Soldiers,” Rojas said.
The volunteers got the Soldiers of Fort Myer an estimated $1.5 million in tax refunds that likely would have been overlooked by other preparers. The Fort Myer Tax Center had the advantage of an IRS ‘‘helpdesk” they could call to get questions answered.
‘‘With what it costs to get your taxes prepared elsewhere, it’s really great that we can provide this service free of charge to our Soldiers and their families,” Richardson said.
The average cost to file a federal and state return for 2007 was $195, according to John Mitcham, chief of Fort Myer Legal Services.
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