An Anna native has been recognized for his service to fellow service members while deployed in Syria.

Isaiah Pleiman has been named a 2023 United Services Organization Volunteer of the Year for his “unwavering” support for his fellow soldiers while deployed at a remote frontline base in Syria.

According to our partners at WDTN-TV, Pleiman enlisted when he was 18-years-old. During his first deployment, he created a small event to celebrate Christmas so service members could celebrate the holidays while away from home. After talking to his commanding officer, Pleiman began creating weekly events, from games to movies to karaoke nights.

“I tell people all the time, soldiers deploy and you hear about how they’re fighting for us and how they’re taking care of us,” Pleiman said. “I wanted my job to be more geared specifically towards them, making sure they’re getting everything they need.”

Pleiman has now returned home to Anna; he works at Track Side Treats, which he owns with his father Mike, as well as Sidney Flower Shop, which is owned by his mother Betsy.

Pleiman credited his tight-knit community at home for inspiring him to bring his fellow service members together while deployed.

“I wanted to create that community, I wanted everybody to know who everybody was, who they were married to, if they had kids, what their lives were like back home,” Pleiman said. “And that’s actually what helped our deployment thrive because you’re there, not just with your coworkers, like you’re actually learning and digging deeper into their lives.”

Pleiman said his favorite event he’s planned was a 5K color run, which took around six weeks of organizing. Due to the high temperatures in Syria, the event was scheduled for 6 a.m., which Pleiman thought would deter people from joining.

“I didn’t think anybody was going to show up,” Pleiman said. “And then at 5:45, I had about 60 people out there ready to run and get color thrown in their face.”

Eventually, the events and activities caught the attention of USO Regional Expeditionary Operations Manager Becca Cooper, who visits remote bases to offer events and programs to service members. Cooper helped Pleiman secure funding to build a space solely dedicated to these activities.

Through grants and additional planning, Pleiman’s efforts led to a USO Center on base.

The USO recognizes two volunteers each year for their outstanding service and volunteerism — one based in the U.S. and one based overseas. Pleiman says he was shocked by the award.

“I never actually got into doing the USO thing for these awards and everything, it was just something that needed to be done on my base,” said Pleiman. “I wanted to pick a job when enlisting, of taking care of soldiers.”