Gifts for Wounded Strain Walter Reed

Less is more is the message from Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The hospital has received so many gifts for wounded soldiers and their families that it has run out of space.

The hospital announced yesterday that it would not begin accepting new donations until February, at the earliest. "I bet we have at least 10 tons of goods," said Michael Wagner, director of the Medical Family Assistance Center. "It's kind of a pleasant problem."

A 40-by-60-foot storage room is nearly stacked up to its 12-foot ceiling with stuffed animals, clothes, shaving kits, books, videos, CDs and DVDs. Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops have sent photographs of themselves along with boxes with goodies. Schoolchildren have sent stacks of handmade cards.

The goods are desperately needed and appreciated by the soldiers and their families, who sometimes arrive at the hospital in Northwest Washington late at night without more than a few pieces of clothing. They could end up staying at the hospital for months while the soldier recovers, Wagner said.

Walter Reed receives patients daily who have been injured in Iraq or Afghanistan. Since the Iraq invasion, the hospital has treated 3,735 patients, 955 of whom have been battle casualties. The length of stay can range from several days to a year.

Last week, the hospital staff provided the soldiers with stacks of cards and other items of kindness from strangers. The soldiers were visibly moved when they read them, Wagner said.

Gifts for wounded soldiers have been arriving since the onset of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, but this was the first time the hospital ran out of storage room.

Gifts also have been arriving at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, which treats Marines and Navy patients from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Thank you for this one. Guess I have to admit a tear almost started to drip, as I read the article. Damn I am so proud of all our men and women that serve! And for those that have gone through the the horrors of fire fights, vehicles being blown up and surviving less limbs, eye site, etc., seeing buddies KIA'd and badly WIA...........
What continues to strike me and I am sure many of you fine people at this site, is the proven fact........that so many of these often young warriors really do not seek glory, do not feel like they are heros.....as yet another article observes they are somewhat humbled, and simply overwelmed by an act of thank you. I sense this has very much effected our POTUS early on, then lead him to say........"THEY ARE AMOUNG OUR VERY BEST". So much negative has been cast on the youth of today. Yet time and time again we see so many of them standing out as great Americans, those that join up, full of commitment, purpose, willing to sacrifice AND OFTEN NOT COMPLAIN.
I have had the privilege and honor, yep no theatrics here, to meet many Marines at Camp Lejeune for a short period of time in person. Talk with them, junior Marines up through the rank of Major this October. Being at Parris Island two 1/2 years back for a few days to witness my nephews graduation.......seeing them train. I walked away with the heartfelt conviction that this modern military is truly magnificant! I sometimes think of how many Marines that graduated and I gazed at on that ceremonial ground to receive their Eagle-Anchor-Globe Marine ensignia, then the next day watched in their passing and review march etc., and afterward meet with some of them, bumped into others for a few days smartly moving about, have been wounded in action or killed in action in Iraq. I am not afraid to say it.
My heart grieves for those that have been KIAed and WIA and for each of their families. My heart also goes out to all those loved ones at home that have brave men and women presently in harms way. I know what it is like at this point, to have to do a real lot of praying for many in harms way. Having two young members of my family that have been in Iraq and will return shorty again. I know what many folks at home have to go through. And again, no theatrics etc., it is a comfort that so many God believing Americans hold our troops up to the Lord. Let us continue to pray for them all that must still go into harms way as well as for those that have been wounded in battles. They and their loved ones truly deserve our heart felt prayers and assistance such as sending little care packages, letters, supporting those that are wounded and return to our hospitals etc..
It is the least we can do for so many young and not so young brave warriors that signed up and now put themselves in harms way for a cause most of them firmly believe in.
My young junior Marine nephew is a testiment to me, that most of these guys and gals truly do understand that we must achieve an victory over those evil forces that reside in Iraq and elsewhere.
This 58 year old uncle stood at the HQ building of the 2nd Battalion 2nd Marine Regiment in Camp Lejeune October 7 of this year, waiting for his nephew to buss in from Cherry Point MCAS some forty miles away as they flew in from Iraq.
Prior to standing in the spot near the building, I had chatted with many Marines of all ranks thanking them for their service, asking them what company and platoon they where in etc.. As I chatted and shook hands with these honorable Marines, I noticed at the HQ building wall that there was a white sheet with large red writting on it draped on the side of this building. I walked over to it.
As I gazed at this simple draped piece of cloth it was immediately apparent what it was there for. It was the list of Marines attached to the 2/2 that paid the altimate sacrifice during this deployment. One of the Sargeants names immediately stood out. A Sargeant Baum. Sargeant Baum and my nephew where walking about at camp MEK (Fallujah) when the insurgents started to lob in mortars. As the mortars exploded in the immediate proximity of where this Sarg, my nephew, a Lance Corporal, where, everyone started to run from the area. Not much cover to run to.......it is a huge camp area for those not familiar with the sat photos of it.
Our Sargeant ran to a parked Humvee and got into it just as a mortar landed on the vehicle. OK. We in our hearts have to simply accept that the Lord said it was time to take this Marine to Him. My nephew was in quite close proximity to this death. He later said that they had to "scrap his Sargeant's remains from the vehicle". I have yet to ask me nephew if this Sargeant Baum was perhaps married with a family. I just don't feel it is time yet to ask, though it is over six months since it happened. Since that point in time my nephew had been in fire fights, very near being blown up by a two rigged trucks in a raid in Lafitiya, road point Humvee manning the gunner point at a 240G light machine gun etc..
So folks. God bless you all. I for one truly appreciate hearing how well our guys are remembered by our citizentry.
As a youngster and scout back in the late fiftees through mid sixtees I often played taps at memorial day observances after local parades. Way back then I seemed to develop a sense of how almost sacred in nature we Americans honor our fallen in battle. To this day dispite the evil far left liberal retoric in this nation I truly still hold the same reverance toward our military that serve and give the truly altimate sacrifice. Truly folks. The are our very best.
And truly most of them serve with honor and are duty bound to protect our great nation. From my heart I stand smartly and salute them all for their service to our nation.

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