..Holiday Appeal for Walter Reed Hospital Soldiers - JOE GALLOWAY

JOE GALLOWAY ^ | 11/26/2003 | JOE GALLOWAY

[ALOHA RONNIE]

NEVER FORGET

A Holiday Greeting from 'WE WERE SOLDIERS ONCE and YOUNG' Co-Author JOSEPH GALLOWAY:

Friends:

As we head into the holidays it is time to think of the airplanes which land every night at Andrews AB outside Washington carrying 12 to 15 wounded soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq bound for Walter Reed Army Hospital.

Many are evacuated straight out of the field with no possessions. They need some of the smaller things to make life a little easier.

A list of what is needed and where to send it is attached.

GOD Bless Them.

JOE GALLOWAY

-----------------------------------------------------

The American Red Cross at Walter Reed is looking for incidentals/comfort items for sick and wounded Armed Forces Personnel now recuperating at the hospital. When someone stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere is wounded or falls ill, they're immediately evacuated and eventually end up stateside. It takes weeks for their personnnel effects to catch up with them.

Things that the Red Cross is asking for are:

telephone cares of at least 30 minutes / rolling luggage (small), totes, carry-ons / individually wrapped snacks / magazines / notepads, pens / playing cards and games / sweat pants and shirts (all sizes) /

All items should be addressed to:

ATTN: Barbara Green / Walter Reed Army Medical Center / 6900 Georgia Ave, N.W. / Washington, DC 20307-5001 /

Checks should be made out to the American Red Cross.

For more information, call (202) 782-2080 or e-mail Barbara.Green.1@AMEDD.army.mil

NEVER FORGET

[VOA]

I'm sorry I got your messages about the CBS show late. Were they respectful of our Soldiers?

I'll be seeing it here on the Left Coast in about 2 hours.
I'll try to post my review sometime tomorrow.

Do they know how much we care, I hope?

For right now, I think they are probably getting the message.
The real question is if the country, in general, will keep it up 5, 10, 25 years from now.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

Thank you for doing all that you can to get the word out to the American People on this.

.

[VOA]

We do what we can.

ALOHA RONNIE, if you can, please catch that CBS show coming on at 10PM.
Even if it's going to be a bit painful even just to watch.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

...Oh, I wouldn't miss this particular '48 Hours' TV Program for the world.

...I got the word out on this to as many good folks as I could after your kind notification to us about's airing.

...That's '48 Hours' at 9pm Central, 10pm Pacific Time...

...on CBS-TV.

.

[TEXOKIE]

PLEASE pleeeeese pleeeeeeeeeeeeeese when you go see the heroes again, would you tell them thank you for me? Thanks.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

NEVER FORGET

.."The Army Returns Home" =

...2,100 American Wounded so far.

...1,500 American Wounded since President BUSH's Victory Statement on board the USS Abraham Lincoln.

...This is the Human Story of the American Soldier at war and their loving families waiting for them to come home ..or not.

...This is also the story of how some soldiers were wounded, losing limbs, and are now being treated here at home with tender loving care.

...Now visiting the Trama Center at Walter Reed Hospital.

This is riviting stuff, Folks.




NEVER FORGET

[ALOHA RONNIE]

NEVER FORGET


We are seeing surgeons pulling bloodied ..BOLTS.. out of our American Soldiers' limbs. Only their having worn protective vests protected their Chest areas during an explosion.

'48 Hours' is now telling the story of the downed CH-47 Chinook Helicopter with American Soldiers on their way home for Rest & Recuperation.'


CH-47 Chinook Photo/Vietnam War =

'Ronnie Guyer Photo Collection'

http://www.lzxray.com/guyer_collection.htm
(1st Photo, Collection Set #1)


NEVER FORGET

[ALOHA RONNIE]

NEVER FORGET

Walter Reed Hospital Recuperation/Rehab Treatments now being focused on.

One Soldier, after 8 weeks of treatment, comes home to California. Surprised his Father coming home late at night, being picked up at the airport up his Mother.

This is a Story of how LOVE is changing a Family during real adversity.

NEVER FORGET

[ALOHA RONNIE]

NEVER FORGET


Check out:


'THE HOMECOMING'


http://www.CBS.com/48hours


See: 'How to Help'


NEVER FORGET

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

.."And there is something else...

...THEY DO NOT WANT TO BE FORGOTTEN"

...Leslie Stahl, CBS News 12/10/03

.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

NEVER FORGET



~CBS airs 'The HOMECOMING' - Hero Soldiers get new limbs~


http://www.TheAlamoFILM.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2076


("WE WERE SOLDIERS" Forum)


NEVER FORGET

.

[TEXOKIE]

Thanks for the 48 Hours report, AR!

[risk]

How things have changed since Tet, thanks to the relentless persistence of your generation. You've taught us by example, Ronnie!

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[VOA]

ALOHA RONNIE,
I think Leslie Stahl "stuck the landing" with that summation.
Overall, a pretty good, even-handed show about the soldiers, their families and
the dedicated medical staff.

[VOA]

I'm sorry I got your messages about the CBS show late. Were they respectful of our Soldiers?

CBS did a pretty good job with the show (you might see posts 171 and 175).
They gave politics only a passing mention.
And thankfully kept the focus on the soldiers, their families and the dedicated
medical staff.
One soldier (Pettigrew?) was open and honest about having joined the Army to
pay off his student loans, do the Army thing for four years and then move on (at least
that was his plan). BUT, when he said these things, it was pretty clear by his tone
that he was just being honest, not anti-USA or anti-military.

As mentioned in other posts, Leslie Stahl (and her writers) really ended on the right
note with the "they just don't want to be forgotten" sentiment from the soldiers.

The really emotional moment for me was when the one soldier who'd lost both
legs (below the knee, thankfully) returned to his mom's home in Milwaukee to
recuperate and be with his infant daughter.
When he made the way up 17 stairs to his mom's apartment...on his new prostheses,
I remembered the relative torture I had last summer when I had a small broken
bone in one foot that put me in a cast and on crutches for three months.
My problems were NOTHING compared to this fellow and he was (in my book) charging those
stairs on those new limbs.

"Where do we get such men?"
(and the women, like the mom and sisters of the soldier who lost a hand and
the wife who is sticking like glue to her husband who lost a whole leg, as shown in the episode)

[tgslTakoma]

The really emotional moment for me was when the one soldier who'd lost both legs (below the knee, thankfully) returned to his mom's home in Milwaukee to recuperate and be with his infant daughter.
When he made the way up 17 stairs to his mom's apartment...on his new prostheses...

I found myself talking to him and encouraging him up the stairs as I watched the taped report - all the while trying to hold back tears for the pain that all these guys have endured and will endure for the rest of their lives.

On thing I noticed when we visited just one ward at WRAMC was the level of care, compassion and "up" attitude shown by the staff there that day; helping these soldiers to heal body, mind and soul. God love 'em all.

[TruthNtegrity]

When I got to Sgt. Santos room he was gone, and the reason was - he was in physical therapy. When he came back, he was walking (!!!!!) on crutches, but walking. I let out a "HooHah" and he broke into a proud grin.

I had printed out a few of the comments mystery-ak had made on various threads, that her hubby, his 1SGT had said, about his "boys" and handed him the paper. He read it, top to bottom, and then looked up at me, misty-eyed, "We got pretty much to be family over there."

I brought him chips, Hostess pastry and candy, and he accused me of wanting to make him fat! I said, "No just get you strong enough to run a mile."

We talked about his passing his fitness quals and apparently he thinks he will and that the Flight Surgeon will find things for him to do - "you know because of my back." He's been in for 17 years and he's not sure he's going to stay in.

Then I talked with a Rick Diaz, who had been a passenger on that Chinook on Nov. 2. He's the saddest story - he was supposed to be on a flight today, to go to Minneapolis VA hospital because they specialize in brain injuries. I don't know if he has more surgery ahead of him but he seemed to know that he had a lot of therapy ahead of him. Now, he was still in hospital blue cotton Hospital-issued pajamas. I said to him, "Do you know that the Red Cross has clothes - sweats, underwear, socks, sneakers and phone cards that we've sent here for you guys?" He had NO clue.

As Gerald Santos told me, unless you have family or friends who can go down for you, the Red Cross doesn't exactly come to the wards and make the items available. This made me so MAD. It's like the World Trade Center all over again - we sent in Millions of Dollars in aid and they SAT on it. So, I asked him if there was anything I could get him, and he asked me to get him a phone card. He hadn't talked with any of his family in Oklahoma for over a week. I went flying down to get a phone card, and couldn't convince them to give one to me.

I called MJY1288 and IF Rick doesn't get out on a flight tomorrow (he was supposed to leave today but there was something wrong with the plane), MJY1288 will take him the phone cards he has.

I talked with MJY1288 and told him what was going on with respect to the Red Cross. I told him to take the phone cards that people from FR have sent to him, and take them DIRECTLY TO the wards, and hand them out.

I am so ANGRY with the Red Cross!!!! Here they tell us to stop sending stuff, that they have to sort out what they have, and they aren't bothering to GO TO the wards, to make sure that guys without family or friends, can get the stuff we've sent. Yikes, I'm still angry over it!

I want everyone to pray for Rick Diaz and that he be completely healed. I prayed with him, and he seemed so relieved to have me pray with him. He is a treasure.

Gerald Santos thinks he will be leaving next week, to be sent to a VA Hospital in Ohio, near his home.

God bless these warriors.

[TruthNtegrity]

Please use your ping list to this post above.

The important part is that we need to take items directly to the troops.

The Red Cross doesn't let the soldiers know that these items are available and unless a wounded soldier has family or friends there, to go down to the Red Cross office for them, they are NOT receiving the items that have been sent.

I suggest that if any of you want to send phone cards or have us who live near WR buy clothes, do that and we'll take the items directly to the wards, and hand them to the guys DIRECTLY.

Once again, the Red Cross is just not telling us ALL of the story.

[mystery-ak]

lets get the word out about the Red Cross....bump