SPECIAL TO THE STAR-TELEGRAM/RICHARD W. RODRIGUEZ
Julie Curtis-Win, the hug-happy director of the Texas Military Family Foundation, treats soldiers -- including Spc. Ralph Ellis of Salisbury, Mo. -- like her children.
They even call her mom.
Posted on 09/19/2004 5:57:53 PM PDT by Dubya
FORT HOOD - Julie Curtis-Win was not in the Army. Her husband, a physician, was never in the Army. Neither was her 25-year-old son.
She has no idea what a multiple launch rocket system is or why the soldiers request Q-Tips to clean their rifles. Some of the junior troops are taken aback when she calls them "sir," a courtesy typically reserved for officers.
Yet this soft-spoken, hug-happy 47-year-old woman has in less than two years endeared herself to thousands of soldiers at Fort Hood, one of the busiest combat bases in the nation.
"We'd like to take her to Iraq with us," said Sgt. Mitchell Land, a Missouri National Guardsman who left for Iraq last week.
Win is the director of the Texas Military Family Foundation, a fledgling nonprofit soldier-support group that has evolved into a lifeline for the homesick and isolated soldiers of the Army Reserve and National Guard at Fort Hood.
She provides free cellphone use for soldiers because the barracks don't have phones. She set up computers for them to go online and check e-mail because the barracks don't have Internet service.
Because many of the soldiers are cash-strapped when they arrive, she doles out toothpaste, Q-Tips and baby wipes. She arranges pizza parties and barbecues, and she hustles up Army vans for transportation because personal vehicles aren't allowed.
And she runs a game room for soldiers fortunate enough to live nearby.
"Ma'am, do you mind if we have the TV room tonight to watch the Pack?" asked Lt. Mike Hartzheim, a soldier in the Wisconsin National Guard.
The foundation started simply enough and has grown because of Win's most glaring weakness -- the inability to say no to young men who are headed to the combat zones of Iraq.
"It's the right thing to do," she said.
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SPECIAL TO THE STAR-TELEGRAM/RICHARD W. RODRIGUEZ
Julie Curtis-Win, the hug-happy director of the Texas Military Family Foundation, treats soldiers -- including Spc. Ralph Ellis of Salisbury, Mo. -- like her children.
They even call her mom.
WOW!!!!!!!! Thanks, Dubya!!!
May God bless this wonderful lady.
What a great thing she is doing.
Ping
Great lady. Great post. Great soldiers.
She sounds like a FANTASTIC lady!
She's lovely.
God Bless her good heart.
This is what I would like to think America really is. This lady is an example of what is best about America. We can all learn from her.
She's wonderful.
Thank you for the post and the ping.
I was thinking this same thing a while ago. Thank you for posting it.
Good idea. I wonder if we have any Freepers in or near Fort Hood who would be willing to contact her and tell her about us FReepers. Maybe bookmark FR on her computers for the solders. If she will IM me her address I would like to send her a couple of bucks.
Thank you for pinging the others. Some day I'm going try to figer how to make a ping list.
The Texas Military Family Foundation can be reached at
(877) 718-0581
or at 1610 S. 31st St., Suite 102, Box 131, Temple, TX 76504
I'm calling that organization tomorrow. What a wonderful thing she is doing. My son-in-law is stationed at Ft Hood and Monday a little girl in my grandaughters 4th grade class lost her Dad in Iraq. This is such a hard burden for the families to bear. The schools do a good job helping the children deal with this but it is so hard. My Grandaughter hasn't been able to sleep since Monday. Please pray for all the military families.
Thank you I got it wrote down.
Thanks!
I'll get on it.
fyi
fyi
You may be intrested in this.
fyi
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