Caption: (From left) Dinora Hayenga and husband Sgt. Doug Hayenga; comedians Steve McGrew and Shayma Tash, and Lance Cpl. Michael Langston goof off after a comedy show Saturday night. Photo by: Lance Cpl. Dorian Gardner
Posted on 08/19/2005 4:40:38 PM PDT by SandRat
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (August 19, 2005) -- Marines swapped nurses and hospital food for Hooters girls and hot wings Saturday during a trip that got 29 recovering warriors out of their hospital rooms and back to sampling normal life.
Patients from Navy hospitals in San Diego and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., caravanned to Pasadena, Calif., where they were the guests of honor at a Hooters restaurant and the nearby Ice House Comedy Club.
America's Heroes of Freedom, a private veterans support organization, bought the comedy tickets and the pre-show feast for the Marines and spouses. The organization also arranged to have limousines drive the group, but after a snag in plans, the Marines instead took a convoy of vans and cars from Pendleton.
The hospitalized Marines recovering from war wounds and other illnesses - and whose service is either on hold or almost finished - participate in similar getaways once or twice a month thanks to veterans organizations, according to Capt. Paola Hayes, the Medical Holding Platoon commander in San Diego.
In Pasadena, the celebrated Hooters girls welcomed the Marines to a private room with a buffet of popular menu items.
"I wasn't thinking about the food when I walked in," said Lance Cpl. Alejandro Rodriguez, MHP, San Diego.
The veterans feasted on Buffalo wings, fries and onion rings before a short drive to the legendary Ice House Comedy Club where several famous comedians got their starts. There, the Marines enjoyed countless grown-up laughs. Saturday's showcase, "Battle of the Sexes," had comedians Steve McGrew and Shayma Tash killing the audience with their stand-up. Tash touched on lying ex-boyfriends and bikini waxing, and McGrew followed up with his redneck persona, talking about growing up on the farm. The hour-long joke fest had veterans in stitches all night.
Lance Cpl. Julio Salazar, MHP, said the best part of the night was how well the organizers, waitresses and comedians treated the Marines. "We got to spend some time with the comedians after the show, and joke with them one-on-one," he said.
After the show, McGrew and Tash stayed back to sign DVDs and free Ice House T-shirts. The laughs fizzled out and veterans went back to the hospitals, some returning with more than T-shirts and smiles.
"It was motivating for a lot of Marines here in the hospital," said Salazar. "Some of us don't get out much."
According to Hayes, the next scheduled trip for MHP is a weeklong excursion in Aspen, Colo.
"We are going to do everything from white-water rafting to hiking," said Salazar.
Wonded Marines on the mend Laugh it Up PING!
Wonderful. Bless those people who cheered them up.
Awwwesome!
Superb. Which veterans organizations thought of this? And how can we contribute to them?
BTTT!!!!!!!
America's Heroes of Freedom in San Diego, CA for the rest I don't know.
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