The Fisher House
I'm POOPED! (English translation: TIRED!) I got to Brookes Army Medical Center (BAMC) around 7ish this morning (0700 hours, for you military folks) to begin setting up for Mr. Fisher's annual birthday party. This is an annual fund raiser to support Mr. Fisher's admirable project The Fisher House. When our soldiers are wounded in combat, and are hospitalized these beautifully appointed homes are there for them and their families. They can be found all around the world, and each September 29th on Mr. Fisher's birthday, they welcome the public for a huge feast and fund raiser.
Blue Star Moms and Gold Star Moms baked cookies and brownies for weeks...it must have been, I thought, as I helped to heap them onto serving platters that took up every table and counter top in the house! Local businesses chip in to provide food for the legions of base civilian workers and soldiers who can smell the grilling for miles around. The biggest hit was the hundred plus pounds of Kiolbassa sausage we grilled. BAMC's Fisher House manager, Inga, provided us with sauerkraut. At least a dozen cans of beans were opened and heated. I wish I knew who provided the wonderful brisket, and add the container after container of potato salad, grilled dogs, and what you have is a superb feast! Fun was had by all.
For someone who never passes a uniformed military person without telling them "Thank you for your service", this was a frustrating day! I was on the base, and they were everywhere! They were putting up canopies, setting up tables and chairs for the guests, and showed up everytime any one of us volunteers needed help. What a wonderful group of young people. America, you have much reason for the pride you have in them! They are amazing.
At shortly after 1100 hours, soldiers, government workers, and construction workers (the whole base seems to be undergoing construction expansion!) showed up for the feast. The band was playing, the Colonels, Generals, both active and retired, were taking the podium, and still the calls kept coming "MORE SAUSAGES!". Hey, I'm just a worker bee!
The best, and worst part of the day for me was having the opportunity to say thank you to wounded heroes. I admit to cowardice in the case of one soldier...I was unable to approach him because I knew I would break down in tears. Can't help it, I'm a blubbering boob. He was so burned that his ears were gone, his lips were gone, and I just knew I could not say anything to make him feel better...I would just make it worse for him! As I type, tears are streaming, and white hot rage raises in me for those who are doing this to the citizens and especially the children of Iraq! The soldier knows what he signs up for, the children do not!
Sorry. I digress. The day was altogether good for my soul. I feel a good kind of "tired".
Oh, by the way, it's no small measure of comfort to know what the Islamofacists have in store for them. The young hero will only have this lifetime to suffer his fate. Islamofacists will have eternity!
Blue Star Moms and Gold Star Moms baked cookies and brownies for weeks...it must have been, I thought, as I helped to heap them onto serving platters that took up every table and counter top in the house! Local businesses chip in to provide food for the legions of base civilian workers and soldiers who can smell the grilling for miles around. The biggest hit was the hundred plus pounds of Kiolbassa sausage we grilled. BAMC's Fisher House manager, Inga, provided us with sauerkraut. At least a dozen cans of beans were opened and heated. I wish I knew who provided the wonderful brisket, and add the container after container of potato salad, grilled dogs, and what you have is a superb feast! Fun was had by all.
For someone who never passes a uniformed military person without telling them "Thank you for your service", this was a frustrating day! I was on the base, and they were everywhere! They were putting up canopies, setting up tables and chairs for the guests, and showed up everytime any one of us volunteers needed help. What a wonderful group of young people. America, you have much reason for the pride you have in them! They are amazing.
At shortly after 1100 hours, soldiers, government workers, and construction workers (the whole base seems to be undergoing construction expansion!) showed up for the feast. The band was playing, the Colonels, Generals, both active and retired, were taking the podium, and still the calls kept coming "MORE SAUSAGES!". Hey, I'm just a worker bee!
The best, and worst part of the day for me was having the opportunity to say thank you to wounded heroes. I admit to cowardice in the case of one soldier...I was unable to approach him because I knew I would break down in tears. Can't help it, I'm a blubbering boob. He was so burned that his ears were gone, his lips were gone, and I just knew I could not say anything to make him feel better...I would just make it worse for him! As I type, tears are streaming, and white hot rage raises in me for those who are doing this to the citizens and especially the children of Iraq! The soldier knows what he signs up for, the children do not!
Sorry. I digress. The day was altogether good for my soul. I feel a good kind of "tired".
Oh, by the way, it's no small measure of comfort to know what the Islamofacists have in store for them. The young hero will only have this lifetime to suffer his fate. Islamofacists will have eternity!
Dagney you are wonderful. It was very good of you to lend your time to this effort. Fisher House is among the most worthy of causes.
Re the soldier that you couldn't approach, I know the feeling. One time at Malogne House at Walter Reed there was this young kid who couldn't have been over 20, and was missing both his arms. I could tell he had gotten pretty good with his artificials, but he had his wife and a small child there and I couldn't find the courage to approach him.
And you are right, they are amazing.
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Dagney...
For what you do for our soldiers, you deserve a medal. I'd give you one of mine...but you deserve more than the ones I have (a Bronze Star's pretty cool-sounding, but there are plenty of them out there these days...and besides you've done more than I did to get mine!)
Next time you're over at BAMC...I want you to try to approach a soldier that's a little more hurt, injured than the average guy recuperating from something like a lost limb. Do what you can to let that soldier know that you love him and appreciate the sacrifices he's made. Even if you gently hug him close and sob into his shoulder...you can squeak out a "thank you." Trust me, he or she will understand.
Like you say, we that put on the uniform, lace up our boots and raise our right hands to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic" we know that one day we might be called upon to go in harm's way to fulfill that oath. For the officers, we swear that we're taking up this obligation and without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion. Even though the enlisted soldiers may not have to utter these words...I know that they're right alongside us when they swear to obey the orders of those appoointed over them...so we're all in for a penny, in for a pound.
What galls me these days is that "we" seem to be losing a sense of proportion over what's terror, barbarism and simply bad form.
Beating a prisoner to death inside a sleeping bag with an entrenching tool is pure and simple murder.
Accidentally shooting a non-combatant in the middle of a firefight or where the cowardly rat bastards try wriggle back into the holes they force the civilians to provide them...is at best manslaughter at worst unfortunate.
A female American private leading an Iraqi prisoner around on a leash is no worse than kids on the playground teasing a fat kid. While again it's unfortunate...and we should try to prevent it from happening...I dare say that those soldiers shouldn't be in jail while those swinging scimitars in ritual beheadings are running around free.
Blowing up the headquarters of the local insurgent (read cowardly rat bastard) headquarters and accidentally killing a family next door sitting down to dinner is very much different than the insurgents using a weapon of pure terror in the crowded marketplace and killing that same family.
Would I want to be the pilot that pickled off the bomb that accidentally killed the dining family? No..but I can see where if I happen to kill 2 dozen terrorists, I might be preventing dozens of more market bombings, kidnappings, etc.
Having said that...I do wish our Iraqi allies were able to pick up the weapons and training more quickly, but I understand President Bush's resolve to stand with them until they're completely ready to do the job themselves.
I believe that all humans CAN live in peace, but only when we can put our differences aside or at least agree to disagree.
MajorDad
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I propose not to hold back until you earn enough cash to buy goods! You should get the credit loans or collateral loan and feel free
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