April 15, 2010 – Mercy Hall

My Marine is a wounded Warrior…

The picture is a pin that one of the Marine moms at the
luncheon was wearing. The Maryland
Marine Corps League gave it to her when her son was on the hospital
ward a few weeks ago.

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Barb and I met Jean in Annapolis and we caravanned over to the hospital.
Traffic was heavier than usual on the beltway and Susie was already
there with loads of food. Jess joined us soon after. As soon as she
walked in the door the line for the seated massages began to form.

Susie had the idea to do up Easter Baskets since it was
so close to Easter. We had “Peeps” in every color – yellow and pink…
green… blue… turns out one of the gals there loves “Peeps” so they
made her day. Bethesda is a military hospital…
not all of the barrack residents are combat wounded. She is not, and
has her own courageous story.

Lasagna was on the menu because one of the Marines had
requested it when we were there in February. Barb fixed him a large
takeout box to take back to his room for later.

Ziti, pasta pazoole (Ok, I can’t pronounce it, much less
spell it), potato and leek soup, garlic bread, a cheese, olive, and
pepperoni appetizer tray, garden salad, fresh fruit, cake, pecan brownies,
pumpkin pie with cool whip, chocolate and vanilla pudding, smoothies,
and drinks were also on the menu.

We put together a “movie night” box for the guys with
a new movie, popcorn, Tostitos and salsa, and some other snacks. We
also had some things for the “stash table”, gave out some quilts and
handed out the encouragement notes. As always, the pillowcases were
a hit.

Some of the guys and their parents from the hospital
ward came over. Jess stayed busy doing the seated massages. Jean and
Barb held the fort down while Susie and I visited with some of the
out-patients and their parents outside in the courtyard.

To our note writers, yes, the notes are appreciated!
Thank you for taking the time to write them! I overheard a very heartwarming
comment about them.

To those of you, who help make the luncheon happen through
your gifts of donations, thank you so much!

Thank you, Grace and Aunt Jeanne, for your “beforehand
help”.

Thank you Susie, Barb, Jean, and Jess for your help the
day of the luncheon!

Job Well Done!

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I have had the opportunity to see a few “formations”
in the past — Parris Island on Boot Camp graduation day; MOS graduation
day at Aberdeen later that summer; Homecoming at Camp Pendleton after
a tour in the “sandbox”.

“Formations” are when a squad, platoon, company, or battalion
line up and report to the person in charge.

We had the opportunity to watch a formation while we
were there for the luncheon.

Each pair of boots and sneakers (not everyone is able
to wear boots right away because of injuries) you see above has a
story to tell… a story of courage and bravery and a story of hope
for the future.

They have sacrificed much for our freedoms.

Those who expect to reap the blessings
of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.

~Thomas Paine

We appreciate your commitment, your bravery, and your
sacrifice.

When a serviceman or woman is wounded, it affects the
whole family. One piece of advice a mother of an injured Marine passed
on to me is:

“Write everything down.”

The Warrior Care site has a booklet you can print out
–

“Keeping
It All Together –

for wounded, injured, and ill service members
and their family.”

It helps you keep track of everything before, during,
and after a hospital stay, and through the entire recovery process.
It has information for the patient as well as for the family and caregiver,
with support links for all service branches.

http://www.woundedwarriorresourcecenter.com/kiat.pdf

If you have someone in the military, think about printing
it out, store it in a safe place with the Power of Attorney and other
information you keep on hand during a deployment, because if (and
I hope it never does!) that phone call comes a “fog” may set in. This
will help keep you organized.

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If you would like to send an upbeat, positive note of
support and encouragement to the wounded, injured, and ill combat
patients at Bethesda, you can email
them to mailto:notes4bethesda@marinemoms-bethesda.org

We will print them out and hand-deliver them for you.

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Our quilt raffle begins May 1^stwith the drawing on August 19^th
at our Mercy Hall barbecue. You can see a sneak peek of the “Maid
of Honor” quilt here.

“Let Freedom Ring!”