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Helping ‘comrades in arms’ is VFW post’s mission
(by Kathryn A. Burger - August 06, 2008)
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Photo Courtesy Of VFW Post 8946
Members of Woodcliff Lake VFW Post 8946 recently paid another visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center to visit with those wounded in and . They also donated a 52-inch high definition television, a DVD player and video games for the Day Room. Pictured here are, from left, back row, Lt. Col. Mildred Padilla, aide to General Raymond Johns, the deputy chief of staff, US Air Force; post members Joseph Poggi, Fred Singer, Faust Faustini, George Kritzler, William Huston and Raymond Johns; Lt. Col. Susan Pietrykowski and behind her, a center staff member; Dana Brown, R.N., B.S.N., M.A., head neuroscience clinical nurse; and post members James Horris and Peter Mauro. Front row, from left are post members Gerard De Cicco and Edward Powers, with three hospital staff members. The post is now planning its next visit to the center.
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“Our ‘Wounded Warrior Program’ has been very well received and has come about through the generosity of the people of the Pascack Valley,” said Bill Huston, of VFW Post 8946, after post members returned from their sixth “mission” to armed forces recovering from combat injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan. This trip was to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, but post members have also visited the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
During past visits to the facility, the post has brought “wish list” items the men and women who are recovering from surgery and those in the midst of rehabilitation have requested. Electric shavers, DVD/CD players, movies and music, as well as “wick” clothing that draws moisture away from the skin to the surface of the fabric where it dries quickly, have been gratefully received, all purchased with donations from individuals and businesses in the Pascack Valley.
There is also the support and encouragement the post members provide to both the injured and their families. Post members offer their friendship and shared military experience and say the patients feel a comradeship with them since they have all seen combat, an experience that can only be shared with those who have endured it.
Huston said this trip was special in a number of ways. While the post has sought to easy the tedium of a prolonged hospital or rehab stay by providing diversions, such as personal CD and DVD players, games and clothing, on this trip, they began their newest project.
There is a Day Room adjacent to the orthopedic ward where patients can gather for socializing, but there are few diversions to be found there and so, is it underused. To provide an enticement for them to gather in the Day Room, the post brought a 52-inch high definition television and a DVD player that has been installed in the room. They also provided many video games. Huston said the post hopes the enhancements will, “provide an outlet for the comradeship they are seeking.”
On this trip, for the first time, the post members visited patients in the Psychiatric Ward. “Stress can have a toll on combat servicemen and women, which affect their mental health,” he said. Based on the positive response the members receive each time they visit the hospital and their frequent visits, the medical center felt the patients in the ward would benefit from having an opportunity to visit with them. “We were the first group asked to join them in the ward. They shouldn’t be considered forgotten patients,” Huston said.
Their visit to the ward was due in part to a request they received from Captain Darrick Gutting, a United States Army chaplain at the center. “Captain Gutting submitted a “wish list” request for those in the ward. He asked if we could bring ‘Croc’ shoes for the patients,” Huston said. “Crocs” are slip-on sandals made from a foam resin and are known for their comfort. They are available in a number of colors, but the post had something else in mind. “We worked with the manufacturer and they made us 80 pairs in Army green,” Huston said.
Captain Gutting was recently named the Army’s “Top Chaplain” this year, for his work in the wards – orthopedic, neurological, and psychiatric – at Walter Reed. Huston said, “It’s been our pleasure to be associated with this fine man and we will continue to work with him.”
There was one more surprise in store – this one for the post members. “After we visited with the patients and distributed the items we had brought, we were honored by Major General Douglas Carver, the Army’s chief of chaplains.” Citing the post’s caring efforts on behalf of wounded men and women who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle, the general presented each of the post members with his “Challenge Coin,” as a token of thanks. “We thanked him but said our work isn’t about us. It’s about the wounded. People have to know what a great job our service men and women are doing defending our way of life.”
Huston said, “All in all, this was one of our finest trips to Walter Reed.”
The post continues to raise funds for the “Wounded Warrior Program,” while acknowledging with sincere thanks the individuals, as well as businesses and organizations, including the Corvette Forum, Menner Tools, API Industries, and Dream Products, that have been so generous in their support. Huston said the post wants to continue to support the patients at both Walter Reed and the Naval Medical Center as long as there are wounded there who need their help.
Donations in any amount to support the “Wounded Warrior Program” are welcome. Checks, payable to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8946, can be mailed to the post at: P.O. Box 8523, Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677.
Kathryn A. Burger's e-mail address is burger@northjersey.com.
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