User 1019
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2004
- Messages
- 17,679
I don't normally do this. Well, as a matter of fact, I've never done it. But I've found an organization I think is worthy enough to pass along to you.
While stationed here at Ft. Sam Houston (San Antonio), I've had an up-close and personal look at the terrible war injuries that affect soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Burns and amputations seem to make up the majority of the injuries, obviously, but other types of war wounds are present, as well.
Ft. Sam is home to the Army's Medical Corps and Brooke Army Medical Center, a Class V (highest level) military treatment facility that shares research and rehabilitation responsibilities with Walter Reed. It is also home to the Center For the Intrepid
( http://cem.syska.com/Government/projects/intrepid.html ), a state-of-the-art rehab center adjacent to the hospital. The soldiers are well taken care of.
But there is a problem. When rehab and recovery begin to take weeks, or months, lodging the soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen and their families becomes quite the task and a drain on the families.
An organization called the Soldiers and Families Assistance Center (SFAC), a non-profit, stepped in to provide a place for soldiers and families to stay, hang out, eat, watch TV, play games ... You get the picture. They were operating on the second floor of a hotel built across from the hospital built for this very reason (housing families and visitors of patients). But they're out of room, and have begun raising money to construct a new facility on Ft. Sam near the hospital to accommodate the need.
The Returning Heroes Home http://returningheroeshome.org/ is a project launched by the SFAC to construct the facility that will cost around $3 million. They are also providing Thanksgiving meals to the soldiers and families, and many of my peers are donning their dress uniforms to serve dinner at the SFAC on Turkey Day.
Browse the Web site, if you choose. It's done fairly well, although could use a few more pictures or sketches of the planned facility. There's a heartbreaking video and letters from folks who have been helped by the SFAC, as well as FAQs and some recent news about the organization and the project.
Donate if you're led; my check's already in the mail, and Mrs. t_b_f and I will donate in the name of family members, instead of buying a few Christmas gifts this year.
Thanks for listening,
t_b_f
While stationed here at Ft. Sam Houston (San Antonio), I've had an up-close and personal look at the terrible war injuries that affect soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Burns and amputations seem to make up the majority of the injuries, obviously, but other types of war wounds are present, as well.
Ft. Sam is home to the Army's Medical Corps and Brooke Army Medical Center, a Class V (highest level) military treatment facility that shares research and rehabilitation responsibilities with Walter Reed. It is also home to the Center For the Intrepid
( http://cem.syska.com/Government/projects/intrepid.html ), a state-of-the-art rehab center adjacent to the hospital. The soldiers are well taken care of.
But there is a problem. When rehab and recovery begin to take weeks, or months, lodging the soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen and their families becomes quite the task and a drain on the families.
An organization called the Soldiers and Families Assistance Center (SFAC), a non-profit, stepped in to provide a place for soldiers and families to stay, hang out, eat, watch TV, play games ... You get the picture. They were operating on the second floor of a hotel built across from the hospital built for this very reason (housing families and visitors of patients). But they're out of room, and have begun raising money to construct a new facility on Ft. Sam near the hospital to accommodate the need.
The Returning Heroes Home http://returningheroeshome.org/ is a project launched by the SFAC to construct the facility that will cost around $3 million. They are also providing Thanksgiving meals to the soldiers and families, and many of my peers are donning their dress uniforms to serve dinner at the SFAC on Turkey Day.
Browse the Web site, if you choose. It's done fairly well, although could use a few more pictures or sketches of the planned facility. There's a heartbreaking video and letters from folks who have been helped by the SFAC, as well as FAQs and some recent news about the organization and the project.
Donate if you're led; my check's already in the mail, and Mrs. t_b_f and I will donate in the name of family members, instead of buying a few Christmas gifts this year.
Thanks for listening,
t_b_f
