Archive for November, 2011

By Terri Barnes, for Stars and Stripes, Spouse Calls Column

Turkey leftovers in the fridge are a reminder that Thanksgiving is behind and Christmas giving is ahead. Here are some ideas for gifts that give back to our military community and some that remind us why we love being a part of it.

Let’s start with a few books – tailored for military family giving and receiving – and finish with some other shopping ideas.

For everyone: “1001 Things to Love About Military Life,” by military wives Tara Crooks, Starlett Henderson, Kathie Hightower and Holly Scherer is good reading for active duty, spouses, kids or retirees. This book is just what the title says, an extensive list of things to love about the military, from AFN commercials to Zulu time.

Spaces are provided to write personal reminiscences. Another gift idea for this book: Personalize it with your own military experiences and give it to your children.

Full disclosure: Many military members and spouses contributed to this book, including me, but I don’t have a financial interest.

For the kids: Kimberly Willis Holt, grown up Navy daughter and author of the “Piper Reed, Navy Brat” series has a new edition. “Piper Reed, Rodeo Star” joins several other chapter book titles, all about a girl growing up in a mobile military family. Kids from all service branches can relate to Piper’s adventures for middle grade readers.

For the romantic: Marine wife and New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr has added a title to her “Virgin River” novels. Her latest, “Bring Me Home for Christmas,” is about “reuniting with the one person you just can’t forget.” Of course that would be a military man. What’s more romantic than that?

For the poetic: The work of Navy wife and poet Jehanne Dubrow takes a more cerebral approach. Her book “Stateside” is an honest examination of her military life through poetry. The author says: “It helps me to order the universe if I can put a difficult problem into fourteen lines and call it a sonnet.” Even if wrapping up your problems is more complex, put a bow on this book.

For the practical: A series of books about common parenting issues, “Good Parent Good Child” was written and developed by, Rebecca Jackson, Dr. Robert Pressman and Stephanie Donaldson-Pressman, a team of authors with experience in the military community. Although the topics apply to most families – homework, bedtime, friends – the unique situations of military families are also highlighted. We don’t find that in a lot of family books, so this is worth checking out.

The series includes companion books – age-appropriate book for kids, guidebook for parents – to approach each issue from both perspectives.

For the recycle or retro enthusiast: How about shopping at your spouse club thrift store or craft bazaar? Treasures are waiting to be uncovered there, and a gift does not have to be new or machine-made to be useful and thoughtful. Also shopping in these outlets puts money back into your community. The scholarship you help to fund might be for one of your children.

For the humanitarian: Peace Cord bracelets made by Afghan women from parachute cord and U.S. military buttons give back in two ways. Arzu Studio Hope, which created this project, gives proceeds back to the artisans and their communities, which also agree to certain parameters, including education for all children, in order to participate in the program.

Sales of these bracelets also support “Spirit of America,” a non-profit organization donating humanitarian materials for American military members to distribute in Afghanistan.

Providing “whatever our troops need to help the local people,” says the Spirit of America website, builds good will and helps people in need. The materials to make these bracelets are purchased from U.S. suppliers.

For those in need: Take your kids shopping for gifts that are not for them.  Military exchanges often have an “angel tree” or “giving tree” program for local kids in need. Let your children choose clothing or toys to buy and donate – perhaps with their own money. Another good way to give is through the U.S. Marine Corps program Toys for Tots.

For the troops: Purchase care packages from the USO Wishbook. Buyers can order with a few clicks online. The USO sends the gifts to service members stationed overseas or to their families at home. These gifts, from phone cards to recordable children’s books, are easy to send, requiring no shopping or wondering what items are needed or appropriate for various locations.

For families of heroes: Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors has an online store. Purchasing any of the books or gifts offered there provides funds for TAPS, a non-profit organization serving families of fallen soldiers. TAPS provides grief counseling and many other types of support for bereaved military families.

If it’s better to give than to receive, it’s even better to give gifts that give twice. Happy shopping and happy giving.

By U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jared Marquis, Defense Information School Public Affairs

Bone Marrow testing.

FT. MEADE, Md (NNS) — A Sailor assigned to the Defense Information School is home recovering after a surgical procedure on Nov. 21 in which he donated live-saving bone marrow to a person he does not know.

During the holidays, people all over the country spend time with family, eating, watching football and enjoying the opportunity to reflect and give back. John T. Schofield is doing much the same thing, save one difference. Three days before Thanksgiving, Schofield was in a hospital undergoing a procedure to extract his bone marrow to save someone else’s life. That someone is a seriously ill 57-year old woman who may die without Schofield’s donation.

While the procedure itself is usually no more than two hours, the path to the hospital bed started for the 15-year veteran and Navy lieutenant commander more than two years ago.

In July 2009, Schofield was stationed aboard the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). Schofield was asked by the ship’s senior medical officer to market a marrow-donor registration drive for the C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program. The goal was to add to the more than 622,000 people already in the system. An already regular donor of blood and platelets, Schofield was not only willing to help publicize the event, he also registered. Nearly three years and two moves later, the instructor and Navy Element Commander at the Defense Information School here got the call he never expected.

“They called me early last month and told me I had been identified as a potential match for someone in need of a bone-marrow donation,” he said. Until that call, Schofield said, he had completely forgotten he had registered in the system. But that did not change his willingness to give.

“From the second I received that call 2 1/2 months ago until this very moment, it has been hard for me to think of anything else,” said the Salt Lake City native. Schofield said donating a part of himself to someone for a lifesaving procedure is one of the most meaningful things he has done. He knew from the moment he got that phone call he wanted to donate. His only fear was not being able to. This fear followed him throughout the next couple of phases of the process.

Being matched in the database does not guarantee a donor’s marrow will work, said Schofield. It takes several more tests before the donor is identified as both physically and medically capable of donating. Just getting a preliminary match to a non-relative is a one in a million chance, said Schofield. It was still a one-in-a-hundred chance he would actually be able to donate. But, after all the follow-up tests, Schofield got the news he hoped for: The donation was a go.

Once the surgery was on, there was nothing to do but wait, something he didn’t have to do much of. From the time he got the first phone call to the time he went into the operating room, a little over a month had passed. That didn’t give Schofield much time to worry, which he said he didn’t do a lot of. His wife and kids were a different story. His wife, Susan Schofield, who is also on the registry, was concerned at first because she wasn’t really sure what was involved, she said. But, her husband put her at ease with his assurances that the surgery was not dangerous and he would be fine. His wife’s fears calmed, it was time to focus on the children. Schofield and his wife have three boys. At ages 3, 5 and 7, they were not particularly aware of what was taking place, said Schofield.

“They knew daddy was going to the hospital, and would be home in a couple of days,” said Susan.”The only question they really had was ‘Will it hurt?’” said Schofield. “Once I assured them it wouldn’t, they were fine.” In addition to easing their concerns, Schofield used the opportunity to teach his kids it is important to help out those in need. “I feel that this transplant sets a good example for my kids in that I want them to see at a very early age that kindness and service are very good things,” he said. “It doesn’t take a lot of work. Sometimes just being available and being willing is sometimes all it takes to save someone’s life.”

That lesson, and motivating people to do their part, is why Schofield volunteered for the registry. Now that he is out of the hospital, he said he was humbled by all the appreciation he received from the doctors and nurses following the surgery. But as much as he appreciated it, it was not necessary This 57-year old patient needed his marrow for a chance at life. There never really was a choice for him, he said. “The act of being a donor doesn’t seem to me that it’s something you should be thanked for,” he said. “It is something you should do.”

Post-surgery, Schofield’s goal is to raise awareness for the marrow-donor program. “The process is so simple,” he said. “It took mere minutes to register. There is nothing about this that was difficult.” As far as the pain, Schofield, who spent one night in the hospital, said it was minimal.

“At its worst, the pain was no more than what I would have after a day spent raking leaves,” said Schofield. The average recovery time is approximately two weeks, but he said he is able to do pretty much everything he could do before the surgery.He added that he hopes more people come forward to volunteer their marrow. The experience has impacted him profoundly, he said. “When you break it down, you are availing yourself to someone for a lifesaving procedure,” Schofield said. “I really don’t think I’ll have that opportunity to do something that special again.”

For her part, Susan said the experience has motivated her to be a donor. She was already on the registry, but after experiencing the process through her husband, she hopes to get the same call. Her aunt was a marrow donor recipient, but they were never able to find a complete match. She hopes to be that complete match for someone else, Susan said.

Now, as he continues to recover, and follow through with his Thanksgiving plans to participate in a 5K run/walk, cook and deliver a turkey to junior service members and enjoy time with family, Schofield has something else to be thankful for: that his marrow is giving someone else the opportunity to do the same.

To find more information on the C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program, or to request a registry recruiting trip, visit http://www.dodmarrow.org.

What makes the holiday season special for most Americans is the combination of virtues that bring out the best in people. The appreciation and care that are manifested in Thanksgiving and the benevolence and selflessness that are hallmarks of Christmas and Hanukah spread joy and bring loved ones together. These qualities are also the bedrocks of the newest initiative focused on supporting our troops called USO Wishbook.

With USO Wishbook, people are able to choose gifts for any occasion – not just the holidays – while also providing support for our nation’s servicemen and women.

USO Wishbook is an alternative giving catalog that allows customers to tailor their contributions by interest or by recipient or by price. By interest, the selections include deployed troops, military families and wounded warriors. By recipient, the choices are male, female, children and colleagues. By price, the amounts range from $25 and under to $500 and over.

When orders are completed, contributors are given the opportunity to also send an e-card greeting to the gift recipient to celebrate the special occasion and to outline how troops are benefiting from their tax-deductible gift.

This new way of giving to the USO affords Americans the flexibility to give something as small and meaningful as sending comfort foods to the frontlines or to bestow a larger offering of, for example, building a bike for a wounded warrior.

“Every year, the USO delivers what we call ‘goodness’ to men and women in uniform and their families. It’s how we lift the spirits of troops and their families,” said USO President and CEO Sloan Gibson. “Now, through the USO Wishbook, every American can find a gift that gives twice — honor friends and family with a gift that will go around the world to support those who give so much for our country.”

So as the holiday seasons approach, keep our nation’s armed forces in mind when giving thanks and showing appreciation for all our country has to offer.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
Thursday, November 24, 2011
The White House

From my family to yours, I’d like to wish you a happy Thanksgiving. Like millions of Americans, Michelle, Malia, Sasha and I will spend the day eating great food, watching a little football, and reflecting on how truly lucky we truly are.

As Americans, each of us has our own list of things and people to be thankful for.  But there are some blessings we all share.

We’re especially grateful for the men and women who defend our country overseas. To all the service members eating Thanksgiving dinner far from your families: the American people are thinking of you today.  And when you come home, we intend to make sure that we serve you as well as you’re serving America.

We’re also grateful for the Americans who are taking time out of their holiday to serve in soup kitchens and shelters, making sure their neighbors have a hot meal and a place to stay. This sense of mutual responsibility – the idea that I am my brother’s keeper; that I am my sister’s keeper – has always been a part of what makes our country special. And it’s one of the reasons the Thanksgiving tradition has endured.

The very first Thanksgiving was a celebration of community during a time of great hardship, and we have followed that example ever since. Even when the fate of our union was far from certain – during a Civil War, two World Wars, a Great Depression – Americans drew strength from each other. They had faith that tomorrow would be better than today.

We’re grateful that they did. As we gather around the table, we pause to remember the pilgrims, pioneers, and patriots who helped make this country what it is. They faced impossible odds, and yet somehow, they persevered. Today, it’s our turn.

I know that for many of you, this Thanksgiving is more difficult than most. But no matter how tough things are right now, we still give thanks for that most American of blessings, the chance to determine our own destiny. The problems we face didn’t develop overnight, and we won’t solve them overnight. But we will solve them. All it takes is for each of us to do our part.

With all the partisanship and gridlock here in Washington, it’s easy to wonder if such unity is really possible. But think about what’s happening at this very moment: Americans from all walks of life are coming together as one people, grateful for the blessings of family, community, and country.

If we keep that spirit alive, if we support each other, and look out for each other, and remember that we’re all in this together, then I know that we too will overcome the challenges of our time.

So today, I’m thankful to serve as your President and Commander-and-Chief. I’m thankful that my daughters get to grow up in this great country of ours. And I’m thankful for the chance to do my part, as together, we make tomorrow better than today.

Thanks, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Recently the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Prince William County (home of the future Americans in Wartime Museum) and the American Festival Pops Orchestra presented a wonderful concert of music to honor veterans.  One of the highlights of the concert was the “Veterans Salute March,” conducted by the 92 year-old composer Robert Rice, with his son Gary Rice on drums. Robert Rice has previously served as an arranger and composer with the U.S. Army Band during the Second World War.  The “Veteran’s Salute” is dedicated to all veterans, but particularly to John Shepherd, a Revolutionary War soldier who was America’s longest-lived veteran (117 years).  Below is an excerpt from column written by Gary in honor of Father’s Day for the Lakewood Observer in Ohio.  To read the entire column, http://lakewoodobserver.com/read/2011/06/15/my-oath-of-enlistment-has-no-expiration-date-robert-ricethe.

by Gary Rice

This is one column that is both easy and yet incredibly difficult to write. I really don’t care to write anything that might seem in any way self-serving. Dad and I really do want to help others as best we can, and the cause of service to others is what this column is all about.

There is one group of people who never complain about my writing. They are silent and respectful, because they must be. They are the dear honored departed who once lived as we do now, but now lie at rest in our nearby cemeteries. Among those whom all of us have most recently revered are our veterans, and particularly those who have gone on before us. I’ve heard one astonishing statistic, for example, that puts the number of veterans lying in Lakewood Park Cemetery at over 3,200…

That our veterans are one of our most valuable national resources is a given. The passing of America’s last WWI veteran reminds us that America’s WWII veterans are now leaving us at an estimated rate of over a thousand lives every day. With my 91-year-old WWII vet dad, that point comes home to me daily in no uncertain terms. Others have noted that Dad’s generation saved a world from tyranny and dictatorships, and went on in the post-war era to build a national economic juggernaut second to none. Whatever happened on the beaches of Normandy or in the forests around Bastogne (or for that matter, on those deadly chemical weapons training grounds where my father served) was all left behind, as families were raised and lives were rebuilt.

As human beings, we want to believe that we can compromise and come to agreement with others. We believe, we must believe, that there has to be some way, somehow, that people can learn to get along in peace…and yet, sometimes…there comes that line in the sand where principles are involved that cannot and must not be compromised. That’s where our soldiers come in. They stand between us and many others who, quite frankly, would like to see our country vanquished…

My dear late mom, Betty Rice, passed away nearly seven years ago. She and Dad were married for nearly 60 years. I knew that I had to get Dad busy very quickly after she died. Because he was a retired band and orchestra director, with musical composing and arranging experience going back to the days before WWII, I thought that if I could teach him about the computer and a music-writing program, maybe that could help him pass the time and ease his grieving.

We loaded up a music program into a laptop computer and started from square one. Dad had to learn that a “mouse” doesn’t necessarily squeak. He learned how to get online, read e-mail, and how and why he should save his work. He found that lesson out rather abruptly when he was on about page 35 of writing his autobiography when the computer ‘s power failed, and he lost every bit of his project. Still, he took to writing music on computers like ducks take to water. When the laptop’s screen began to dim over time, we found him an over-sized screen to ease his eyestrain. In the past seven years, Dad has created many compositions on the computer, and, with my help, has created full band marches for Garfield School, Lakewood High School, St. Edward High School, Lakewood Catholic Academy, and for the All-Ohio State Fair Band…

We discovered that the veterans of this country apparently had no song of their own. There were any number of songs honoring our Armed Forces, but songs for veterans? None that we could find. Now, here was a mission that was right up Dad’s alley!

In an incredibly short period of time, “The American Veterans’ Last Salute March” was born. This was a full band march written to be played by any number of small ensembles, as well as for a large band. We enjoyed doing it together as a father-son project. Basically, Dad created the music, and I wrote the words.

During WWII, Dad noticed that during a march-past, the melody of a song was often carried by only one section of instruments. For most of the march-past, the reviewing stand would hear only the other parts of the piece. Dad came up with a brilliant system that is still in use today in the services, where all parts are written for all main sections of the band, so that not only will the melody not be lost in a march-past, but virtually any small combo can form, and be given melody and harmony parts to play, when deployed in the field or at a hospital…

“Glorious gifts” indeed come in many packages. They comprise the summation of the positive time and talents that everyone, everywhere gives to others, every day of our lives, both in this country and around the world. These gifts are especially apparent when they come from ordinary people who do extraordinary acts of kindness that benefit others, with little or no hope of return for themselves…

Hats off to America’s veterans, and to you all, especially those of you who serve others in whatever way that you are able…Hats off, too, to all dads everywhere, and especially to you, Dad. Happy Father’s Day. Thank you for your own glorious gifts to the pulse of this city, and to our nation.

ARLINGTON, Va. (Nov. 18, 2011) — Three days after the death of President John F. Kennedy, Sgt. Maj. Francis Ruddy, a Special Forces Soldier, laid his “Green Beret” upon the grave of the fallen president.

That was Nov. 25, 1963, and the event occurred at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., as Kennedy was laid to rest — 43 Green Berets by his side.

Nearly 50 years later, Soldiers of the Green Berets gathered at Kennedy’s grave site Nov. 17, 2011, to once again honor the man who lauded the Army’s Special Forces.

Soldiers from each of the Army’s seven Special Forces groups stood silent alongside Kennedy’s grave site as Secretary of the Army, John McHugh, Brig. Gen. Edward M. Reeder Jr., commander of U.S. Army Special Forces Command, and Army 2nd Lt. Christopher Kennedy McKelvy, great nephew of the fallen President, laid a wreath at Kennedy’s grave in a ceremony to honor the fallen president’s commitment to the Special Forces Soldier.

Following the symbolic event by Sgt. Maj. Ruddy, the Green Berets would honor Kennedy by laying a wreath at his grave annually. That tradition continued until the late 1980s.

“Our purpose today was to re-establish the tradition that began when a very special contingent of Green Berets was requested from the Kennedy family to perform the honor guard for President Kennedy’s funeral,” said the Special Forces commander, Reeder, during a luncheon following the ceremony. “Our intent is to honor Kennedy’s unparalleled advocacy of the Green Berets.”

The newly commissioned McKelvy, 24, said the ceremony was “truly a special experience.”

“It was an honor to be invited by the Green Berets to be here. They are great Americans and great heroes,” he said.

During Kennedy’s tenure as president, the Special Forces regiment grew by seven Special Forces groups.

Not long after a visit to Fort Bragg in 1961 with then-Special Forces commander, Brig. Gen. William P. Yarborough, Kennedy authorized the Green Beret as the official headgear of the U.S. Army Special Forces.

Kennedy sent a message to Yarborough after the capabilities demonstration he received on the visit Fort Bragg. The message in part read: “The challenge of this old but new form of operations is a real one and I know that you and the members of your Command will carry on for us and the free world in a manner which is both worthy and inspiring. I am sure that the Green Beret will be a mark of distinction in the trying times ahead.”

Special Forces Soldiers train at the school which bears Kennedy’s namesake, the United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.

SAN ANTONIO, Nov. 17, 2011 – Saralee Trimble hunches over a craft table, meticulously weaving thin strips of material together to form a basket. The room is noisy with TV’s blaring and people chatting and laughing, but her concentration is unbroken as she focuses on her task.

For just a few brief moments, this mom of five is simply focused on piecing together a basket, rather than the life that was nearly lost to her on a roadside in Afghanistan. Trimble’s son, Army Pfc. Kevin Trimble, was just four months into his deployment when a fellow soldier standing three feet away stepped on a homemade bomb. The soldier was killed and Trimble lost both of his legs above the knee and his left arm above the elbow.

Trimble was at home in New Orleans when she got the phone call. It’s a call, she said with tears welling up, that she’ll never forget.

She and her husband, Daniel, were told their son had been injured and was in serious condition, but was stable and alert. Shocked at the news, they focused on the positive. “The most important thing was he was alert,” she said.

After a few days in Germany, her son arrived at Brooke Army Medical Center here on Sept. 24, and Trimble, her husband and her children rushed there to greet him. The toughest moment, Trimble said, was when she saw her son for the first time. “I wanted to cry,” she said, again tearing up at the recollection. “It was heavy, real heavy.”

Not wanting to convey their shock, she and her husband went out in the hall, held each other and cried. Her son had dreamed of being a soldier for as long as she could remember, and joined right out of high school. She knew how devastating this injury would be to him as a man, and a soldier.

“It was really hard,” she said. “He’s 19; he’s my baby.” She then thought of her other children. Four of her five children are in the service: one in the Air Force, two in the Army and one in the Marine Corps Reserve. Two have deployed multiple times and one expects to go soon, she said. “I thought of Kevin and then, ‘What about them?’”

The Long Recovery

Trimble steeled herself for the long recovery road ahead. Her electrician husband returned home to a foreman job they couldn’t afford for him to lose, and she settled in at the hospital. She grimaced as she recollected those early days of recovery. “It was very traumatic, no way around it, it just is,” she said.

Trimble said her son was boiling hot all the time so they placed ice packs on his shoulders and constantly doused his face and neck with cold water. He was on pain medication, but even that couldn’t fully prevent the pain. “You can’t avoid it; it’s part of it,” she said. Throughout, Kevin remained positive, Trimble said, with only a few moments of despair. “A few times he’s broken down and said, ‘Mom, look at me. What good am I?’” In those moments, Trimble said all she could do was pray with her son and assure him he’d be OK. She never, even from the start, had a doubt that he’d pull through, she said.

Trimble said her son reached a turning point when a group of wounded warriors, including several triple amputees, came to see him at his bedside. “That encouraged him so much to see other guys the same as him who were actually getting around and able to do something,” she said.

Kevin checked out of the hospital less than two months after his injury, and is about to start his therapy at the Center for the Intrepid, a state-of-the-art rehabilitation center just steps away from the hospital. He’s had one two-hour physical therapy session so far, Trimble said, and that one “wiped him out.” “They had him getting from the wheelchair onto the floor and then back up,” she said, noting that’s no easy feat with just one arm. “When he came back he didn’t want to do nothing but sleep. “But that’s good,” she added. “He needs that challenge.”

Next up, he’ll be fitted for a prosthetic arm, and later prosthetic legs. The sooner he can use his limbs and gain independence, the better, Trimble said. Meanwhile, she is helping him get acclimated to his “new normal” by taking him on outings, whether it’s to Sea World or to play miniature golf. He had a great time golfing, she said, but was saddened by the children’s stares. “I told him, ‘You know you’re going to have that the rest of your life,’” she said. “‘You are different from everyone else, but that doesn’t say who you are. You still are who you are.’”

The Challenges of Caregiving

It’s been a rough couple of months and Trimble acknowledged the stress that accompanies full-time caregiving. Fearful of the devastating impact of a fall, she isn’t comfortable yet leaving her son alone. And she only has brief respites during appointments or when one of her children is there to help. But even a short break can provide a big recharge, she said.

When she’s not by her son’s side, Trimble finds respite, and solace, in the Warrior and Family Support Center, a sprawling 12,500–square-foot facility here. The center offers a place for families and wounded warriors to relax, reconnect or just have a cup of coffee. Along with computers, video games, movies and books, the center offers a host of outings, and craft classes to service members and their families.

Trimble is a familiar face at the craft tables. One day she’ll be seen weaving baskets, and the next she is building a mosaic or stained glass creation. Her son and other family members often join in, as well. On this day, Kevin and his brother and sister — visiting here on military leave — stopped by for a leatherworking class. They joked and laughed as they worked on their creations. Kevin was making a belt with help from his brother, Ben. As he worked, Kevin said he was grateful for his mom’s presence. “Things would be harder without her,” he acknowledged.

Having family around is vital for a wounded warrior’s recovery, his mother noted. “It’s very important for them to have support,” she said. “Look at Kevin. It’s not even two months and look where he’s at.” Trimble said they’ll most likely be here for another two years. Her son’s goal is to graduate from the Center for the Intrepid on his 21st birthday, May 22, 2013.

Meanwhile, Trimble has a long road of caregiving ahead, but said she’s up to the task. The toughest challenge for her isn’t the lack of time alone or the stress, she said, it’s seeing her son in pain. “That’s one reason why you want to take a break,” she said. “Knowing that he’s suffering … that’s very hard.”

With two years of separation from her husband looming, Trimble said the time apart will be tough. Plus, she’s worried about how he’s maintaining their home in her absence. “I’m sure no one is running the broom while I’m away,” she joked. But despite the ongoing struggles, Trimble said she wouldn’t have it any other way. She’ll be by her son’s side for as long as he needs her to be. “He’s my son. Caring for him … I couldn’t ask for anything more special.”

Related Sites:
Photo Essay
Military Family Appreciation Month
Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury
Afterdeployment.org
Military OneSource
Family Matters Blog

For more information and additional photos and video visit, http://tinyurl.com/85fdo2t

By: Steve Pendlebury

LAKE RIDGE, Va. Minutes after soaring over the Northern Virginia countryside in a B-24, Ray Gulick explained why it’s the best of all the aircraft that flew in World War II. The best plane is always “the one that brings you home.”

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11, 2011 – Two years ago, retired Marine Corps Capt. Dan Moran stood before then-Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and hundreds of other well-wishers as he accepted the keys to a new suburban Houston home presented by the a non-profit organization, Helping a Hero. Moran’s dress uniform failed to conceal the extent of his combat wounds during the Aug. 31, 2009, ceremony in the living room of his new, 3,300-square-foot home.

An ambush that hit his platoon during his second deployment to Ramadi, Iraq, left Moran with third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body, a comprehension fracture in his T-8 vertebrae, herniated discs, a mild traumatic injury and an inhalation injury. He endured 30 surgeries and more than two-and-a-half years of treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.

Moran’s house was built to accommodate his needs with tinted windows, a high-efficiency air conditioner and heating system, and other enhanced temperature-control measures because he can no longer control his body temperature. The lot was selected to allow the least amount of direct sunlight into the house, which includes an extended covered porch so he can spend time outside while avoiding direct sun exposure.

Despite all Moran had been through and continues to live with, all that he thought about during the presentation ceremony was the magnitude of the gift he was accepting and questions about how he could ever repay that generosity. “What do I say to people who have given me so much?” he asked attendees, then made them a pledge.

“You made an investment in me and other wounded warriors, and I promise you, you will get a return on your investment in me,” he told them. “This is how I am going to pay you back: by how I live my life and the impact I will have.” Moran has wasted no time living up to that promise, committing himself to helping wounded warriors and veterans live meaningful, productive lives.

He launched his own company, Moran Enterprises Inc., to help them find rewarding career opportunities. He became a leader in many of the organizations that helped him during his transition back to civilian life. He’s a board member for Hope for the Warriors, a spokesman for Helping a Hero, and a member of Marine 4 Life and the Marine Corps Association.

Most recently, Texas Gov. Rick Perry appointed Moran as one of five state commissioners on the Texas Veterans Commission. The commissioners provide the strategic vision and policy for the body that informs veterans of their rights and helps ensure they receive the benefits they have earned. “I gladly accepted, and I see it as a great opportunity to be able to continue serving veterans, to continue serving my countrymen and serving my country,” Moran said.

Moran said he takes pleasure giving back to military members and veterans who have served and sacrificed around the world. “I am just thankful that I am still alive and still breathing and I have the opportunity to impact people the way that I have had people impact my life,” he said.

Despite all that an enemy ambush took away from him on that fateful day in Iraq, he said he takes consolation knowing that he is “still in the fight” with his comrades in arms and other veterans. “What I personally get out of it, at the end of the day, is knowing that I am still serving a purpose greater than myself,” Moran said. It’s the same feeling he said he felt every day when he wore the uniform, emphasizing that “no rank, no medal, no amount of financial worth could ever take the place of that feeling.”

“I’m just thankful that I have the opportunity to do this,” he said. “To be able to help do for someone else who truly deserves it is what America is all about. I really, really believe that, and I see it on a daily basis.”

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day–a common misunderstanding, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Memorial Day (the fourth Monday in May) honors American service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle, while Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans–living or dead–but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.

Veterans Day Facts

• In 1954, President Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.
• In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress, which moved the celebration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. The law went into effect in 1971, but in 1975 President Ford returned Veterans Day to November 11, due to the important historical significance of the date.
• Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World Wars I and II on or near November 11th: Canada has Remembrance Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November). In Europe, Britain and the Commonwealth countries it is common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.

Veterans Facts

The brave men and women who serve and protect the U.S. come from all walks of life; they are parents, children and grandparents. They are friends, neighbors and coworkers, and an important part of their communities. Here are some facts about the current veteran population of the Untied States.

• 9.2 million veterans are over the age of 65.
• 1.9 million veterans are under the age of 35.
• 1.8 million veterans are women.
• 7.8 million veterans served during the Vietnam War era (1964-1975), which represents 33% of all living veterans.
• 5.2 million veterans served during the Gulf War (representing service from Aug. 2, 1990, to present).
• 2.6 million veterans served during World War II (1941-1945).
• 2.8 million veterans served during the Korean War (1950-1953).
• 6 million veterans served in peacetime.
• As of 2008, 2.9 million veterans received compensation for service-connected disabilities.
• 5 states have more than 1 million veterans in among their population: California(2.1 million),Florida(1.7 million), Texas (1.7 million), New York (1 million) andPennsylvania(1 million).
• The VA health care system had 54 hospitals in 1930, since then it has expanded to include 171 medical centers; more than 350 outpatient, community, and outreach clinics; 126 nursing home care units; and 35 live-in care facilities for injured or disabled vets.

From www.history.com

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