East Coast Wounded Warriors
On June 27th, the Purple Heat Family Support group on the East Coast served suppers at the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Maryland. California Tortilla of Bethesda delivered over-stuffed burritos, salad, salsa and chips for the Wounded Warriors and their families.
Click here for California Tortilla website.
People were waiting at the door of the fifth floor conference room for supper. One family, visiting their severely wounded Marine, was from Texas. They and their Marine, who was learning to negotiate the hallways in a motorized wheel chair, were delighted to see the Hispanic cuisine. They loaded up on burritos and hot sauce.
The volunteers served several badly wounded Marines in mechanized wheel chairs. They and their families were all happy to have the meal set up for them in a hospital conference room. They were able to have a restaurant style meal without having to leave the hospital complex.
One Marine mom who came in to get supper was thrilled with the salad, loaded with fresh vegetables. She said she had been living on Girl Scout cookies. Another mother who came in said that she is a big fan of the MarineParents.com message board. She told us it was the only way she could keep her sanity while her son was in harm’s way. Now that he is back at Bethesda, they can keep track of his unit, back in Afghanistan.
PHFS also served meals at Mercy Hall, the long term recuperation barracks adjacent to the hospital. Meals were taken by PHFS volunteers to the seventh floor PTSD/Traumatic Brain Injury ward. The seven patients there welcomed the special meals.
Two medical ambulances from Andrews Air Force Base and Walter Reed Army Hospital brought three new wounded warriors to Bethesda. PHFS volunteers made supper trays for the new arrivals and took food to the Marine Liaison’s office for their families who were due to arrive in an hour. The great people at the Marine Liaison’s office can always be counted on to look after the newly arrived family members. Several parents remarked at how grateful they were for the Marines at the Liaison Office.
Volunteers visited families in the ICU waiting room on the third floor. They were able to coax a few to come up to the fifth floor to get some supper. Some parents tag-teamed: one coming up for food and the other staying at their Wounded Warrior’s bedside. The PHFS volunteers were especially moved when the father of a downed Air Force pilot came in to get suppers for his wife, his son’s fiancée and himself.
The wounded pilot was shot down during a medevac flight in Afghanistan. He was suffering a traumatic brain injury and in a coma. The father told the volunteers how appreciative he was for the meals brought into the hospital. He and his wife could not bear to leave their son’s bedside to find supper away from the hospital. The brave father said he was losing hope that his son would survive. The PHFS volunteers promised to keep his son in all their prayers.
A Special Thank You
We'd like to extend a huge thank you to the Purple Heart Family Support June 2010 Sponsors. The meals provided this month were funded by:
Couple from Leonardtown, Maryland
East Coast Meals
June 2010 In-part
Thank you for supporting our Wounded Warriors and their families through your contribution to Purple Heart Family Support!
