FISHER HOUSE - HELPING MILITARY FAMILIES

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Fisher House ambassadors returned to Fort Campbell April 23 as they do annually to meet soldiers, their families, Fort Campbell leaders and community supporters and volunteers. Fort Campbell's Fisher House was the 37th Fisher House built across the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs. The Fisher House Foundation was responsible for bringing a Fisher House to Fort Campbell in 2006.

Audrey Fisher became a Fisher House ambassador in 2003 after her husband Arnold Fisher suggested that she become an ambassador. This meant that Audrey would go around and visit all our houses to share their thanks and appreciation. She was joined by Nancy Edelman, and the two of them as trustees try to visit as many of the houses every year. The first year in 2003, they visited all 32 houses. Now there is 45 houses and they try to do about half of them every year.

Jim Weiskopf, vice president of the Fisher House Foundations said that they go for just one reason and that is to say thank you.

"Thank you to the volunteers, the managers, thank you to the staff at the medical centers who support the houses, thank you to the donors, thank you to everybody because really what we do is build a house and give the house to the Army, the Navy, the Air Force but it's the people here in the local community that make it a home," he said.

This trip the ambassadors were joined by Mary Jo Myers, who is also a trustee of the Fisher House Foundation and is the spouse of a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"We're truly blessed to have a Fisher House here at Fort Campbell that takes care of our soldiers and our families. We could not provide what these guys do for us and it's our honor to have them here to take a look at our Fisher House that serves so many Families in a time of war," said Maj. Gen. John F. Campbell, 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell commander.

"There's only one salaried position in each Fisher House and that's the manager," Weiskopf said. He continued with a very sincere thank you and said "the houses could not exist without this network of volunteers and it's the Army taking care of its own. The people who volunteer, they will never utilize the Fisher House because they live in the local community so they're doing it for others and that's really heartwarming."

Col. John P. Cook, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital commander said that it is all about taking care of our wounded warriors and these folks put their heart, soul, money and influence into it. Above and beyond all that, he said he saw where it all came from and it was from the heart.

"They are great people with a very noble cause and I appreciate everything they do," said Cook.

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