FISHER HOUSE - HELPING MILITARY FAMILIES

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When service members are wounded, having family at their bedsides can play a huge role in getting better.

But when hundreds of miles separate home from the military medical facilities, getting the loved ones to their bedsides can be complicated, and keeping them there for any length of time can be expensive.

That's where Frederick resident and Fisher House Foundation President David Coker comes in.

In 1990, Zachary Fisher and his wife, Elizabeth, built houses at two military medical facilities to serve as a home away from home for spouses, children, parents and others who need to stay with wounded or sick service members.

The Fishers' charity caught Coker's attention almost immediately.

Coker joined the Fisher House Foundation in 1994 as its executive director -- and its only employee for a little while -- and has served as its president for the past five or so years.

"When Zach first started doing this, he didn't realize how important it was going to become to our military," Coker said. "Initially he offered two houses, one to Walter Reed and one to Bethesda. And he thought about it and said, 'OK, I've got the Army and the Navy, well, I don't want to make the Air Force mad so I'll do one for them.' And they said San Antonio was the right place. And then three became four ..."

And through the Fisher family's philanthropy and Coker's dedication, four has become 53.

Last year alone, the Fisher Houses served about 12,000 families and saved them more than $16 million in lodging, food and transportation costs. Since 1990, the houses have served more than 142,000 families for more than 3.5 million days of lodging -- a $165 million gift to American military families in need.

The houses are more than just small hotels. Each room is distinct from those around it to give a more personalized feel. Some rooms adjoin to keep families together while giving children and parents their privacy. Bathrooms all have wheel-in showers to accommodate disabled service members. And the houses all have laundry rooms, kitchens and play rooms to help families feel at ease and bond with others in the same situation.

Though the cause is noble, for Coker it is also personal. His mother was diagnosed with cancer in 1986 when he was serving as an Army captain in Germany. His father, who also had a long Army career, called the commanding general at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Maj. Gen. Lewis Mologne, who served under him years before.

"He said, 'Virginia's been diagnosed with cancer, I'd like to get a second opinion. Who has the best program?'" Coker said. "And Gen. Mologne said, 'We do, and I'll set up the appointments. There's only one condition I'm going to place on you: You're staying with Rose and (me).' And because my father knew the general, he opened up his house to my folks. And I know how much that meant to them."

Coker saw a Fisher House go up while he was serving at the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Colorado. He took an interest in it and even started a local charity to raise money for the cause. But that wasn't enough for Coker. In 1994, after 15 years in the Army, he took early retirement and went to work for the Fisher House Foundation.

"I figured I could either be a cog in the big green machine or working with Fisher House and really have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others," he said.

Coker has watched the foundation go from just him to a staff of about 15. They've added 40 more houses around the country, including three recently at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda and one at Dover Air Force Base for families of the fallen coming to escort their loved ones' bodies back home.

"They were staying in strip hotels -- that just shouldn't be your last memory of the military," he said.

The foundation also started the Hero Miles program, where people can donate frequent flier miles for military members and their families. Relatives can get plane tickets within 24 hours to join a wounded service member, or the service member can get plane tickets to come home during convalescent leave. Coker said the program has provided more than 21,000 tickets since it started in 2005.

Having worked in the Army Medical Service Corps, Coker is familiar with military medicine. The system does excellent work, he said, but the families' needs often extend past what the military is authorized to do.

He recalled a chaplain at Fort Campbell calling his office at 5:15 p.m., as he was on his way out the door. A woman needed to get to Walter Reed quickly, as her husband was being flown in from Germany. Coker got on the phone with the wife, and after he made her flight arrangements, she asked what Army office he was with.

"I said, 'Well, I'm not with the Army, I'm with an organization that just wants to express our support for you and your husband's service.'" Coker said. "And she goes, 'Well, I've been on the phone since 10 this morning, and you're the first person that hadn't given me another number to call.' And so to be able to have that kind of an impact and to be a part of the solution is the greatest privilege a person can ask for."

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