Trip to visit wounded troops was eye-opening

Trip to visit wounded troops was eye-opening

The Times News

08.17.11

Matt Leonard knows how much the Fisher House means to the families of wounded soldiers.

Last year, Leonard spent 38 days in the Womack Army Medical Center, located at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, recovering from injuries he received while serving in Afghanistan. During the hospital stay, his wife stayed at the nearby Fisher House.

Times-News’ Teens & 20s writer Kristian Whitesell not only got a chance to see what the Fisher House does firsthand, but she visited with Leonard in the hospital last year while making a trip with the Republican Women of Alamance County.

On Aug. 9, Whitesell and Leonard met under different circumstances.

“I remember seeing you … I remember that button nose,” Leonard said with a smile. “But you left the room and I didn’t get to give you a hug.”

At the time, Whitesell admitted, she was upset because she knew that Leonard was in pain.

A true supporter of the military, this teen has spent tireless hours volunteering for military blood drives. After seeing what the Fisher House does, she decided to ask the Teens & 20s group if they’d be willing to not only collect donations, but deliver them to the Fisher House and visit with wounded soldiers at the nearby Womack Army Medical Center.

Boxes were located at the Times-News, Burlington Police Department, A Cut Above Tuxedoes and the Village at Brookwood during the last few months. When all was said and done, we had enough to pack into two vans, along with a check for $432 from a bake sale held at The Village at Brookwood and organized by Teens & 20s writer Kaitlin Gillespie, who works at the Edgewood Place location.

The check and supplies were presented to Paula Gallero, Fisher House manager, and she was so overcome with emotion that all she could say was “it’s amazing what God can do.”

Leonard, who has lived in Salisbury and Lexington, now works at the house, which is really as nice as any four-star hotel. It’s a lot like the Ronald McDonald House, in that it relies heavily on donations to operate. The Fisher House program was founded by Zachary Fisher and his wife, Elizabeth; the first house was in Bethesda, Md. There are now 54 houses throughout the United States. The Fisher House at Fort Bragg is in need of paper products, games, puzzles, DVDs, anything to help the visiting families feel like they’re home.

Leonard led the Teens & 20s group, which consisted of nine writers, two moms and three young children, along with me, through Womack Army Medical Center, where we met with wounded soldiers. Some were injured in accidents in Fayetteville, while others, like Danny, were wounded overseas. Danny was in Afghanistan and those working at the hospital encouraged us to visit him and bring along the cookies and snacks we had toted upstairs.

“You don’t know how much it means … for you all to thank us for what we do,” Danny said.

Those words alone were enough to make most of us tear up. Sure, we complain about being too hot, too overworked, underpaid and underappreciated. But what it all comes down to is that there is someone, like Danny, who is serving his country because he wants to. He doesn’t know us. He has no idea how much his service means. And that’s why we should tell him.

This trip to Fayetteville, I must admit, was one I dreaded prior to that day. Juggling work, motherhood and being a wife, well, it seemed like just another thing on life’s never-ending list. But yet, this visit was so eye-opening and rewarding that I must thank these young writers who, although they haven’t had the life experiences I’ve had, seem wise beyond their years.

Thank you.