Face of America - some memorable moments

As LDR put it, this experience is unforgettable. It was a pleasure to work so hard for something so worthwhile. I cannot fathom the amount of planning and adjusting that goes into an event such as this, but somehow, it ran smoothly and allowed the riders to concentrate on the ride, while all other details were taken care of.

There were many memorable moments, but these stick out in my mind:

*Watching Walter Reed's CSM coin a Marine who was at Iwo Jima and offer heartfelt thanks for his service. The respect and reverence were palpable.

*Seeing familiar faces, both as volunteers and as riders; what a great bonding experience.

*Appreciating all the groups that came out to assist at the rest and meal stops. Whether it was a church group, the Boy Scouts or others, our riders were greeted warmly and enthusiastically at every stop, with banners hung to welcome each rider as they finished one more leg of the ride.

*Laughing with our warriors at various rest stops, as they explained, often in great comedic detail, what it would take to ease the discomfort of riding such a great distance. I learned of products I never knew existed.

*Admiring how fellow riders offered assistance to those who struggled, regardless of branch, rank or injury.

*Witnessing wounded warriors, riding alongside their military brothers as well as civilians, all sharing one road, all striving to complete the grueling ride in relentless heat. It was truly incredible seeing the sense of accomplishment and renewed faith in themselves.

*Standing at the finish line in Gettysburg, as the riders arrived all at once, being led by those on hand cranked cycles, amid the cheers of the crowd that gathered, under a beautiful American flag blowing in the wind.

This was truly an amazing experience and one I encourage participation in, whether it is as a volunteer or rider. Next year, give an hour, a day, or a weekend to assist during the ride and make memories of your own...

MD

FACE OF AMERICA BICYCLE RIDE--Reflections

Well, the long anticipated weekend has come and gone. What a wonderful weekend it was! The work was worth it! The heat--if the riders didn't complain, we didn't either!!

320 individuals participated--whether cycling or volunteering. A tentative count has it at about 280 cyclists covering 110 miles over 2 days from Bethesda MD to Gettysburg PA. I am sorry to say that I was not able to take pictures, but will be posting links to sites that will post them.

So many different people rode. "Angels" to an ambassador; Injured to non-injured; Sailors to Soldiers to Marines to Coast Guard to Air Force; Generals to Privates; Civilians to Milbloggers :-); people of all ages.

Here's some things from YouTube--and yes, I tear each time I look at these. These were forwarded onto me from friends--thanks!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqIFjwMmR20 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9Sb2F3_gh8 Oh, and here's a video that was aired on the DC Fox News Friday night http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/local/042409_injured_soldiers_bike_ride

I am glad that we have been given this opportunity to work this event. So much good comes from an event such as this. The bonding between riders and volunteers can not be explained. For those of us that return every year--it's seeing old friends and catching up. To those riders that were recently injured, it shows they can still do things they did before they were injured. At the end of the very first ride I worked on, a young man who had lost his leg in Iraq and had just finished 110 miles, looked at me with the biggest smile on his face and said "L, this is the first time since I lost my leg that I felt normal".....You betcha we work to make that happen for all our warriors!

I am proud and honored to be working with the fine group of people who put on this event. Thank you!

LDR

FACE OF AMERICA BICYCLE RIDE

It’s getting to be that time again. Less than a month to go to the Face of America Bicycle Ride. Soldiers’ Angels has partnered with World T.E.A.M. (The Exceptional Athlele Matters) Sports http://www.worldteamsports.org in this wonderful event, which has able bodied riding alongside disabled bodied riders. This is a “ride” not a race. All ride together-finish together.

The ride takes place April 25 – 26 from Bethesda MD to Gettysburg PA. Covering 110 miles over 2 days, the route goes through scenic Maryland and ends in historic Gettysburg PA.

Plans are progessing wonderfully. Participants are registering on a daily basis and the ride is growing! I can not begin to tell you how exciting this event is--for both the participants and volunteers!!

Jeff Messner, President of World T.E.A.M. Sports talking to the warriors at WRAMC.

Doug Levy, Face of America Ride Leader addressing warriors at WRAMC.

Soldiers' Angels has quite a few members participating in a number of areas. Some are riding, others are volunteering, MANY are making banners of support and encouragement that will be hung at the Kick-off Dinner, the rest stops and the End of Ride Celebration.

If you would like to have an experience you won't soon forget, register to participate--whether as a rider or volunteer.

UFC at WR

A few months ago, we had the pleasure of meeting LTC Kelly C. at one of our functions at Walter Reed. After chatting for a bit, LTC C. let us know he had connections in MMA (mixed martial arts) and might be able to bring some UFC fighters to a future function. Of course, we jumped at the opportunity as our wounded warriors are great fans.

Fast forward to this past weekend and everything was set in motion. LTC C. lined up two very popular fighters: Matt Hughes (9x Welterweight Champ) and Tim Kennedy (Army MMA Champ) to come visit our warriors at a lunch we hosted. Our warriors were so excited to meet the fighters, they were lining up over an hour prior to the fighters' arrival. Once there, Matt and Tim proceeded to sign many autographs, have their picture taken, and even wrestle with some of the children present.

We also hosted Tom and Nick, from RangerUp http://www.rangerup.com/ who were gracious enough to bring plenty of awesome t-shirts to give away. Thank you also to Coach Mark and to Justin, for being our guests.

A couple of our favorite milbloggers were also in attendance: Laughing Wolf and Uncle Jimbo from http://www.blackfive.net/

In attendance were some local and not so local Angels as well, who assisted with set up, crowd control and greeting our guests - warriors, their families and special guests alike.

But the day was not over with lunch. You see, LTC C. had secured tickets for our warriors to attend the Ultimate Warrior Challenge "Man-o-War" event held that evening. RangerUp generously paid for the tranportation for our warriors. As tickets were limited, we quickly began a waiting list for our eager warriors, but the bottom line is all who wanted to come, were able to gain admittance. I, along with Joe, one of our very dedicated and longtime volunteers, had the pleasure of not only escorting our warriors, but also attending our first MMA event. Another shout out to our RangerUp fellas: Tom and Nick had ring/cageside seats, but would come to our seating area, switch seats with our warriors, therefore allowing our warriors to sit ringside for a match. You guys rock!

So a big thank you, to you, LTC C., Matt and Tim, Tom and Nick for being our guests, for making this one of our greatest events and for giving our wounded/ill warriors an event that will not soon be forgotten...

MD

ONE OF OUR OWN

Working as I do with our wounded warriors, I’ve been honored and privileged to meet many different heroes…..

The Wounded Warrior
The families of our wounded
The Battle Buddies of our wounded
Some of our deployed warriors and those Stateside
The Support Staff of the various WTU/WTB’s and hospitals
Our “Angels on the Ground” at the various facilities
Our Founder and the other Angels who support our warriors

Last night I had dinner with a different kind of hero and his family. A few years ago, this young man had been visiting our wounded at a large military medical facility on behalf of Soldiers’ Angels and was so inspired by our wounded warriors, he applied for and received an age waiver and joined the Army. This young man had a wonderful career in a large city, was establishing himself in the community but gave that up because he wanted to serve our country like the warriors he met as he visited.

He is soon to be deployed. I’ve told him to let me know when he arrives down range and we’d provide Soldiers’ Angels support. I am so very glad I know this man. I’m even more glad that my son has had the same honor in calling him friend.

There are many different types of heroes. He’s one of our own…..an angel!

LDR

Goodbye and Thank You...

Dear Warrior,

As you prepare to leave WRAMC, please allow me to take a few moments to say, from the bottom of my heart, "Thank You". For allowing me to be a part of your life during a most difficult time. For trusting me to share your personal struggles and concerns. For inviting me to your wedding, to your Purple Heart ceremony, and for giving me pictures of your children and family. For allowing me to experience a mother's pride as I watched you shed the wheelchair, the crutches, and sometimes even the cane. For bringing a joyful tear to my eye when I received my first "standing" hug from you. For inspiring me, regardless of injury or illness, as you faced each challenge with determination and unending hope. For sharing the wonderful news that you were in remission, that you were returning to duty, or that you were finally leaving WRAMC to be reunited with your loved ones.

But most of all, thank you for all you have done in service to your country. I feel truly honored to have been able to spend time with a true hero...

Humbly,
MD

TIS THE SEASON--Christmas Party for WRAMC Wounded Warriors & Family

LDR--The Holiday Party for our wounded warriors at Walter Reed the other night was fantastic. The Savage Mill Manor House went all out in welcoming these heroes and they had a wonderful time. Here are a couple of emails we received:

Let me start off by saying thank you for the wonderful dinner that Soldiers' Angels hosted for us this holiday season!! I received a lot of wonderful feedback for the support of our warriors!! The kids loved their gift bags as well!

Thank you for the wonderful Christmas party. The soldiers appreciate your kindness very much. I just overheard a soldier talking about it this morning. Thank you too for the gift certificate. We appreciate what you do for the soldiers. You are truly an "ANGEL".



They had so much fun and loved the Sugar Plum Fairy and “The Cigarette Girl” didn’t they? Of course, no one can top the big man himself—Santa. The little ones really loved him, didn’t they?

MD - Well, what’s not to love about Santa? One year, he had all the children dancing while he played bongos!

Special Thanks go out to Chris Miller and her amazing staff from
Putting on the Ritz, Dan Sandys from Dan Sandys Entertainment Group, who always provides his awesome DJ and Emcee skills, along with extra entertainment such as our balloon making gal (who later morphed into the very lovely and VERY popular Cigarette girl) and Santa of course. A big Thank You also goes out to Patrick Barron for graciously paying for the buses to transport our heroes and their families from WRAMC.

There was no shortage of people who helped put this event together. From
our very generous founder, Patti Patton Bader, who made sure we had plenty
of gifts to give to the warriors and their families, to our local (and not so local)
Angels who helped gather up our warriors and their families - Thank you JB
and LOR.

The atmosphere was festive, the setting was lovely, the food was delicious
and there was no shortage of laughter and holiday spirit.

LDR—Yes, the food was delicious. Thank you for allowing me to eat this year! LOL

The warriors and their families really had a good time and enjoyed the gifts. The Soldiers’ Angels blankets, mugs and knit caps were a great hit. I think they enjoyed the “door prizes” too.

In addition to those you thanked above, I’d also like to say a “thank you” to someone else. Thank you—MD. You put this whole Christmas Party together and it was a perfect evening for all who attended.

I also heard from another “angel” who received an email from one of our guests. She told the angel that “she got to go and was a very happy girl said it was great!”

Thank you all who made this night happen!

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!!

MD & LDR