Memorial Day....

The Greatest Generation.....my greatest hero

Wally Craig, Sgt. 179th Inf. 45 Inf Div
Anzio, Italian Campaign, Invasion of Southern France, Vosge Mountains Campaign

Hero Appreciation Day....WOW!

What do you say to a handsome, and young, 23 year old soldier who has recently lost both legs in Iraq when you are sitting with him and looking him right in the eye? As hard as it was, I said what I had come to say to all these soldiers, "This isn't much but I want you to know that I appreciate the sacrifices you've made for us and your country. And if there's anything I can ever do for you.....here's my phone number". I think he sensed I was about to cry, which honestly I was, so he said to me, "hey sir, it's OK, this is some real shit to deal with, but I have my wife with me, my buddies and the Army is taking great care of me.....I'll get through this. And we appreciate you guys thinking of us and doing this for us". And you think we don't have some great young people in this country!

This occured Wednesday night at our Hero Appreciation Day dinner at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. All the hours that I, and many others, put in to make this happen were made worthwhile in that one short conversation. It was a night that every American should experience to learn just how much thanks and gratitude we do owe these troops.

We fed and entertained close to 500 soldiers and their families, a few VIP's and a lot of just plain folks who also care about these soldiers. Even I'm not sure where they all came from, but we had over 100 volunteers assisting with everything from setting up tent pavillions, packing gift bags and serving the troops at their tables which still more volunteers had decorated at their own expense.

Here's a slideshow that gives only just a feeling of the event. Although many of the wounded troops gave me permission to use their photos, except for two, I decided I'd rather not for personal reasons. Just know that to see so many wounded and maimed young Americans in one spot is heartrending. Hero Appreciation Slideshow.

To thank all those who helped is impossible but here are a few. Recording artists The Lucky Tomblin Band, Roger Creager, Crossroads [who brought their portable stage and sound system]. ESPN who did a live broadcast, CBS7 who will be presenting a special report with interviews they did. Rudy's BBQ for a great feed at cost. Traci Cavender of Cavenders Boot's who picked up the rest of the food costs. Borden's Dairy for scads of ice cream and Union Pacific Railroad for loads of water. To my high school friends who came. For my college friends who lent a hand. For the numerous Ia Drang [We Were Soldiers] Vets who came from all over Texas to lend support. To Luke Green, the Chief of Staff of the 5th Army who took control of the ground logistics providing pavillion tents, chairs, and the manpower to set it all up. To longtime friend Teresa Goforth in Dallas who arranged for free tickets to Texas Rangers and Dallas Starz games. And to her daughter Priscilla, who emceed the program. To Judith Markelz who gives of her time in running the Soldiers and Families Support Center at BAMC. And especially to Connie Nelson, who called out of the blue to offer her help...and who got her ex hubby Willie Nelson to become a sponsor. Connie has become a very good friend and her work was tireless in finding sponsors, coordinating the entertainment and providing autographed photos of some really cool people that were given to the troops. Connie is the blonde in the black and white top in the photos. To all these and the many I didn't have time to meet personally.....THANKS!

Thanks for a great gift...

What other way to show your gratitude to the people who saved your brother's life than to pick up the phone and just say, "Thanks".

That's what I did this afternoon, reaching Dr. Amy Marvin in Houston. Amy gave my brother CPR while her husband assisted and then administered the defibrillator which shocked him back to life. Amy, and I, were close to tears as she recounted the event, "he was gone, just gone", she said, "my husband and I just lost it when later that night we phoned the hospital and talked to Mark and he said he was doing fine".

Amy and her husband Robert, with consent from my sister in law, agreed to a TV interview on the condition that it would highlight the use of defibrillators. Here's the Fox News story.

God watches over us....

My brother, Mark, has had his name in the Houston paper before in his capacity as a deputy director of NASA. But I doubt that he has ever been on the front page of the paper as he is today. And I doubt that he wants to repeat the events that got him there.

The newspaper article tells the story as one of luck, serendipity and good planning. Sometimes though, I think there is no explanation other than God is watching over us. Read the article and see what you think.....