thedrifter
07-09-04, 08:29 AM
07-08-2004
When ‘Semper Fi’ Takes on a New Meaning
By Matthew Dodd
As a career Marine officer, I have a gnawing feeling in my gut constantly reminding me that there are Marines fighting, dying and doing what Marines do best in Iraq and Afghanistan, while I am relatively safe and sound back in the Pentagon.
Not being there with the Marines who are risking all they have for the freedom of the Iraqi and Afghani people is a humbling experience, especially in those times when I feel justified in complaining about the Pentagon bureaucracy or getting stuck in rush-hour Beltway traffic. Knowing Marines are deployed to active combat zones has a special way of putting life in perspective for me.
Part of that gnawing feeling in my gut is knowing I cannot do anything directly to help or support all the deployed Marines. When you are part of a team, it is important to contribute to your team's success to the best of your abilities. Some relatively recent experiences and unexpected opportunities have proven to me that the Navy-Marine Corps team is stronger than ever. I also have received updated information on a number of great ways for people to indirectly support their winning team efforts.
The bad news, as expected, is that a good number of Marines and sailors are coming back to the United States from the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters less than whole. Many soldiers are also returning in the same condition. The great news is that these warriors are receiving the best military medical care possible.
Practically all returning soldiers and airmen receive their primary medical care from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., while practically all returning Marines and sailors receive their primary medical care at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. In some cases, these warriors are directly benefiting from the most advanced state-of-the-art technological advances available anywhere in the world.
According to hospital sources, the majority of the injuries they are treating are the result of shrapnel and traumatic amputations from mortars, hand grenades, rocket-propelled grenades, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The injuries in some cases are unprecedented and a true testament to the battlefield triage skills of our deployed medical personnel, the responsiveness of our medical evacuation systems, and the strength and courage of our injured warriors.
Injured Marines and sailors are usually flown into Andrews Air Force Base, just outside of Washington, D.C. These medical evacuation flights can sometimes arrive up to three times a week and they usually contain about 20-40 patients. On the ground to meet and greet them are representatives from Bethesda’s Marine Liaison Office. The dedicated Liaison Office Marines make sure the injured Marines are safely transported to and efficiently established in their hospital rooms.
The Liaison Office Marines’ close, personal relationships with the injured Marines, the injured Marines’ families and the hospital staff are comforting and inspiring to all involved. These unsung Marines have a very stressful and sensitive job, and they handle it with grace, dignity, and true professionalism.
Although these helping and healing relationships are temporary, I am sure they leave lasting impressions in the hearts and minds of the injured Marines and their families that Marines do whatever it takes to take care of Marines in need.
The Marine Liaison Office provides great intangible support to the injured Marines and their families, but they are largely dependent on donations of material items for many of the injured Marines’ physical needs.
Items such as books, blankets, umbrellas, medicated hand/foot lotions, electric razors, CDs/DVDs/VHS tapes, gym/travel bags, and padded weight-lifting gloves (sizes M, L, XL) will help with their comfort during their recovery and physical therapy sessions.
Due to concerns about spreading germs and infections, only brand new clothing and materials are being accepted. Since these donations are provided to the Marines and their families and taken with them when they leave, these items need constant replenishment. Those interested in contributing materials can send them to:
Marine Corps Liaison Office
National Naval Medical Center (NNMC)
8901 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20889
The Marine Liaison Office is not alone in this vital mission of supporting and comforting the injured Marines and their families. Their Navy-Marine Corps team “supporting network” includes outstanding support from and visibility within the offices of the Commandant and Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, many other offices within Headquarters Marine Corps, and all the corpsmen, chaplains, surgeons, medical technicians, and senior enlisted and officer leadership at Bethesda. Being surrounded by such incredible support is a true force-multiplier for the liaison office.
Besides the immediate, short-term support provided by Bethesda’s Marine Liaison Office and their supporting network, on May 18, 2004, the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund (which has Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 501(c)(3) publicly supported charitable organization status) was established to provide both short- and long-term support to injured Marines and their families. According to the information letter:
“At this time, the Department of Defense (DoD) will pay lodging and travel expenses for two next of kin to visit those Marines considered seriously injured. DoD pays for these two individuals to stay for the duration of up to one week. After the term of one week, if the family members choose to stay at their Marine’s bedside, it is the sole responsibility of the family to arrange and pay for lodging and transportation. Additionally, next of kin are defined as the two family members a Marine lists in his record. In the case of a married Marine who has listed his spouse as his primary next of kin and his father as the secondary next of kin, DoD does not accommodate the mother, children, siblings, or grandparents with payment of travel expenses. DoD does not reimburse families under any circumstances for rental cars, long-term childcare, or lost income. In the case of Marines requiring long-term rehabilitative care, these financial burdens remain with families for a period of years.”
“The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund has a close working relationship with the United States Marine Corps and is assessing the needs of injured Marines and their families on a regular basis. In the short-term crisis time, lodging, transportation, and assistance with daily financial burdens for the families of these injured Marines is the most challenging area of concern and where the Fund will assist the most. When families arrive, they do so under extraordinary stress and limited financial resources to help them survive in the D.C. area for any period of time. They arrive … from cities and towns all over the country, and in most cases are entirely unfamiliar with their surroundings. They spend time round the clock at the bedside of their Marine, and do so for weeks at a time. They need assistance with airline tickets for additional family members to provide relief for the primary and secondary next of kin, as well as hotel accommodations, rental cars, food, and other essentials. As you know, this can be expensive for any family, especially those with very limited resources. In the long-term, the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund will track and monitor the needs of families as they move from the crisis stage to rehabilitative stage with financial assistance for items including but not limited to, handicap accessible and orthopedic equipment, respite care, and childcare needs.”
For anyone interested, donations to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund can be sent to the following address:
Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund
825 College Blvd Suite 102
PMB 609
Oceanside, CA 92057
I just realized an odd thing happened to me by the time I finished writing this article: that gnawing feeling in my gut is gone. Not everyone can directly support our deployed warriors, but everyone now has opportunities to support those warriors and their families who have given so much for our country.
Lt. Col. Matthew Dodd USMC is a Senior Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at mattdodd1775@hotmail.com. Please send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.
http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=DefenseWatch.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=560&rnd=764.6793431059211
Ellie
When ‘Semper Fi’ Takes on a New Meaning
By Matthew Dodd
As a career Marine officer, I have a gnawing feeling in my gut constantly reminding me that there are Marines fighting, dying and doing what Marines do best in Iraq and Afghanistan, while I am relatively safe and sound back in the Pentagon.
Not being there with the Marines who are risking all they have for the freedom of the Iraqi and Afghani people is a humbling experience, especially in those times when I feel justified in complaining about the Pentagon bureaucracy or getting stuck in rush-hour Beltway traffic. Knowing Marines are deployed to active combat zones has a special way of putting life in perspective for me.
Part of that gnawing feeling in my gut is knowing I cannot do anything directly to help or support all the deployed Marines. When you are part of a team, it is important to contribute to your team's success to the best of your abilities. Some relatively recent experiences and unexpected opportunities have proven to me that the Navy-Marine Corps team is stronger than ever. I also have received updated information on a number of great ways for people to indirectly support their winning team efforts.
The bad news, as expected, is that a good number of Marines and sailors are coming back to the United States from the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters less than whole. Many soldiers are also returning in the same condition. The great news is that these warriors are receiving the best military medical care possible.
Practically all returning soldiers and airmen receive their primary medical care from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., while practically all returning Marines and sailors receive their primary medical care at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. In some cases, these warriors are directly benefiting from the most advanced state-of-the-art technological advances available anywhere in the world.
According to hospital sources, the majority of the injuries they are treating are the result of shrapnel and traumatic amputations from mortars, hand grenades, rocket-propelled grenades, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The injuries in some cases are unprecedented and a true testament to the battlefield triage skills of our deployed medical personnel, the responsiveness of our medical evacuation systems, and the strength and courage of our injured warriors.
Injured Marines and sailors are usually flown into Andrews Air Force Base, just outside of Washington, D.C. These medical evacuation flights can sometimes arrive up to three times a week and they usually contain about 20-40 patients. On the ground to meet and greet them are representatives from Bethesda’s Marine Liaison Office. The dedicated Liaison Office Marines make sure the injured Marines are safely transported to and efficiently established in their hospital rooms.
The Liaison Office Marines’ close, personal relationships with the injured Marines, the injured Marines’ families and the hospital staff are comforting and inspiring to all involved. These unsung Marines have a very stressful and sensitive job, and they handle it with grace, dignity, and true professionalism.
Although these helping and healing relationships are temporary, I am sure they leave lasting impressions in the hearts and minds of the injured Marines and their families that Marines do whatever it takes to take care of Marines in need.
The Marine Liaison Office provides great intangible support to the injured Marines and their families, but they are largely dependent on donations of material items for many of the injured Marines’ physical needs.
Items such as books, blankets, umbrellas, medicated hand/foot lotions, electric razors, CDs/DVDs/VHS tapes, gym/travel bags, and padded weight-lifting gloves (sizes M, L, XL) will help with their comfort during their recovery and physical therapy sessions.
Due to concerns about spreading germs and infections, only brand new clothing and materials are being accepted. Since these donations are provided to the Marines and their families and taken with them when they leave, these items need constant replenishment. Those interested in contributing materials can send them to:
Marine Corps Liaison Office
National Naval Medical Center (NNMC)
8901 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20889
The Marine Liaison Office is not alone in this vital mission of supporting and comforting the injured Marines and their families. Their Navy-Marine Corps team “supporting network” includes outstanding support from and visibility within the offices of the Commandant and Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, many other offices within Headquarters Marine Corps, and all the corpsmen, chaplains, surgeons, medical technicians, and senior enlisted and officer leadership at Bethesda. Being surrounded by such incredible support is a true force-multiplier for the liaison office.
Besides the immediate, short-term support provided by Bethesda’s Marine Liaison Office and their supporting network, on May 18, 2004, the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund (which has Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 501(c)(3) publicly supported charitable organization status) was established to provide both short- and long-term support to injured Marines and their families. According to the information letter:
“At this time, the Department of Defense (DoD) will pay lodging and travel expenses for two next of kin to visit those Marines considered seriously injured. DoD pays for these two individuals to stay for the duration of up to one week. After the term of one week, if the family members choose to stay at their Marine’s bedside, it is the sole responsibility of the family to arrange and pay for lodging and transportation. Additionally, next of kin are defined as the two family members a Marine lists in his record. In the case of a married Marine who has listed his spouse as his primary next of kin and his father as the secondary next of kin, DoD does not accommodate the mother, children, siblings, or grandparents with payment of travel expenses. DoD does not reimburse families under any circumstances for rental cars, long-term childcare, or lost income. In the case of Marines requiring long-term rehabilitative care, these financial burdens remain with families for a period of years.”
“The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund has a close working relationship with the United States Marine Corps and is assessing the needs of injured Marines and their families on a regular basis. In the short-term crisis time, lodging, transportation, and assistance with daily financial burdens for the families of these injured Marines is the most challenging area of concern and where the Fund will assist the most. When families arrive, they do so under extraordinary stress and limited financial resources to help them survive in the D.C. area for any period of time. They arrive … from cities and towns all over the country, and in most cases are entirely unfamiliar with their surroundings. They spend time round the clock at the bedside of their Marine, and do so for weeks at a time. They need assistance with airline tickets for additional family members to provide relief for the primary and secondary next of kin, as well as hotel accommodations, rental cars, food, and other essentials. As you know, this can be expensive for any family, especially those with very limited resources. In the long-term, the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund will track and monitor the needs of families as they move from the crisis stage to rehabilitative stage with financial assistance for items including but not limited to, handicap accessible and orthopedic equipment, respite care, and childcare needs.”
For anyone interested, donations to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund can be sent to the following address:
Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund
825 College Blvd Suite 102
PMB 609
Oceanside, CA 92057
I just realized an odd thing happened to me by the time I finished writing this article: that gnawing feeling in my gut is gone. Not everyone can directly support our deployed warriors, but everyone now has opportunities to support those warriors and their families who have given so much for our country.
Lt. Col. Matthew Dodd USMC is a Senior Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at mattdodd1775@hotmail.com. Please send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.
http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=DefenseWatch.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=560&rnd=764.6793431059211
Ellie