A Letter From Judith Markelz in 2007

The monies that you have given us over the past two years has made an incredible difference in the lives of hundreds of Wounded Warriors and their families.

Picture if you can a mother in Iowa who has just received a call that her son has lost both of his legs in Iraq. She gets on a plane as soon as possible and flies to San Antonio. She has never flown before. She is picked up at the airport and brought to the Guest House. She has no credit cards, no checking account and no money. She is like a deer in headlights when she comes into the Center. Thanks to your generosity we are able to give her gift cards to the PX so that she can purchase items of clothing to help her survive in the Texas heat. As her son improves she is able to purchase items that he might want to make his stay in the hospital easier. We are able to give her phone cards so that she can keep in touch with her children at home that she has left in order to be with her son or daughter who is wounded.

Because of all of you we are able to take all of the mothers, wives, and care providers out to lunch at least once a month so that they can, for a brief moment, be the persons that they were before that terrible phone call. The Wounded Warriors are heroes, but so are all of the mothers who put their lives on hold for as long as necessary, in some cases for several years to provide for their Wounded Warriors. There has to be more to life than a hospital room and we try to give them some sense of normalcy for a few moments in time.

Because of your help we are able to provide supplies for classes in everything from leatherworking to jewelry making to stamping and scrapbooking. It is so important for the family members to be able to support each other and be together. Only someone who has a Wounded Warrior can understand the agony these families go through each day. Thanks to you we are able to give them many opportunities to socialize and forget for awhile what they have given up for their nation.

Picture the new mother who has just been notified that her husband has been injured. She takes her two little ones to San Antonio because she has no where to leave them and one of them is only three months old. Thanks to you we are able to give her formula and diapers for as long as they are needed. We are able to give her a car seat and a stroller because there is no way that she can bring them with her. We can give her activities for the three year old so that she can keep him occupied. We have had several births at the Guest House. We have been able to provide newborn outfits and a bassinets. Birth is a time of celebration and we grab every moment we can to celebrate new life and a new beginning.

Many of our Warriors come from Texas. Their wives and families drive here every weekend to see their loved ones. Especially recently the price of gas has become prohibitive. Because of you all we are able to provide gas cards so that they can continue to make the drive. No one will argue that people heal faster when they have the support of family and loved ones. The Warriors look forward to their families coming every weekend and thanks to your generosity the visits can continue because we are able to provide gas cards.

I looked through the lists of items that we have been able to purchase because of your help and it seems to be endless.

1. Many of the Wounded Warriors like to golf and it is so good for them to be outdoors together. What great therapy! We offer all Wounded Warriors unlimited games a month at the Golf Course on Fort Sam. Your generosity helps to pay that bill.

2. Because of you we are able to offer all Wounded Warriors and their families unlimited time at the stables. We also offer any children of Wounded Warriors summer camp at the stables. The children also suffer as they leave their homes for a different place and different schools.

3. Thanks to you we are able to offer the children summer camp at the Post Youth Services. Summer is a real problem for the families because in addition to having to take care of the Wounded Warrior they must also ensure that their children maintain some sense of normalcy.

4. We are able to purchase items to be used for parties. We celebrate any holiday or event because it is so important to always remember what life used to be like and what it will be again.

5. Thanks to you we were able to purchase DVD players for all of the rooms in the Guest House. We have received so many DVDs, but there were no players. Mindless entertainment is so important when life becomes overwhelming. Because of you the families are able to check out a DVD and go to their rooms and laugh for a few moments.

6. We were able to make sure that every child of a Wounded Warrior had several new Christmas gifts for the last two years. For our Wounded Warriors Christmas can be the worst day of the year but we have been able provide gifts for each of them who was not able to go home for Christmas. Things that all of us take for granted are cherished and appreciated here.

7. Soldiers from the Center for the Intrepid who are amputees go on trips every Friday. Your donation has allowed us to pay for trips and meals off site so that they can adjust to life in the civilian sector. We also provide the same activities for Soldier who have Traumatic Brain Injuries. Life is so very difficult for them because many of them have difficulty speaking and communicating. We can also provide foods for Nutrition classes. Many of the needs of the Soldiers have changed due to their burns and and the medicines that they are on. All of these programs are thanks to your generosity.

I hope that this provides you with some of the ideas of what we have spent the monies on. How do we say thank you for remembering and caring? What a difference you have made in the lives of all the Warriors that you have touched.

Judith Markelz
Program Manager of the Soldier and Family Assistance Center (SFAC)