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by Karen Theobald
November 3, 2004 -WASHINGTON D.C. --Last
night 9 soldiers were picked up in a stretch limo from Walter Reed Army
Medical Center's Mologne House and brought to me at the Capitol Hill Club,
a private club one block from the Capitol, for dinner. At the front door
to the Club, I waited for their arrival alongside other volunteers who
had come to join me; Barbara Ledeen, Claude Alexander, and Dave and Patty
Lewis. When the limo pulled up, we helped them out, and you could tell
that they were glad to be included in a special evening.
In the Presidential Dining Room of the Club, they had set up a nice buffet
for dinner, and large tv's all around the room so that all of the members
and their guests could watch the election results together. Our table
was set up at the head of the room in front of the entrance, and with
the prime viewing location. When the troops came up the grand stairway,
and the other diners noticed whom they were, about 300 people stood up
at their tables in an impromptu moment of gratitude. They all clapped
until the soldiers were at their table and seated.
One by one the other diners came over and asked me if it would be okay
if they walked around our table and personally thanked each soldier. This
went on for quite a while, and the troops were wonderful with it. The
club's general manager approached me and asked if the Club could pick
up the tab for my guests. He was very proud to have them in attendance
that evening. I repespectfully thanked him and let him know that we had
already taken care of it for our guests. It was wonderful to see him movd
to make the offer. When the end of the evening came, he still found a
way to sneak some things in for them.
At dinner, I let them know that they were going to be taking the car
to the Ronald Reagan Building to join in the President's Election Night
event; traditionally where the Presidential Party watches election results
from and where the President arrives later in the evening to finally accept
the position of the next President of the United States. We all got into
their limo after dinner and made the drive over there. At the front doors
of the building we stopped, and with the help of volunteers and security
we walked these soldiers through the crowd and into the event.
As they went into the event, the limo driver approached me and thanked
me for being able to participate in such an evening with them. He said
that when he was told by his company that he would be driving soldiers
tonight, he couldn't think of anywhere he would rather be.
The troops stayed out until 1pm in the morning, which for patients was
plenty long enough. One soldier, Marc Giammetteo, a graduate from USMA,
has been exhausted during his recovery and was initially concerned about
even trying to attend with the others. At dinner, he said, "M'am,
I don't know if I am going to feel so great tomorrow, but there was no
way I was going to let myself pass up tonight!"
Through the evening one of the distinct things that I noticed about this
group, was how they looked after each other. All from different units,
geographical locations, and with different injuries, they protected and
supported each other through the night; even when in many cases the drive
in the limo was the first time that they had met.
Young Wasim Khan, who has been hospitalized for over one year, walks
with a cane. He is bright and caring, and whenever a soldier got up from
the table to locate a restroom, etc., he slowly got up and said, "I
will walk there with you". A national guardsman, "Larry",
was the older member of the group, and took care to learn the limo driver's
name and telephone number in case they had an emergency (I already had
all of that, but even though he was a patient, they still found a way
to take charge).
Jessica, the "brain injury" patient in the group, brought along
her camera and wanted to make sure that she got pictures of the whole
evening. She especially was looking forward to trying for a picture with
the President. She had a smile that lit up the room, and a wonderful disposition
that everyone who stopped by commented on. I had met her last week at
a function for patients, and she had told me that her greatest frustration
right now was her loss of short term memory. She initially called me a
different name every few minutes, and with a big smile she told me that
hoped she was getting closer to what my name was. So, for election night,
we all wore name tags in honor of Jessica, and told her that we wouldn't
let her forget who she was!
I had asked 6 other volunteers to join me for the evening. I am not sure
who had the better night. We all came away with a very different feeling
about election night. For us, what had once been a cut throat spectacle
about winning, became a time to appreciate just what we were voting for,
and the price at which those freedoms came.
The Capitol Hill Club where I took them to dine is located just a few
blocks from the Nation's Capitol. On special nights like last night, you
never know whom you might see. I know, that last night the other guests
went home and told their friends and family about their wonderful experience
meeting a soldier. And all of them had the unexpected gift of feeling
truly free. No matter the outcome of the election, for the time that we
were in the presence of those soldiers, we were all winners.
For that, we thank all of you still over there.
PS: Thank you to Barbara Ledeen who worked to surprise the patients with
the invitations to the President's Election Night event.
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