The Ethical Optimist

I had an opportunity today to visit a number of facilities at Walter Reed Army Medical Center this week and thought I’d share a bit of the experience.

My day started with the tremendous folks at The Fisher House.  If you’re not familiar with the Fisher House Foundation, you should be.  Fisher Houses are built to support wounded warriors and their families, similar to Ronald McDonald Houses, while they are hospitalized.  After the Foundation builds a house, they turn it over to the local VA hospital or base for $1.  They continue, however, to provide upgrades as needed.  What struck me first were the number of young women and babies staying there.  My guide explained that most of the patients were in their early 20’s.

From there, I moved on to the Malogne House.  A former hotel, it now houses outpatients and their families.  Despite having over 400 rooms, it is packed.  The folks who work there are incredibly warm and welcoming.  Here too, there were mostly young soldiers and their families.

The final stop on my tour was the hospital at WRAMC.  For those of you who aren’t aware, this location focuses on soldiers who are amputees.  And there are more of them than you can imagine.  Most were just slightly older than my oldest son, who is 17.

As I got onto the elevator, I stood next to a young man in a wheelchair. Both of his legs were gone, as were one arm and both hands.  My companion asked how he was doing.  With a big grin on his face, he answered, “Not too bad.”

The experience of visiting these three locations moved me deeply and was, frankly, humbling.

As we watch the political commentary on the war zones, and the debates surrounding the issue of more troops and where, it’s easy to forget that there are real names and faces behind these decisions.  With Veterans Day approaching, I urge you to take a moment to remember the many dedicated soldiers we have lost, as well as those who have sacrificed so much in service to our nation. And most of all, pay attention to what’s happening and share your thoughts with your elected officials.  Because, like it or not, we all bear responsibility for these young men and women.