The last eight years visiting Walter Reed National Military Medical Center - Bethesda allowed me to experience so many friendships at so many levels. From patients to their families and staff. As I have written in previous columns, I consider each of these relationships a blessing in every way. Naturally I feel acutely aware of the issues that affect our wounded warriors......their challenges and their goals.
In the summer of 2011 a friend posted a video on the internet that captured my ears and my heart. That video was "Still in The Fight" produced by Bill Brown, and featuring three wounded warriors......Kyle Carpenter, Spanky Gibson and Aaron Mankin. The singer/songwriter is Mike Corrado, LtCol of Marines at the Wounded Warrior Regiment. It is a tremendous video that draws attention to the struggles and the courage of our war wounded warriors.
One of those warriors, Kyle Carpenter, I had the honor of meeting shortly after he was admitted to the hospital in November 2010. Of course he would not remember that visit, as he was not in very good shape at the time due to his serious injuries. But I can tell you meeting him had quite an impact on me. He was a fighter.........it was evident from the start. His family was there surrounding his bedside that Christmas. Today Kyle has become an inspirational example of overcoming those injuries...far surpassing even what the doctors believed possible!!!
Back to the video............when I first watched it I was so impressed that I watched it numerous times and then knew I had to contact the producer and tell him what an incredible film he had created! At the time there was a fund drive taking place to raise money to make the video into a feature film. I found a link that provided the name of Bill Brown's company and when I got the phone number I called Bill directly. It was a call that was meant to be. We spoke for nearly an hour, but if you know Bill, that is easy to do! He is such a personable guy and we had so many facets of the military, the wounded and such that we could relate to. Most important was that I wanted him to know that I was truly impressed by the video and the song. That was the beginning of a special friendship.
As time passed and it became 2012 the video gave birth to the documentary of the same name, 'Still in the Fight.' Bill made several visits to Walter Reed for filming and that gave us the opportunity to meet over lunch with his partner Billy Lewis. What a pleasure it was to spend a little quality time together and speak of the film and it's future.
The rest of the story is history......later that year, October to be exact, Bill asked me if I would consider writing some of the experiences I had relayed to him over the phone. He believed that the wondrous ways God has been working in my life would make good reading....stories that others would appreciate. At first I hesitated, having not written seriously except business letters when needed
or when requesting donations for the care packages I ship that you have read about. After a few minutes I realized he was right.......that the stories that were floating around in my head might be worth putting down on paper. Thus the beginning of my new career as a columnist! I am indebted to Bill for opening that door for me....a door that God knew would open one day.....and last October was the time. I have to say that I feel incredibly blessed by the responses I have received when friends and strangers read about the events that have taken place in my life. I regret not keeping a journal all those years, as friends suggested I do......so I have to wait now for something to trigger the memories and then I am able to share them with you, the readers. Thank you all for your positive reinforcement and comments. Perhaps if Bill would allow, I would love to hear from some of you who are not in my familiar circle of friends. Hopefully I can continue to count on my memory to bring these ever so special recollections to you on a regular basis!
