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A CHANGE IN OUR MISSION:
Back when we started this program, the VA in Washington didn't have funding
for bedside visits. We have learned that now they do. Accordingly, Books
for Boots funds will not be restricted to helping families travel for
bedside visits. Instead, we will provide the money to a general purpose
fund at each participating VA hospital. From that fund, money is used
for a variety of emergency needs and other requirements.
The following anecdotal story happened just the way it is written. The soldier in this story was lonely. His wife and daughter couldn't visit him because they didn't have money to travel. We are delighted that the VA and the DOD have now solved this problem. We intend to continue helping in whatever ways are needed.
He was crying softly, trying to hide it with his only hand.
"Why are you crying?" I asked.
He turned his head away angrily, and tried to wave me off. I caught his hand in both of mine and held tight. "Why are you crying, soldier?" I repeated softly.
His uniform said he'd been in the Rangers. His missing
right arm & shoulder, and the pushed-in right side of
his rib cage, said he'd been in a hell of a fight. I knew there were a
lot of war heroes like him at Tampa's VA hospital; men and women badly
torn up in Iraq & Afghanistan, and a lot of them would be there for
a long time. A very long time.
"Are you in pain?"
He shook his head.
"Then, why so sad?"
Slowly he turned his face back to me. For a long moment he looked deep into my eyes. Then he sighed. "It's just that... I'm so damn lonely."
I let go of his hand. "Don't you have any family?"
He swallowed hard. "Yeah. I got a little girl. She's three months old. I've never met her. My wife writes a lot, and sometimes she calls."
I was confused. "Why don't they come visit you?"
He was fighting back the tears. "Can't. They live too far away. Can't afford it." He swallowed hard. "Sure wish I could hold my little girl. And hug my wife."
My outpatient appointment at the Haley Memorial Veterans' Hospital in Tampa was over quickly and all the way home I kept thinking that there must be some way this man--this American hero, and all the others like him--could get a bedside visit from their family.
Next morning, early, I phoned the VA in Washington. "Isn't there some special VA fund to help poorer families make bedside visits?"
The voice of the woman on the other end of the line was sad. "No, I'm sorry. The Department of Veteran Affairs has barely enough funds for the medical needs of badly wounded soldiers like the one you met. There is no VA money to help families travel. It's a nationwide need. The VA has three other special care hospitals like the one in Tampa. There are more than eight thousand badly hurt veterans in those poly-trauma units, and more keep coming in every day."
I was angry. My wife Linda and I talked it over, and that day we decided to do something about the problem. We had 24 years' experience jointly running a nonprofit, including all the fundraising, and now it looked as though we hadn't retired from that hard work after all.
- Rick Gelinas, Books For Boots
The executive staff of Books for Boots thanks FedEx for its recent donation
of
FedEx Express Saver® shipping services. With the help of FedEx, we
were able to send 68 boxes of books to VA Hospitals.
2007 - 2009 © www.BooksForBoots.org
All Rights Reserved
Email us: rick@booksforboots.org
FedEx service marks
used by permission.
