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Valentine’s Day weekend (2/12-2/14), United War Veterans Council of New York (“UWVC”) supporters and volunteers, traveled to DC to visit with our wounded warriors. The message and mission, simply stated, is to bring greetings, well wishes, cheer, good will and many ‘goodies’ to those who served and sacrificed. This is UWVC’s 3rd annual Goodwill Valentine’s Caravan to DC and their entourage continues to grow and grow. The days and weeks leading up to the departure include a flurry of activity from securing transport (vans), assigning drivers, booking accommodations, planning an itinerary to visit as many places and people as possible and a host of related issues. Predating this is an extended outreach far and wide to secure ‘gifts’ and ‘giveaways’ to bring to DC and present to our service members. Individuals, volunteers, organizations, veterans, corporations, etc. all provided an array of diverse gifts that would be transported to DC.
UWVC so appreciates the support from individuals and organizations such as U-Haul, HBO, NBC, History, Samaritan Village and the Richard H. Hungerford School. Items donated included tee shirts, hats, DVDs, toiletries, candy, cookies, lollipops, apparel, music, books, stationery, teddy bears, bicycles, and a host of other items. Among the most notable contributions were the cards – thousands and thousands of cards were given to UWVC that included: “Thank You For Serving”, “Get Well”, “Happy Valentine’s Day” and even carryover “Season’s Greetings’. There were many handmade cards by elementary and middle-school students with heartfelt messages of hope, love, appreciation. Members of the Municipal Bond Women’s Club of New York proudly created uniquely decorative cards with special messages. United Healthcare provided assorted cards made by their employees who took such pride and care in this endeavor. Additionally, Kathryn T. Cross, a gifted artist and Gold Star Mother, created her own batch of decorative cards, featuring her beautiful artwork. These cards and gifts were delivered to the recovering troops and service members at many locations, including the Soldier’s and Airmen’s National Home, Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Mologne House and Fisher House, Andrews Air Force Base, Operation HomeFront’s housing, Washington D.C.’s Veterans Affairs Hospital, Fort Myer, and Walter Reed.
When thinking about the preparations for the Goodwill Caravan, Pat Gualtieri, UWVC Executive Director, fondly recalled how the bicycles came to be on the trip:
“My brother, a former Army Medic, is a teacher at a children’s special needs school on Staten Island – The Richard H. Hungerford School. One program he administers is giving these children better body motor mechanisms, including bicycle building. Basically, these bikes arrive at the school in all conditions, needing repairs and adjustments. The kids then are responsible for cleaning and repairing the bikes. The program’s end results have the students receive the bikes (along with special training and safety precautions). Truly, it is a great program.
But one day, my brother mentions our (UWVC) Valentine’s Day activities for our wounded veterans to some of the children. Fourteen students immediately ask if it would be possible to give the bikes they have worked so hard on to a soldier’s son or daughter. Absolutely! We make the arrangements and delivered these bikes to those families at West Points Transition home, The Fisher House at the Walter Reeds Army Hospital, and to Operation Home Front. The result was absolute euphoria for the soldiers’ children because they LOVED the bikes.”
Members of the Municipal Bond Women's Club making Valentine's Day Cards to be delivered to our wounded warriors.
The cover of Kathryn T. Cross' card.
Prior to its visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, UWVC sent personnel, bikes and other gifts to the Soldier and Family Assistance Center (SFAC) and Warrior Transition Unit (WTU) at West Point. UWVC then met with wounded veterans and the Center’s volunteers, presenting them with the homemade cards.
One of UWVC’s members on the trip to SFAC and WTU was Matthew Bryan. Matthew sees this visit as “a true necessity that should be repeated for years to come.”
To read about Matt’s experience, click here.
With a full itinerary, Pat Gualtieri, UWVC Executive Director, divided the caravan into smaller groups to cover more sites and visit more people. Despite all the hard work and coordination involved, Pat calls this “a true labor of love to remember our service members.” The team that went to the Soldier’s and Airmen’s National Home (a retire-ment home dedicated to individuals who served at least 20 years in the military) were warmly welcomed by military retirees who shared an array of memories and stories. UWVC, in turn, provided those veterans with gifts, homemade cards, apparel, 2010 NYC Veterans Day newspapers, and other memorabilia. In addition to this gathering, a surprise encounter occurred between a UWVC member, Al Maher (WWII vet), and a former soldier of the same unit! This was the first time these two veterans had seen each other in over forty years – giving way to joyful tears!
Concurrently, a team led by UWVC Director of Volunteers, Marleen “Molly” Levi, set up tables at the Mologne House, greeting wounded warriors, family members and friends. “It’s a day of pure, unconditional love, appreciation and remembrance,” as Molly calls it.
UWVC is joined by a group of U-Haul employees who bring cards and ‘goodies’ too, as they collectively spread the festive spirit to all. UWVC noted that tee shirts, hats, DVDs, toiletries and comic books were a big hit as were the roomy bags in which to hold items. A special exchange occurred when a coveted jacket donated by Al Maher, WWII vet, was a perfect fit for a wounded warrior who later met Al personally and shared stories. Wounded warriors also had the opportunity to meet and pose with three of the New Jersey Devils Dancers accompanying UWVC on this trip. As a three year veteran of this trip, Molly is always amazed and emotionally moved at the outpour of “appreciation from the service members and their families… this embodies the very essence of why we do what we do, and it continues to spur us on to do even more.” Another high note of the day was the NYC MTA’s Transit Veterans Association’s (“TVA”) Pipe & Drum performance and Color Guard presentation at the Mologne House – enjoyed by all!
To read more about Molly’s reflection, click here.
New Jersey Devils Dancers with a table full of goodies at The Mologne House.
While at the Mologne House, some UWVC members visited the center’s Fisher House, a set of homes available for a soldier’s family to stay during recovery periods. While there, UWVC donated two bicycles on behalf of students from the Richard H. Hungerford School of Staten Island, New York.
In addition to the team members at Walter Reed; UWVC sent members to Andrews Air Force Base to host events and activities similar to those at the Mologne House. Servicemen and women, and their families, were greeted by the group, including recording artist amberRose Marie. Individuals took pictures with amberRose and received copies of her autographed DVDs. But in the recording musician’s eyes her efforts were the least she could do for our wounded warriors because “many of us have no idea as to the extent of sacrifice our service members and their families make on a constant basis to provide us with our freedom.” amberRose Marie’s manager and retired U.S. Army veteran, Catherine Laporte, echoed her client’s words and took the reflections a step further while recalling her own experiences: “I realized I shared the experience of recovering at Walter Reed, and I remember I was happiest when these strangers—these volunteers—came to my room to simply say thank you and spend time with me. And on this trip, the roles were reversed. I sat with our wounded heroes. I laughed with them, smiled with them, shared stories with them, and in some cases, cried with them. Yet the most amazing experience to me was that every single wounded warrior shared a common desire of recovering, returning to duty, and defending the freedoms of our beloved nation.”
To read amberRose’s full reflection, click here.
To read Catherine Laporte’s full reflection, click here.
Gold Star Mother Kathryn T. Cross and Dwight Webster pose with wounded warriors.
One noteworthy anecdote from Andrews Air Force Base included a gentleman from Long Island, New York, visiting a military-family member. Thinking the UWVC was there for donations, he asked “how much is an appropriate donation?” All at once, though, members of the group explained to him that the UWVC was there strictly for moral support and encouragement. This realization brought a smile to the man’s face. As Jeff Swansen of the UWVC stated, “Andrews was a great start to a great day!”
To read Jeff’s full reflection, click here.
Next stop was Operation HomeFront that provides housing for soldiers and their families. At OH’s housing complex, the UWVC team members spent time conversing with the families, giving them cards and gifts. Additional bicycles from the Hungerford School and teddy bears were presented to the families’ children, and amberRose Marie made sure there were no dry eyes in the room with a rendition of “G-d Bless America.”
Another team from UWVC performed wreath-laying ceremonies at the National Monuments representing World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and the Nurses’ Memorial, to honor women in service. Robert Skibar, an avid UWVC supporter present at the ceremony, described this as a “solemn event that deserves our respect.”
To read Robert’s detailed reflection about the wreath-laying ceremony, click here.
Concluding Sunday’s activities, Luigi Masu, President of Vietnam Veterans America Chapter 72 of Brooklyn, N.Y., presented a $1,000 donation from his chapter for the Fisher House. Luigi claims that these types of donations are necessary for the greater good of our wounded heroes and are so very much needed and appreciated.
To see the Fisher House’s written response to Luigi Masu and Chapter 72, click the following link: 2011ValentinesDay-FisherHouse-ThankYou-LM-2011-03-07
With the myriad of events of the day embraced by all, the entire entourage enjoyed a relaxed dinner at Chevy’s, in Alexandria, VA., near their Day’s Inn accommodations. In a surprise, tender moment, Molly, Kelly, Jessica, Alyse, Alisha, and Victoria presented Valentine’s cards to their own UWVC entourage of veterans including Al, Bob, Catherine, Don, Dwight, James, Jeff, Luigi, Malik, Pat, Richard and Steve.
The UWVC followed its busy Sunday with an equally busy Monday. The day’s activities started with a visit to Washington, D.C.’s Veterans Affairs Medical Center’s Community Living Center (CLC). The CLC houses and treats wounded war veterans, ranging from World War II to present day conflicts. UWVC members met with recovering veterans upon entering CLC’s lobby and were also permitted door-to-door visits to visit those less mobile veterans. This allowed for more personal contact between the UWVC members and our veterans. The veterans also received handmade cards and other gifts.
Next, UWVC visited Fort Myer, a joint base located directly behind Arlington National Cemetery, to meet up with the residential servicemen and women. Fort Myer’s conducts the funerals and Honor Guard ceremonies for our fallen heroes.
Members from UWVC and U-Haul at Washington, D.C.'s V.A. Hospital.
Following the CLC visit, UWVC visited Fort Myer, a joint base located directly behind Arlington National Cemetary, to meet up with the residential servicemen and women. Fort Myer’s residential servicemen and women conduct the funerals and Honor Guard ceremonies for our fallen heroes.
To read additional information about UWVC’s trip to Fort Myer, click here.
To conclude the weekend, the UWVC sent a team to visit Walter Reed Army Hospital. Among those were amberRose Marie, Catherine, Alyse, Alisha, Victoria (three NJ Devils dancers), Gold Star Mom, Kathryn T. Cross, Molly, Jessica, Jean, and Dwight Webster (U.S. Army, Col. Ret.). Dwight had the special opportunity to visit a fellow veteran, co-worker, and friend who is currently recovering at WRAMC from combat-inflicted wounds. Dwight claims that he and his Transit Veterans Association members felt “enlightened and enriched…and extremely grateful” for the experience. Kathryn Cross also had an opportunity to visit with certain patients known full well by her.
To read Dwight’s full reflection, click here.
The past few days have been a whirlwind of activity, visiting people and places, remembering our nation’s veterans and spreading goodwill – and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Simply put, according to Pat Gualtieri, “It’s what we do. Our veterans have earned these levels of support and respect because of what they do.” Kelly Bryan, UWVC’s Sponsorship Chair, believes this experience was “an honor” to be a part of, but that “at the end of the day, it seems that the service members actually give the “gifts” to us.” Echoing Kelly’s thoughts is Don Buzney, as he states that the experience was “heart wrenching” and “inspirational” as the true elements of “patriotism and ‘espirit de corps’” were on display. The weekend was filled with humbling experiences, bittersweet moments, fun, laughter, but above all, goodwill, remembrance, pride and patriotism.
- Jessica Bryan
- Kelly Bryan
- Matthew Bryan
- Don Buzney
- Kathryn T. Cross
- Catherine Laporte
- Marleen “Molly” Levi
- amberRose Marie
- Robert Skibar
- Jeffrey Swansen
- Dwight Webster