oct07 (posted oct08)

today's visit was a testament to the human spirit...eleven marines and several soldiers were the appreciative recipients of get well cards, magazines, books, writing material, clothing items, toiletries and scores of bagged and homemade goodies...we ran long on our time today for no other reason than because we just couldn't leave their sides and the guys were very talkative...one in particular, a young devildog about 20 yrs old from the great state of texas, had arrived at landstuhl just the day before...because of extensive hardware he is unable to eat solid foods of any kind, and has the use of one leg...he was smiling, energetic and so well-mannered his mother would beam with pride to know what kind of son she has...he was without a few things he especially needed because he hadn't mentioned them to the liaisons; he was however bubbly and you might even say jumpy as he told us about what he needed ('cos you know moms, we pry!), so we made arrangements for him...a few others had mentioned his jumpiness as reason to move on, that his nervous energy was contagious; we were able to quickly surmise that this was his nature and not any drug he may have been taking...i have such a child, an 18 yr old daughter, who sees the world moving much more slowly than it really does and this is the reason for the darting glances and seemingly unfocused behavior...i felt right at home with him so i stayed behind and left later when the other ladies came back to his room...he talked about his future in the marine corps, a future you would think wouldn't include the marine corps, but he spoke of closeness and camaraderie well beyond that of your average 20 year old...much like my daughter, i could clearly see that his every hyper characteristic had a well-honed and focused flip side fueled by the very energy that filled the room...he knows what he wants, and i know he will get much of it...

at the end of our visit, he quite literally hopped out of bed and across the room to "see you ladies to the door"...it was so precious, i could almost hear the squeak of a screen door and smell freshly squeezed lemonade sitting on a porch i could almost feel...

i couldn't get over the eyes i saw today...blue eyes, brown, green, hazel, dark, dazed, alert, hopeful, tired, relieved, longing, intense, wincing, long lashes and no lashes, one eye straining to make up for the loss of the other...all of them deep and thoughtful, many of them so cheerful and delighted it's difficult to describe...there were a lot of unspoken words...
the world they just came from is very different from the world they are in now...i don't know what the world was like for them a few days ago, but i know what it was like today...they were articulate and enchanting when telling the stories of what happened to them...many of them broken, hurting, and fresh from the first of many surgeries to come, they still made efforts to sit up, to lean their heads if they couldn't sit up, responsive to the least gesture, anxious to talk, dismissive of their own bravery and owning of their deep and abiding friendship and love for their fellow marines...all of them were bright-eyed when shown the list of those we were visiting, and a few became excited when they saw names they recognized...of these, they genuinely wanted to know if their fellow warriors were doing okay and pondering how they themselves could pay them a visit...

the ten marines working the liaison's office were taken aback at the oodles of bags and the stack of dvd players...each were tagged with a large or small glossy marine corps stickers...i'm told the surprise felt by the dvd players was similar to the arrival of several x-box game systems donated by one of many jewish-american associations...well done moms! i took the liberty of printing out marinemomonline stickers to place inside every book and magazine, and on every box...there are then many reminders for our wounded that their marine family is very much aware of them all and cares for them very much...
i don't think i mentioned before just how visible the marine corps is in this army hospital...outside every marine's room is a table-top version of the marine corps flag that's stuck in behind the name plate for that marine(s)...once in the room, one will also see the marine's rank, name, unit, and any medical alerts for that marine on a large sign hung on the light behind his/her bed...their electronics are also marked, as i said by the usmc stickers, so there's no way anyone could possibly say "i didn't know he/she was a marine"...

personally, it's just so cool to see all that...

once again i have no pictures to share because i slept the whole way up and back from landstuhl...it was a rainy day here and those of us visiting are still fresh from the plethora of beer, wine, and food of the volkfest here in stuttgart (the stuttgart oktoberfest)...as well, it's very hard not to grab a little shut-eye when it's the general's own drivers taking us down the autobahn at an avg of 140kph (90mph)...well, okay, that kind of speed might keep others very much awake, but i felt safe...

i'm very sorry for the lack of photos as i've wanted nothing more than to share pictures...if you're able to view the publication though, there were reporters and photographers from "stars and stripes" visiting at the same time we were making our rounds and i believe my fellow wives were among those photographed on other wings while i stayed behind with our young texan...

with the help of the liaison's office, i have compiled a list of the things needed...before i post that list, i need to add a note about the donations that have been pledged...as wives, we do not have the resources to receive and parlay large scale donations from organizations...it is important that the donations i receive are from individuals and small groups only (classrooms, scout troops, etc) as this is the only way to make sure everything is accounted for and can be adequately transported and delivered with the resources we have...we need to do everything we can to avoid the possibility of donations walking off by themselves, getting lost in the shuffle, and overburdening the limited space currently available to both the marforeur (marine forces europe) command and the liaison's office...while the word "command" suggests a big place, in fact it's one 3-story building already jam-packed with marine personnel and equipment...as well, the liaison's office is but one room of the hospital with a few storage spaces available to them...the main issue has become not shunning donations but rather controlling the flow of those donations...if unchecked, it would be very easy for this great flow of kindness to avalanche into chaos...we don't want that; we want everyone who wants to contribute to be able to do so and be assured that their donations are accounted for and properly delivered to their intended recipients...for this reason, larger groups and organizations that aren't already in touch with the liaison's office and that wish to make substantial contributions can email me with their points of contact and i will deliver that list to the liaison's office...
my email address is msdusmcd@yahoo.com

because of the colder weather here in germany, sweatshirts and jackets have been added to the list as well as dufflebags and backpacks in which to keep their things...while some of the wounded are flown to other hospitals around the states and don't necessarily have enough stuff to warrant a bag, most of the wounded spend a good deal of time as outpatients in landstuhl before going anywhere else and it is these individuals who will acquire things over time without a way to carry their belongings to and fro...

with that said, on with the list:

• sweatshirts, long-sleeved t-shirts, and jackets in all sizes
  
• trial sizes of all toiletries to include:
  
  • -deodorant (men and women's)
    
  • -soap (bar and liquid)
    
  • -shampoo (w/ and w/o conditioner)
    
  • -toothbrushes
    
  • -floss and floss handles w/replacements (the floss picks are great for those without hand injuries but are too tiny for those with)
    
  • -toothpaste (there was a lot at the last visit; there isn't anymore)
    
  • -brush w/comb sets
    
• tube socks (hanes sells a 6 pack that's perfect for their needs)
  
• dufflebags and backpacks (they prefer there be nothing promotional ie: ads on the bags)
  
• music cd's (the cd library is still very small with a very limited number of choices)
  
• dvd's (these guys are watching as many as 5 movies a day which the docs promote because it helps keep many of them from withdrawing into their own world; action, comedy, and concert dvds are among the favorites although i personally saw a lot of cartoons playing -- "invader zim" is always on the waiting list and i believe there are 3 "invader zim" dvds on the market now)
  
• dvd players (the 5-disc players and portable players are very well received; one allows many movies to be loaded at once and the portable is easily accessible)
  
• portable cd players (if a rush of cd's does come in, for now there won't be many players to go around)
  
• magazines...car, motorcycle, men's fashion (yes seriously, men's fashion), sports, gaming (xbox, playstation, etc), and outdoor magazines are among the favorites...one of donations i received was a bunch of "motor trend" and they were snatched up within one of the 5 wards we visited
  
• get well cards (from individuals, classrooms, scout troops, etc)...the get well cards, letters, and homemade cards we handed out were very well received...we cannot get enough of them!
  

i want to personally thank everyone who contributed to this trip as well as those whose donations are incoming...i have thoroughly enjoyed visiting with our wounded and will be making many more visits in the future...our next trip is scheduled for friday, october 22nd...

thanks again to everyone who helped me brighten the day of our honorable marine warriors...

-diana hartman