The Greatest Heroes

[gnukfu]

So today was the Day of Caring for the United Way in our area. The corporation I work for is a huge sponsor of the United Way which includes donating the time of numerous employees to help. I participated in the Day of Caring today and was assigned as part of a group to go to the The Soldiers Home in Holyoke, MA. There are 299 residents at the home. I am happy to report after so many horror stories about veterans facilities/hospitals that this facility was first class from what I could see.

My team was assigned to organize/reorganize the main food storage area and restock the pantries in all the wards....this took about 3 hours. The next 5 hours were spent visiting with the veterans and I have never had such an awe inspiring time in my life. Most of the residents were in World War II. Each soldier I dealt with was glad to share stories of their lives, the Red Sox (had my cap on), and were grateful for our time....it was we who were grateful for their hospitality in allowing us into their home and to meet real American heroes!!

Some of the men I met -
a vet who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor,
a paratrooper who showed me his paratrooper ring and the phrase "All The Way" inscribed on it. I asked him to tell me of some of the places where he jumped and he told me he jumped into Normandy on June 6, 1944 (D-Day!), jumped into the Battle of the Bulge, etc, etc, - then after WWII he went to work with his father, got into a fight with him, and enlisted to participate in the Korean War! You could still see the fire in his eyes and hear the strength in his voice.
I met soldiers in the infantry, Air Force, Navy, all with stories to tell of their lives....some happy, some sad....just an incredible experience.

Our group wrote out 300 Thank You cards prior to our visit. These are to distribute to the vets throughout the year to remind them they are not forgotten. They handed a couple out today and one of the personnel at the Home told me she handed a card to one of the vets...he opened it and told her he couldn't read it....she said she read it to him and he started crying....it was one of the cards I wrote. When she told me that story I started crying....

I don't know how to end the above paragraph so I will leave it at that. I would like to thank all you veterans out there for your service. But I would especially like to thank those who volunteer their time day after day and week after week to visit facilities like I did today because I have seen first hand the impact on the residents when they are able to interact with someone who cares for them.

All in all just an incredible day!

[ggainey]

Thanks for posting that. We all need to never forget or take for granted the sacrifices these American Heroes have made to secure our freedoms.

[TripleF]

Thanks for sharing George. It's great to hear stories like that. It really is.

We owe our vets our thanks.

Glad you went and contributed your time today George!!

[Ski1215]

Great story! My company is trying to donate 2 million dollars to the United Way this year. I usually donate when I can, and organize a "fill the boot" fund raiser myself.

Talking to veterans is one of the inspirational feelings i have ever had. I get such a strong sense of pride and honor just from hearing them speak. It so sad that when I have kids there won't be any WWII veterans left.

[CBI_2]

Great post George. Thank you and those who went with you for your time and efforts to make sure our vets are thanked and reminded that they are appreciated and not forgotten.

[replicant_argent]

You are a bit of a hero yourself for helping the other ones out.
Sounds like a wonderful time, and it is truly a good thing to help pass along the stories and memories that otherwise might be lost.