Marines help Marines with return from war

Friday, July 14, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Submitted Photo by Don Patterson The Marines Helping Marines program enjoys a visit to Serenity Farm in Benedict where they cooked the fish they had caught earlier that day. The program is part of the Marine Corps League and was created three years ago to assist soldiers as they return from war. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

A group of wounded men and women from all branches of the military were treated last month to a fishing party and country fish fry, Southern Maryland style. Marines Helping Marines, a program of the Marine Corps League, organized the June 19 trip that left from Solomons Island and ended in a day on the farm in Benedict.

The veterans, from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital, were delighted to have a day outside on the water, said Don Patterson. Patterson was recently elected commandant of the Southern Maryland Leathernecks of the Marine Corps League. As a regular volunteer with Marines Helping Marines, Patterson and others help out wounded veterans.

‘‘We go every Wednesday and see what the kids need, that’s what I call them, kids,” the 70-year-old retired Marine said. ‘‘We also find out what their parents and spouses might need.”

Bills and travel expenses can be overwhelming for some families, and Marines Helping Marines chips in whenever it can.

‘‘Marines take care of Marines. It’s like a big family,” Patterson said.

In addition to the weekly visits, the group plans other special events to get the veterans out and about. The larger events, such as baseball games and fishing trips, are often opened up to members of other military branches.

Keith Allston, owner of the ‘‘Rodbender” Charter Fishing of Solomons Island and the Robinson family of Serenity Farm, of Benedict donated their services on June 19.

A group of about 20 Marines and family members spent the day fishing on the Chesapeake. Because the fresh fish can’t be brought back to the hospital the group organized an afternoon cookout at Serenity Farm, complete with a petting zoo.

Many Marines who are amputees are treated at Walter Reed hospital, which is the leading hospital for prosthetics. Whenever an event of this kind is held, it is always open to all patients of both hospitals.

‘‘These are all injured over there in what we call the sand box” in Iraq and neighboring countries, Patterson said.

He said when a soldier is injured on the battlefield, he or she is checked out at the scene and then sent to a field hospital for immediate treatment.

The soldier is then flown to a hospital in Germany. Depending on the severity of the injury, he or she is either sent back to the states or back to combat, he said.

Most of the wounded soldiers are sent to one of three hospitals in the United States. Many are sent to Bethesda Naval Hospital or if he or she is an amputee, they are sent to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. From there the injured are treated and sent home or sometimes to another hospital.

There are 16 detachments in Maryland of Marines Helping Marines. Their main purpose is to help the wounded Marines from the war on terrorism and their families.

Ron Short, former Maryland commandant of the Marine Corps League, started the Marines Helping Marine program three years ago to prepare for the injured soldiers coming back from war.

The program has since spread to the military hospitals in Texas and California.

‘‘We visit the guys. We cheer them up,” Short said. He said the group has helped more than 700 veterans at the two local hospitals since Marines Helping Marines started three years ago.

Patterson said the group also relies on donations from outside the Marine community. Many people give phone cards, which are helpful. More recently he has put out a call to donate gasoline cards from gas stations.

Traveling back and forth to hospitals can become very expensive, especially with today’s escalating gas prices, he said. Although the hospitals do provide a shuttle service, many veterans drive themselves or ride with family members to cut down on time on the road.

The gasoline cards, Patterson said, can really go a long way.

E-mail Jesse Yeatman at jyeatman@somdnews.com.