Operation First Response (OFR) has announced that its fifth annual Pennsylvania Walk For The Wounded will take place Saturday, May 19 at Rose Tree Park. The Walk brings together upwards of 8,000 people each year from the Mid-Atlantic States and beyond, who come to show their support for wounded veterans and their families who struggle to deal with serious health issues and financial challenges.

This year’s event, titled “Rock, Roll and Remember” will include an expanded music festival with live bands and choirs, including a special performance by Philadelphia’s own Carmen Magro, performing his hit single, “America” backed by a several choirs.

The event gets it’s roll from a new and exciting Classic Car Show and Motorcycle Show with more than 200 vehicles expected to line the upper field of Rose Tree Park.

The remember portion of the event will be evidenced by the displays of Apache Helicopters and other Military vehicles plus hundreds of active-duty and retired soldiers who will be on hand to meet with people attending the event.  There will also be appearances by celebrity guests and speakers from the military, major sports teams and the media – including Michael Barkann, named Pennsylvania’s Sportscaster of the Year seven of the past 14 years.  Barkann has also reported for the US Open Tennis Championships, several Winter Olympics and has anchored unique sports shows including the Golf Channel’s Being John Daly.  Barkann is known locally for his Eagles Post Game Live show featuring former PA Governor Ed Rendell as well as famous athletes.

A record-setting 10,000 people are expected to attend this year’s event in support of Operation First Response (OFR), a national 501-C3 non profit organization that donates 90 percent of every dollar directly to wounded soldiers and their families who face serious health and financial battles on the home front.

Representatives of OFR visit Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland every week and meet with wounded veterans and their families who are struggling to cope with their fears about the future while dealing with serious and even life-altering injuries. Many of the soldiers they meet have had their lives changed forever as they deal with severe burns, organ damage, amputations, and painful surgeries.  According to OFR, those physical injuries are often followed by mounting bills at home for ongoing therapies, chronic pain management, job retraining, obtaining transportation to and from doctor’s appointments, and necessary home renovations.”

“Sometimes a soldier’s need is so large, we catch our breath and pray for a miracle,” acknowledges OFR President, Peggy Baker.

“Last year we raised an amazing $175,000 to help soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan,” explained Nick Constantino, a senior executive for OFR who lives in Broomall.  “Many soldiers come home from the battlefield, only to be met with seemingly insurmountable physical and financial challenges here at home,” explained Constantino who provided these statistics for 2011:

853 wounded heroes and their Families received assistance with mortgage and rent, utilities, vehicle payments and groceries

98 wounded heroes and their families received air transportation.   Continued…

“Your son is here,” she said to the old man.

She had to repeat the words several times before the patient’s eyes
opened.

Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw
the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached
out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old
man’s limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.

The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the
bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly
lighted ward, holding the old man’s hand and offering him words of love
and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move
away and rest awhile.

He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was
oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital – the clanking
of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging
greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.

Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said
nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.

Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now
lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she
did what she had to do, he waited.

Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the
Marine interrupted her.

“Who was that man?” he asked.

The nurse was startled, “He was your father,” she answered.

“No, he wasn’t,” the Marine replied. “I never saw him before in my life.”

“Then why didn’t you say something when I took you to him?”

“I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed
his son, and his son just wasn’t here.

When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed.”

I came here tonight to find a Mr. William Grey. His son was killed in Iraq
today, and I was sent to inform him. What was this gentleman’s name?

The Nurse with tears in her eyes answered, Mr. William Grey………….

The next time someone needs you …. just be there. Stay.

Herat, Afghanistan: During a firefight, military dog Valdo was injured by a RPG. Valdo was seriously injured in the blast and he absorbed most of the grenade’s shrapnel which possibly saved the lives of four nearby soldiers.

Military Dog Saves Four Soldiers

A replacement limb that moves, feels and responds just like flesh and blood. It’s the holy grail of prosthetics research. The Pentagon’s invested millions to make it happen. But it’s been elusive – until, quite possibly, now.

The body’s own nerves are arguably the biggest barrier towards turning the dream of lifelike replacements into a reality. Peripheral nerves, severed by amputation, can no longer transmit or receive any of the myriad sensory signals we rely on every day. Trying to fuse them with robot limbs, to create a direct neural-prosthetic interface, is no easy task.

But now a team of scientists believe they’ve overcome that massive barrier. Their research is still in the early stages. But if successful, it’d yield artificial arms and legs that can move with agility; discern hot from lukewarm from freezing; and restore even the subtlest sensations of touch.

“We think the interface problem is key to enabling the neuro-prosthetic concept,” Dr. Shawn Dirk, one of the researchers behind the finding, tells Danger Room. “And solving that is how we’re going to give amputees their bodies back.”

Dirk, alongside colleagues at Sandia National Laboratories, the University of New Mexico and the MD Anderson Cancer Center, set out to develop a synthetic substance that could act as a scaffold – that is, an artificial structure that can support tissue growth – successfully merging severed nerves with robotic limbs.

Of course, researchers have already made plenty of efforts to directly integrate nerves and prosthetics. But, according to Dirk, they typically “didn’t use technology that was compatible with nerve fibers,” which are tightly bundled and flexible. “Nerves need to grow and move around; they’re not going to integrate well with a stiff interface.”

Yes, the material comprising the scaffold had to be flexible and fluid, but it also needed to be extremely conductive. Nerve signals are highly localized, and also very, very subtle. An effective neural-prosthetic interface would need to transmit thousands of different signals per second to mimic the behavior of a real limb and its relationship to the brain and body.

To create that ideal interface, Dirk and his colleagues developed their own biocompatible polymers, meant to mimic the properties of nerve tissue. The material is also porous, so that nerves can extend through it, and lined with electrodes, to vastly enhance conductivity.

When surgeons placed the scaffolds onto the severed leg nerves of rats, it didn’t take long before the rats’ own nerve fibers started to grow through the scaffold and fuse back together. Even better, the synthetic material wasn’t rejected by the rats’ immune systems.

“There was a very limited inflammatory response,” Dirk says. “That’s important, because we’re looking for an interface that won’t be rejected by the body. We want something that can last years, decades, and hopefully entire lifetimes.”

The finding marks a huge, huge improvement over previous research efforts. Even Darpa, the Pentagon’s far-out research arm and a leader in prosthetic science, couldn’t seem to figure out a direct neural-prosthetic interface that was adequately sensitive and had a lifespan longer than a few months. In 2010, the agency asked for new research proposals that’d solve both those problems.

And while new prototype prosthetics have some incredible abilities, none of them include a direct interface. In fact, they’ve been designed to avoid one altogether. One Pentagon-funded project used “targeted muscle reinnervation surgery” to develop prosthetics that transmit signals from a bundle of nerves in the chest. Another, led by Johns Hopkins scientists, uses brain-implanted micro-arrays to transmit cues to an artificial limb.

A direct neural-prosthetic interface still remains years away. But if this polymer holds up in subsequent tests, it’ll mean prosthetics far more lifelike than even the most impressive artificial limbs currently in development. Most importantly, in the words of Darpa, prosthetics hooked right into the nervous system “would incorporate the [artificial] limb into the sense-of-self.”

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON (Feb. 24, 2012) — A combat medic who treated a Soldier in Afghanistan found herself in a role reversal after she was injured a week later and brought to San Antonio Military Medical Center where the Soldier she treated is also recovering.

A recent graduate of the University of Oklahoma with an Aerospace Engineer degree and an infantryman with the National Guard for eight years, Staff Sgt. Brian Wayland deployed to Afghanistan on April 2011 with his unit Company C, 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry, Oklahoma Army National Guard.

“I was definitely excited and nervous when I got the call to deploy. I talked it over with my wife and told her I didn’t have to go but I also told her how I could not live with myself if any of my Soldiers were injured or killed and I wasn’t there. So together we decided I would go,” said Wayland.

On Dec. 9, 2011, Wayland was on his routine mounted patrol in Afghanistan when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device, or IED, that threw him away from the vehicle.

“It happened so fast, one minute I was backing up the mine roller vehicle from a clearing route and then the next minute I was in a ditch about 30 to 60 feet away from the vehicle,” said Wayland.

He managed to move his injured body about 100 meters to the patrol base where Spc. Ashley Jones started immediate medical aid until he was air-lifted to Forward Operating Base Fenty in Afghanistan.

“As I was lying there on the back of the vehicle — what kept me motivated to keep going was the thrill of waiting for the ‘bird’ to pick me up. I kept looking up, just watching, anticipating,”chuckled Wayland.

Wayland was transferred to SAMMC nine days after he was injured and was diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury and multiple facial and body injuries due to fragments from the IED.

“Everyday I’m getting better. I do wish my brain worked the same way as it did before, but this is not an obstacle that I can’t overcome. There have been a lot of life lessons that were learned but if all I gave for this country is my concentration, memory problems, hearing and scars, I’m doing pretty good,” said Wayland.

Jones, a 20 year-old combat medic, joined the National Guard at age 17, was assigned to Company C, 700 Brigade Support Battalion, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team when she deployed and often traveled on convoys to provide medical support for the Soldiers in combat.

“I don’t want to have to do my job, but I will when I need to,” said Jones. She further went on to explain that combat medics do their most demanding work when others are at their worst.

Coincidentally, one week after Wayland was injured, Jones’ vehicle was struck by an IED, injuring her right foot. She soon realized her right foot was crushed from the blast so she immediately started self aid by applying a tourniquet to her right leg until a combat medic came to rescue.

“I was in and out of consciousness so I can’t remember how bad I was hurt,” said Jones.

She was medically evacuated to FOB Fenty in Afghanistan where they removed her right leg below the knee, transferred her to Germany and then to SAMMC on Dec. 24.

“Just a week ago, I had to MEDEVAC someone and now here I am,” she said, reflecting on being on the other end of the patient-medic relationship.

She was the first amputee in her unit.

“I didn’t know she was here [SAMMC] until I came back from my four day pass,” said Wayland. “My injuries might have been worse if Specialist Jones was not there to provide first aid.”

“Her calming demeanor helped me believe I was going to be okay,” he added. “That is the big battle when someone gets injured. If you think you are not going to make it, there is a possibility your body might start shutting down. The mind is a powerful thing.”

He and his wife visited Jones daily in the hospital until she was released Jan. 18 and plan to remain close friends, especially during their rehabilitation at SAMMC and at the Center for the Intrepid.

“After she got out, I made sure her and her family were taken care of with rides to different places and provided them with any information they need,” he said. “On Valentine’s Day, my commander and I took Ashley and her mom, JoDe, to dinner to try to make the day special for them. That’s the least I can do.”

After Jones returns home, she plans to stay in the Oklahoma Army National Guard and return back to school.

“After my rehabilitation, I wanted to transfer to Oklahoma State University to receive my degree in Nursing but after visiting and rehabbing at the CFI, I’m thinking about changing my degree to become a physical therapist,” Jones said. “I don’t regret my decision in joining the National Guard, its unfortunate what happened to me but I’ll get through it.”

Wayland would like to find a job in engineering to help other wounded warriors with their injuries.

“I hope to get a job in aerospace engineering and use engineering to better the world. I plan on doing research to help amputees to return to a more normal life through technology. They have given so much, so we as a country should strive to give them the very best,” said Wayland.

Wayland and Jones both received Purple Heart medals and certificates for their bravery and courage and Jones received her Combat Medic Badge for treating a fellow Soldier while being actively engaged by the enemy.

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Oct. 9, 2011) — The 27th annual Army Ten-Miler brought 30,000 registered runners, including 701 teams, from around the world Sunday to compete in one of the largest 10-mile races in the world.

Beginning and ending at the Pentagon, it is produced by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, with all proceeds going to the Army’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation fund.

But more than runners came out to support the nation’s military, although a group of international world class runners came to win for the Warrior Transition Command, and present their trophies to WTC.

The WTC had 50 athletes competing in visually impaired/blind and amputee, push rim/hand cycle categories, but many groups came to spread the word about WTC.

One of those groups, Sports Inside and Out, is an international radio show hosted and executive produced by Coach Charlie Hatcher, who uses his show as a platform for a program called Champions 4 Champions.

Hatcher, who played for the NBA, is a Navy veteran who was named All Navy and All Interservice, went to the Olympic trials in 1969, and during the 1980s became a motivational speaker for the Pro Athletes in Action “Stay in School” Program, which later became the NBA “Stay in School” Program.

“Champions 4 Champions was designed four years ago with guys like Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Ricky Sanders, Billy Joe DuPree from the Cowboys, Drew Pearson and Tony Dorsett, and of course my stepson Dominique Wilkins, Sam Jones — an Army veteran, my dear friend and co-host of my show,” Hatcher said.

They got together, he said, because everyone was supporting the children of the vets but no one was paying attention to the wounded warriors’ commands.

“We asked ‘who are the facilitators of the wounded warriors,’ and when we found out about the Warrior Transition Command. We didn’t know anything about it. We found out, though, what the brand is and the impact they’re making for our troops all over the world. “

“So now, the greatest sports legends and actors, over 400, have aligned themselves so we’ll be able to bring in and support through different broadcasts, initiatives and appearances to show what the WTC command is actually about,” Hatcher said.

The United States Army, Hatcher said, is the biggest branch in the service, “they’re the big boys. Now, where they go, everything else goes.”

Hatcher said while he recognizes the sacrifices of all service members, he feels the the United States Army is the vangard of the armed forces.

“So, we’ve made a commitment through our broadcast Sports Inside and Out show with our new partners like Operation First Response who have that same mission statement of helping our wounded warriors,” he said.

He said if people are more aware of what the command does that the WTC will be able to operate a little more permanently.

“They’ve got great leaders like Brigadier General Darryl P. Williams, the WTC commander, who is so supportive of his staff, it’s mind boggling. He’s almost like one of my old teammates,” Hatcher said.

“So, to see where the Army is pushing is where we need to be. So, we’re going on tour to do what we call a full-court press so the command gets the support, because the support of the command, the support of the warriors is only natural,” Hatcher said.

The co-host for today was Walter “Wali” Jones.  He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in his first NBA season and then played with the Philadelphia 76ers.

“I’m proud to be here, proud to serve our country,” said Jones. We’re broadcasting to 77 countries, (through the) Armed Forces Network, (in) Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, with 1.3 million listeners.”

Other famous athletes and stars coming on the day’s broadcast were WNBA Hall of Famer Susan Summers, James “Bone Crusher” Smith who was scheduled to call in from the golf course, and Denzel Washington said he would try to cut away from location shooting to join the show.

“The Army is the tip of the spear for everything. So I think we hooked the caboose up the right engine,” said Hatcher with a smile.

Peggy Baker, founder and president of Operation First Response, who partners with Hatcher, was also scheduled to speak on the show today.

“I got involved (in helping veterans) because my son, Joshua, joined the Army after 9-11. And actually I just wanted to be supportive of what he was doing so I ended up going into Walter Reed in 2003. One of my friends lost a leg so I went in to visit her and walked away knowing there were things, as civilians, we could do for the families. We founded Operation First Response in 2004.

“It changed my life forever. Working with the wounded warriors and their families is amazing. They are amazing,” Baker said.

Her organization, she said, serves nationwide, working with wounded warriors at Brooke Army Medical Center, Walter Reed, Bethesda, and trauma centers. And they help the families, financially.

“We want to be the support system that helps (families) get through that difficult time (when a wounded warrior comes home). Actually, we’ve gone this whole journey with them, so what’s ended up happening is now we realize that once they get out of the military — they med-board out and they go into the civilian world — then the VA benefits … there’s a long gap in time before the VA comes through. So that’s actually where they really need us the most,” she said.

There’s many ways First Response helps, she said. A case worker or social worker or the WTC calls to let them know what the families need, “so we just kick in and help. We try to make it a little bit easier. We have a responsibility as civilians to take care of them. They do that for us … we’re the recipients of their sacrifice,” Baker said.

The mission of Operation First Response is to serve all branches of the nation’s wounded warriors and their families with personal and financial needs. Services are provided from the onset of injuries or illness, throughout their recovery period and along their journey from military life to the civilian world. Financial aid varies as each case is based on individual needs ranging from rent, utilities, vehicle payments, groceries, clothing, and travel expenses.

“We were broadcasting yesterday and we had world-class and Olympian runners from Russia, Nigeria, Kenya and a lady from Turkey who broke the marathon record coming on the show to support the military. I was so proud to be with them because they feel so much about the cause,” Jones said.

Also on yesterday’s show, he said, was Capt. Ivan Castro, who has continued serving on active duty in the Special Forces despite losing his eyesight. He remains active as an athlete and has participated in several long-distance road races.

“He talked with our audience and told how he feels about surviving that and how many operations he had, and how many men he lost over there. When you hear these heroes and he said, ‘I’m not a hero,’ but they protect us and that’s what we’re about.”

Sue Bozgoz, founder of IR4G, “it stands for I Run for God,” said her organization is a team of world-class runners who run for God first and service members second. “God gave them their talent so they honor him first,” said Bozgoz.

Her group ran for WTC.

A Road Runners Club of America certified coach, retired Army officer, war vet, motivational speaker and an All Army Marathoner and track runner, Sue has coached tens of thousands of walkers and runners of all ages and abilities since 1987.

Along with Command Sgt. Maj. Benjamin Scott and runners Valentina Yergova, Tatyana Posdnyakova and Coach Chuck Hatcher, she teams up to give running advice.

“I used to run with the All Army Team and when I retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2006 I got hit by a semi-trailer. I wanted to focus on qualifying for the Olympic trials but it just didn’t happen that way. I’ve always run marathons, 54 in all, and God just gave me these world-class runners from all over the world,” Bozgoz said.

Running today for WTC was male runner Tesfaye Alemayhu, 27, from Ethiopia who now lives in Antioch, Calif. He came in first today with a time of 47 minutes.

Women runners with IR4G were Terata Dengysa, 31, from Istanbul, Turkey, who came in first. Serkalem Abrha from Ethiopia who came in second, and Tiringo Getachew Shi Feraw, 27, from Ethiopia, who came in third.

Other women runners for IR4G were Tatyana Pozdnyakova from the Ukraine, a world- class master runner, who competed in the 2004 and 2004 marathons in Los Angeles, Calif., and came in first when she was 48 and 49 years old, respectively; and Valentina Yergova from Russia, who came in first in the marathon at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and second at the 1996 Atlanta, Ga., Olympics.

Also helping wounded warriors was Rory A. Cooper, a PhD who works in biomedical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. He also works for the Department of Veterans Affairs. He was injured in a training accident in Germany 30 years ago. After getting out, he took his GI Bill and went to college.

“I work on hand cycles, the wheelchair I’m using, and prosthetic limbs. It’s my specialty — technology for veterans and military with disabilities.”

“I’ve done the Army Ten-miler the last four years, done the Marine Corps Marathon three or four times, did the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, the Paralympic games, and for the last three years, I’ve been with the veterans at Walter Reed where I coached wounded warriors to run the Army Ten-miler. That’s why I’m here with the WTC today.”

At the Walk for the Wounded event at the historic Music Pier on Saturday morning, he was a hero.

“I’m sorry, bear with me,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes. “I’m better with a rifle than I am with words.”

Overwhelmed by the large crowd, he said he was not a hero, but those gathered vehemently disagreed. A loud applause was followed by “Yes you are!”

“I’m a normal guy that by the grace of God made it home, and if I could go back I would,” he said. “It’s neat to see this kind of support; it reminds me that everything I went through was worth it.”

Spotanski was injured in Afghanistan in August, 2007 when serving as a sniper with his infantry. He was standing on a 30-foot tower when a rocket-propelled grenade hit. He fell and was impaled by a six-foot pole. He spent the next year recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

His comrade, SPC Sean Langevin saved his life; three months later Langevin was killed in action. Of the 35 men in his platoon, 26 were killed in action. The 173rd Airborne 2/503 was featured in the book “War” by Sebastian Junger and the National Geographic documentary “Restrepo.”

The third annual Walk for the Wounded, sponsored by Ocean City Home Bank with the help of local businesses, raised over $57,000 for Operation First Response, a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to wounded soldiers and their families. Since its founding by Peggy Baker, a soldier’s mother in 2004, OFR has raised over $2 million. Of every dollar raised, 90 cents goes directly to those in need.

“Without OFR I would not be here right now,” Spotanski said. “No way. Every time I called Peggy needing something, with a hell-bent attitude she said ‘you’ll get the help you need’ and I did.

“Without OFR, I know where I would have ended up, in prison or dead,” he added. “It’s hard for the guys that get hurt.”

Arriving stateside after an injury, soldiers are in limbo as they heal from life-changing injuries. Freeing him from everyday stress allowed Spotanski to focus on recovery.

“I’m a realist. I don’t need a baseball game or a fishing trip, I need help,” he said. “I’m not going to let my injuries shape me for the next 50 years and I’m not going to live off of them.”

Corporal Todd Simpson Love, a Marine in the 1st Recon Battalion, B Co. was point man on a foot patrol on the morning of Oct. 25, 2010 when he stepped on an IED. He lost both of his legs, and ultimately his left arm in the resulting explosion.

He underwent numerous surgeries and a long recovery as he began the process of adapting to his new life as a triple amputee. Love thanked the large crowd and OFR for everything they had done for him. He also thanked the large contingency of veterans in the audience.

Spotanski reminded the crowd that he “lost a lot of friends.” Death, and injuries like he and Love experienced, are “the cost of freedom,” he said.

Baker started OFR in 2004 after a friend’s son lost his leg in combat. OFR volunteers visit military hospitals, providing moral support to wounded soldiers and their families; they assist with airline flights, lodging and meals, provide transportation and help with groceries or paying bills. OFR coordinates with other groups and charities.

“We have no time clock,” said Baker. “We never know what we are facing each day. The past seven years has been the greatest journey of my life, a journey filled with miracles and inspiration. I can’t even put it into words.”

Baker’s son joined the Army after terrorists attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. She started OFR after her friend’s son was injured and she realized that there was a huge gap in care.

“When a soldier leaves the military with a medical and joins the VA, they have no income, no money,” she said. “Their spouse can’t work because they have to take care of the soldier, their life dissolves pretty quickly. We serve as a bridge.

“The struggle they go through every day is something we can’t imagine yet they have the most amazing attitudes. It puts a whole new perspective on a bad day. I feel like all these soldiers are my kids.”

OFR has touched over 7,000 young heroes who took a selfless vow to “defend this country,” she noted.

“America rose up after 9/11,” she said. “My son taught me a lesson, what giving of yourself truly represents. The flag represents more than cloth blowing in the breeze. It represents America’s finest.”

The military, she noted, takes a young man or woman who “yesterday couldn’t make their bed” and turns them into a warrior willing to lay down their life for their country.

“Life continues on, they can still triumph in adversity if they don’t give up,” she said. “Not one of these soldiers comes back the same person.”

Phil Martelli, head coach for the St. Joseph’s men’s basketball team and emcee for the event, said he was deeply moved by the two young soldiers and OFR.

“If you didn’t just tear up, get your pulse checked because you are dead,” he said. “This is what the Delaware Valley is all about. Helping kids you’ll probably never meet, but when you put your head down on the pillow you know you ‘done good.’ Put that veteran who you’re walking for in your heart and your mind as you walk. God Bless America.”

After the ceremony, the crowd followed a military honor guard down the Boardwalk for a three mile walk.

Resident Dick Mathers, a veteran of the Korean War, said he was proud of the two young marines.

“It never leaves you,” said Mathers. In 1953 the Army engineer was on the front line, face-to-face with the enemy. By “the grace of God” the enemy’s guns wouldn’t fire, he said.

“If they fired, we’d have been dead,” he said, wiping tears. “God was with us. It was a miracle.”

Linda Carter’s son Dan, a Marine just returned from Afghanistan, is scheduled to go back next year. She and her husband Bob participated for the first time.

“Until you are involved, with a child going to war, you don’t get it,” said Carter. “You can’t understand. You want people to understand the plight of these guys. I’m overwhelmed, so impressed with these young men. OFR is a wonderful organization. This was our first walk and surely won’t be our last. Organizations like OFR are few and far between. They truly appreciate our military heroes.

Martelli has also faced challenges with his many charitable and community efforts. He is currently the chair of the Coaches vs. Cancer National Council as well as the co-chair of the Philadelphia chapter of that organization, as the city’s coaches have become one of the top fundraising groups in the country. He’s received numerous honors for his community work, and was named the 2004 “Citizen of the Year” by the March of Dimes, inducted into the CYO Hall of Fame for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and honored by the National Adoption Center. His alma mater, Widener University, gave him an honorary doctorate in public service in May 2004, while he has also received honorary doctorates from Cabrini College (2006) and Immaculata University (2010).

On Saturday, Martelli will be in Ocean City, on the boardwalk, to help another of his worthy causes – Walk For The Wounded to aid Operation First Response.

“Got a call from a St. Joe grad asking if I would talk with some guys from Delaware County,” Martelli remembers. “He thought I could help them out. As I listened to them, I was humbled when they asked me to be a spokesperson for the Walk in Delaware County. Steve Brady, the President of Ocean City Home Bank, heard about it and called me.”

Brady and Martelli were roommates at Widener, where Brady, a Holy Spirit graduate, played football. “I was a basketball player and Steve was a football player,” Martelli said, “but I’ve always been a fan who wanted to know about the inner workings of sports. There were many nights when I would ask Steve about how things happened on a football team. Not just the patterns and formations they were running but how they prepared, what happened in the locker room, how their coaches talked to them. It was a relationship in which I learned a lot that I am still using today.”

Brady saw his old roommate on TV talking about the Walk in Delaware County while he was working out in his gym.

“It’s not unusual to see Phil on television,” said Brady, “but as I listened he was talking about Operation First Response. I was immediately interested in getting involved. I called him right away.”

The result was a deep involvement in the fund-raising efforts of Operation First Response in 2009 by Brady and Ocean City Home Bank. They raised $25,000 that first year and, with more time to prepare, increased that to $42,000 last year. They expect Saturday’s event to be bigger.

Operation First Response (operationfirstresponse.org) helps provide assistance to veterans and their families, as well as those still on active duty.

There are others from the sports community who have offered their support of the cause. People like UConn womens coach Geno Auriemma, former Villanova coach and current CBS Sports analyst Steve Lappas, Temple mens coach Fran Dunphy and former NBA star Chris Ford.

The Operation First Response-Walk For The Wounded registration starts on Saturday at 10am in front of the Music Pier in Ocean City. The walk itself will begin at 11:30. The Phillie Phanatic will be there. So will Tracy Davidson of NBC-10 in Philadelphia. There will also be live music and lots more. Everybody who raises $50 or more will receive a free long-sleeve tee shirt.

“It feels great to give back to those who have given so much to all of us. But there is also a stirring feeling that you can do more,” said Martelli. “You’ll meet a 22-year old guy who gave a limb for his country. A 24-year old woman who has to change her way of life because of an injury suffered during her service. And many others. We’re all trying to do as much as we can to help and I have great admiration for Steve and the wonderful people at Ocean City Home Bank for how much they’ve done in a short time.”

Because of Operation First Response, thousands of wounded heroes and their families have received assistance with mortgage and rent, utilities, vehicle payments and groceries. Many more wounded heroes and their families have received air transportation. Wounded heroes and their families have received ground transportation and lodging. Nearly 10,000 Operation First Response backpacks have been sent to Combat Support Hospitals in Theatre. Thousands of wounded heroes and their family members have received emotional support.
“I challenge anybody who participates on Saturday not to get tears in their eyes at some point,” Martelli said. “There will be tears of appreciation and tears of sadness. But there will be more. I’ve always described it as a carnival for your senses. You’ll get something good to eat. You’ll hear some good music. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry. And it all will happen in such a beautiful setting, on the boardwalk in the great city of Ocean City.

“The really beautiful thing about Saturday’s Walk on the Boardwalk is that it’s a family activity. You’ll see grandparents walking with their grandchildren. There will be entire families, kids in strollers and on bikes and lots of proud veterans who realize what these young men and women are doing for us. This is our chance to show them how much we appreciate their sacrifice.”

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is extending
retroactive traumatic injury benefits to Servicemembers who suffered qualifying injuries during the period Oct. 7,
2001 to Nov. 30, 2005, regardless of the geographic location where the injuries occurred.

“Now all of our nation’s Servicemembers who suffered severe traumatic
injuries while serving their country can receive the same traumatic
injury benefits, regardless of where their injury occurred,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K.
Shinseki. “We at VA appreciate the efforts of Congress and the President to improve benefits for our troops.”

Effective Oct. 1, the Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) Traumatic Injury Protection
benefit, known as TSGLI, will be payable for all qualifying injuries incurred
during this period.  This retroactive benefit is payable whether or not the Servicemember had SGLI coverage at the
time of the injury.

The Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2010, passed by Congress and signed by President Obama in October of
2010, removes the requirement that injuries during this period be incurred in
Operations Enduring or Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF). This is welcome news for the many Servicemembers who suffered serious
traumatic injuries while serving stateside or in other areas outside of OEF/OIF
during this time period, but until now have not been eligible for TSGLI.

TSGLI provides a payment ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 to Servicemembers sustaining certain severe traumatic injuries
resulting in a range of losses, including amputations; limb salvage; paralysis;
burns; loss of sight, hearing or speech; facial reconstruction; 15-day
continuous hospitalization; coma; and loss of activities of daily living due to
traumatic brain injury or other traumatic injuries.

National Guard and Reserve members who were injured during the retroactive period and
suffered a qualifying loss are also eligible for a TSGLI payment, even if the
cause was not related to military service, such as a civilian automobile
accident or severe injury which occurred while working around their home.

National Guard and Reserve members make up more than
40 percent of the total force which has been deployed since 9-11.  Those who are no longer in the National Guard
or Reserves can also apply as long as their injury occurred while they were in
service.

“I am extremely pleased that these total force warriors who defend our freedoms are
getting the recognition and benefits they have rightfully earned in service to
our nation,” added Under Secretary for Benefits Allison A. Hickey.

VA is working with the Department of Defense to publicize this change in the TSGLI
law.  Additionally, all of the branchesof service are identifying any claims previously denied because the injury was
not incurred in OEF/OIF and reaching out to those individuals.

Although applications are currently being accepted by branch of service TSGLI offices,
benefits will not be paid until Oct. 1, 2011, the effective date of the law.

For more information or to apply for a TSGLI payment, Servicemembers and Veterans
should go to http://www.insurance.va.gov/sgliSite/TSGLI/TSGLI.htm
or contact their branch of service TSGLI Office (contact information available
at above link).

]]> http://www.operationfirstresponse.org/?feed=rss2&p=5876 0 http://www.operationfirstresponse.org/?p=5872 http://www.operationfirstresponse.org/?p=5872#comments Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:24:38 +0000 OFRPeggy http://www.operationfirstresponse.org/?p=5872 Currently, Zac Charles is deployed in Afghanistan as a Combat Medic with the 1-6 Field Artillery Battalion. While he has always had a passion and gift for music, he has found a renewed spirit in helping fellow soldiers and their families through music.
While overseas Zac co-wrote a song with a fellow soldier, John Edwards; John sent the song to his wife and she was so moved by his music that she created a ...]]> Zac Charles Music: Singer, Songwriter, Soldier
Currently, Zac Charles is deployed in Afghanistan as a Combat Medic with the 1-6 Field Artillery Battalion. While he has always had a passion and gift for music, he has found a renewed spirit in helping fellow soldiers and their families through music.
While overseas Zac co-wrote a song with a fellow soldier, John Edwards; John sent the song to his wife and she was so moved by his music that she created a Facebook page dedicated to fulfilling Zac’s dream of singing “Until I Get Home” live on Good Morning America.
“The idea of giving an extra boost to Zac’s music career while serving his country…prompted me the great idea to create an event & Fan Page for him. I thought it would be a great idea to gain as many fans to “Like” his Fan page.”
–Jaimee Edwards, PR
Soon after the Facebook page, Support US Army Medic Zac Charles, was launched his fan base sky rocketed to the thousands and his YouTube hits tripled. His number one hit “Until I Get Home” has touched the lives of soldiers, families, and veterans; as it speaks to the struggles within a soldier’s heart of missing family and completely their duty. Watching videos of the songs Zac writes/sings show a glimpse of what our soldier’s do, to keep their spirits up over there when times are tough, and when they’re missing home.
Zac has now started to expand his reach, but he can’t do it alone; many people have rallied behind him: Graffiti of War, We Do It Military Style, Mistressto TheMilitary, Miss Your Voice, Military Honey’s Stay Strong, and Soldiers Angels are some of the organizations already supporting him; however we need you.
We need your support, skills, expertise, and passion to get Zac Charles and his music to the public, seen on GMA, or help him receive a recording contract.
We appreciate you for supporting those that protect us, and their families. Please contact Jaimee concerning sponsorships, advertisements, and information.
ZacCharles.com YouTube Zac Charles Music
Support US Army Medic Zac Charles Download-Reverbnation