On the 4th of July we visited the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. We were escorted by Marine Sgt Anthony Ware and were privileged to visit many of our Marines who were recovering from wounds received in Iraq.
My oldest daughter Kathy presented all ten of the Liberty Pens we received from Ken Osborne and the Liberty Tree Foundation and we left lots of pens for Sgt Ware to distribute to other Marines in the Hospital as well as those who would be arriving in the future. Our visiting time was very brief, these young Marines were all seriously hurt and the truth is that it was very sad, many had head wounds but all seemed to be on the road to recovery and their spirits were very high. We expressed our thanks to each Marine and wished them a speedy recovery, then a short speech concerning the Liberty Pens they each received and we thanked their family members who were visiting them.
Sgt Ware and the Marines who run the Liaison Office were very friendly and agreed to include one of our Freedom Pens in the backpack that each Marine who is admitted to the Hospital receives. It was heartwarming to see that these Marines were never left alone, in spite of the staff of doctors and nurses, the Marines assigned to the Liaison Office were there to constantly visit and look after their wounded buddies.
We owe these young people a debt we can never repay. It is my only hope that the American people will support and care for them as long as it takes and that we never forget their sacrifice.
If anyone would like to send a letter to one of these brave Marines send it to the following address, I'm sure that they would appreciate a letter of thanks.
The Marine Liaison Office
National Naval Nedical Center
Bldg 10 Room 1014
8901 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20889
Attention: Sgt Anthony Ware
The picture below was taken in the Hospital Liaison Office. From the left to right is Sgt Anthony Ware, Jackie Outten, Keith Outten and Aaron Koehl.
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Originally Posted by Keith Outten
