Posted 11:21 am Sunday, October 02, 2011
Wounded Troops Welcomed To Tyler For Rest And Relaxation
By TIM MONZINGO
Staff Writer
To cheers of thanks and appreciation, more than 40 military personnel who have been wounded in the course of duty, flew into Tyler on Saturday for three days of relaxation.
All of the troops flew in to participate in the Cost of Freedom Gala, put on by the Texas Wounded Warrior organization and area businesses.
As the troops poured onto the field, they were greeted by Tyler citizens, the Patriot Guard and veterans toting American flags and shouting their appreciation.
For Tom and Grace Fisher, of Tyler, the chance to come out and greet the soldiers held special significance.
Staff Writer
To cheers of thanks and appreciation, more than 40 military personnel who have been wounded in the course of duty, flew into Tyler on Saturday for three days of relaxation.
All of the troops flew in to participate in the Cost of Freedom Gala, put on by the Texas Wounded Warrior organization and area businesses.
As the troops poured onto the field, they were greeted by Tyler citizens, the Patriot Guard and veterans toting American flags and shouting their appreciation.
For Tom and Grace Fisher, of Tyler, the chance to come out and greet the soldiers held special significance.
The Fishers have a son, a grandson and a nephew who all spent time in Iraq, Mrs. Fisher said.
Fisher himself was a member of the National Guard for years until his discharge in 1963, he said.
“We're proud of our country,” Mrs. Fisher said. “We're glad to be here.”
The Fishers have spent about five years going to ceremonies to greet troops coming to East Texas, and for Fisher, who recalled the abuse and hate dealt out to Vietnam veterans on their return, the events are a chance to show troops that people still care about them,
“We still are a united country,” he said.
When Army Sgt. Matt Bricka returned from Iraq in 2004 after being injured, the positive response he got from people around the country was almost overwhelming, he said.
Fisher himself was a member of the National Guard for years until his discharge in 1963, he said.
“We're proud of our country,” Mrs. Fisher said. “We're glad to be here.”
The Fishers have spent about five years going to ceremonies to greet troops coming to East Texas, and for Fisher, who recalled the abuse and hate dealt out to Vietnam veterans on their return, the events are a chance to show troops that people still care about them,
“We still are a united country,” he said.
When Army Sgt. Matt Bricka returned from Iraq in 2004 after being injured, the positive response he got from people around the country was almost overwhelming, he said.
“Really, across the country people have shown a lot of support for us,” he said. “There's a large group of people that support us.”
Bricka serves on the board of directors for the Texas Wounded Warriors, which is a Tyler organization unrelated to the Wounded Warrior Project, he said. About 97 percent of the proceeds generated at the Cost of Freedom Gala and pro-am golf tournament that accompanies it are given to injured soldiers, he said.
“A good percent of the military lives below the poverty line,” Bricka said. Often when troops come home injured, the government doesn't provide enough to support the solider and his family. Without being able to work, that leaves injured veterans in a tough place, he said.
Enter the Texas Wounded Warrior.
Bricka serves on the board of directors for the Texas Wounded Warriors, which is a Tyler organization unrelated to the Wounded Warrior Project, he said. About 97 percent of the proceeds generated at the Cost of Freedom Gala and pro-am golf tournament that accompanies it are given to injured soldiers, he said.
“A good percent of the military lives below the poverty line,” Bricka said. Often when troops come home injured, the government doesn't provide enough to support the solider and his family. Without being able to work, that leaves injured veterans in a tough place, he said.
Enter the Texas Wounded Warrior.
The proceeds from the organization go to any number of needs, Bricka said. If a soldier returns home in a wheelchair, the money can be used to retrofit the home.
Bricka said at one point, the government would pay for the family of hospitalized military personnel to be flown to the hospital where they were being treated, but that doesn't happen anymore, he said. Funds from the organization go to that, too, he said.
In short, whatever the needs of the soldier, the organization works to meet them, he said.
And that's made possible by the people of Tyler, to whom Bricka gives much of the credit for making the organization work.
Bricka said at one point, the government would pay for the family of hospitalized military personnel to be flown to the hospital where they were being treated, but that doesn't happen anymore, he said. Funds from the organization go to that, too, he said.
In short, whatever the needs of the soldier, the organization works to meet them, he said.
And that's made possible by the people of Tyler, to whom Bricka gives much of the credit for making the organization work.
“We're very lucky the people around here that have been blessed are passing that on,” he said. “It's a lot of people with the best intentions.”
As the troops sat in rows of chairs for the opening ceremony of the weekend at KE Bushman's near Bullard, they and more than 100 patrons got a taste of how they would be honored.
The evening kicked off with a flyby of 10 aircraft. A MI 24 helicopter shattered the quiet afternoon, followed by three skydivers transporting streamers and American and Texas flags. The thunder of four World War II AT-6 fighter planes kept the air vibrating.
The Texas Twisters, four P-34 airplanes roared their support for the soldiers across the sky, followed by a P-25 bomber.
As the flyover wrapped up, U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Paul Landers stepped up to a podium in front of the audience.
Landers said a person would be hard-pressed to find a soldier among those in attendance who would describe himself as a hero, but that wasn't how he saw it, he said.
“As of Sept. 28, there have been over 46,000 men and women wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said. “That's a startling number, and it indicates the intensity and danger of that combat.
Volunteering to serve in that kind of an environment sounds pretty heroic to me.”
As the troops sat in rows of chairs for the opening ceremony of the weekend at KE Bushman's near Bullard, they and more than 100 patrons got a taste of how they would be honored.
The evening kicked off with a flyby of 10 aircraft. A MI 24 helicopter shattered the quiet afternoon, followed by three skydivers transporting streamers and American and Texas flags. The thunder of four World War II AT-6 fighter planes kept the air vibrating.
The Texas Twisters, four P-34 airplanes roared their support for the soldiers across the sky, followed by a P-25 bomber.
As the flyover wrapped up, U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Paul Landers stepped up to a podium in front of the audience.
Landers said a person would be hard-pressed to find a soldier among those in attendance who would describe himself as a hero, but that wasn't how he saw it, he said.
“As of Sept. 28, there have been over 46,000 men and women wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said. “That's a startling number, and it indicates the intensity and danger of that combat.
Volunteering to serve in that kind of an environment sounds pretty heroic to me.”
