Remembering the fallen and the wounded

Our Opinion

Friday, May 22, 2009

The number is now 4,981. That's about 400 more than just before Memorial Day last year. Among them was Army Sgt. Ryan Patrick Baumann, 24, who was killed Aug. 1, 2008, in Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He grew up in St. Mary's County and was an alumnus of Great Mills High School.

Although these wars are not currently the subject of fierce political debate they are not over. The American troop presence in Iraq may be winding down, but it is gearing up in Afghanistan. Other sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers who call St. Mary's home are in harm's way right now.

For the last seven years we have had reason in this community to understand the painful reality of the sacrifice Memorial Day commemorates. In addition to Sgt. Baumann two others among the fallen were from St. Mary's County, with families and friends here. Pfc. Raymond J. Faulstich Jr. was 24 when he was killed in August 2004. Cpl. Matthew P. Wallace was 22 when he died in July 2006.

Many others who served in these war zones have been seriously injured. The number of men and women wounded tops 33,000. This Memorial Day there is reason to remember them as well. And in the next year there is the chance to do more than that. There is the chance to contribute to help them.

The Wounded Warrior Project's objective is to provide tangible support for the severely wounded and help them on the road to healing, both physically and mentally. Lt. Denis Oliverio was seriously injured in Iraq in 2005 and told a group of business leaders in St. Mary's County recently that the Wounded Warrior Project helped him in his early days at Bethesda Medical Center, bringing him clothes and toiletries. But after more than a dozen surgeries to rebuild his shattered arm, Oliverio said he benefitted from the organization's push to help injured veterans to learn to live with their injuries and get on with life.

Oliverio was speaking at Elks Lodge 2092 in California, which has just kicked off a fundraising program to donate $20,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project. The campaign will start June 19 with a golf tournament at the Cedar Point Golf Course at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. The club is also planning casino and show nights as well as outdoor festivals at its pool. The club will also make the Wounded Warrior Project the beneficiary of its annual charity ball, held in November. The Elks are looking for participants in these events of course, but also corporate sponsors.

There is also the Greenwell Foundation's Vacations for Vets, which offers disabled veterans who are currently undergoing treatment at Washington, D.C., area military hospitals the chance to spend a weekend at Greenwell State Park's Francis Knott Lodge with their families, away from the daily demands of recovering from injuries. The foundation too is looking for donations to help fund that program.

On Memorial Day we should honor the fallen. And throughout the year we can help those who were damaged in these wars and have survived. Virtually everyone in St. Mary's knows they deserve it. We just have to make the effort to do it.