As a member of a particular military support forum, I was alerted to the frantic concerns of remote family members asking for support as their young Marine was being transported to Walter Reed having lost both legs in an IED blast.

As a mother, this concerned me deeply and my heart wanted to reach out to help in any way that I can; as a MOTHER OF AN ARMY SAPPER, (active duty engineer) whose primary job in his own deployment is “road clearance” and “bomb diffusing” (Have you seen “The Hurt Locker”?), I was completely tuned in and particularly distraught. My son will deploy a second time in July, my son-in-law will deploy in May, my nephew just retired from the Marines, my step son is a ranger training the newbies at Fort Benning. This hits very close to home for me.

In my efforts to help, an organization called iPads For Soldiers (www.ipadsforsoldiers.org) reached out to me and asked if I would deliver an iPad to this young man when I went to visit. I spent the day on Sunday with founders Winnie and Wes Pritchett handing out more than a dozen iPads to wounded warriors at both Walter Reed and Navy Medical.

If you could only know the bravery, the positive outlook, the Patriotic commitment of these young men and women! I expected justified anger. I expected deep sadness and extreme bitterness. I expected self pity. I obviously don’t know our American Soldiers, because NOT ONE of them showed me that. They showed me GRACE and DIGNITY and PRIDE. They told me “I’ll be just fine, ma’am! I’ll be just fine.” They said they were happy to serve, and they were MOST grateful for the iPad2.

I tell you, it was an extreme pleasure to be part of this service. It is my hope that I can help with some exposure and drum up some financial support from businesses who want to really make a difference.

Almost all of the wounded are far from home, far from their loved ones. While their parents or spouses were living with them in the hospital, (and proclaimed GREAT care received from both Institutions, by the way), there are so many other family members from whom they are separated for months and months and months while they heal. The iPad2 allows them to Video Skype with their children! One of the soldiers downright started to weep at the kindness in learning that this organization cared about them THAT much!

If you want to make a direct difference, you can go on line and donate as little as $25, and know that your contribution goes STRAIGHT toward the purchase of an iPad that will be hand delivered or FedEx’d directly to a wounded soldier.

MBSProClose is a proud sponsor at this point. How can we not be? If you’d like more information, visit www.ipadsforsoldiers.org.

Hooah! Semper Fi!

Christine