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Meeting
“Heroes” and
Watching Television
Changed My Life
A true story about American heroes and deciding I need to help
from
Rory Donaldson
advocate, fundraiser and teacher
860-304-3178
email:
donaldson.rory@gmail.com
DENVER,
CO -- Let me
begin by telling you I am not a veteran, that I do not have the honor
of serving my country as a member of the military. In the early
sixties, when I attempted to enlist and reported for my physical, I was
told that my injured shoulder was too damaged, and I was classified
"1Y." This was turning point #1 in this story, since
enlistment at that time could have landed me in Viet Nam,
and…
My story
continues with another turning point almost 50 years later.
Last
Christmas I found myself discussing our current war in
Iraq with two young men who new what they were talking about. One was a
Ranger,
recently honorably discharged. The other was a young man home on
medical leave.
He had two Humvees blown from beneath him, experienced two concussions,
and was
recuperating from hearing loss.
How do their futures
look?
The Ranger? Since
leaving the Army he has been very unsure
about his next step. The structure that served him so well while
enlisted is
gone, and he has found it very difficult to both hold a job and
continue his
education. Living away from a major urban area, he feels isolated and
without
much support.
The
second soldier? While his head injury and hearing loss is
of great concern, only time will tell about the long-term effect of the
damage.
Will his injuries put his future in jeopardy? His concern was written
all over
his face, emphasized by the bandages still covering both ears.
A Conversation with
my wife and Watching Television
Later
that night I had a long conversation with my wife
about our concern that, without support, both these fine young people
were in
danger of falling between the cracks.
It
seemed like a terrible waste, and within days I had
another encounter that brought the issue of returning veterans home in
another
vivid way.
In
San Antonio the new Center for the Intrepid was being
dedicated to help our injured soldiers with critical rehabilitation. In
the
reviewing stand were many dignitaries – John McCain, Hillary
Clinton, many
politicians of diverse stripes and colors. But images of these national
leaders
were not what caught my eye.
What
caught my eye was the parade of injured soldiers who passed
in review. First came those who could still walk with two legs, many
with clear
injuries to other parts of their bodies. Then came those on crutches,
some
missing a leg. Then came those who couldn’t walk at all, in
wheel chairs. Then
came those who needed to be carried.
“Oh
my God!” I exclaimed. This was the first time I had ever
seen such an image. Why weren’t these images prominent on
television, in
magazines, in our newspapers? Why did this parade receive such little
attention
in the press? Is it because we simply do not want to be disturbed by so
many
people paying such a high price? Are our lives already too busy?
What in the
world is
going to happen?
What in the world
is going to happen to all these injured
soldiers? How are they ever going to get all the help they need to
transition
back to productive lives and families? Then the answer hit me: Far
too many aren’t.
For
far too many, injured or not, the change from being
young soldiers to civilians was going to be too lonely, too painful,
too
bureaucratic, too difficult. They were going to need help, and I, as an
American citizen, was being asked to do absolutely nothing.
I
wasn’t being asked to help, and it haunted me. I need a
way to give back, and that’s when it hit me. I decided to
help create a village
of giving citizens who would help these brave soldiers continue their
educations and hold jobs with a future.
I’m
no longer satisfied with allowing these fine men and women to
remain under my radar while the government is asked to do nearly all
the work.
There’s just far too much that needs to be done, and too many
ways I can help.
Jobs with a future
Who
needs money raised? For what? Since I’ve spent 40 years
helping young men and women achieve academically, continue their
educations and
hold jobs with a future, this seems a perfect place to start.
What
kind of jobs? Because of their interest in service and
community, and because of the hands-on nature of many of their
personalities,
how about jobs as teachers, nurses,
paramedics, fire fighters, law-enforcement agents…?
This is the type of
training many of our returning soldiers are well qualified to
undertake. After
all, they’ve already received excellent training in how to
start on time, stay
on task, and complete their assignments. Aren’t these exactly
the skills all schools
and employees are searching for?
So, I moved to Denver
Coincident
with this decision, two months ago my wife and I
moved back to Denver after living in the Connecticut woods for seven
years. Our
boys are grown and we no longer need a large house. We decided to move
to Denver
(Stapleton) in order to downsize, to move back to a big city, and to be
closer
to family and friends. As Thoreau said upon leaving Walden,
“It seemed to me as
though I had several more lives to live.”
And
one of those lives is to discover how I can help some of
our returning veterans. It appears to me that there are at least three
ways I
can help:
- Raise money to help veterans continue their educations and hold jobs with a future
- Recruit students into appropriate schools.
- Forge stronger links between veterans, citizens and schools.
They need to be asked
Between
you and me, there is so much pent-up good will in the American
citizenry that raising money to help support these returning troops is
a challenge worth the effort. This is a way to bring the American
people in and make them feel as though they are part of a real war - a
war against terror, a war against fascism, a war against dictators, a
war against our fundamental democratic freedoms and human rights. I
know many individuals would like to hear this story and have the
chance to help. They need to be asked.
Additionally,
schools who participate will benefit from the enrollment of men and
women who have already learned the three fundamental behaviors
associated with success: how to start on time, stay on task, complete
assignments. What a great opportunity to build on this goldmine of
training and experience.
What You Can Do to Help Returning Vets
You can help by
putting on your thinking cap and helping me
identify those organizations (both government and non-government) that are doing this type of work.
I
am ready to go to work today for an organization,
foundation, or other non-profit, committed to helping men and women
continue
their educations and hold jobs with a future. I would love to speak
with you
about this great opportunity.
Give
me a call today on my Denver cell: 860-304-3178. I look
forward to hearing from you.
Thank you
Rory Donaldson,
advocate, fundraiser, teacher
phone in Denver: 860-304-3178
email: donaldson.rory@gmail.com
P.S. Click here for some of the excellent
information that inspired me to undertake this effort: The
Bill that Made America Great
P.P.S.
Click
here for a photo, and to see what others have
said about working with Rory Donaldson.