'Wounded warriors' escape to OC

CLICK FOR PHOTOS

 OCEAN CITY -- Three charter buses filled with wounded troops and their families left the confines of Walter Reed National Army Medical Center in Washington for a three-day beach excursion, paid for by Maryland's branch of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

The Maryland VFW has hosted Walter Reed patients -- the men and women dubbed "wounded warriors" -- at its annual convention since 2002. "We invite them out every year, give them something else to look at besides that hospital and those walls," said Tom Kimball, with the state VFW.

State police motorcycles escorted the 78 service members and their families Tuesday to the hotel, where the VFW held a welcome reception at its 88th Annual Convention. The young troops were greeted with a raucous standing ovation by the standing-room-only crowd of older veterans and their families.

"One of the many things we learned from Vietnam is that we'd never let another generation of warriors go by without recognizing their service and saying thank you," said Patrick Botbyl, with the national VFW council.

Richard Udoff, Maryland's VFW commander, said 95 VFW posts statewide raised $41,000 to sponsor the trip to Ocean City. The troops and their families are put up at the Princess Bayside hotel. The VFW takes care of all meals and provides cash and gift certificates to local retailers -- "and if they need it," Udoff added, "swim trunks and suntan lotion."

Glen Gardner, VFW senior vice-commander-in-chief, said the public may not realize that the VFW raises millions of dollars for active duty military servicemen and their families, for everything from mortgage assistance to arranging free overseas phone calls to loved ones. "I think a lot of people lose sight of some of the things we do," he said. "They think of us as a place to play bingo or get a drink."

Sgt. Brad Judd, 25, is an Army National Guardsman from Utah who contracted kidney disease while stationed in Iraq. He's been at Walter Reed since October 2007. "Nothing against (the hospital), they do a great job," he said. "But it's just good to get away."

Specialist Patrick Ruiz, 23, was shot directly in the throat in Tikrit, Iraq. The bullet pierced his neck, destroyed his carotid artery and shattered two vertebrae on the way out. He has been in recovery at Walter Reed since February, and still wears a neck brace that hides a seven-inch scar on his neck. "I was actually dead for a little while," he said. "I was supposed to be paralyzed. They call me a miracle patient." When offered the break, he jumped at the chance. "I just had to get out of there," he said. "I was stuck there too long."

Nearby, Linda Rasnake and husband Gary helped members of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary pass out goodies to soldiers, like hair care products or envelopes full of spending cash.

Gary Rasnake, a sergeant, has been at Walter Reed for two years recovering from a twice-broken back. His wife works full-time with the hospital's Warrior Transition Brigade, helping patients deal emotionally with their injuries.Both said a visit to Ocean City for patients means an escape from a daily routine of doctor appointments and physical therapy sessions."It gives them an outlet to blow off some steam," Gary Rasnake said. "For two or three days, they can be civilians again."

bshane@dmg.gannett.com 410-213-9442, Ext. 14