Showing Our Thanks To Wounded Marines

Bravery, honor and courage are what the United States Marines Corp are known for. But when many Marines like Lance Corporal Derrick Waldron come home injured, they are often forgotten. “I’m in this ward called the Patriot Inn,” he says. “I’m the only one there. It’s just really boring, sitting there all alone.” Waldron was serving with a tank crew when his foot accidentally got caught in a moving turret belt. “When my foot got caught in the tank, it popped, and there’s a really big open wound on the bottom of my foot,” he explains. “I broke my big toe, my ankle, and I got about six screws in there.” Other wounded soldiers like Corporal Keith Barnes have not been out of the hospital for months. “We got ambushed in Fallujah, and my truck got hit with an RPG, which threw me against the truck and knocked me unconscious for a little while,” Keith says. “Ever since, I’ve been having these bad problems with my head.” Recently Operation Blessing got together with The Wounded Marine Program – a non-profit group that reaches out to active duty or wounded vets. We put together a little overnight fishing trip for Derrick, Keith and seven other guys – giving them some much needed time away from the hospital. “It’s a real treat for us to see their faces, be able to catch some big fish and have a good time,” notes Tim Crowley, Founder of the Program. “It means a lot to them. It really does.” Corporal James Mundoor adds, “It’s not often that I get to catch a 27 lb catfish. We were pulling against the current, so, it was a little bit of a fight.” “It means a lot,” Derrick says. “I got to get out of the hospital for a beautiful, relaxing day.” Lance Corporal Kimani Boyea says, “It can get a little stressful just being in one place all the time. It’s good to get away.” Because of the support of CBN Partners, Operation Blessing is able to bring a little joy into the lives of those who have served so faithfully. Crowley says, “Operation Blessing has always been there for us when we’ve needed to do something.” “It shows that people care,” Keith says. “A lot of guys that are in my unit feel like they’re down on their last leg. Then we have things like this. It makes us feel good.”