Quite A Week In November

I’m often asked how this all happened, this thing called USA Cares, but last week was one of those weeks where I almost have to pinch myself and I still don't have a good answer.

Sunday, I saw somewhere over 22 square miles of beautiful homes, shops and golf courses, in a little place in central Florida called The Villages. I’ve see the commercials a hundred times, we flew into Leesburg and met some wonderful people were so encouraging about wanting to do something for USA Cares and listening to their story of running a small business and raising a handful of kids and now grandkids and want to thank those other “kids” who are standing tall in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The next evening, in Amway Coliseum, prior to a basketball game with the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Bobcats, I was nearly 40 young Americans standing tall in formation in center court. Both Marine and Army recruits stood in the full light and admirations of a growing crowd and watched them take the oath of enlistment from an Army Captain.

These young men and women joined the military of a nation at war. They volunteered to serve for anywhere from four to six years and undoubtedly will spend part of their tours in harm’s way. Words here cannot convey the emotions that Jim and I felt at that moment, and why for the past nearly seven years, USA Cares has been at the center of our lives. These “kids”, these young men and women deserve the very best that our nation can provide, both from the government and from citizens.

Monday was also another first for me personally, besides seeing my first NBA game (The Magic won the game) Jim and I also found ourselves at 2:28 p.m. looking to the east and seeing the streak of flame and white plumes as the space shuttle Atlantis hurtled toward the heavens. We both experienced the sense of pride that those Americans around us did and my only wish was that more of our citizens would have an opportunity to see the enormous power that our nation had on display.

Back to that evening at the game, we were fortunate to talk to hundreds of military members and their families, introducing USA Cares and hopefully setting the stage to provide assistance if they need it.

We flew back to Louisville the next morning and Wednesday evening I had the privilege for attending the monthly Fort Knox Chapter of MOAA. I learned that one of their long time chapter members, LTC (Retired) Bob Harman had passed away and that the family had designated USA Cares as one of two charities to be considered in lieu of flowers. This is perhaps the 15^th family over the past seven years to designate USA Cares in this fashion, and it is both humbling and moving to be honored in this fashion. On Friday, I attended his service at the Central Kentucky Veterans Cemetery and learned that LTC Harman was a Veteran of both World War II and Korea. I watched a young Major and a Staff Sergeant fold the flag and present it to his widow. What nobody in the audience missed was that both Soldiers had the combat service bars and accompanying personal medals that told us that they had both already served multiple tours.

While I was standing there after the services another retired Veteran who has been a wonderful supporter of USA Cares handed me an envelope and told me that I would save him 44 cents. I later learned that he had handed me an envelope with a $500 donation.

Along the way this week, a volunteer came in and catalogued over 50 new handmade Lapwraps that will be sent out the coming week. Some of them are going to Fort Hood and perhaps some of those wounded by the attack last week. Meanwhile the special fund set up for the Fort Hood Families continued to provide support to families within hours of receiving requests, one within an hour.

These Lapwraps keep coming in, almost daily from all over America, and there are always cards from the donor thanking our servicemen for their service and their sacrifice.

Very humbling, to say the least.

Thank you to the some 4,000 Lapwrap contributors, you are both amazing and inspiring.

We also received over 150 new requests for assistance and issued over $12,000 in support for the week.

Quite a week.

Roger

Introducing Team USA Cares: Marquardt

We have all heard about "Army Buddies" and I am fortunate to have one too. Jim and I have followed each other's careers and lives since 1979. He went off to the first gulf war, where he served with distinction. He rode in airplanes, jumped

 out of them with the 82nd Airborne but it wasn't until after he retired from the Army that he took to being a pilot. 

Since we started USA Cares in 2003, Jim, I and others have traveled to locations all over America telling the USA Cares story and making the case that military families deserved a extra effort from all of us that live in peace and freedom.

Lined up in the landing pattern in New York with jumbo jets, or landing in a little field in Georgia, Jim has shown a level of professionalism and savvy that I would have never guessed. But his passion for flying is equally matc

hed by his passion for USA Cares. I wish I had a nickle for every hour that we have spend on the phone or together talking about strategy and what to do next and how can we do things better. 

15,000 military families have come to  USA Cares for assistance, and we have dispensed over $5 million in grants, so Jim's original process, which remains the base plate for our process remains true. Protect the dignity and privacy of our clients. Provide a hand up and not a hand out. 

Jim gets very animated about caring for our guys, he has a son who has served multiple tours in Iraq with the Air Force and will again. So for Jim, it is personal. The fact that he has friends who are now leading the Army serving and doing so well is a source of quiet pride in this Allan Park, Michigan native.

And speaking of Allan Park, last week, Jim and I drove (weather wouldn't let us fly) to his old high school, Cabrini, where he told 800 students that one person could still make a difference and that all you had to do was believe. Jim believes that. The following week, the entire school all wore red to show their support for our troops. I think they got the message.

I have seen him at his worst and I have seen him at his best. Jim is not only my best friend, but he is one of my heroes. He would be the first to tell you that he isn't perfect, but I would be the first to tell you that while he isn't perfect, he has the passion of a warrior, and the compassion of a Priest. 

This is my introduction of Jim Marquardt.