A Mission for God - BAMC 2007 By Roger Latham

The bus, donated by Tena Hay¡¦s Coach America, sat gassed and ready in front of Colonial Country Club. The cold mist of the morning dampen neither the spirits of the travelers nor the considerable skill of our driver, Chris. John Green, Mission Director, showed himself to be, even at this early stage of the trip, worthy of our praise and gratitude. To avoid a need to retract our praise, however, the group did not lavish frivolous accolades upon John in these early stages of the journey. There would be time enough for that if and when we were safely deposited back in Fort Worth. Since we¡¦re back now: Way to go John! Our comfortable, fifty-five seat, chariot departed at the appointed time (0700 hrs) and off to San Antonio we went„o hallowed ground for all Texans. As our sojourn took us south we passed through, what has come to be known as, the Eternal Pits of Interstate Hell„o Austin, Texas. As it had been for the famous Jake and Elwood in, The Blues Brothers, we were on a MISSION FOR GOD and, even in Austin, our bus never slowed. Upon arriving at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) we found our entry past the guard gate equally smooth. Trip coordinator on the BAMC side of the trip, Ms Norma Guerra, made the waters part like the Red Sea. Warm hugs and kind words were shared by those who met Norma on our previous trips and then our group was ushered into the foyer of The Center For The Intrepid. This beautiful and privately funded facility is for the rehabilitation of America¡¦s wounded soldier, sailors and Marines. Ms Guerra and her staff mustered a group of about thirty-five warriors. After a brief introduction she stepped aside to allow our Chairman, Mr. Jim Thomason, the opportunity to deliver a speech. His words were poignant and conveyed to those assembled, of our love and respect for their selfless sacrifice. He expressed what everyone of our group was feeling: Pride, Pain and Gratitude. Each man and woman of our cadre was seated in the midst of men whose loss was clearly evident. Amputees, and those horribly burned, sat shoulder to shoulder with our small group„o patriots all. As our box lunches were served the BAMC staff , along with Jim Thomason, dispensed the gifts made possible through the generosity of Pat O¡¦Neal and Jesse Miles, John Dean, Kip Hyde, Jerry Bonifold, Eileen Peimann, and Jim Cashion. These individuals contributed a total of $17,300. The presents given consisted of Blue Tooth devises, 161 computer games (donated by Kip Hyde and John Dean) and a plethora of other high-tech items. Everyone in our group came away with their own stories about the trip and the men they met. My special moment, and one I will never forget, happened when a badly burned and disfigured young Ranger was handed a Blue Tooth. He said, ¡§Now all I need is a new ear.¡¨ He had none and I wished it were possible to share one of mine. Besides these gifts for the wounded, Wal-Mart, Applebee¡¦s and Chili¡¦s proved to be outstanding corporate supporters by sharing gift cards with the families of the troops. Generosity was the order of the day and the Christmas spirit filled The Intrepid. The next day our bus took us to Randolph Field (AFB) and the 340th Flying Training Group. This Unit open their doors and provided a first class tour and explanation of exactly the process for training America¡¦s aviator warriors. It was a bitterly cold and windy day so only the most hardy among our group stayed and received the entire ramp-briefing. It was so interesting most of us wished we were young enough to sign up for the course. Well, just being young enough would have been enough. On the way back to Fort Worth we vagabond travelers stopped at Babe¡¦s and were graciously treated to a sumptuous feast, provided by Ms. Tiffany Vineyard. Totally unexpected, it was a wonderful treat and I can tell you I¡¦ll be back. GREAT FOOD. All in all, I would say, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

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