On April 10, 2011, the East Coast Purple Heart Family Support volunteers served burritos from California Tortilla to Wounded Warriors and their families at the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Maryland. The Marines were in for several other surprises that night. Volunteers also brought fruit and homemade brownies. The Girl Scouts of Troop 4949 from St. Mary’s County, Maryland, solicited donations of 21 cases of Girl Scout Cookies for the Wounded Warriors. The owner of a California, Maryland, bookstore, Chuck O’Brien, sent a case of more than forty books with PHFS volunteers for the families and the wounded. Two service dogs from the organization Veterans Moving Forward also came to visit with the folks at Bethesda.

Many family members brought their wounded service members to the 5th floor conference room to enjoy the huge burritos and salad. Corpsmen were also in and out of the conference room taking meals to their non-ambulatory patients. The concern of the corpsmen for their patients was very touching.

One mother brought her wounded son to the conference room. The young man had been shot in the head and the bullet had broken his jaw. He was restricted to a very soft diet. He was very grateful for the grapes one volunteer had brought. Later his mother returned to the conference room and told the volunteers that her son had unwrapped her burrito and eaten the insides. His mother came back to get another burrito for herself and to thank the volunteers for serving such a wonderful meal.

Volunteers also took meals to the 7th floor traumatic brain injury ward and stopped by the Intensive Care Unit waiting room to invite families to the meal. A 5th floor nurse told volunteers that two medivaced wounded were coming in that evening and asked if meals could be set aside for them. The Marine Liaison made sure that the families of the incoming wounded also were given supper. Volunteers also took food to Mercy Hall, the long term recuperation barracks across from the main hospital.

The East Coast volunteers will be serving suppers again on May 1st.