Monthly Archives: February 2012

Please Help! Wounded Warrior Fights for Battlefield Promise to Be Kept!

  By Silentranksisterhood | February 2, 2012 - 9:06 am | Advocacy
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LCpl Vanhoose and Imi

How is it that an American Hero, a Purple Heart Recipient, and a Wounded Warrior finds himself fighting for a promise to be kept?  This was a promise that was made to him on the battlefield, shortly after he was injured in IED blast.  Who could imagine that a promise made under such circumstances would not be fulfilled?  It is hard to imagine such a scenario, and yet this is the struggle that Lance Corporal Jeremy Vanhoose and his family are now fighting, even as LCpl Vanhoose continues his journey of healing and recovery. This is the story of the bond between a Wounded Warrior and his beloved MWD dog, Imi, and the fight to allow LCpl Vanhoose adopt Imi for his very own, just as was promised.

Imi is not excess; she is not a piece of equipment; she is necessary and vital to Lance Corporal Vanhooses’ healing. They need each other!

The single mother of three handsome boys, Mrs. Vanhoose proudly supported her oldest son’s, Joseph, decision to join the Marine Corps.  With two boys still at home, she prepared herself for her oldest son’s upcoming deployment to Iraq.  Just two weeks before Joseph was to receive about his upcoming deployment, he was diagnosed with cancer.  This feisty Marine mama fought for her son to be transferred to a unit close to home, so that she could care for him.  Joseph Vanhoose remained an active-duty Marine, until he passed away. 

When Jeremy graduated from high school, he followed in his big brother’s footsteps. He set out to become an MP, which is what his brother Joseph dreamed of becoming but never had the opportunity to see fulfilled.  Jeremy got to do what his big brother wanted to do, but could not.  Jeremy completed Military Police training and was one of the elite few to be chosen to go to Canine School, where he excelled and was in the top of his class!

After Canine School, Jeremy received orders to his new duty station.  Mrs. Vanhoose, Jeremy’s mother, knew it would be only a matter of time before Jeremy would deploy.  Jeremy, and his first dog, Samo had been training and preparing for the upcoming mission.  Unfortunately, Samo  injured his leg and had to be pulled, leaving Jeremy without a dog.  Without a dog, Jeremy would not be able to deploy with his unit, and Jeremy had no desire to be left behind.  He wanted to go serve his country, with his brothers, and he was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. And, then, Jeremy was introduced to Imi, his new dog.

Imi was a green dog; she had never deployed, and she missed the pre-deployment training, because Jeremy and Samo had already gone through it.  Jeremy knew that if he wanted to go with his unit, he and Imi would have to train and work twice as hard and twice as fast.  Jeremy worked with Imi every day and on weekends, to get her ready so that they could both deploy. 

Mrs. Vanhoose visited Jeremy, and she stayed an entire month, so that she could be present to send Jeremy, Imi, and his unit off to Afghanistan. She said that watching Jeremy interact with Imi as like watching a father and his child. The only treat that Imi ever needed was for Jeremy to praise her. She was so sweet-tempered, that Mrs. Vanhoose had a hard time believing that Imi could ever be aggressive! The only person Imi ever acknowledged or had eyes or ears for was Jeremy, unless Jeremy gave her permission. 

Over the month, Mrs. Vanhoose developed a very soft spot for Imi.  She had spent hours watching and observing Imi and Jeremy working together. Being both a dog owner and an animal lover, Mrs. Vanhoose wanted to be loved by Imi, too!  So, one day, she got Imi’s attention and affection, after Jeremy had put her in a stay position. She was unaware that she was promoting a correction from her son.  Imi was grounded for her disobedience, and Mrs. Vanhoose says Imi never acknowledged her again without Jeremy’s permission!  The connection between Imi and Jeremy was so strong, it was magical.  Imi knew what Jeremy wanted from her, before he even asked. And, Jeremy could see Imi’s needs and reactions and responded, intuitively. 

When the time to send to Jeremy and Imi off, Jeremy asked his mother to stay behind.  He said he knew she would cry. And, just as many other military moms, wives, and loved ones do, Mrs. Vanhoose promised no tears.  She managed to adhere to that, and when she left, Jeremy carried a mental picture of his mother smiling.  Mrs. Vanhoose was not worried about her son’s safety or well-being, because she knew that Imi would be Jeremy’s guardian angel and stand watch over him. She never expected to get the phone call that came the morning of August 24.

Jeremy and his unit left to Afghanistan, with thirty-four handlers and their canines. They were going to relieve another unit, that was waiting for their arrival, so that they could head home.  Jeremy called his mother, upon arrival, and she could sense his nervous excitement.  This was both Imi and Jeremy’s first deployment; and as with all first deployments, one never knows what to expect.  A week or so later, Jeremy and Imi left the FOB for their mission. Mrs. Vanhoose didn’t expect her son to be in the middle of action. and yet, that was precisely where Jeremy and Imi were.   She busied herself sending  letters and care packages,anxiously waiting to hear from her son.   Three weeks passed, and there was no communication.  That silence is very hard for a Mama; it is hard for any and all loved ones, who wait at home, for the phone to ring, for the email to arrive, for the letter to come.  There comes a point where wait turns to worry, and one wonders, as Mrs. Vanhoose did, Where is my boy?  Where is my husband?  Where is my girlfriend?  The silence that echoes and bounces against such a question is defeaning. And, when you find yourself facing that question, and you are staring at that silence, there is only one solution, only one viable answer, you pray.  

On July 22, 2011, another Marine from the unit Jeremy was deployed with was injured. Jeremy’s best friend, who was also out with another platoon, stepped on an IED and was critically wounded.  One of Jeremy’s Corporals knew how close these two Marine brothers were, and he made his way to the platoon where Jeremy was providing support, to give him the news.  A civilian contractor happened to be near-by, and Jeremy was able to place a quick call home.  Jeremy spoke with his mother briefly, and he told her that he would talk to her again soon, as he would be returning to the FOB soon for refitting.  A few days later, Jeremy called again, and he told his mother that he made the decision not to return to the FOB until the unit he was with came out.  He said it wouldn’t be long, as it was almost time for them to be relieved.  He said until then, he refused to leave them because, “They depend on me and Imi.” August 8, 2011, was the last time Mrs. Vanhoose was able to enjoy speaking with her son.

The morning of August 24 dawned like any other hot late-summer morning. With one exception, Mrs. Vanhoose awoke from a vivid dream. In her dream, she was sitting on a brick wall, just outside of platoon base in Afghanistan.  She looked towards the horizon, and she saw a group of Marines, returning from a mission.  She saw her son, Jeremy, and then, she saw an explosion.  She sat straight up in her bed, and began to pray.  She did not know if the dream was real or the result of too many long nights of worry.  She did not care, and she began to pray that they, whoever they were, get the help that they needed. After she prayed, she eventually fell back to sleep, in uneasy rest.

Three hours later, the phone rang, and the phone call came. Mrs. Vanhoose nearly got sick, and she braced herself, as the voice on the other end said, “May I speak with Mrs. Vanhoose?”  After stating that she was speaking, she heard, “This is Headquarters Marine Battalion. Mam, I have news to deliver to you about LCpl Vanhoose.”  She threw the phone across the room, and as she gathered her thoughts, she told herself that Jeremy was alive.  She knew this, because otherwise, there would be a knock a the door and a car out front. Mrs. Vanhoose returned to the phone, and the man on the other end read this wire, “LCpl Vanhoose, Jeremy was critically injured in an IED blast at approximately 1:30 p.m. in country time. He has suffered the loss of his left leg, shrapnel wounds to the right leg, back, and head. He has been medvac. No further reports at this time.”  The  time of the blast was  in-country time was the  exact time Mrs. Vanhoose awoke from her dream.

Later that day, the phone rang again.  It was Jeremy!  Jeremy was on the phone with his Mama! He said, “Mama, don’t cry! I’m okay! I got my nose, my eyes, my ears, my arms, and my legs.  But, I’m missing a foot! Cpl Jones got blown up, when he carried me out. It’s not Imi’s fault.  She was onto something, and I just took one more step. The Staff Sergeant said I can adopt her when shes returns home.”  Mrs. Vanhoose said that was very hard to imagine that her son had been injured, because other than being on drugs for pain, she said her son sounded so much like himself, like Jeremy, always joking and laughing.  The Staff Sergeant came to the phone, to reassure Mrs. Vanhoose and offer his support.  She also clarified what Jeremy had stated.  She asked the Sargeant directly, if Jeremy would be able to adopt Imi when she got home, and he repeated to her that there would be no problem with Jeremy adopting Imi.  Jeremy remained true to form, even as he was recovering and waiting to be air lifted to Germany.  Several of the Marines that deployed with Jeremy were able to visit with him before he was airlifted. As they walked around the corner to see him, they were amazed to see Jeremy smiling.  One of the guys  asked, What are you smiling at? And, Jeremy replied, “I ain’t dead!”

Jeremy arrived Stateside on September 1, 2011, and his mother, fiance, and brother were  there waiting.  All were gathered together to help Jeremy heal.  All present, except Imi.  A month passed, and Jeremy was finished with his surgeries and on his way to getting his prosthetic.  On September 21, Jeremy moved from the hospital to the Wounded Warriors barrack.   Before a Wounded Warrior is allowed to walk with a prosthetic, they undergo therapy and training.  It is hard, painful, challenging, and physically demanding.  Jeremy showed the same determination, fighting spirit, and skills in recovery as he showed in boot camp and when first training Imi. Jeremy knew that he had to attend a very special ceremony, and he was determined to walk.  The day before the ceremony, he approached his physical therapist and said he had a question.  His therapist looked at him, and said, ”You want your leg.” And Jeremy replied, “I want to be able to walk to get my Purple Heart.” Which is exactly what Jeremy did!

It was at his Purple Heart Ceremony that Jeremy and his mother first learned that the there was a question regarding Jeremy’s adoption of Imi.  The were having a conversation with the Kennel Master of Jeremy’s unit, and they were informed that Imi would have to be evaluated first, before she could be considered for adoption.  Imi came home on December 24, 2011, with Lcpl Vanhoose’s unit.  Jeremy was desperate to see her, and the day he returned from his leave for the holidays, he made the trip from the Wounded Warrior Unit to Imi’s base,  just  to reunite with her.  Imi was so excited to see her “partner”, and Imi is still there.  Now, LCpl Vanhoose and his family find themselves fighting to adopt her, just as Jeremy was promised. 

Imi is going to be evaluated, to see if she can redeploy; this is contrary to what LCpl Vanhoose and his mother were told while Jeremy was still in-country.  Before a dog is allowed to be adopted, they undergo evaluation to make sure that the will be a good fit with civilians.  Mrs. Vanhoose understands and agrees with this policy; she would not want an aggressive dog to be allowed to be adopted. However, she does not feel that Imi  would ever fall into that category. Jeremy has spent hours with Imi, since her return. Imi’s evaluations and testing are not to see if she is aggressive, but to determine if she is still able to handle gun fire, weapons exploding, and hostile conditions.

A response letter that Mrs. Vanhoose acquired from one of the supporters for her plea for help, had this to say about Imi and Jeremy’s quest to adopt her: “Though it may seem trite to consider a military dog as a piece of military equipment, that is what they are. They provide a service that is necessary and must be re-used as we would other equipment.”  Imi is going to be tested to see if she is still a “usable piece of equipment.” According to the evaluation process, if Imi is not able to be “re-used”, she is considered excess.  Once a military dog has been labeled excess, she is turned over to the Air Force, for further testing and evaluation, to determine if she can be a candidate for adoption.  Currently, Imi is still at her base, separated from LCpl Vanhoose.  She will be undergoing the first evaluation this week.

Here is the crux and the bottom line. Policies, procedure, regulations, and rules are fine and well.  However, there are always exceptions to the rules.  And, in my opinion, a promise made on a battlefield, as wounded warrior, a soldier, and a Hero lies fighting for his life, and having sacrificed a leg, trumps all.  Furthermore, it is well-studied and well documented that interacting with animals contributes to the healing and recovery process.  Animal therapy is now being used to help treat PTSD and IBT.  Lcpl Vanhoose has a had a long and difficult journey on his road to healing,  In order for him to fully recover, he needs Imi and Imi needs him! Imi is the missing piece of the puzzle.  I do not wish to dwell on the outcome of what would happen if this promise is not kept.  But, the reality is, if LCpl Vanhoose is not allowed to adopt Imi, which would be cruel and heartless, it could worsen any PTSD symptoms, aggravate depression, and hinder his recovery.  And, that in my opinion, would be far worse; to inflict any further pain or suffering upon one who already sacrificed so much for his country is unconscionable!

Imi does need to work again.  However, she needs to work for the Marine that needs her the most! Please Support Lance Corpl Vanhoose’s quest to adopt Imi and demand that she be released to him!  Thank you for your support!

If you want to help Lance Corporal Vanhoose adopt Imi, please visit the fb page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/WWreunionMWD

or, send your Letter of Support to Mommahoose@gmail.com   She will send it to the Commandant of the United States Marines!

 

~ by Kirsten O’Neill

**Based upon an Interview with Mrs. Vanhoose, January 31, 2012

Resources and Further Reading:

***For Wounded Warrior Support, look under Resource section of this Website****

Care Packages for Military Dogs:

http://www.stripes.com/blogs/stripes-central/stripes-central-1.8040/care-packages-for-ied-dogs-headed-to-afghanistan-1.161374

http://www.uswardogs.org/id40.html

http://soldiersangels.org/index.php?page=k-9-support-team

http://www.militaryworkingdogs.com/index.shtml

Support for Care Givers:

http://www.operationwearehere.com/WoundedWarriorFamilies.html

http://iava.org/issues-and-campaigns/support-caregivers-wounded-warriors

http://www.wellspouse.org

http://www.caregivervillage.com

Animal Therapy and PTSD

http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/07/09/canine-therapy-for-military-ptsd/15444.html

http://www.elementsbehavioralhealth.com/trauma-ptsd/animal-therapy-ptsd-treatment/

http://www.webmd.com/balance/video/ptsd-dog-therapy

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-benefits-of-service-dogs-for-ptsd.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smells Like Teen Spirit to Me!

  By Silentranksisterhood | February 1, 2012 - 8:41 pm | Deployment
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Well, here we are, one month has slipped away, and we are well into the New Year! Is 2012 all that you had hoped? From where I stand, the landscape is looking rocky, and even though I am trying to not stare at the obvious, I have a huge mountain to climb and a long, hard journey ahead. As a military wife, I have learned to live in the moment, to be present, and to deal with challenges as they arise. My days are fleeting and fleeing, and as this past month has shown, time moves too quickly. Unfortunately, I cannot stand still or press pause; it is hard to accept what lies around the bend, when life for my family is so ordinary, so normal, and so routine. My hubby continues to go to work, my daughter still has school and activities, and I still have my committees, commitments, and community outreach and support. I have realized that sometimes I am so busy doing that I don’t pause long enough to share what is that I actually do or have done. I am sure that you can relate. So, before I get bogged down again, with life and responsibilities, I thought I would take a moment and reflect on this past year and give you an update.

Last year, Silent Rank Sisterhood started a Compassion Project, called Project Hugs from Heroes. This was a service project that was created to meet a very specific need of a deployed unit. It began last January, in support of my husband’s unit, when he returned from his second tour. While he was deployed, there was a need for stuffed animals. These stuffed animals were distributed to Wounded Warriors and local Iraqi children. We began with our first shipment of eighty stuffed animals donated by my daughter and her friends. We quickly realized that to provide continued support, we would need help! Thus, Project Hugs from Heroes was created. With the help and sponsorship of an established 501 c(3), the Circle of Angels, we sent out a Call for Hugs to the community. The local American legion, the local community center, and the library all agreed to be drop-off locations. Within forty-eight hours of the Call for Hugs being sent, various businesses, churches, community groups, caring individual, and anonymous donors donated over 250 stuffed animals! Four huge boxes later, they were off to Iraq!

When we ship the boxes of stuffed animals, we also include morale items for the soldiers and service members, including notes, letters, cards, and goodies. We also include small games, school supplies, art supplies, and small medical supplies, to benefit the children and orphans. We have learned that the children our service members are working with are usually orphans, who have nothing, and live in extreme poverty and deprivation. It should be noted that the poverty and poor circumstances in which these children are struggling to survive are not due to deployment or acts of war; it is the natural state of their environment, created from long years of internal strife and tribal violence. Our troops work with the local children and their parents to improve their livelihood, life expectancy, and circumstances. Their humanitarian work is often unsung, and never the focus of media. However, our deployed troops are making a huge positive impact in and around the areas they are deployed. Long after our troops withdraw, these acts of American kindness and compassion will be remembered. It is my hope that a future generation of children will remember the kindness of our troops and that they will grow up with a different view then what the Taliban or AlQueda presents.

Since that first Call for Hugs, the American Legion has continued to provide ongoing support, by agreeing to be a permanent drop-off site for Project Hugs from Heroes. I am happy to report that my husband’s former unit no longer needs this support, and we were contacted by others who do! We ended 2012 with having collected over 1,000 stuffed animals! These stuffed animals were sent out in three huge shipments, to two units who contacted my spouse directly and asked for us to help them! In addition, Project Hugs from Heroes has sent these stuffed animals in smaller care packages to Wounded Warriors, military children of deployed parents and Wounded Warriors, to military spouses struggling with deployment, and to military children who attend our sponsored and co-sponsored events.

Which leads me to my next update, the one that I most proud and happy to provide! I am going to brag a bit about a very special group of high schoolers that I have had the privilege and the honor to work with this past school year! Little did I know that my first Call for Hugs was going to lead to a wonderful partnership and provide a solution to a need that Silent Rank Sisterhood had! In response to my Call for Hugs, I was contacted last June by Lauren, the Vice President of her high school chapter of FBLA. She asked me if I would be willing to help with their service project for the 2011-2012 school year! She had spent six months trying to find contacts to local military families; their service project was going to be centered around providing local military families and wounded warriors direct support! When Lauren and FBLA contacted me, I was searching for another community organization, to partner with me to provide free events and activities for our military families.  I had done this before with a local church, during my husband’s second deployment, but having recently PCSd to the area, I lacked  friends and connections in the community.  Of course, that situation has changed, but when you are new, as all military families and military wives do, you start from scratch.  So call it what you will, Fate, Divine intervention, or a God wink,  but FBLA’s request was the answer  and solution I needed!

I have been able to work as a military liaison, mentor, project coordinator, and project advisor for the FBLA students.  I am so inspired and amazed at their enthusiasm, commitment, determination, patriotism, and pride!  These high schools students, over eighty of them, have worked hard all year, planning various free events and activities for our service members and their families!  They have been able to volunteer at a Deployed Spouses Meal; they have visited veterans in veterans homes.  They have helped babysit the children of Wounded Warriors, so that their parents could catch a break and enjoy a night on the town.  One father told us, with tears in his eyes, that it was the first time in over three years that he and his wife had any time alone, other than when they were preparing for his surgeries.  He stood there thanking us; I stood there crying, thanking Him!! That is the impact of service, support, and sponsorship these students are working with Silent Rank Sisterhood to provide!!

I wish you had been there with me for our Thanksgiving and Christmas events!  FBLA sponsored a full Thanksgiving Dinner for our Deployed Families.  We had a family drive all the way from Virginia, just to be with us!  In support of the 2012 Thanksgiving Place of Remembrance event, sponsored annually on the fb page: Military Wives Matter: Support for Today’s Military Spouse, the students set a Place of Remembrance, honoring our deployed.  Project Hugs from Heroes was there and distributed stuffed animals to the children.  We read a very special story, The Wishing Tree, by Mary Redman.  One mother shared with me about her own Wishing Tree, which my family will soon have displayed in our home.

The Christmas Party that the FBLA students planned and put together was in one word: AMAZING!!!  We had over twenty families attend a catered dinner!  There was Secret Santa for the children to “shop” for presents for their parents.  We had games, crafts, activities, and the best part, a surprise visit from Santa!  These clever and creative (not to mention secretive, because this time, they wanted to surprise me;) arranged to have Santa arrive in style- on a firetruck!!  I made quite the scene, as I ran through the rooms, herding all of the families outside, on the deck, on the double, without quite knowing why! Of the families in attendance, we had one whose service member was on R&R.  Another had just celebrated Homecoming, and yet another was getting to deploy.  They were military families from all branches, all over our area!  I can’t tell you how many times I was pulled aside, and I was told by the families, how meaningful and how appreciative they were to be there.

And, although 2011 ended, FBLA still has quite a few special events planned!  They just finished their benefit auction, the proceeds of which will be used to fund these events and provide sponsorships. We are working on our next event, which will be a free Valentine’s Dinner, on February 10th, which will once again be free and open to all area Active-duty military, Reserve, and Guard families.  We are planning a Military Child’s Birthday Bash, in recognition of the sacrifices made by our military kids and also to kick off the Month of the Military Child.  And, we are planning a very special Girls Night Out, in honor of Military Spouse Appreciation Day.  We will end our journey with a School’s Out Summer Bash!  I am going to be sad, but also quite proud, when I have to say good-bye and send my Seniors off to college!  But, I am confident that these Future Business Leaders of America not only have great futures in front of them, but that they are going to make a lasting and positive impression, no matter where they go or what they do!  And even though our partnership will have formally ended, the friendships formed will not. Silent Rank Sisterhood will be proud to help and be of assistance in all and any of their endeavors!

The work that the FBLA students has  done is not for naught.  Moving forward, Silent Rank Sisterhood will continue to provide the support, activities, events, and community programs, advocacy, and outreach.  I am currently exploring ideas and project development with another group of dedicated military wives, who focus on addressing and meeting the challenges of career displacement and entrepreneur development and business opportunities for military spouses.  If you want another example of military wives seeing a need and meeting it, check out what JBABACS is doing! The story of Silent Rank Sisterhood is a continuation of what was started two years ago, and it will continue, even after the 2011-2012 school year comes to an end. I have no idea where this journey will lead, and I am not sure who will be partner or provide sponsorship after June. I am not worried, because I have faith that solutions will present themselves. Because, here is the true legacy that these FBLA students leave, and it is not monetary or material at all.  What these students have done is to provide a model of community support; they have set the bar,  set the example, and they are leading the way! These FBLA high school students have shown what can be done, when someone cares enough to do it!

The fact remains that our military families need support!  Military families do not all live on base, nor do we have access to the resources, programs, and support we need.   That is a false assumption and a myth. If we did, Silent Rank Sisterhood would not need to be in existence.  I know, because I am a military wife, and Silent Rank Sisterhood was created to support the Silent Ranks and All Who Serve! Even with the troops return from Iraq, we still have soldiers and service members who deploy and are living in combat zones!  This must not be forgotten!  I am afraid that with the hype of the up-coming election, the celebrations of our troops return from Iraq, our nation lose focus and forget about those serving in war zones elsewhere and the families waiting for them back home.

Our military families are being stretched; we are facing multiple deployments, and we are carrying and struggling and juggling too many burdens and challenges to list here.  The type of support we need is not found large or grandiose acts; it is found in small, meaningful acts of support and appreciation.  Just like the events, activities, and support that the FBLA students chose to provide.  It is found in the military family support group, started this past month by Silent Rank Sisterhood, which provides a break from the stress of deployment and gives military families a place to connect and create friendships and form a sense of community.  It is in providing a Wounded Warrior or deployed spouses babysitting services.  It is giving a military child a small measure of comfort, in the form of a stuffed animal. It is sending stuffed animals and other items to deployed units who need them.

If nothing else, I encourage you to be inspired!  I know that I am!  I am so amazed, humbled, proud, and in awe of what my FBLA students have accomplished in these past few months!  They have made such a positive impact on our local military families! I ask you to please be aware of our military families who live in your communities! If these teens, if my new community, can rally around and support our military members and their families, by answering a Call for Hugs, and by providing partnerships to benefit and support our Service Members and Military Families-anyone, anywhere can do the same!

Thank you for Supporting Our Troops and their Families!

To our Men and Women of the Armed Forces and their Families:

Thank you for your service and your sacrifices!

 

 

If you are a military member or a military spouse in need of encouragement or assistance or support, please send an email to silentranksisterhood@live.com   Thank you for your service and sacrifice to our country!  Feel free to visit the Resource section, which has a compiled list of resources,programs, articles, information, and organzations offering support.

PS: If you are wondering why events are not publicized on the website until after the fact: one word: OpSec!  You can find Service Announcements posted on the fb page: Silent Rank Sisterhood   If you are sponsoring an event that benefits your local military members or military families, feel free to share your events!