Military Officer - October 2008 - (Page 67) Through programs like the Families of the Wounded Fund, Capt. . Bill Haneke, USA-Ret. (right), can help injured servicemembers and their families like Army Staff Sgt. Brian K. Pearce, top, his wife, Angie, , left, and their children when they need it the most (below). rough road, but you’re going to make it.’ And you see them perk right up.” Fund leaders also provide ongoing support. Angie Pearce recalls Haneke came to offer support when Brian gave the Memorial Day keynote speech at Hanover Veterans Memorial in Hanover, Va. “This is what I believe I have been spared for — so I can spend time with these families, these men and women who are injured, and give them a ray of hope,” says Haneke. “So many of them, the large majority of them, do make major improvements and are able to get on with their lives.” Leading the way The Richmond Chapter is just one of many MOAA chapters that support wounded servicemembers and their families. In 2004, members of the Tampa (Fla.) Chapter demonstrated what could be done at the local level when they started Operation Helping Hand, an award-winning program that provides financial al and emotional support to the families of wounded and injured servicemembers who are being treated d at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa. “One of the first cases we handled d was a family that was living in their car because they didn’t know what else to do,” says Capt. Bob Silah, USN-Ret., who chairs Operation Helping Hand. “We contacted them and gave them money for a hotel.” To date, Operation Helping Hand d has distributed $215,000 in cash donations and more than $380,000 OCTOBER 2008 MILITARY OFFICER 67 http://www.moaa.org/helping
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.