Jan 7 2012
In a moving scene, the President of The Disabled Veterans National Foundation (www.dvnf.org ) and Michael McNaughton - a combat soldier who lost his leg on a mission in Afghanistan- delivered Gift Cards to veterans who are patients in the amputee wing at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD over the holidays.
“To see him go back to Walter Reed and give these Gift Cards reminds us all at DVNF what our true mission is to help all veterans. It is an honor for DVNF to do this each year and we thank our many donors who make this possible.”
"I cannot express how wonderful it was for us and Michael to see the faces of these veterans at Walter Reed when they received our Gift Cards," said Precilla Wilkewitz, President of DVNF. "This experience and witnessing first-hand the genuine appreciation veterans have really puts a person in the Christmas and Holiday spirit."
The Amputee Care Center at Walter Reed Medical Center opened in September of 2007. This 31,000sf, $10 million center offers some of the most state of the art care found anywhere in the world. The facility combines counseling space with workout facilities, data gathering, high tech simulators and a family lounge with a full kitchen. It's designed to bring together all of the hospital's elements of advanced amputee care.
Michael McNaughton lost his leg above the knee as well as part of his right calf and two fingers after he stepped on a land mine while on a mission in Afghanistan. He spent six months at Walter Reed where he received a dozen operations and five months of physical therapy. After learning to walk again and after embracing a prosthetic leg, Michael not only recovered but is thriving after running marathons and completing triathlons. Most recently he completed the Ride to Recovery 9/11 Challenge which was a 400-mile bike ride from Ground Zero in NY City to Shanksville, PA and finishing at the Pentagon to honor those killed in the attacks on 9/11.
"Michael's story is one of pure courage and love for his nation and fellow-veterans," said Wilkewitz. "To see him go back to Walter Reed and give these Gift Cards reminds us all at DVNF what our true mission is to help all veterans. It is an honor for DVNF to do this each year and we thank our many donors who make this possible."
Source Walter Reed National Military Medical Center