On Monday Boler, who
is recovering from a broken neck and other injuries from a car accident, will
have a coveted seat at the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, along
with seven other wounded warriors from Augusta’s Charlie Norwood VA Medical
Center. U.S. Rep. John Barrow, an Augusta Democrat, organized the trip with the
help of a pair of veterans’ charities — who say they have never done anything
like it.
“Most of the time us
soldiers don’t see the big picture,” Boler said by phone from Augusta. “We get
orders and carry them out. We don’t ask questions why. We just do what we are
asked to do. Senior leaders get a mission and push it down. … Coming back and
being here, being invited by the congressman, it shows they really do care and
they make decisions to try to take care of us service members as well as
protect our nation.”
The eight soldiers —
plus one spouse and one mother — plan to fly to Washington on Sunday. They will
have seats for Monday’s swearing-in ceremony from Barrow’s stash of about 195
tickets he gets as a member of Congress, and Barrow plans to give them a
private tour of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.
“It’s history in the
making,” Barrow said of the inauguration. “And our soldiers and servicemen and
women are those who make it all possible, so I think it’s important and
appropriate that they be here.”
Barrow said he hopes
he is starting a trend among members of Congress for future inaugurations.
“Plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery in this place,” he said.
The group’s plane
tickets were donated by Fisher House through the charity’s “hero miles”
program. People can donate their frequent flier miles to the organization and
it distributes them to wounded warriors and their families. Typically the miles
are used to transport family members to and from hospitals. There are also 58
Fisher Houses across the country where family can stay free of charge while
loved ones recuperate.
Cindy Campbell, a
Fisher House spokeswoman, said the organization does sometimes provide travel
to events like the Warrior Games, an Olympics for wounded service members, but
she said the inauguration trip is unique for the organization.
The Yellow Ribbon
Fund, which typically arranges shelter for service members’ families, is
providing hotel rooms for the Augusta group.
“This is probably a
little bit out of the ordinary,” said Mark Robbins, the fund’s executive
director.
So is the quadrennial
event, which will bring a huge throng to Washington.
“A lot of the guys,
it’s going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity for them. And with the way
that we are up here, with these being soldiers who have either been hurt
overseas or stateside with so many different accidents, it’s kind of like we
have a stronger bond for our country,” said Maribeth Ord-Dykes, the mother of
Pfc. Daniel Ord, who is joining the trip. “It’s an important freedom, the whole
thing.”
Daniel Ord, 20,
suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident before he got the chance to
deploy overseas. Maribeth has been by his side every day since, leaving her job
and her life behind in Alabama. It has been nearly a year since the accident,
and Maribeth expects them to be at the VA for another year.
Daniel is now getting
around with a walker, though his speech remains limited. Asked what he’s
looking forward to about Washington, he replied, “Just seeing it.”
Aside from the VIPs
and the monuments there is another major attraction near the nation’s capital:
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Boler said many
of the soldiers are eager to see their “battle buddies,” with whom they were
wounded.
Most of all, Boler
will be absorbing the scenic symbols of the country he fights for.
“It’s an honor to step
on those grounds,” he said.
Daniel Malloy
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