If this has been posted before, don't crucify me. I just read this on DU and it's too heartbreaking to not spread around as much as possible.
Apparently the govt doesnt pay any LD charges for the wounded who are hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center (many through the holidays and many of course who are not from families who have a lot of money to spare) and they are in desperate need of phone cards to keep in touch with their families and friends. This is just getting beyond an outrage to a point that I have a hard time figuring out the words to express it. As other DU'ers said, thank god the rich got their tax cuts but good lord the govt cant even pay our wounded hospitalized vets freakin long distance charges??? Where does the bullshit ever end?
Anyone who can help at all, even a few dollars or a simple greeting card, please do. The posts and details are below the fold.
While we're all angry/sad/upset/outraged/etc over the election, this is something that we can each focus a little bit of positive effort, energy, and funds towards which will go a long way to those who shouldnt be forgotten (but yet one more indicator here that their needs are being exactly that....forgotten).
Here are the details as posted at DU.
So sad...
the number ONE request at Walter Reed hospital is phone cards. Because the priority of our government is to continue tax cuts for the likes of Paris Hilton,
the government doesn't pay LD phone charges and these guys, many of them amputees, are rationing their calls home.
Many will be there throughout the holidays.
Remember that most are from poor families. It is disgusting that they cannot keep in touch with family after what they have been asked to sacrifice for BushCo; especially this time of year.
Support the troops -- cuz BushCo doesn't. Send phone cards of any amount to:
Medical Family Assistance Center
Walter Reed Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Building 2, Third Floor, Room 3E01
Washington, DC 20307-5001
They say they need an "endless" supply of these -- any amount even $5 is greatly appreciated.
$5 Phone Cards Are Great But Costco has one that offers 670 minutes for $20. I might pick one up the next time I'm there -- wow if 100 people do that, it might pay for the phone for a whole month for those guys.
(post by K8-EEE)
and another post with a bit more info....
I called the Walter Reed Medical Center Family Assistance Center this morning to find out if there was anything else they needed. The very nice Staff Sergeant confirmed that the soldiers do indeed need phone cards and advised that
just last month, the patients went through 55,000 minutes of phone card time last month!!
I asked if they needed anything else. He said they have plenty of stuff like sweat suits and sundries, and that what they could really use for the wounded patients in addition to phone cards are breakaway pants and small pillows (he described them as polystyrene filled pillows in elastic type covers, which the patients, particularly the amputees, find helpful for comfort).
He didn't say so, but I bet the wounded could really use cards, letters and holiday greetings. I told him we wanted to help in a way that directly helps the soldiers (rather than going through the Red Cross or some third party org) and he assured me that would be the case.
(post by CaliVoter)
I don't have much money myself atm but I'm going to send at least a few phone cards and find out how to direct cards to random soldiers who might not get mail or even those who do. Let's pass this around so that, even while Bush and his fellow asshats wont take care of our troops, they can be taken care of even in small ways that might mean a lot, especially as the holiday season comes on.
Letters to the Editor, announcements in church/community/school bulletins, and forwarding this informatoin to your email lists were also mentioned as ways to get this word out. If we each do a little bit then it will add up to a lot.
If anybody has any further information on this or ideas, please add them.