Guarding Our Patriots: Eleven Waiting

Project Valour-IT

What is it?
A project which provides voice-controlled software and laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries or amputations at major military medical centers. Operating laptops by speaking into a microphone, our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the 'Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field. We currently have eleven on the waiting list to receive one. Here are a some details on a few of them:

An Army SGT injured last month by VBIED: shrapnel damage to legs and right hand.

Another Army SGT injured in February: multiple gunshot wounds through right leg, ribs/lungs, forearm and shoulder.

A third recently-injured Army SGT (cavalry scout) who experienced several IED explosions: "I want to obtain a laptop so I can take online courses, and start college when I separate from the army. Thank you."

An Army CPT injured last year who has received three purple hearts in 3 years and is being medically retired: needs computer for college study.

With eleven waiting, we currently need over $7,000 to meet these requests. Due to some wonderful suppliers, these computers now cost us only about $660 each. Here are the specs on the computers:

Dell C610 (P3 1 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB HD, WiFi, DVD-R/W, Windows XP, MS Office): $625
Voice Activated Software with Headset: No Cost
TOTAL per laptop (including est. shipping, $35): $660.00

Captain Chuck Ziegenfuss was the first recipient of a laptop from Soldiers' Angels. Here is a bit he wrote this past October about his experience:

I know how much it means to the guys who are stuck lying on their backs, unable to use their hands to so much as scratch. Being fed, bathed, taken care of like an infant—not exactly a fitting role for a warrior who's used to being the one who helps others. It sure as hell wasn't a role that I wanted, although there were many people who came to see me who helped.... At that time I had no use of either hand. I know how humbling it is, how humiliating it feels. And I know how much better I felt, how amazingly more functional I felt, after Soldiers' Angels provided me with a laptop and a loyal reader provided me with the software. I can't wait to do the same, to give that feeling to another soldier at Walter Reed.

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