Mark Beyers lost an arm and a leg to a roadside bomber in Iraq, but that didn't stop a gang of thugs from mugging Beyers and his wife outside a Bethesda, Md., restaurant.
Beyers, 27, a Marine lance corporal from Elma finishing up rehabilitation at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., had just left a restaurant on July 22 when the robbery happened.
They were approached by 5 men who asked for cigarettes, which they were given. But then they wanted the wife's purse too.
"Two of them came up to me and said " 'Give me your purse, give me your purse,' " his wife said.
Denise Beyers, who was just discharged from the Marines herself last week, wasn't about to give up without a fight.
"I was swearing at them, retaliating, and holding on to my purse," she said. "They ended up getting it away from me; they threw me on the ground."
Dave Beyers Sr., Mark's father, said his son told him the group knocked him to the ground, and then punched or kicked his wife.
"They busted her lips up," Dave Beyers said. "I guess she hit the ground so hard, it ripped her knees up. She's got scabs all over."
Mark Beyers escaped the ordeal without injury. The couple reported the robbery to the police, but no arrests have been made.
Denise's mother had just wired them $500 and they were out to dinner from the hospital for the first time in three weeks. Prior to this, a fund raiser had been set up at a local VFW, but the publicity from this story is sure to bring a much bigger crowd than previously expected. I hope to attend. If you are in the area and would like to attend, here is the information:
$10.00 at the door
VFW Post 3180
35 Lewis Road
Akron, NY
If you are not in the local area but would like to send a donation to this couple, a bank account has been set up for them:
Attention: Debbie Zimmerman
P.O.Box 238
Alden, NY 14004
Make checks payable to: VFW Mark Beyers Fund
At this time there is no paypal account set up for online donations, but I will update here if and when I receive further information.
Update 8/25/06, over $40,000 raised.
No comments:
Post a Comment