Special Independence Day Guests - Blogged by N8

The thing I love about working in a place like this is that we constantly have very special visitors that come through. I've met more general officers and politicians than some people in the Pentagon. I've seen more celebrities than Hollywood. I've seen more athletes than the Olympics. They all have one thing in common: They know that supporting your troops takes more than cheering them on from your living room sofa.

On Saturday, the 3rd, we had a few special guests come through. The first was someone I had the privilege of meeting briefly last December. Gary Sinise came through again!



This time wasn't as rushed as last time. In fact, he toured the Wounded Warrior Ministry Center and I got to do part of the brief. He was very interested in donating to us, so I got to give him our literature and explain different parts of it. He was very down to earth and interested in what I had to say. I have been very impressed with his patriotic spirit and really appreciate his support.

The other special visitor was, in my opinion, the most amazing distinguished visitor I've met. His name is Leo Thorsness, a Congressional Medal of Honor winner.



Mr. Thorsness was a colonel in the U.S. Air Force. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for an air engagement he was involved in during the Vietnam War. Two weeks after receiving it, he was shot down and spent 6 years in a North Vietnamese prison camp. He was also a senator for the state of Washington.

It was an honor to meet him and to talk to him about his experience. He was so cool! When he first came into the Wounded Warrior Ministry Center, he completely by-passed our Colonel and started talking to me and asking me questions about our program. I felt really awkward because our Colonel started giving the rest of his group our brief and he kept talking to me. So, I quickly tried to get him to listen to the brief and said, "Sir, I think that some of the questions you have will be answered in our Command Chaplain's brief." He looked at our Colonel and then back to me and said, "Oh, what does he know? You're the one that does all the work around here!" I had tears in my eyes from trying to hold in the laughter. He also informed us that before he became an officer he was a Chaplain's Assistant, so I have a special bond with him. It was an honor to shake the hand of a living Congressional Medal of Honor winner.

They made it a very relaxed afternoon where everyone had a few minutes to meet and chat with our VIP's. They even sat down and had lunch with us. What a neat 4th of July!

MCPON Visit - Blogged by N8

This week we received a very special visit from the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. He is the highest ranking enlisted person in the U.S. Navy, so it was really special to have him visit us.



The day before he came our Command Chaplain told us that he would be visiting the Wounded Warrior Ministry Center. Our Command Chaplain normally does the briefs for our Distinguished Visitors visits, but the MCPON showed up about an hour early and he was stuck in a meeting, so I was told that I would be doing the briefing. Talk about nerve racking! He was really impressed with the work that we are doing here. So impressed, in fact, that he gave me his coin! It's probably the coolest coin in my collection.



He also came with some other high-ranking Master Chiefs from the area. Myself and the other RP were able to get a group photo with all of them. It was great!