U.S. Veterans Travel Abroad to Meet Wounded Soliders for Thanksgiving
By: Dana Chicklas
Updated: November 22, 2012
HAGERSTOWN, MD - Dieter Protsch and Wayne Reed are retired U.S. Veterans who call themselves brothers separated by the war.
Now they've teamed up in the local Chapter 64 of the Special Forces Association (SFA) to support the troops abroad on what they call a Troop Morale Support Mission.
The group travels to hospital wards and military sites in countries like Bosnia and Germany for ten days over the holiday.
"We don't want these kids treated like we were after Vietnam; and that's our motivation," says Wayne Reed, a retired U.S. Veteran.
They hand-deliver thousands of dollars worth of phone cards to the wounded warriors, helping them call their loved ones while they're overseas.
"It's very enlightening to tell you the truth," says Dieter Protsch, a retired U.S. Veteran.
"You can't believe the hugs, the kisses and just thank you. The kids as we call them, they're much younger than me, their initial reaction is, 'how much is a phone card'?," shares Reed.
This year the group's bringing National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and Monster Truck drivers with them to meet the troops and spread some holiday cheer.
"It's sometimes depressing when you see how badly they are wounded. Many of them suffer from PTSD and try to talk to those guys, some just stare at you without saying anything. But we hope to make them somewhat happy," says Protsch.
For nearly a decade, this pair has worked together to fund-raise and give back to the troops.
"We did have some feedback, nice feedback. I've been doing that for years now and I'm going to be doing it again," says Protsch.
And it looks like they'll continue their mission for years to come.
To follow the group's trip, see pictures, or make donations see their "Special Forces Association Chapter 64 Support the Troops" FaceBook.
Now they've teamed up in the local Chapter 64 of the Special Forces Association (SFA) to support the troops abroad on what they call a Troop Morale Support Mission.
The group travels to hospital wards and military sites in countries like Bosnia and Germany for ten days over the holiday.
"We don't want these kids treated like we were after Vietnam; and that's our motivation," says Wayne Reed, a retired U.S. Veteran.
They hand-deliver thousands of dollars worth of phone cards to the wounded warriors, helping them call their loved ones while they're overseas.
"It's very enlightening to tell you the truth," says Dieter Protsch, a retired U.S. Veteran.
"You can't believe the hugs, the kisses and just thank you. The kids as we call them, they're much younger than me, their initial reaction is, 'how much is a phone card'?," shares Reed.
This year the group's bringing National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and Monster Truck drivers with them to meet the troops and spread some holiday cheer.
"It's sometimes depressing when you see how badly they are wounded. Many of them suffer from PTSD and try to talk to those guys, some just stare at you without saying anything. But we hope to make them somewhat happy," says Protsch.
For nearly a decade, this pair has worked together to fund-raise and give back to the troops.
"We did have some feedback, nice feedback. I've been doing that for years now and I'm going to be doing it again," says Protsch.
And it looks like they'll continue their mission for years to come.
To follow the group's trip, see pictures, or make donations see their "Special Forces Association Chapter 64 Support the Troops" FaceBook.
