Fisher House coming to St. Louis VA

The Department of Veteran's Affairs announced today that the quest to bring safe, clean affordable housing to the families of Veterans receiving care at the VA Medical Center in St. Louis moved forward a significant step. Fisher House is coming to St. Louis.

"This new Fisher House gives veterans and military families a home-like environment, allowing them to be near their loved ones during their recoveries," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. "This wonderful new facility will allow patients to focus on their treatment and permit them to receive the full benefit of VA's world-class care."

The new Fisher House will be built on the grounds of the Jefferson Barracks Division of the St. Louis VA Medical Center. The Fisher House is 100 percent handicapped accessible and will have 21 bedrooms or suites and several common use areas.

Fisher Houses are built through public donations and contributions from the Fisher House Foundation. VA assumes responsibility for operating costs of the finished homes.

You may remember that when we do a fundraiser around here, we give a portion of the proceeds to Fisher House. It is an A+ charity, does a whole lot of good work, efficiently uses every penny they take in, and are honest-to-goodness concerned with taking care of the families of wounded veterans so they can make the recovery of their loved one their only concern.

This new Fisher House will benefit the families of wounded veterans from all over the state, and I think it is safe to say I can safely speak for most, if not all Missouri military families when I say "Thank you!" to the folks who made the decision to build one here. We have a high percentage of service compared to the population of our state, and a high percentage of those serving come from economically depressed areas. I personally know people in rural Missouri who have family in uniform who would have a hard time with the living expenses if they were in that position. This new Fisher House will undoubtedly save some of them from financial strain, if not ruin.

Crossposted from Show Me Progress

Time to Step Up

Sergeants Mora and Gray stepped up.

Sergeants Mora and Gray spoke up.

Sergeants Mora and Gray paid the ultimate price.

Now it is our turn to step up. Comments from Left Field is hosting a fundraiser for Fisher House in honor of Sergeants Mora and Gray.

Kyle at CFLF says it quite well. I will let him make the case. Read his words, then go donate.

You don’t have to agree with the Iraq War to support the brave men and women in our armed forces. You don’t have to agree with the politics. The way I see it, it all comes down to that oath, and what it stands for.

These soldiers took a simple oath, they stood up and said that the ideals of America were bigger than they were, and that for those ideals, they would without question sacrifice their lives.

That’s what this is all about. From one day to the next we can bicker and argue over whether a certain war is right or wrong, but at the end of it all, there must be an understanding that men and women like Sgt. Gray and Sgt. Mora, despite the partisan battles that go on back home, continue to day in and day out perform their duties as soldiers.

Remember the closing words of their OpEd, “As committed soldiers, we will see this mission through.”

We as Americans have much we can stand to learn from soldiers such as Yance and Omar. Least of which is that this very same spirit of fidelity fuels not only the flame from which this country was born, but exists to this day.

This taken into consideration, I do not wish to honor their service, I am compelled to. I cannot personally look at myself in the mirror unless I have been a part of something to commemorate their passing, and show my gratitude for their service.

As a result, we at Comments From Left Field, in cooperation with Conservative Thinking, are as of this day beginning a fund drive In Honor of Sgt. Omar Mora & Sgt. Yance T. Gray.

After exploring several options, we have decided to donate 100% of the funds to the Fisher House charity, an organization we have worked with in the past. Fisher House has a simple goal; to build houses near military medical facilities. Here loved ones of those who have been injured in the line of duty can stay free of charge while their service member undergoes necessary treatment.

We urge you to give what you can to this noble cause for only in this way can Omar and Tell continue to make the lives of their fellow soldiers better even after their passing. I can think of no honor more fitting of a soldier.

- Kyle E. Moore