Thanksgiving is a time for family. It’s even more so for members of the military who spend a lot of holidays away from home. And that includes active duty service members who are wounded and healing at various VA Medical Centers like James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa.
Dr. Steven Scott, director of the Tampa VA Polytrauma Center at Haley VA, likes that the civilian and military communities come together for the dinners - sponsored Operation Helping Hand."Believe it or not the work continues believe it or not we still have many active duty injured at this hospital and we continue to honor them on a month basis with this dinner", Scott said.
Tom Pearson is a veteran paratrooper and his three boys served in the Army. He’s been volunteering at the Haley VA dinners for seven years.
"My boys served in Afghanistan, Grenada, Panama and they served in some hot spots in the world and I think of them and I’m so grateful to god that they’re not sitting there like some of these boys are", reflected Pearson. "I’m just grateful for that"
His wife Edna Pearson also volunteers.
"I do all the decorations on the tables and I having missed a time in 7 years. It keeps me going", she said. "This is family here.
Giving back to those wounded active-duty military members and their families is the singular goal of Operation Helping Hand.
Retired Navy Capt. Bob Silah started the organization when he learned that families of wounded soldiers at the Veteran’s Hospital were sleeping in their cars. Nine years later Helping Hand assists families with a myriad of needs from transportation to lodging. And it holds the monthly dinners to keep the community involved. Silah took the microphone at the November dinner.
"If you have immediate family who want to come in and visit...we will pay their air fare", announced Silah. "Roundtrip...not one way"
Having family close by especially on a holiday means a lot to wounded soldiers like Army Cpl. Jeremy Voles. He will spend this Thanksgiving at Haley VA Hospital.
"I got injured Sept. 15th of 2010 and I had pretty extensive injuries. I had every organ destroyed except for my heart. I'm having trouble with nutrition and stuff like that", Voles said.
Yet, Voles is looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner.
"My ideal is just family and friends – I don’t care where – I don’t care how", said Voles. "My mom will be bringing my kids down. My father just got back from his 9th tour in Afghanistan so he since he just made it home to the states he’ll be coming down. And there’s a fellow soldier here in the hospital who has his wife and his daughter and has no family and can’t leave the hospital just yet."
Voles and his fellow soldier are both from the 101st Airborne out of Ft. Campbell, Kentucky.
"I don’t care if I have to deep fry a turkey in the bed of my pick-up truck I’m going to do it and we’re all going to have thanksgiving together as one big family even though we’re not related and really haven’t even known each other that long", he said. "We both served we both did our thing."
Voles, who is confined to a wheelchair, says he is most thankful that he made it home from Afghanistan.
"Not to knock on anybody’s religious beliefs or anything but everybody is always told me, you know, when that moment comes when you think you’re going to die, everybody prays to God. To be honest with you – all I did was beg to see my kids again", Voles remembered. "I didn’t think I was going to live. I thought I was going to die on that mountainside. And the next time I opened my eyes – my daughter was standing next to my bed. When I left for Afghanistan she was only 14 days old. That’s what I’m thankful for being able to see my kids"
Voles’ daughter Charleigh is now 3 years old and son Kaydon is 4. They will be with him this Thanksgiving and he hopes for many more to come.
"I made it home when there are brothers of mine who didn’t and I’ve got two kids to see grow up so I guess it doesn’t really take nothing but being a father to recover", said Voles.