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Fisher House, Meditation Pavilion For Families Of Fallen Dedicated
(November 14, 2010) |
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Celebrity talk show host Montel Williams talks with Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on Nov. 10, 2010. The three helped dedicate the new Fisher House for Families of the Fallen during a ceremony there. |
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DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (11/11/2010 - AFNS) -- A serene,
stone-front home along a private road is now a place of
comfort for family members awaiting the dignified transfer
of their loved ones.
During a pre-Veterans Day ceremony here Nov. 10, family
members of the fallen joined military officials and TV
personality Montel Williams, himself a veteran, for a
ribbon-cutting and dedication of the Fisher House for
Families of the Fallen and the adjacent Meditation Pavilion.
Donated by the
Fisher House Foundation and its Chairman, Ken
Fisher, the communal nine-suite 8,462 square-foot home and
1,714 square-foot pavilion provides short-term, on-base
lodging for families facing perhaps their most difficult
moment.
In his remarks during the ceremony, Secretary of the Air
Force Michael Donley described the unique relationship
between servicemembers and those whose family members have
made the ultimate sacrifice.
"For the families of the fallen, each measure we take --
each act, each word -- reflects acknowledgement of their
special bonds with our military: you with us, us with you,
forever," Secretary Donley said. |
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz personally
thanked all family members for what he said is all too often
unrecognized sacrifice.
"It is our families who provide love and support, giving
deeply personal meaning and distinct purpose to the
professional efforts of all those who serve," General
Schwartz said. "With our collective efforts, we can begin to
provide an additional measure of comfort and peace of mind,
even if incomplete, to our nation's most selfless and giving
patriots: the families of the fallen."
Special guests at the ceremony included members of
American Gold Star Mothers, an organization comprised of
women who have lost sons or daughters in the line of duty.
The mothers donned their organization's signature white,
symbolizing sacrifice, and gathered in support of the
completion of the 50th Fisher House, the first of its kind
for families of fallen rather than wounded warriors or other
service members undergoing medical treatment. |
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| The Fisher House for
Families of the Fallen, at Dover Air Force Base, Del., was dedicated Nov. 10,
2010. (It is the 50th Fisher House.) This house is the first from the Fisher
Foundation which not only will serve families of
military personnel and veterans who are
hospitalized, but also serve the Air Force
Mortuary Affairs Operations mission, lodging
families who travel to Dover AFB to witness the
dignified transfer of their loved one. |
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Since January, the organization raised more than $60,000
toward completion of the house, situated near the Department
of Defense's sole mortuary overseen by the Air Force.
American Gold Star Mothers National President Molly Morel,
whose son died in 2004, said the Dover-based Fisher House
has personal significance to her and other mothers in the
organization.
"We always hope that there's not going to be another member
who is eligible to join our organization, because we're
composed of mothers who've lost a child in military service,
whether through results of (post-traumatic stress disorder),
training accidents, or otherwise," Ms. Morel said.
"I don't have to explain my emotions to another Gold Star
Mother," she said. "Our communities offer a healing process
for us, and I can't think of a better place to have this
newest special home."
Suzie Schwartz, wife of General Schwartz, shared Ms. Morel's
sentiments.
"We've come full circle, from the beginning when we
recognized the need for the Center for the Families of the
Fallen," Mrs. Schwartz said. "Now we have a place where
family members are surrounded by people who will care for
them during their worst moment, and no one does it better
than the Fisher House."
With a military career spanning 22-years across two branches
of service, former Marine Corps enlistee and U.S. Naval
Academy graduate Mr. Williams said he, too, understands the
specialized needs of grieving military families, which
inspired him to seek an organization that shared his passion
for the cause.
"Plain and simple, I sought out a program that was just more
than lip service for our troops," Mr. Williams said. "I
wanted to do something tangible, so that we could give
something back to families. When I connected with the Fisher
House Foundation, I immediately wanted to get involved."
Mr. Williams lauded the "solution-oriented" mindset of Mr.
Fisher, who formulated a team of dedicated architects and
construction specialists and charged them with the nearly
impossible challenge of building 14 homes in a matter of
months. On May 1, Mr. Fisher began planning to build the
Dover-based Fisher House.
"This is not just a cause and not just a continuation of a
legacy, but a passion," Mr. Fisher said. "This is a labor of
love and is really about giving these family members options
that they didn't have before, whether through solitude,
prayer or the company of other families of the fallen."
As families of all faiths and beliefs continue to arrive
here, Army Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Wesley Smith said the
Meditation Pavilion will hopefully provide a place for
bereaved relatives to begin the healing process.
"We're grateful to the families who've loaned their
husbands, wives, sons and daughters to the country, some of
whom made the ultimate sacrifice," said Colonel Smith, the
chief of chaplains staff officer at the Pentagon. "They
really are heroes, right along with their fallen Soldier,
Sailor, Airman or Marine."
 Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Robert Hedelund, the warfighting lab
commanding general in Quantico, Va., said the Fisher House
Foundation exemplifies one of many layers of commitment to
family members across the services.
"We hope that, through organizations like the Fisher House,
we can contribute to a family's healing," General Hedelund
said. "There is no amount of money or well-wishing that will
solve all of a grieving family's problems, but every bit
helps, and this is but one way to make a life-long
commitment to these families."
With at least one Fisher House at every major military
installation that hosts a major medical facility, the homes
annually accommodate nearly 12,000 families and made nearly
3 million days of lodging available to family members since
the program began in 1990. There is no charge for any family
to stay at a Fisher House. |
By USAF TSgt. Amaani Lyle
U.S. Air Force photos by Scott M. Ash
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
Copyright 2010 | |
Reprinted from
Air Force News
Service
Video
about Fisher House Foundation |
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