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ARLINGTON, Va., March 15, 2013 – Service members, public figures
and performers were honored for their service or support of the U.S.
military at the USO of Metropolitan Washington's 31st Annual Awards
Dinner held at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel here
yesterday.
USO Gala Awards
Dinner (March 14, 2013) - Kathleen Causey, recipient of the USO's Col. John Gioia Patriot Award, with husband, Army Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Causey, on stage behind her, points to the table where the pair's parents are sitting. Causey lost both of his legs above the knee and sustained multiple injuries to his hands and arms in 2011. DOD photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Chuck Marsh |
In his remarks at the event, Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld
Jr., the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, lauded
the compassion and commitment of people serving in the
military medical community.
“We are here to honor a
most deserving population of unsung heroes among our
troopers ... our medical professionals,” Winnefeld said. “They are the quiet heroes:
the doctors, the nurses, the medical support staff, who
treat everything from the common cold in a U.S. military
pediatric ward to the most critical battlefield injuries
across the combat zone.”
The admiral said he and his
wife, Mary, have witnessed medical professionals in action
around the world -- from Kandahar and Bagram in Afghanistan,
to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, and Walter
Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
“In every visit, in every room, we meet warriors who are
hopeful about the future,” Winnefeld said. “Each of these
wounded warriors recognizes the difficult road to recovery
that's ahead.”
Service members receive the best
possible care from the military's medical professionals, the
admiral said.
“Because of that spectrum of care, and
the unique blend of military professionalism and medical
acumen, we're bringing warriors home from the battlefield
today that never would've made it in previous wars,”
Winnefeld said.
“It's all because of our outstanding
military medical professionals and the caregivers for our
wounded warriors,” he said of the people and teams who
provide care to some 9 million beneficiaries of the military
health system.
Honorees at the event dinner included
actor and director Lou Diamond Phillips, a stalwart USO
supporter who received the organization's Legacy of
Achievement Award for his years of public support and
involvement with the military community.
Born at the
Subic Bay U.S. Naval Station in the Philippines, Phillips
said his upbringing and current work on the Military
Channel's “An Officer and a Movie” have strengthened his
bond with the military.
While “incredibly humbled” by
the USO honor, Phillips said he finds his fame can best
“highlight and uphold the real heroes,” the military members
who wear the uniform.
Phillips noted the complexities
and challenges that military members of an all-volunteer
force face in a post-9/11 world.
“It's very much a
part of our national consciousness that we are at war and
have been ... for a long time, that we have young men and
women in harm's way on a daily basis,” Phillips said.
As such, America is entering a new age of respect for
its armed forces, he said, and a greater awareness of how
military people touch so many lives.
Fellow actor,
director, and honoree Joe Mantegna echoed Phillips'
comments, noting he has great respect for those who serve in
the U.S. military.
Mantegna, who's slated to perform
his 12th annual Memorial Day concert with his friend and
fellow USO supporter Gary Sinise, shared why he, too, was
humbled by the USO's recognition.
“It's the people
who do this job day-in and day-out, the volunteers, the
people who ... keep organizations like the USO thriving ...
those are the people that really deserve credit,” Mantegna
said. “I remember you, and I accept this on your behalf.”
This year's USO honorees include:
-- Army Maj.
David Larres, Occupational Therapy Clinic at Irwin Army
Community Hospital, Fort Riley, Kan.;
-- Navy Cmdr.
Angela Earley, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Va.;
-- Air Force 1st Lt. Sarah Batzer-Frye, Fort Belvoir
Community Hospital, Va.;
-- Navy Lt. Cmdr. Trevor
Petrou, Marine Special Operations Command, Camp Lejeune,
N.C.;
-- Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Randy
Haba, U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C.;
-- National Guard: Army Lt. Col. Laura Wheeler, Army
National Guard, Va.;
-- Civilian: Linda Odierno and
certified pet therapy dog, Tootsie;
-- Special
Recognition: Legacy of Hope Award -- The Military Channel;
-- Legacy of Achievement Award: Lou Diamond Phillips;
-- Merit Award: Joe Mantegna; and
-- Col. John
Gioia Patriot Award: Kathleen Causey.
By Amaani Lylery
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2013
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