State of the Union!

Sorry about the delay in posting pictures from our 6th Annual State of the Union bruhaha!

Tess' Lark Tavern let us take over the back room.
And take over, we did.
Look at all the people!
Shanna decided to play Ms. PacMan instead...
Then the girls had some bonding time...
Meg debated with Joe.
A good time was had by all.

A break...

Between Joe studying for the GREs (he did great!) and planning for the State of the Union party, we've been too busy to go out, have too much fun, or update this blog! In the meantime, read Melissa's latest article in Newsday (yes, she's bragging, but it was a great day on a mountain.).


Skiing trip takes soldiers beyond the world of rehab
BY MELISSA MANSFIELD
STAFF WRITER

February 8, 2006

WINDHAM - Despite the rain and fog, Army Sgt. Orlando Gill quickly headed to the ski lift, snowboard in hand.

"Once I'm on the mountain, I'm gone," he explained, smiling as he walked into the slush.
During his second tour of Iraq in 2004, Gill, 32, lost his right leg when he was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. He has since lived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C., learning how to walk, and live, with a prosthetic leg.

But last weekend, Gill and 29 other soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan were on the slopes of Windham Mountain in upstate New York, skiing and snowboarding. Missing limbs did not stop them.

The program was sponsored by the Adaptive Sports Foundation, Disabled Sports USA, the Wounded Warrior Project and the New York City Fire Department.

The organizations all send volunteers for a weekend of fun with participants such as Army Spc. Noe Santos-Dilone, a 21-year-old from Brooklyn who lost his left leg when his vehicle was hit by three improvised bombs in Iraq 18 months ago.

Surrounded by four volunteer instructors, Santos-Dilone balanced himself in a mono-ski, a single alpine ski with a molded seat attached.

The team started him on a gentle slope, using two outriggers, devices that serve as poles do for alpine skiing, assisting in moving across flatter areas, and balancing out on turns. "Lord, help us!" he shouted after a push-start got him moving downhill.

"I'm praying as hard as you," volunteer Philip Gotthelf responded while he pulled an attached line, keeping Santos-Dilone from going too fast. After losing his balance and falling on his right side, the volunteers encouraged him with quick confessions of their own falls.

"I fell four times!"

"I fell six!"

Gotthelf, who sponsored a few participants, added, "I fell trying to get in!"

Santos-Dilone smiled, and tried again. While pushing himself forward using his outriggers, he shouted "Insurgents suck!" and took off downhill.

At Walter Reed, Gill counsels newly injured soldiers who he said could benefit from outdoor activities. He believes that while rehabilitation is crucial, getting out of the hospital and onto a mountain challenges the injured in a special way.

"If I could get back on the mountain and do this," he explained, "my life isn't over."

Retired Brooklyn firefighter and volunteer Tom Westman also thinks that the program helps the participants overcome more than physical limitations.

"Many have never skied before," he said. "They learn they can do things they never expected to do."

Wounded Warriors founder John Melia said the families of soldiers are always invited to events. "When a soldier is wounded, the family is wounded as well."

The organization, which, according to Melia, has served 10,000 soldiers, holds 52 events annually, from rock climbing to benefits counseling.

Army Lt. Jeffrey Adams participated last year and returned this year for a second weekend skiing in upstate New York. Wearing a shirt reading, "Dude, where's my leg?" he cheered local first- and third-grade students who sang "This land is your land," for the soldiers and their families during lunch on Friday. He lost his left leg in a roadside bombing.

"Don't judge an amputee until you walk a mile in his shoe," he said.