Proud to Welcome Heroes

Dear Bay Weekly:

I can’t recall a time in the recent past that I was ever more proud to be an American then I was on August 14. On that day, I had the distinct privilege to stand along Route 260 at 7:15am along with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other Americans and welcome a busload of wounded soldiers from The Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

These American heroes were coming to the Chesapeake Beach area for a weekend of fishing and relaxation, and that’s exactly what they got, thanks to the Second Chance organization and the American Legion in Chesapeake Beach. It was due to the indefatigable efforts of Mary Mathis from Second Chance and Commander Kirk Larman from the American Legion and his great team of volunteers that these young people got a respite from the intense medical treatment and rehabilitation they have been going through.

To the many groups that helped with this endeavor and in particular those of you that simply stood on the side of the road, like me, and cheered: Well done, well done.

–Hugh F. Trigs: Rose Haven