Robert Augustine Seidel III

West Point, 2004

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Wendi Winters-The Capital Online on August 31, 2007:

'Wheels for Warriors' donates vans to wounded soldiers ________________________________________ By WENDI WINTERS, For The Capital Published August 31, 2007 An organization chaired by Steve Middleton, a longtime Severna Park resident, has stepped in to help make one wounded soldier's life a little easier. Mr. Middleton has been involved with Operation Support Our Troops and is chairman of Wheels for Warriors, a brainstorm of Mary Kay Salomone. Wheels for Warriors is a nonprofit offshoot of Operation Support Our Troops. It is set up to give away vans specially equipped for wounded soldiers. Set in motion two years ago, Wheels for Warriors provided two vans last year and plans to give away five this year. One van was presented to Marine Sgt. Jason Wittling at the Navy-Massachusetts football game at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium last September. The vans, customized Dodge Grand Caravans, are transformed by Annapolis resident Raymond Torreon, general manager of Ride-Away in Greenbelt, one in a chain of 11 East Coast shops that retrofit vehicles for the handicapped. The cost of each van is about $50,000. The next intended van recipient is Army Staff Sgt. Luke Shirley. The wounded 29-year-old Staff Sgt. Shirley is currently undergoing six hours of daily therapy at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. All around him, the Florida native is surrounded by the reality of war at the on-base Mologne House Hotel. The hotel was opened in the 1990s to temporarily house visitors to Walter Reed. Now it's home for wounded soldiers while they receive out-patient treatment. Still considered on active-duty, most are required to muster every morning. Men walk by on double leg prosthesis that look like transformers and make machine-like "whisk whisk" noises. Other injured men sit in wheelchairs and play checkers at shaded outdoor patio tables, ignoring the fretwork of metal scaffolding screwed into their bodies. Staff Sgt. Shirley is a member of the 10th Mountain Division 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment. On his third deployment to Iraq, he was nearly killed by a landmine explosion on Dec. 20. It destroyed his lower right arm and right leg, tore off a finger and thumb from his left hand and riddled his body with shrapnel. Sgt. Shirley is receiving his specially equipped van on Sept. 8, during the Army-Rhode Island football game at West Point. Kickoff time is 1 p.m. and the presentation of the van can be seen on the ESPN Classic Channel. The van will have controls he can handle with his good, rebuilt left hand and his left foot. The interior has been dropped 10 inches, so Sgt. Shirley can ride aboard in his 500-pound, motorized 8 mph wheelchair and lock it down for travel. The leather seats will ensure his daughters have a comfy ride. "This van came about because people in White Plains, N. Y., were sending CARE packages to Lt. Robert Seidel III, a Military Academy Class of 2004 graduate," said Mr. Middleton, president of the Naval Academy's Class of 1974. "When Rob was killed in Iraq, folks in White Plains raised money for this van. It's dedicated to Rob's memory." He notes that Wheels for Warriors has been receiving donations from people across the country since it was organized. On Aug. 10, Wheels for Warriors was one of 10 volunteer organizations selected to receive a $5,000 grant from Newman's Own Awards Program, a fund established by actor Paul Newman. It was one of 99 entries received for the 2007 program and one of 99 that have received a grant since the program began in 2000. Mr. Middleton accepted the grant from Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The family of Army 2nd Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski II, of Howell, N. J., an academy classmate of Lt. Seidel, has also become involved in Wheels for Warriors. Captain of his high school and Military Academy swim team, Lt. Zilinski was killed in Iraq on Nov. 19, 2005, when his vehicle ran over an IED. The family organized an annual 3.5-mile run/walk in his memory. This year's event is Nov. 11 in Holmdel, N.J. "Mary Kay told me about how Rob Seidel's family was donating a van in Rob's name," said Marion Zilinski, the lieutenant's grieving mother. "I wanted to give a van in our son's name, too, and sooner rather than later. The New Jersey State Police helped us. They donated some of their proceeds from a golf outing. "We wanted to take such a tragic occurrence in our lives and turn it around," Mrs. Zilinski said. "Giving a gift in our son's name is such a dream. It gives us such a good feeling. As a mother, you want to give back to somebody else. There's a reason my son didn't live. But, we want to memorialize his name by giving to someone else who's also laid down his life without question. If I can give away one or two vans, at least I tried to help these soldiers." In his room, lit by three large lava lamps, Sgt. Shirley - in the Army since 1998 - talked longingly about returning to his Florida hometown. "Traffic around here is stupid," he complained. He might stay a little longer, though, since he's been offered an internship at the U.S. Treasury Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and is currently taking lessons for his certification as a scuba diver. "When I heard I was getting a van back in May, I was shocked," said Sgt. Shirley. "It'll make my life a lot easier." He plans to use the van to shuttle his daughters around to Kings Dominion, shopping and getting to doctors appointments. I've had to learn to walk and do things with my prosthetic arm and leg, like tying shoes. I've had to learn a lot of things. But driving a car," he stated confidently, "you just do it!" To donate or for more details about Wheels for Warriors or Operation Support Our Troops, contact Mr. Middleton at 410-544-3155 or SteveM@bigplanet.com, or visit the Web site www.west-point.org/family/support-our-troops. Wendi Winters is a freelance writer living on the Broadneck Peninsula.

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