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March 31, 2009
Dear Community Members,
It’s been over a month since I first sent out a letter asking you if you wanted to be a part of PFC Andrew Parker’s homecoming. Andrew is the 21 year old soldier from Hyde Park who was severely injured in a road side bomb attack in Afghanistan. He was transferred from Walter Reed Hospital to the VA Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia, where he is still undergoing intensive therapy.
On April 6th, Andrew will receive his Purple Heart in Richmond, surrounded by family and friends, at a very prestigious ceremony held in his honor. After the ceremony, he will be transferred to a VA home in Boston until his home in Hyde Park is ready to receive this hometown hero.
The fund-raising for Andrew is ongoing. The many kindnesses shown to Andrew and his family during the past month have truly been nothing short of inspirational. Thanks to the generosity of many local, statewide, and national organizations and individual businesses, as well as countless donations from people, both young and old, from all over the United States, we are now setting our sights on beginning the building process.
Early on in the project, the garage was deemed too small to accommodate Andrew and the adaptive equipment he would need on a daily basis. We decided to build him an addition instead. This will include a bathroom, bedroom, living area, and carport for his specially equipped van. Access ramps will also be built to the family’s main house. Every effort is being made to make Andrew as comfortable as possible in his new home.
So, the next few weeks will be busy ones on top of the hill at the Barnes ’ home. Although the fund-raising and planning have been going on for many weeks, we are very excited about seeing the ground broken and the construction work beginning. We are in hopes that once this happens, the work will go quickly! Our big-hearted contractors, plumbers, electricians, excavators, sheet rockers, and support teams are ready and raring to go! We are definitely ready to watch this amazing dance begin!
Although our fund-raising efforts continue en force , I want to thank you all for the many, many acts of kindness shown to Andrew and his family. I have spoken to Andrew and despite the rigorous regimen of rehabilitation that he is going through at the VA, he is in incredibly good spirits. Although he is paralyzed from the chest down, he can move his arms, and wiggle some of his fingers now. What he doesn’t have is the strength to grab or grip things so he is utilizing gripping devices. Andrew is working very hard to build this strength back up; he aspires to be a history teacher and is anxious to get back home, enroll in college, and get on with his life. His Dad said that his spirit is “outstanding” and he just can’t wait to come home.
So, take pride and joy in knowing that you have already made a difference in Andrew’s journey back home. He is optimistic about his future and part of this is that he knows an entire community is standing beside him, ready to welcome him home. If you want to know what’s going on with the Andrew Parker Project, check out . We’ll keep you posted! |
Forever Heroes written and performed by Steve Vaus, use authorized. Clicking FLAG will go to Steve Vaus' website. Click bottom of PLAYER to hear Forever Heroes. Lyrics are here.
