Parents Hope To Fill Van With Gifts For Wounded Soldiers

Dated: 12/06/2006 6:00:20 PM

By Randi Rico 2News Parents of a Huber Heights soldier wounded in Iraq are headed to Walter Reed Army Medical Center this weekend, and they want to bring a van full of gifts to hospitalized soldiers. Ryan Haerer only had three months left in Iraq when the Humvee he was riding in drove over an IED and exploded, killing the driver and leaving Ryan with serious leg injuries. This weekend his parents are going to see him for his eighth, and hopefully final surgery. "As you walk into Walter Reed you're immediately hit by the needs of the soldiers walking around there. There are many, many amputees, both legs, arms, faces messed up ... you name it," said Cheryl Haerer. Cheryl and Dick Haerer's son Ryan has been at Walter Reed Medical Center for eight months. Like many of the soldiers there, he went to work in Iraq and woke up in the hospital. While they are now on American soil, these vets haven't been able to see or enjoy anything from the outside world. "He had not seen women in a long time. He was dying for a hamburger. He said 'where is there a Wendy's. Please take me or go out and get me Wendy's, a Junior Bacon Cheeseburger," said Cheryl. This weekend Ryan's dad will drive a van to D.C. He and Cheryl are hoping to fill it with gifts and treats for all the recovering soldiers and their families to make the rooms at Walter Reed feel a little more like home. "And if my van doesn't hold it all, I'm sure I can recruit somebody quite easily and we can make another trip up there too," said Dick. Cheryl said if you want to donate anything to fill the van you can drop it at the Haerer's home in Huber Heights. "They have done so much for us and we just like to show them we appreciate all they have gone through to get us where we are." The van leaves Sunday morning. The Haerer's address is 6935 Sylmar Court in Huber Heights. Their phone number is 233-8027. These are some of the items being suggested to fill the van: Personal cards and notes OSU trinkets and paraphernalia Buckeye balls and other ohio special items Gift coupons from Wendy's, McDdonalds, Pizza Hut, Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesday's, Border's Books, Chick-Filet, Hooters, CVS, Safeway, Starbucks, Subway, Dunkin Donuts, Burger King, Potbelly, Coldstone Creamery, Chipotle (these are places that are reasonably close to the hospital and the hospital has a Subway and a Dunkin Donuts.) Craft projects for men, women, and children New release books Puzzles Kids games Computer games Lotions, magazines, and nice things for women AA batteries Handmade blankets and quilts (these get so much use in the hospital by patients and families) Golf balls Disposable cameras Homemade goodies that will not need to be refrigerated until we can distribute them Fruit baskets (please do not bring until Saturday so that they are fresh) Cash for fruit baskets for us to purchase in D.C. Make up your own baskets of single-size servings of a variety of things If you want your gift to be tax-deductible, please specify that you want it delivered to the Red Cross in the hospital and they will deliver to the patients.

"Hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women are deployed across the world in the war on terror. By bringing hope to the oppressed, and delivering justice to the violent, they are making America more secure. "
George W. Bush