10/29/09
Back on My Feet is Coming Soon
I had the pleasure to meet Anne Mahlum, Lauren Williams, Autumn Campbell and the wonderful staff during the Back on My Feet inaugural social at the Union Pub on Thursday. And during the run, I had the fortune to run into Rick Amernick of DC Capital Striders and Maria de la Torre talk about the great features of this inspirational and purposeful program that encourages everyone to run together, regardless of race, education or socioeconomic status.10/28/09
10/27/09
Miles of Hope
Paul Kelly broke his neck 32 years ago in a swimming pool. Today, he is racing in the 34th Marine Corps Marathon.
Paul understands what our Wounded Warriors are going through. But he is not racing for himself. He has a deep and profound indebtness to our Heroes and has set out to handbike over 2008 miles to raise awareness and money for our Wounded Warriors and their families.
Please check out his story below:
10/26/09
Travis Manion "Brave Kid with a Big Heart"
Carrie Prendergast has never met Travis Manion, the ambitious Marine 1st. Lt. who was killed by enemy sniper fire in the Al Anbar province of Iraq on April 29, 2007. But she shares several common attributes. A former Marine, who comes from the same hometown of Doylestown, PA., Carrie also believes strongly in the core leadership principles of Courage, Loyalty and Integrity.Travis graduated from the US Naval Academy in 2004 and finished at the top of his class in Quantico. As part of 1 Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Pendleton, Calif., Travis deployed to Iraq in 2005.
Shortly after returning home, Travis was selected to become part of a military transition team that would be attached to an Iraqi Army Battalion in Fallujah.
The following excerpt is attributed to Travis' Hero Card:
"Manion and his fellow Marines labored diligently to change the outcome in Fallujah, building a brotherhood with the Iraqi Army units and setting the example with strong leadership.
He and his fellow Marines aggressively took the battle to the enemy on multiple missions while mentoring their Iraqi counterparts. On March 19, 2007, his vehicle was attacked by an improvised explosive device. Though disoriented from the attack, Manion checked for secondary devices, and then led the pursuit to the triggerman. Once identified, he personally apprehended the suspect. On March 27, 2007, he exposed himself to enemy small arms fire on multiple occasions in order to physically position and direct the return fires of his Iraqi soldiers during a complex enemy attack. On March 28, he immediately responded to a suicide vehicle-borne IED attack on the Iraqi Barracks at the Fallujah Government Center. Despite ongoing enemy small arms fire, indirect fire, two suicide vest attacks, a second suicide-vehicle-borne IED, and the heavy presence of chlorine gas, he repeatedly endangered himself by entering the damage barracks to remove casualties, and then by positioning and directing the fires of Iraqi soldiers on the rooftop of the Government Center.
Manion and his fellow Marines fought courageously to change the tide in this critical battle ground. As a result of their efforts, Al Anbar Province is now recognized as one of the more significant successes of the surge in Iraq.
On April 29, 2007 during his final patrol mission, Manion made the ultimate sacrifice.
His patrol was concluding a search of a suspected insurgent house when it came under precision small arms fire attack. With the corpsman seriously wounded by enemy fire and the attack developing in to a full-scale ambush, Manion and a fellow Marine exposed themselves to increasing fire to pull the corpsman out of the kill zone.
After recovering the corpsman and administering first aid, Manion led his patrol in a counter attack personally eliminating an enemy position. As he continued to direct the patrol, another Marine was wounded. He again moved across the kill zone, under fire by five insurgents, to recover the wounded Marine. Iraqi Army reinforcements were halted by an IED and were unable to advance on the flank of the insurgents, leaving Manion and his patrol to take fire from three sides.
While fearlessly exposing himself to gain a more advantageous firing position and drawing enemy fire away from the wounded Marines, Manion was fatally wounded by an enemy sniper.
His courageous and deliberate actions inspired the eventual counter attack and ultimately saved the lives of every member of his patrol, according to his medal citation.
“He wouldn’t put anyone in a situation he would not be in himself first,” said David Borek, his brother-in-law and close friend.
Manion was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with Valor and the Silver Star for his heroic actions in Iraq.
As a true testament to how much Manion was admired, the Iraqis named their new headquarters Combat Outpost Manion in honor of him.
Keeping the spirit of his selfless nature alive, The Travis Manion Foundation was created and continues his mission to assist the families of Fallen Heroes and wounded veterans, according to Janet Manion, his mother and executive director of the foundation.
“He was a kid with a big heart, never had a bad word for anyone,” said Tom Manion, his father. “He was all heart; that is who he was.”
Excerpts from articles by Gary Weckselblatt, Bucks County Courier Times, Nov. 29, 2008; by Kenneth Harbaugh with MissionContinues.org; and The North Shore Journal.
A Sister Runs to Remember
Acting as a surrogate Mom, the three siblings ran with their Dad who ran almost daily around their rural community in Lubbock, Texas. Running was their passion and what bound the four together.
In Nov 2004, Cpl Jose "Freddy" Velez was killed by a sniper's bullet in Fallujah. His brother Spc. Andrew Velez who was serving in southern Iraq, identified Freddy's body and accompanied him home..
After Andrew arrived in Afghanistan in 2006, he killed himself with a machine gun.
In a period of 18 months, Monica had lost her two brothers who she had loved and admired so much.
There's never a difficult or challenging time that she doesn't think of them. And today during the Marathon, she will remember and appreciate their sacrifices they made for their country.
Monica wants to raise awareness on the plight of those who have lost a sibling, what some call "disenfranchised grief."
Thanks to the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), Monica has been able to not only get counseling from the VA, but has also been able to go online to reach out and share with TAPS's large network of siblings.
10/6/09
Food Poisoning at Fiesta DC
The Three Tall Steeples of Columbia Heights
Above: Three beautiful churches pictured behind a group of families at the DC Fiesta. From left to right are: All Souls Unitarian Church, Peace King Center of the Unification Church, and the National Baptist Memorial Church
Above: Three beautiful churches pictured behind a group of families at the DC Fiesta. From left to right are: All Souls Unitarian Church, Peace King Center of the Unification Church, and the National Baptist Memorial Church
Columbia Heights, like the rest of the city along 14th and U Street, was destroyed during the 1968 riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Mount Pleasant is an idyllic cultural center located in the heart of the Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights historic triangle. It has quaint residential streets filled mostly with the middle class and many immigrant families from El Salvador.
Read about my previous run through Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant
Well I had a great time watching the Flamenco dancing and feeling the hot rhythm of salsa. People seemed to be enjoying themselves and enjoying the great vibe and festive atmosphere.
In light of the scandal with Graham's chief of staff, it was good to see him out in the city showing support for the festival and the attendees.
It was also great to see the city there: Metropolitan Police, Department of Health, Office of Latino Affairs, and even Councilmember Jim Graham who was out meeting with his constituents.
What Happened:
I was feeling great until I got something to eat...
It was around 4:30 PM, when the vendors were starting to wrap things up. I saw a sign for a chicken sandwich, chips and a drink special for $4.00. In retrospect, I should have been more cautious when buying from a vendor who was in a hurry to close shop for the day.
I agreed to buy the sandwich and was surprised when I was handed a chicken salad sandwich instead of a chicken breast sandwich.
Still, I was so busy taking pictures and enjoying the festival that I scoffed down the sandwich, not even thinking twice -- the grim truth is that I wished I had long and hard about it and the risk of eating anything made with mayonnaise sold by a vendor that was not a licensed restaurant.
It hit me almost right away -- feeling queasy from the chicken and mayo. Still I pushed on and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon.
But by 7:00 PM, I was home and downtrodden.
It started with stomach cramps, then nausea, then vomiting and it continued through the night until the cramps picked up a notch and I started feeling cold spells.
Shall I Go to the ER?
I've had food poisoning before -- the last time earlier this summer when I ate undercooked salmon.
But never in my life had I suffered from food poisoning this severe with symptoms so painful and unbearable. This was the worst abdominal pain I've received since my appendicitis ruptured in 1994.
So unbearable that at 2:30 AM, I had enough and drove myself slowly and methodically to the Washington Hospital Center.
On the way there, I threw up again -- my 10th time since getting sick. I had become dangerously dehydrated, not keeping anything in, not even plain water.
I parked at the garage just minutes away, but the walk to the ER seemed long and excruciating.
After waiting for nearly two painful hours in the lobby, I was admitted into a room with a voiceforus patient who was rude and obnoxious.
I never got to see his face -- he was behind a green curtain, and he was yelling and screaming about his body parts almost the entire time we shared a room together.
But I could feel his pain. It was disheartening and my first exposure to a civilian ER (Had always visited a military hospital in the past -- I was now in for a rude awakening.).
Why ER can Help:
When I met the doctor, she ordered a small morphine drip, which along with my IV took away the pain and I started feeling dramatically better almost immediately.
Within two hours--by 0700--I was discharged from the hospital. I wanted to stay a bit longer to get some rest, but they clearly wanted me to go before the next shift started.
So, needless to say, tonight was interesting. I'm glad the ordeal is behind me but I'm also glad to have learned a very good lesson: the memory of the pain alone is enough motivation to steer clear of foods with mayo and stick to drinking beer.
Be careful about what you eat at festivals especially anything prepared with mayonnaise.
Be careful if the vendor is trying desperately to get rid of their goods.
Be careful if the vendor is not a licensed restaurant or from some trusted organization you are familiar with.
Make sure the food has been refrigerated and your chances of getting food poison may be much greater later in the day.
And most of all, don't worry about this happening to you. I'm sure 99% of the vendors at city-sponsored events serve fresh and bacteria-free food.
Read about the cultural, colorful and SAFE cuisine I scoffed down during this year's Cherry Blossom Festival.
Today, I just happened to stumble (no pun intended) on that minuscule one percent.
I was feeling great until I got something to eat...
It was around 4:30 PM, when the vendors were starting to wrap things up. I saw a sign for a chicken sandwich, chips and a drink special for $4.00. In retrospect, I should have been more cautious when buying from a vendor who was in a hurry to close shop for the day.
I agreed to buy the sandwich and was surprised when I was handed a chicken salad sandwich instead of a chicken breast sandwich.
Still, I was so busy taking pictures and enjoying the festival that I scoffed down the sandwich, not even thinking twice -- the grim truth is that I wished I had long and hard about it and the risk of eating anything made with mayonnaise sold by a vendor that was not a licensed restaurant.
It hit me almost right away -- feeling queasy from the chicken and mayo. Still I pushed on and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon.
But by 7:00 PM, I was home and downtrodden.
It started with stomach cramps, then nausea, then vomiting and it continued through the night until the cramps picked up a notch and I started feeling cold spells.
Shall I Go to the ER?
I've had food poisoning before -- the last time earlier this summer when I ate undercooked salmon.
But never in my life had I suffered from food poisoning this severe with symptoms so painful and unbearable. This was the worst abdominal pain I've received since my appendicitis ruptured in 1994.
So unbearable that at 2:30 AM, I had enough and drove myself slowly and methodically to the Washington Hospital Center.
On the way there, I threw up again -- my 10th time since getting sick. I had become dangerously dehydrated, not keeping anything in, not even plain water.
I parked at the garage just minutes away, but the walk to the ER seemed long and excruciating.
After waiting for nearly two painful hours in the lobby, I was admitted into a room with a voiceforus patient who was rude and obnoxious.
I never got to see his face -- he was behind a green curtain, and he was yelling and screaming about his body parts almost the entire time we shared a room together.
But I could feel his pain. It was disheartening and my first exposure to a civilian ER (Had always visited a military hospital in the past -- I was now in for a rude awakening.).
Why ER can Help:
When I met the doctor, she ordered a small morphine drip, which along with my IV took away the pain and I started feeling dramatically better almost immediately.
Within two hours--by 0700--I was discharged from the hospital. I wanted to stay a bit longer to get some rest, but they clearly wanted me to go before the next shift started.
So, needless to say, tonight was interesting. I'm glad the ordeal is behind me but I'm also glad to have learned a very good lesson: the memory of the pain alone is enough motivation to steer clear of foods with mayo and stick to drinking beer.
Be careful about what you eat at festivals especially anything prepared with mayonnaise.
Be careful if the vendor is trying desperately to get rid of their goods.
Be careful if the vendor is not a licensed restaurant or from some trusted organization you are familiar with.
Make sure the food has been refrigerated and your chances of getting food poison may be much greater later in the day.
And most of all, don't worry about this happening to you. I'm sure 99% of the vendors at city-sponsored events serve fresh and bacteria-free food.
Read about the cultural, colorful and SAFE cuisine I scoffed down during this year's Cherry Blossom Festival.
Today, I just happened to stumble (no pun intended) on that minuscule one percent.
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