Charitable vet makes strides, inspires others

I’ve been reading msnbc.com for years and this is the first time I’ve written.

Thank you very much for this wonderful series. For some reason it touches my heart deeply.

I really appreciate the way it was written, presented and shared.

Excellent journalism — just excellent.
— Ellen, Syracuse, N.Y.

Thank you for the great story about Tom Deierlein. As a (recently retired) Navy reserve commander, I can only imagine the trials and tribulations he went through during his re-activation to active duty. … I started to feel like I knew the guy while reading the piece.

I personally think we made a huge blunder going into Iraq, but reading this story still makes me incredibly proud of the heart and soul of the U.S. military. We can’t blame the guys on the ground for the mistakes of their leaders. They are doing the best they can in an unbelievably difficult situation.
— Ben, Newport News, Va.

Thanks for choosing to share a positive story. Regardless of political persuasion, it’s a refreshing story that reminds us of our human potential.
— Bob, Corona, Calif.

What a wonderful story. The work Tom did (and is doing) is what we all should be doing. As human beings we must do the right thing and help in the manner that we can and in the circumstances we are thrust in. I will be contributing to this charity and I am spreading the word.
— Evi, San Antonio, Texas

I wanted to thank you for showing how good we as Americans, and humans, can be. This story of the captain (now a major) who went to war, even though he didn’t have to, his trials and tribulations, his injury, his amazing capacity for giving, his loss of his marriage, his throwing the pitch at a Yankees game, his charitable foundation, and so on …

When you first started putting posts out … I read the first three and then missed the other two because I went away. I woke up today and read the final parts I missed and I cried finding out that he was wounded (and) reading how extensive his injuries are, how he wouldn’t be there to deliver the goods he was lining up to give to the poorest of Iraq.

We as Americans sometimes don’t realize how blessed we are to have basic needs taken care of. We take for granted garbage collections, relatively clean water and social programs to help the neediest in desperate times.

I can say as a grown man, reading that this captain was injured doing … what he felt was the right thing, I was taken by surprise and couldn’t hold back the tears. It wasn’t the outcome I expected at all.

He really shows me that I can do more.
— Jim, Middleburgh, N.Y.

MORE FROM CHARITY BEGINS AT WAR

Charity Begins at War Section Front

Part 1: From executive suite to Baghdad Journal: Called back to active duty — ‘No joke’ Day 2: Minimal training for a huge task Journal: Readying for ‘very dangerous job’ Part 3: Venturing ‘outside the wire’ Journal: ‘ThunderCat6’ arrives in Baghdad Part 4: It all comes back to garbage Journal: Goodbye Baghdad; hello bed rest Part 5: Charitable spirit survives Journal: A new foundation Charity Begins at War Section Front   Add Charity Begins at War headlines to your news reader: