Manley Notes
Reach Out And Feel The Pride
Page 3
I Kissed U.S. Soil
The following is a reprint of a letter ad-
dressed to the Editor, Orlando-Sentinel
that appeared in the December 18,
2006 issue.
“I read the newspaper faithfully and
saw the letter last week about being
proud to be an American. I would add
my story to that.
I was born in Budapest, Hungary, and
after the Second World War, I married a
man from Prague, Czechoslovakia . I
was persecuted in Hungry by my own
‘fellow Hungarians.’ during the war,
and then I was jailed in Czechoslovakia
by my ‘fellow Czechoslovakians’ when
the Communist Party took over and my
husband, a newspaper editor, refused
to join the party. So when we escaped
with our daughter in 1966, from Pra-
gue to Italy, we came to America on
December 21.
When we arrived on a plane in New
York, before doing anything else, I
kissed the American soil -- what happi-
ness I felt to be in a free country!
I did not speak English, but within four
years I learned to speak, read and write
it.
I do not ever say that I am Hungarian-
American or Czechoslovakian-
American, I am just proud to be an
American!
When so many editors, actors and all
famous people talk against my beloved
country, I just would like to tell them
that if they were ever to live under a
dictatorship and endure what I did,
they would talk differently.
No system is perfect, but the very best
exists here. We will soon celebrate the
40th anniversary that I have been privi-
leged to live in America, and it has
been 35 years that I have been proud
to be an American.
--Susan Rajsky
Kissimmee (Florida)
Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund
HM2 Derek McGinnis was injured in Fallujah in November of 2004, during opera-
tion Phantom Fury while attached to 3rd LAR our of Twenty-nine Palms, California.
His ambulance was hit by a suicide driver. The explosion caused him to have a
traumatic brain injury, shrapnel in his right eye, and the loss of his left leg above
the knee.
Derek spent over two years in recovery at rehabilitation at Bethesda Naval Hospi-
tal, Walter Reed, Palo Alto Veterans Hospital, and is now finishing up at Brooke
Army Medical Center. Still on active duty, his separation process will begin soon.
Petty Officer McGinnis instructs medical officers in combat medicine techniques
prior to their deployment to Iraq. He also works as a liaison of Naval personnel at
Brooke, helping new patients accept their injuries. During his off duty hours,
Derek attended college and graduated this November with a BS in Business
Health Care Administration. He will start work at the VA in San Antonio and will
also join the Injured Marine Semper Fi organization as a volunteer. He will be
working with Dr. Donald Barker, a retired Navy Corpsman.
Mike Lowe is the father of Lance Corporal Joe Lowe. Joe served in the Marine
Corps 4 years with 4th Tanks Battalion Reserve Unit in Boise, Idaho. He was se-
verely injured in combat on May 8, 2005, near the Syrian border, during Operation
Mataor. Joe was the gunner on an M1-A1 tank, when the tank ran over a triple
stack IED, which ruptured into the turret where the three gunmen were located.
Joe’s back was broken, and he suffers paralysis from the chest down. His loader’s
right leg had extensive injuries and was later amputated, and the tank com-
mander received multiple fractures to both of his legs.
After several back surgeries and 4 months of rehabilitation in Seattle, Joe was
able to return to Boise, where he was medically retired from the Marine Corps in
September 2005. Joe now resides independently in a residence that has been
previously built and adapted for wheelchair access by the previous owner, who
was also a veteran.
Almost daily you reach for the morning newspaper and read of the fatalities in Iraq
but mostly reported in only local newspapers are the heart-shattering stories of
our uniform men and women whose bodies have been torn apart and whose lives
are in a whirlpool of uncertainty. Not only do the victims suffer but the pains of
the injuries extend to their families, and too often they discover the financial im-
pact that is attached. Yes, there is a financial challenge that faces all of our in-
jured Marines and Sailors. This is when the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund steps
up to the plate.
“Our concerns became focused on Joe’s needs, not on the financial challenges
ahead. The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund stepped in at just the right time and
offered to help.. We were able to travel to Seattle to be with Joe during one of the
toughest times of his life. IMSFF helped with the expenses of travel, hotels, car
rental, and many other unforeseen costs. Without the help, we wouldn’t have
been able to visit Joe or participate in his recovery.”
“The Semper Fi Fund helped my family when I was unconscious and helpless. I
am very grateful to them,” wrote Derek McGinnis.
The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund provides financial assistance to Marines in-
jured in combat and in training, to other service members injured while in direct
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