The Chaplains’ Closet at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, with shelves stretching to the ceiling, is officially called the Wounded Warrior Ministry Center.  The “closet” is really the size of an average convenience store, and is filled with donations that pour in every week.  The clothing, shoes and toiletries are destined for the wounded warriors who pass through Landstuhl, most coming from Iraq or Afghanistan.  The hospital reports that over 54,000 wounded warriors have been cared for at Landstuhl since the start of Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001.

Often the servicemembers arrive at Landstuhl with nothing, brought there after being injured in battle.  If they are bedridden when they arrive, a liaison officer gets their supplies to them. Most stay about three to five days in Landstuhl until either being sent to the United States or back into theater.  About 1,200 service members visit the Chaplains’ Closet each month.

On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, the chaplains at Landstuhl take the wounded warriors on short trips into the local area, to help them relax and do a bit of sightseeing.  Donated funds received along with the donations help pay for transportation for these outings.  The closet shelves are kept organized by a team of volunteers, both family members and the local community.  They donate 500-600 hours a month to help the chaplains sort through the 15-20 boxes received each day, along with $8,000-$12,000 in cash that arrives from individuals and non-profit groups.

Before Sept. 11, 2001, Landstuhl’s medical center had two chaplains and two assistants.  That number has risen to seven chaplains and six assistants.  Two chaplains and two assistants are active-duty Army; two each are Navy; two each are National Guard; and one is from the Canadian armed forces.  Chaplains of a variety of faith backgrounds are available at the center, to help meet the needs of those who need support and comfort, as well as the supplies found in the Chaplains’ Closet.

For more information about the Chaplains’ Closet, click here.

How to donate:

There are many ways to support our troops.  For an extensive list of organizations that accept and distribute donations, click here.

Here are just a few:

Financial donations:

The USO accepts financial contributions for programs supporting the military.  To find out more, click here.

The American Red Cross also accepts financial donations for members of the armed forces and their families and veterans. To make a financial donation to Services to the Armed Forces, call 1-800-RED CROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions may be sent to the American Red Cross, Services to the Armed Forces, P.O. Box 91820, Washington, DC 20090. To make a secure online contribution, click here.

Packages:

The USO also runs a program called Operation USO Care Package, where a $25 donation sponsors a care package to be distributed to servicemembers.  Care packages may include snacks, entertainment items, toiletries, sunscreen and other items requested by troops. To support an Operation USO Care Package, click here.

Chaplain Support Team – through Soldier’s Angels

The Soldier’s Angels organization offers The Chaplains Support Team (CST).  The CST provides direct support to military chaplains as they bring comfort and assistance to the soldiers.

Chaplains receive non-denominational items related to their mission, and requested numbers of hand-out letters and gifts that can be easily distributed to those needing assistance. Items shipped can include everything from non-denominational chapel supplies to delicious food items for special group meals, cards for the deployed to send to family members for holidays and birthdays, and things like games, sports equipment, or books for recreation.

Click here to join the Chaplain Support Team.

For more information regarding the Chaplains Support Team, email cst@soldiersangels.org.

photo courtesy U.S. Army, Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael D. Dubie, the adjutant general of the Vermont National Guard, stands in the Wounded Warrior Ministry Center — nicknamed the “Chaplains’ Closet” — at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill

Tags: donations, Landstuhl Medical Center, wounded, wounded warrior

This entry was posted on Friday, July 3rd, 2009 at 12:01 am and is filed under Active Duty, Chaplains, Families, Information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.