American Legion seeks clothing donations for wounded vets

Nov, 19-2009 11:39 am

By ANN RICHARDSON
Staff Writer

OCEAN CITY – As a combat medic serving in the Korean War, John Divel was often called upon to attend injured soldiers on the battlefield.
Taking care of wounded warriors often meant removing their bloodied uniforms.
“Sometimes they’d be naked,” he said. “There were no field units to supply fresh clothing; you had to do the best you could. Whatever clothing you could leave on was usually dirty and covered with blood.”
With the goal of saving the lives of the wounded, soldiers were quickly transported to a MASH unit where they were treated and prepped for travel to a base hospital, often in the same soiled clothing.
“There is no fresh clothing in the field, that’s it until you get to the base,” said Divel. “At that point, the wounded soldier was prepped for surgery and then given a hospital gown with everything hanging out.”
So when the call went out for t-shirts, shorts, sweatshirts, socks and underwear for wounded soldiers, Divel, Ocean City American Legion Post 524 post’s commander, knew exactly why they were asking.
“This is for the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, but I lived it, I know exactly why they need it,” he said. “Everyone gets very upset that the soldiers don’t have these items. It’s hard to have fresh clothing on the battlefield and they really need it.”
Divel said the worst part is when wounded soldiers are transported home from foreign theaters.
“If they don’t have clothing, they get shipped in the hospital gown,” he said. “It’s not like traveling as we know it in an airplane. These are military transports. They are loaded on stretchers and placed on racks inside the plane. They fly through Germany to Dover Air Force Base, and those planes are very cold. The soldiers are freezing, that’s when they really need to be dressed.”
Working with American Legion chapters throughout Cape May and Atlantic Counties and Cape Atlantic Storage in Marmora, the Ocean City post is collecting clothing for the soldiers across the street from the Ocean City Primary School, at the Cape Storage across from ShopRite in Marmora, and at the Somers Point American Legion.
“This all started with a letter to one of our members,” said Divel.
Air Force MSGT Scott Wilkes is on his second deployment to Southern Afghanistan in the 451st Exp. Aero-medical Evacuation unit. He wrote that injured soldiers were suffering, and explained why.
“Can you help us?” he asked.
Divel said Wilkes wrote that it was “unthinkable” that soldiers who put their lives on the line for our nation would be transported in dirty, blood-soaked underwear. Though his battlefield experiences were more than a half-century ago, Divel said he knew only too well what the soldiers were going through.
“It brought back a lot of memories,” he said. “There was no question in my mind that we needed to help.”
Joe Coccaro, service officer for Post 524, is chairing the effort with trustee Joe Rebel.
“The reaction has been so heartwarming,” said Rebel. “It’s very rewarding for us to be able to do this. So far we have collected several hundred big bags of clothing. As word spreads, we’re getting more and more donations, the community has been very generous.”
Rebel said one man stopped and asked what was up when he noticed the big storage bin across from the school. When he learned of the soldiers’ plight, he made a cash donation on the spot and returned a short while later with bags full of new clothing and underwear.
“He bought the underwear at Hoy’s downtown,” Coccaro said. “He said when Hoy’s learned about what he was doing, they gave him a big discount. That’s the kind of community that we live in, this project is sort of taking on a life of its own.
“People are really stepping up,” he said, adding that some of the women have been on such a mission helping the soldiers that it’s almost as if “Rosie the Riveter” has made a comeback. “Back during World War II people were asked to make big sacrifices. They lived the war in a sense in our nation, they contributed. Everyone had to. I think people are feeling a little helpless, we keep reading and hearing about all this need, but until someone presents an opportunity to help, there’s little you can do. We can’t help fight the war, but give us an opportunity to help a soldier, and boy are people stepping up.”
Coccaro said female soldiers need the same clothing items.
Charles Haury, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, served on battleships and submarines through his naval career. He manned the West Avenue post throughout the day on Sunday.
“It’s upsetting to think that our soldiers are in need of the basics, but I’m happy to help,” he said.
Students at the primary school have assisted by spreading the word and encouraging their parents to donate.
“It’s hard for me to believe that they simply cut the clothing off the soldiers and they don’t have clothes to put back on them, you don’t even think about it being on a battlefield,” said second grade teacher Kathy Zeigenfus. “They end up in a hospital gown and a blanket, put on a plane with bunks. The least we can do is clothe the soldiers and keep them warm coming home, when you think about all that they do for us.
“We need to do everything we can to help take care of our soldiers. I urge everyone to do what they can, if you can buy some new clothes for our soldiers, it would be much appreciated,” she said.
Rebel said volunteers will be manning the West Avenue site between Fifth and Sixth streets from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day but Thanksgiving through Nov. 30. Cape Storage in Marmora is accepting donations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday and officials have promised to transport the clothing when the drive is over.
Those who wish to assist the effort may also send a check made out to the American Legion Post 524 to the American Legion Post 524, PO Box 363, Ocean City, NJ 08226.

Ann Richardson can be e-mailed at annrichardson@catamaranmedia.com or you can comment on this story by calling 624-8900, ext. 223.