These Boots Are Made for Heroes

Put yourself right here – here in this place I am about to take you to and tell me what things would matter the most to you…

You are on a routine patrol one day in the desert and upon entry into an abandoned building you take one step onto an explosive. An explosive placed there with the sole purpose of killing someone but, that day your number isn’t up and you don’t die. There is a whole story in between that step you took – the one that changed your life forever – and where you are today but, we will save that part of the story for another time.

So here you are, rehabbed, fitted with a state of the art prosthetic leg and begging to be sent back into the fight. Yes, begging. Begging to be the same Marine you were before that day that your leg was taken from you. Begging to be placed back into battle with your brothers, placed back into the very place that took so much from you. You just want to go back to normal back to who and what you were before that day. A Marine. Period. Pride comes into play here – c’mon, you know it does – a ton of pride. The kind of pride that few understand let alone display. Quick – tell me as you are packing up your bag – what are the top items you absolutely have to take with you? Think really hard here. You have a prosthetic leg and you are going back out to the desert, back out to your unit and back among your brothers. I am going to leave a wide-open space here. Please don’t read ahead. I want you to close your eyes and imagine packing that bag. What do you need? What do you need to feel like you will fit back in? Now just sit with that list in your mind and continue on.

You made it back to your unit. OOHRAH! You are either back in the fight or starting another fight as you work on your rehabilitation process. So when your first muster comes and you are standing in a line among your brothers, and ecstatic just to be back; you look down and what do you see? What do you imagine all of your brothers see? Two boots on the ground? Guess again. When you look down at your feet you see one standard issue boot and one athletic shoe. The reason is simple – a Marine issue boot will not fit on your prosthetic. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Why wouldn’t I be issued a boot that fit on my prosthetic? Why would I be made to look different from my brothers lined up next to me? Why should I have undue and unwanted attention drawn to my prosthetic? And…I don’t want to look different, I don’t want pity and I sure as hell don’t want anyone in my unit thinking that I can’t do the job of any other capable Marine. They need to know I have their backs. But standing there in your one boot, one athletic shoe ensemble – well, you don’t feel like that. You do feel different and it’s a problem. So, what do you do now? You call Warrior Foundation~Freedom Station. And that is exactly what happened and how the story of the boots started. Sandy Lehmkuhler, the director at Warrior Foundation~Freedom Station, recounts the beginning of the story of the boots and hearing her tell the story is far more fascinating than my attempt at it will be but, I will do my best.

In 2006, Sandy was listening in as a conversation was taking place between a few Marines in a room at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, Ca. One of the warriors involved in that conversation was talking about the strong desire to be a “well-groomed Marine” and be appropriately dressed. As she was standing there watching a Marine try to get a standard issue boot on his prosthetic and listening to the conversation unfold, she had an idea – a brilliant idea.

Sandy took a standard issue Marine boot to a local shoe cobbler to see if he could come up with a way to insert a zipper into the back of the boot making it able to fit onto a prosthetic. This amazing man did just that and the first modified boot was born. The problem, as discovered by the Marines using the new boot, was that it was too heavy to comfortably swing with a prosthetic leg and the zipper was easily made non-operational when introduced to use in sand. The product design process went back and forth several times before the current boot design was perfected. After trial and error and tireless design re-working by both Sandy and the shoe cobbler – they have come up with a workable design that utilizes a Marine issue Ultra-Light boot outfitted with a special zipper design and an oil to keep the zipper lubricated and free from debris distraction. There is currently a patent pending on this design and Sandy hopes to be able to provide these boots to any Marine amputee who requests them.

Since 2007, Freedom Station has sent over thirty-five hundred boots to Marines – those deployed as well as those on active duty status going through the rehabilitation process. Sandy purchases the Ultra-Light boots from a local military base at a cost of $140 a pair in the size needed by the requestor. Then she takes the boots to the shoe cobbler who inserts the zipper design – virtually free of charge – and finally Sandy sends the final product to the Marine who requested them.

This may not seem like a huge deal to you but, if you really think about what a modified, useable and properly fitting boot means to a Marine who wants to serve, fit in and stand up on two boots I believe you will agree that this is not only a meaningful project but a necessary one. And although you may not be able to make a giant difference to many – you can make a significant difference to a Marine by simply donating the cost of a pair of boots to Warrior Foundation~Freedom Station.

There is no more meaningful way to say THANK YOU to one of our Warrior’s than by assisting an organization that does everything possible, including designing boots, to make their recovery, rehabilitation and transition easier.

-RJ

Warrior Foundation~Freedom Station is a nonprofilt 501(c)3 status organization dedicated to assisting military men and women who have served our country in the War Against Terrorism. 100% of funds raised go towards assisting the Warriors – all volunteer’s work without salary or payment of any kind.

To donate any amount or set up a monthly donation to Warrior Foundation~Freedom Station please click on the link below.

http://www.warriorfoundation.org/donation

To learn more about Warrior Foundation~Freedom Station click here: http://www.warriorfoundation.org