Tucked just inside the gates of Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, is what appears to be a large Texas Hill Country home. Outfitted with limestone, a windmill and other Texas touches, the 12,500-square-foot Warrior and Family Support Center is filled with the hustle and bustle of staff members and volunteers and the people they serve – wounded soldiers and their families.
“Just picture bringing people from all over America to this place,” says retired Lt. Gen. Glynn Mallory, a board member for the nonprofit organization that oversaw fundraising and construction for the Warrior and Family Support Center (WFSC). “They’re in terrible shape. They’ve never seen each other and their families may not know anything about the Army.”
The center sits adjacent to the Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), which houses the Defense Department’s only burn center and one of the nation’s most prestigious amputee care centers. Many soldiers at BAMC have been injured at war in Iraq or Afghanistan, and some face months or years of intense therapy and rehabilitation.
Often, families arrive at BAMC to greet their wounded soldier with little more than the clothes on their backs. Many are unfamiliar with the military. The WFSC aids injured soldiers and their families in transitioning to a new way of life by providing a home-like setting for physical, emotional and social healing.
“It’s just an unbelievable environment to bring them together,” Mallory says.
» ‘Think bigger’
The WFSC opened in December 2008, less than two years after Les Huffman first visited the center’s previous home – a 1,200-square-foot room in a guest house nearby. Huffman, with his brother Steve, owns a real estate development company in San Antonio and read about the facility and its program manager, Judith Markelz, in the local newspaper.
He approached Markelz and asked what he could do to help. Markelz told him they needed to replace a missing Xbox 360. Huffman promised to return, but urged Markelz to “think bigger.”
He returned with an Xbox 360 and again asked Markelz what she wanted. Markelz, along with staff and volunteers had recently fed 300 people in their small space. Her reply was simple: “We need a new building.”
Two weeks later, Steve Huffman arrived with architects in tow. They began gathering input from the center’s staff, soldiers, and their families about their wishes for a new building.
» ‘This place is so important’
The Huffmans donated their time and talents to develop the project, but building the facility required private funds. The brothers joined with other community members to form Returning Heroes Home, a nonprofit organization that oversaw the fundraising and building of the center.
Mallory was asked to join the board of directors for Returning Heroes Home and happily accepted. Mallory retired with his wife to San Antonio in 1995 after a 32-year career in the Army and is a fixture at BAMC, where he regularly visits with injured soldiers and helps ease them back into social settings.
“My wife and I will take burned soldiers to a little Mexican restaurant nearby,” Mallory says. “It’s good to get them in an environment where people are very nice to them and they feel more comfortable. It’s an important part of these soldiers’ lives.”
Many injured soldiers battle depression and anxiety, and may benefit through social interaction. “It’s easy for these soldiers to go into their rooms, turn on their TVs, get in their beds and just stay there,” Mallory says. “That’s why this place [the WFSC] is so important.”
» ‘There’s magic in this building’
In less than 18 months, Returning Heroes Home raised more than $5 million in donations from 5,500 donors to build and furnish the center and the land around it.
At the center of the building is the Great Room, which features two large flat-screen televisions, six sofas, and the only working fireplace on Fort Sam Houston, crowned by an 18-foot custom iron butterfly sculpture designed by a wounded soldier.
Off the living room is the heart of the WFSC—a professional-grade kitchen. Wheelchair-accessible counters and appliances allow soldiers to do their own cooking and share in the many meals provided by volunteers.
“Every Thursday night churches and other organizations volunteer to bring meals,” Markelz says. “We feed about 200 and everyone plays bingo.”
Spc. Timothy Garza says the food is one reason he loves the WFSC. “That’s the greatest thing,” he says. “Because a lot of us don’t have time to cook and we don’t want to just pop something in the microwave.”
Garza, who arrived at BAMC in September 2008 to receive treatment for a back injury, was suffering from depression until he began visiting the WFSC. And now, Garza spends much of his time socializing with other soldiers. “To me, everyone here is family,” he says. “It’s not so much that I’m alone. There are other people going through what I’m going through.”
Mallory, who frequents the center, says many soldiers have similar stories. He’s quick to give credit to “Judith Miracle,” a nickname he’s given Markelz. Both agree that something special is happening. “There is magic in this building,” Markelz says. “But it has nothing to do with me.”
A digital learning center is outfitted with 30 computers, and is available to soldiers and their family members for classes and test preparation. “We have basic skills classes, SAT prep, reading, writing and math,” Markelz says. Some family members need to find work after leaving home to join a wounded soldier at BAMC, and can use the learning center to search for employment.
A craft room is home to mosaic, knitting, leatherworking, jewelry making and card making classes, which are scheduled five days a week and taught by volunteers.
One of the more popular areas is what Markelz calls “the guys’ room”. “The Huffmans went to the soldiers, the families, to my staff. They said ‘what do you want?’” After receiving input, they were able to create a world-class entertainment room. Four 52-inch flat screen televisions line the walls of the soundproof room, which also features a 120-inch drop-down screen and surround sound. “We have Wii, Playstation and Xbox at each TV, and they can play tournaments all around the room or on their own,” Markelz says.
» A new way to heal
Stepping out the back doors of the WFSC reveals yet another treasure. The outdoor garden and courtyard is host to a number of therapeutic elements, including covered areas with fans, which allow burned soldiers to enjoy the outdoors while remaining protected from the hot Texas sun. A large fountain provides a relaxing soundtrack and a walking path snakes across the garden.
Les and Steve Huffman visited several award-winning therapeutic gardens at hospitals in Portland, Oregon, before creating a plan for the garden at the WFSC.
Two herbal gardens provide a unique therapy to burn patients. Those with burned hands often suffer from constriction caused by scar tissue. Typically, nurses or physical therapists will gently and repeatedly bend and stretch the patients’ fingers to prevent constriction. “Now you take them into an outdoor setting and they’re able to feel different textures on leaves and plants,” says Steve Huffman. “And rather than sitting in a hospital having their fingers bent, they’re able to accomplish the same thing in terms of physical therapy, but it’s in an outdoor setting.”
The garden walking path was created as an alternative to treadmills and other machinery found in more institutional settings. It transitions from smooth to course materials and has subtle changes in elevation, features that help injured soldiers learn to maneuver in different environments. “It’s the same sort of therapy, but again, in an outdoor setting,” Huffman says.
Phase II of garden construction will be completed later this year on 7.5 acres behind the WFSC, and will include a fitness trail and a large grassy area. “I think it’s going to expand the scope and style of healthcare for these wounded warriors,” Huffman says.
» ‘They absolutely deserve it’
After the building’s completion, keys were handed over to the Army, which pays staff salaries and operating expenses for the building. The center relies on private donations for food, classes and other services. The local community has rallied behind the cause. Markelz and her team schedule up to 60 activities per month, including trips to the San Antonio Zoo, local shopping areas, concerts, sporting events and restaurants. These trips are provided free to soldiers and their families, courtesy of donors.
“Some people come in here and say, ‘Don’t you think this is a little much?’” Markelz says. “No, I don’t think it’s enough. These soldiers deserve everything we can give them and more.”
Huffman agrees. “This is just a small down payment on the enormous debt we owe these soldiers.”
All involved with the WFSC—board members, staff and volunteers—are committed to serving wounded warriors and the family members who care for them. “I can’t emphasize enough the importance of the healing process as a family,” Mallory says. “They absolutely deserve it.”
Visit www.ReturningHeroesHome.org to learn more about the Warrior and Family Support Center or to make a donation.
Mallory is a current client of First Command Financial Services, Inc.