Wounded honored at ‘Heroes’ ball - Marine Corps News, news from Afghanistan - Marine Corps Times

Wounded honored at ‘Heroes’ ball

From folk singers “Peter, Paul and Ben Vereen,” to funk icon George Clinton with Sly Stone, to Latin American Idol Carlos Pena — and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs — the thanks rolled in Tuesday night to wounded troops and their families honored at the Heroes Red, White and Blue Inaugural Ball.

About 300 troops from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington and the National Naval Medical Center in nearby Bethesda, Md., were VIPs at the event, held at the Warner Theatre in downtown Washington.

Peter and Paul didn’t bring Mary, who is recuperating from an illness, so actor Ben Vereen filled in for her on the songs “Blowing in the Wind” and “This Land is Your Land.”

George Clinton brought on rarely seen Sly Stone with his group, and was a big hit with the troops, many of whom flocked forward to the stage.

The Heroes Ball had nearly been canceled at one point, but Humana Military Healthcare Services, a Tricare contractor, stepped in as a title sponsor, Navy Lt. Andrew Baldwin said, in thanking Humana executives on stage. Triwest Healthcare Alliance, another Tricare contractor, also was a title sponsor of the event.

Because of her wounds in Iraq, and also because she doesn’t like tight crowds, Army Sgt. 1st Class Dorothea Hooper did not attend the actual inauguration earlier in the day on the National Mall.

But the Heroes Red, White and Blue Inaugural Ball was plenty for her.

“It’s just great to be here,” said Hooper, who is African-American. “I look at it like I’m part of history. I served twice in Iraq. I watched an African-American become president today. It’s unreal. The ball kind of makes everything I’ve done with the war worthwhile for me,” she said.

Groups too numerous to name have helped her, she said, including a veteran who provides specialized, hand-made canes for wounded troops. Hers has a bald eagle as its handle, and includes her name and unit, the 445th Quartermaster Co., an Army Reserve outfit in Trenton, N.J.

The event also benefited the USO and the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, which provides support and assistance to the loved ones of those who have died on active duty.

“The USO has been very good to wounded soldiers,” said District of Columbia National Guard Sgt. DeWitt Osborne. “They have long taken care of soldiers, and I thought it would be fitting to spend an historic evening with the USO.”

Osborne was wounded by improvised explosive devices three times, and has had eight surgeries with six anchors in his shoulder and two rods in his foot.

When House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., arrived, Osborne made his way through the crowd to thank her for obtaining tickets to the inauguration for him. “That really made it a special occasion for me, my wife and my daughter,” he said. “I sat with the Tuskegee Airmen. That was an honor.”

Before the concert, Mullen told the group that the passion and enthusiasm of the wounded and their families is inspiring.

“It’s a testament of our nation as to how well we take care of those who are wounded and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice,” Mullen said. “We need to, as a nation, reach out and make sure they are taken care of, and their families, for the rest of their lives.”

He asked the group to also remember the more than 280,000 troops deployed around the world.

Praising the quality of today’s armed forces, Mullen said, “We need you. We’ll continue to need you. As our brand new president said today, there’s still a lot of work to be done.”