Supporting a Mosul Hospital @ your library®
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Renovating for the Future @ your library ® :
February 2008
Renovating for the Future! Supporting a Mosul Hospital @ your library®
Connections with U.S. Army Troops in Mosul, Iraq, and Richard Bland College are growing. In November 2007, the RBC Library mailed DVDs, Christmas chocolates, books and magazines to Mosul in a project named “Anthony’s Army Buddies.” CW2 Galloni, a Richard Bland College graduate, was able to play Santa with these gifts to fellow pilots and crew members for the holiday in December. Anthony is also the son of Librarian Joy Galloni.
In late January, Associate Professor Katherine Snavely announced a need for personal items for soldiers who are rushed to the 47th Combat Support Hospital also in Mosul Iraq. Her nephew, Major Mark Swofford, is the Deputy Commander for Administration there. He requested items for soldiers who have their uniforms cut off upon arrival at the hospital. Again the RBC Library Staff, lead by Dr. Virginia Cherry, answered the call. Three boxes with dozens of crew socks and t-shirts as well as packages of M&Ms and peanuts were mailed. Supporting our troops means more to the Richard Bland College Library than just wearing a yellow ribbon.
The combat hospitals are very important places in Iraq and a source of pride for the soldiers who work in them. The staff has state-of-the-art equipment. Every injured U.S. soldier who is admitted to one of the combat hospitals with a fighting chance usually survives. Badly wounded Americans are evacuated to full-service hospitals in Germany and the United States.
Admitted soldiers do not always have life threatening injuries; sick call ailments are treated there also. More than half of the patients have war-related injuries. Most American injuries are from roadside bombs while Iraqis tend to have more gunshot wounds.
The librarians look forward to hearing these special packages have arrived in Mosul and that all loved ones are home safely very soon.
Librarians Irene Handy, Dr. Virginia Cherry, Deborah Vroman and Joy Galloni (seated) send a care package to a Mosul hospital
Upon receiving the gift items, Major Mark Swofford sent a thank you email to the RBC librarians. Here is an excerpt from his letter.
Ladies -
Just a short note to personally thank you for the care packages that you sent....
Unfortunately we do not take pictures of patients—so I cannot show you the benefit that the patients get from the t-shirts and sock—but rest assured they greatly appreciate those items. Our patients in our Intermediate Care Ward use all of those items while they are staying with us. As you may imagine some of them arrive with dirty or bloody clothing that we have to remove and it is a great thing
[After explaining how he met Joy's son Anthony Galloni in the mess hall, Mark continues....] What a truly small world it is that we would be stationed so closely together and then have a family link to Richard Bland College.
Thanks again and please say hello to Kay [Snavely] for me.
Respectfully,
Mark Swofford
MAJ Mark D. Swofford, MHA, FACHE
Deputy Commander for Administration
Task Force Mosul
86th Combat Support Hospital
Pictures from the 86th Combat Support Hospital in Mosul, Iraq
library@rbc.edu | Last Update:
July 3, 2008
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