Army Capt. Scotty Boler is itching to reunite with his unit in Afghanistan, but before he can do that he is eager to catch an in-person glimpse of his commander in chief.
On Monday Boler, who is recovering from a broken neck and other injuries from a car accident, will have a coveted seat at the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, along with seven other wounded warriors from Augusta’s Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center. U.S. Rep. John Barrow, an Augusta Democrat, organized the trip with the help of a pair of veterans’ charities — who say they have never done anything like it.
“Most of the time us soldiers don’t see the big picture,” Boler said by phone from Augusta. “We get orders and carry them out. We don’t ask questions why. We just do what we are asked to do. Senior leaders get a mission and push it down. … Coming back and being here, being invited by the congressman, it shows they really do care and they make decisions to try to take care of us service members as well as protect our nation.”
The eight soldiers — plus one spouse and one mother — plan to fly to Washington on Sunday. They will have seats for Monday’s swearing-in ceremony from Barrow’s stash of about 195 tickets he gets as a member of Congress, and Barrow plans to give them a private tour of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.
“It’s history in the making,” Barrow said of the inauguration. “And our soldiers and servicemen and women are those who make it all possible, so I think it’s important and appropriate that they be here.”
Barrow said he hopes he is starting a trend among members of Congress for future inaugurations. “Plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery in this place,” he said.
The group’s plane tickets were donated by Fisher House through the charity’s “hero miles” program. People can donate their frequent flier miles to the organization and it distributes them to wounded warriors and their families. Typically the miles are used to transport family members to and from hospitals. There are also 58 Fisher Houses across the country where family can stay free of charge while loved ones recuperate.
Cindy Campbell, a Fisher House spokeswoman, said the organization does sometimes provide travel to events like the Warrior Games, an Olympics for wounded service members, but she said the inauguration trip is unique for the organization.
The Yellow Ribbon Fund, which typically arranges shelter for service members’ families, is providing hotel rooms for the Augusta group.
“This is probably a little bit out of the ordinary,” said Mark Robbins, the fund’s executive director.
So is the quadrennial event, which will bring a huge throng to Washington.
“A lot of the guys, it’s going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity for them. And with the way that we are up here, with these being soldiers who have either been hurt overseas or stateside with so many different accidents, it’s kind of like we have a stronger bond for our country,” said Maribeth Ord-Dykes, the mother of Pfc. Daniel Ord, who is joining the trip. “It’s an important freedom, the whole thing.”
Daniel Ord, 20, suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident before he got the chance to deploy overseas. Maribeth has been by his side every day since, leaving her job and her life behind in Alabama. It has been nearly a year since the accident, and Maribeth expects them to be at the VA for another year.
Daniel is now getting around with a walker, though his speech remains limited. Asked what he’s looking forward to about Washington, he replied, “Just seeing it.”
Aside from the VIPs and the monuments there is another major attraction near the nation’s capital: Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Boler said many of the soldiers are eager to see their “battle buddies,” with whom they were wounded.
Most of all, Boler will be absorbing the scenic symbols of the country he fights for.
“It’s an honor to step on those grounds,” he said.
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