Foreign veterans 'hosted like we’re kings'

Sitting at a table in American Legion Post 28 in Triangle, Va., on Oct. 29, Maleme Rasmussen didn’t know many people. But the citizen of Denmark felt right at home talking about a subject very dear to her: her brother Mads, who was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2009 while serving in the Royal Danish Army.

Rasmussen was at the post with her parents, Soerem and Hamme, after having participated in the Marine Corps Marathon the day before. She was part of a large contingent of foreigners – mostly wounded warriors from allied nations – treated to a barbecue dinner by Post 28’s Legion family and sponsored by Azalea Charities.

Maleme said that in Denmark there aren’t as many organizations in place to support military families. Seeing an organization like The American Legion host an event like Post 28’s was a powerful experience.

“When we come here, people are so welcoming to us. It’s very lovely,” she said. “We are a very open family, and we want to honor (Mads) but also talk about him, and let people know what he had done in Afghanistan and what he was fighting for.”

Maleme said it’s harder to talk to her friends in Denmark about her brother’s death because many of them “have no real experience with the military.” It was different at Post 28.

“It is very easy for me to talk to strangers because they don’t know me,” Rasmussen said. “They don’t know my brother. And I don’t have to prove anything to them. I just have to be honest … and tell the story from my heart.

“But it’s also very lovely that people are here with so many different stories and backgrounds. But we have something in common. And people have the time and the ears to listen to what I have to say.”

The Oct. 29 event was the sixth year Post 28 has hosted the foreign soldiers and veterans for the dinner. Approximately 130 representing Canada, Denmark, Ukraine, Georgia and the United Kingdom came this year via the Allied Forces Foundation – 85 percent of which participated in the Marine Corps Marathon. Allied Forces Foundation (AFF) is a British-American collaboration established to recognize and further the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, working to raise awareness and funding for allied wounded and their families affected by the conflicts of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Stuart Taylor, AFF’s president and CEO and a 26-year veteran of the British Army, said the annual event is a special evening for the wounded soldiers and veterans he brings with him to Post 28.

"Taking wounded warriors, the ill and injured from all these nations … is phenomenal for us,” Taylor said. “What we find from this is it doesn’t matter if you can’t speak the language or you’ve got a rough understanding of English. They’ve gone through the same problems together. And the road to recovery is all about communication. Speaking to veterans from different wars, different periods … they’ve all done the same things. They’re all sharing the same things. And they’re recovering together. That’s why it’s really special.

“We’re hosted like we’re kings. Everybody loves the fact they’re welcomed with open arms. It’s a lovely relationship. What we want to do is grow on this: make it bigger and better every year. It’s special.”

Azalea Charities is a non-profit organization founded by Legionnaire Frank Lasch Sr. that raises funds to support aid for wounded warriors both nationally and internationally, and support youth and special needs projects in Northern Virginia area.

For years Azalea Charities has sponsored hundreds of Marines in the annual Marine Corps Marathon. Doing so helped lead Azalea to develop a relationship with the Allied Forces Foundation. As the relationship intertwined and grew, Lasch said his charity wanted to do something more for the Allied Forces runners in the area for the marathon.

A member of Post 28, Lasch said the post agreed to host an event “to thank them and have that camaraderie. And it just progressed. They love coming here and they love this event. They want to stay here until all the wee hours of the morning.”

Putting on an event like the dinner isn’t an easy task. Post 28 Third Vice Commander Betzabel “Bessy” Plaza was tasked with coordinating logistics and ensuring the event had enough volunteers. This year she said 20-25 Post 28 Legion Family members helped with the event.

“We can’t do what we do without our volunteers at the post: our Auxiliary, our Sons, our Riders. Out of that group of volunteers somebody says, ‘Hey, I know how to cook.’ We get them on that. Wherever they like to go we try to leave that open.”

Planning for the dinner is a year-long process. Legion Family members started smoking this year’s entrees – pork butt, turkey and pork ribs – at 6 a.m. on the day of the dinner. Boar, venison burgers and bratwurst also were served, as were various sides and desserts donated by the Cheesecake Factory.

But the effort it takes to host the wounded warriors is worth it to Plaza. The big payoff is interacting with other veterans. “Sometimes you just need a friend to talk to,” she said. “You can come here and meet that person who understands. And it’s great to interact with another culture … another military group that’s familiar with what you go through.”

The event is something Post 28’s Legion Family member have come to look forward to, said 30-year post member George Lussier. “You’re taking a bunch of wounded warriors who come to visit our country,” he said. “They’re brothers-in-arms. Azalea Charities and Allied Forces came to us and said ‘you guys have got the ideal venue to do this. Would you mind?’ We said ‘hey, it sounds good.’ To us … it’s a labor of love. Some of these guys, you see them year after year. I don’t remember the names, but I know that they’ve been here.”

The event also allows Post 28 to network with other veterans service organizations in the area. This year that included the Truman Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is to provide support to veteran service dog teams through education by raising awareness about the therapeutic aspect of service dogs, the laws involved with service animals and properly addressing a service dog team by educating veterans, the community, organizations, and employers.

Jacquelyn Miller, Community Relations/Fundraising Chairman for the Truman Foundation and a member of Auxiliary Unit 28, said being at an event with veterans and servicemembers from another country is “a chance for us to talk about what is offered to them. Or maybe we can say, ‘when you go home, look for this, this and this.’”

Truman Foundation founder and U.S. Army veteran Brenda J. Faulkner, a member of Post 28, said the event also allows members of her foundation to see if other countries “have something more unique or special that we’re not having here. The treatment can be very different (there) vs. the U.S. So it would be nice to see if it’s something maybe we can use here.”

Also in attendance were performers from The Center for American Military Music Opportunities (CAMMO), which has provided entertainment during the dinner the past few years. Based out of Fort Belvoir, Va., CAMMO was founded to create music-based therapeutic programming and outlets for service members, veterans and family members; and to train and educate service members, veterans, and their families in music career opportunities.

U.S. Navy veteran Cathie Lechareas, co-founder and executive director of CAMMO, said supporting the Allied Forces Foundation “is very important to us in giving back. Part of our organization is music as therapy. We are working with PTSD (and) TBI. It’s important. We’re honored to be here.”

Feeling honored and welcomed were feelings shared publicly throughout the night by the allied soldiers and veterans at Post 28. David Khorguashvili, a retired lieutenant colonel with Georgian Armed Forces who now lives in the United States, is trying to start a veterans service organization for Georgian veterans who have immigrated to America. He brought eight other Georgian veterans to the event.

The hospitality shown during Post 28’s dinner is an example of what Khorguashvili wants to be able to provide to Georgian veterans through his organization. “The opportunity to come together and exchange experiences … in Georgia we don’t have something like that. This is a learning process, but it’s also the appreciation from the (U.S.) veterans to Georgians and what we are doing and sacrificing in Afghanistan.

“This means a lot for us. We are brothers. We are fighting shoulder to shoulder. This dinner is one big friendship sign for all of the countries fighting together in Afghanistan and other wars.”

For Taylor, his organization’s philosophy is “that if you’ve served one day for your country, then we’re going to look after you. And I love that about The American Legion. That’s what we get inside (Post 28). Everyone’s happy we’re there. It’s just a phenomenal feeling.”