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North Dakota State Council
Last March, Dennis and Phyllis
Enger sent thirty-five walking sticks to the troops at
Walter Reed, along with tote bags and blankets they had
made by hand. The VVA North Dakota State Council picked
up the shipping tab.
Their gifts were so well received that
VVA North Dakota State Council President Dan Stenvold asked
the Engers to travel to Walter Reed to visit the young soldiers
they had helped. When several local Vietnam veterans took
the train to Washington for the twenty-fifth anniversary
of The Wall in November, the Engers decided to join them.
They brought one hundred hand-carved walking sticks with
them.
“We wouldn’t have gone if it wasn’t
for the Vietnam veterans making the trip to the Memorial,” Enger
said.
Joined by Stenvold, neighbor Steve Holt, and VVA staffer
Bernie Edelman, the Engers spent five hours at Walter Reed
with the young men and women of the amputee ward.
“All
the veterans were pretty excited to see us, and they were
grateful for the walking sticks,” Dennis
Enger said. “We gave out a hundred sticks, but we could
have given out twice that many.” One young soldier “started
to get out of his chair, and I tried to tell him to stay
seated. But he said he had to stand up and shake my hand
and thank me eye-to-eye.”
Phyllis Enger made a special
effort to chat with the wives and mothers—the caregivers
who are often ignored or taken for granted. While the Engers
thanked their new friends for their sacrifices and courage,
the injured servicemembers thanked the Engers for their gifts
and their consideration.
Before the trip, the Engers had decided
their work was done. That’s all changed now: “Forget
slowing down,” Dennis
Enger said. “We’re going full-bore. As long as
I can find the wood, I’ll make walking sticks.”
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2008, Vietnam Veterans of America. All Rights Reserved. 8605 Cameron
Street, Silver Spring, MD 20910