Helping Homeless Vets Can Help APK Charities Reach our Goals

By Peggi | October 14, 2017 |

Helping Southern Comfort Care, Inc. Can Help APK Charities Reach our Goals when Southern CC dedicates their renovated home to Andrew Pedersen-Keel

Tony U. Brown is missing his right thumb. It was smashed by a pallet at Camp Dahlke in Afghanistan while he was running as an incoming alarm sounded. He thought he’d just hurt his thumb and the pain would stop as it healed. But he was wrong. A tumor had developed in the bone and…

2016 APK 5K, 5K Ruck March Slideshow

By Andrew Montgomery | November 27, 2016

We hope you enjoy the slideshow from the 2016 APK 5K, 5K Ruck March, held at the Guilford Fairgrounds on November 5th. Thank you for your participation and generous support and we look forward to seeing you in 2017 for the 4th Annual APK 5K, 5K Ruck March on November 4th! https://youtu.be/4u5RDk_lL0Q

A Great Big Thank You from Bob and Helen, plus… Race Results!!!

By Peggi | November 8, 2016

Helen and Bob of APK Charities in Memory of Capt. Andrew Pedersen-Keel

To our APK 5K, 5K Ruck March and Kids Fun Runparticipants, volunteers and Guilford residents, The APK Charities Board of Directors wishes to say a heartfelt thank you for your willingness to share your time and enthusiasm in support of our tribute to Andrew and our Military. Helen and Bob Keiser-Pedersen Please see the race…

Zip06: Helen Pedersen Keiser: Keeping the Spirit of Her Hero Son Alive

By Peggi | November 4, 2016

If ever there was an article to read about Andrew Pedersen-Keel, this one is it… from Zip06, Helen Pedersen Keiser: Keeping the Spirit of Her Hero Son Alive. So very well written by Tom Conroy, Special Publications Editor at Zip06.com, this piece covers it all. From Andrew’s birth in Florida, through his schooling and on to his…

Run the APK 5K for a Good Cause… and for the T-shirt and the After-Party!

By Peggi | October 24, 2016

Run or march in the APK 5K for a really good cause but get something else in return… one of the best T-shirts! And great food at the after-party!

We all know that running or marching in the APK 5K is for a really good cause. And we hope that it warms the cockles of your heart to help us with such a worthy cause. But you can be altruistic and still get something else in return… besides, of course, those warm cockles. You…

Bob and Helen Met Gary Sinise!

By Peggi | October 21, 2016

Helen and Bob with Gary Sinise at the Thayer Award ceremonies.

Bob and Helen were invited guests of the West Point Association of Graduates. As such, they attended the Thayer Award ceremonies honoring Gary Sinise. They met Mr. Sinise and took this photo with him. About Gary Sinise Gary Sinise is an actor most known for his rolls in Ransom (1996), Apollo 13 (1995), and Forrest Gump…

Bob Visits Fort Bragg on his Coast x Coast Journey

By Peggi | September 9, 2016

It’s the last leg of Bob’s Coast x Coast trip honoring Andrew Pedersen-Keel and today, he visited Fort Bragg… the largest military base in the world (with more than 50,000 active duty personnel). Bob had the opportunity to meet with Andrew’s Special Ops Unit, ODA 3126. (ODA means “Operational Detachment Alpha.”) See the photo below…

WJHG Reports on Our Coast x Coast Riders

By Peggi | September 6, 2016

WJHG in Florida reports on APK’s Bob Keiser and the rest of the Coast x Coast crew:

Bob Presents CrossfitVanZandt and First State Bank of Ben Wheeler with APK Commendations

By Peggi | September 3, 2016

Greetings from Bob in Canton, TX! We’ll let Bob tell you in his own words what’s happening in Canton, TX today… We rode out to Canton, TX for for a visit to CrossfitVanZandt and First State Bank of Ben Wheeler. CrossFit Van Zandt is owned by Sam Deen, a 2006 West Point graduate and classmate of Andrew.…

Coast x Coast Riders with their Heritage Flags

By Peggi | September 2, 2016

Members of the CoastxCoast family post with Heritage flags that are given away on the 2016 route in Dallas on September 1. APK’s Bob Keiser is on the far right with the Harley Davidson TriGlide Ultra – or as he likes to call it – “the Trike” and the Gold Star Heritage Flag.

APK Charities Corporation

Difficult and heartbreaking moments for our military families and Presidential staff. President George W. Bush shakes the hand of U.S. Army PFC Luka Shook, of Strafford, Mo., after presenting him with a Purple Heart in December 2008 during a visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. (Eric Draper / AP)
By Dana Perino
News of America's military men and women who were wounded and killed in Iraq and Afghanistan almost overwhelmed me on some days. I may have sounded strong when I was talking to the press, but sometimes I had to push my feelings way down in order to get any words out of my mouth to make statements and answer questions.

The hardest days were when President Bush went to visit the wounded or families of the fallen. If it was tough for me, you can only imagine what it was like for the families and for a president who knew that his decisions led his troops into battles where they fought valiantly but were severely injured or lost their lives. He regularly visited patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center near the White House. These stops were unannounced because of security concerns and hassles for the hospital staff that come with a full-blown presidential visit.

One morning in 2005, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan sent me in his place to visit the wounded warriors. It was my first time for that particular assignment, and I was nervous about how the visits would go. The president was scheduled to see 25 patients at Walter Reed. Many of them had traumatic brain injuries and were in very serious, sometimes critical, condition. Despite getting the best treatment available in the world, we knew that some would not survive.

We started in the intensive care unit. The chief of naval operations (CNO) briefed the president on our way into the hospital about the first patient we'd see. He was a young Marine who had been injured when his Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb. After his rescue, he was flown to the U.S. military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, close to the Ramstein Air Base near Kaiserslautern, Germany. At his bedside were his parents, wife and 5-year-old son.

"What's his prognosis?" the president asked.

"Well, we don't know, sir, because he's not opened his eyes since he arrived, so we haven't been able to communicate with him. But no matter what, Mr. President, he has a long road ahead of him," the CNO said.

We had to wear masks because of the risk of infection to the patient. I watched carefully to see how the family would react to President Bush, and I was worried that they might be mad at him and blame him for their loved one's situation. But I was wrong. The family was so excited the president had come. They gave him big hugs and thanked him over and over. Then they wanted to get a photo. So he gathered them all in front of Eric Draper, the White House photographer. Bush asked, "Is everybody smiling?" But they all had ICU masks on. A light chuckle ran through the room as everyone got the joke.

The Marine was intubated. The president talked quietly with the family at the foot of the patient's bed. I looked up at the ceiling so that I could hold back tears.

After he visited with them for a bit, the president turned to the military aide and said, "OK, let's do the presentation." The wounded warrior was being awarded the Purple Heart, given to service members who suffer wounds in combat.

Everyone stood silently while the military aide in a low and steady voice presented the award. At the end of it, the Marine's little boy tugged on the president's jacket and asked, "What's a Purple Heart?"

The president got down on one knee and pulled the little boy closer to him. He said, "It's an award for your dad, because he is very brave and courageous, and because he loves his country so much. And I hope you know how much he loves you and your mom too."

As he hugged the boy, there was a commotion from the medical staff as they moved toward the bed.

The Marine had just opened his eyes. I could see him from where I stood.

The CNO held the medical team back and said, "Hold on, guys. I think he wants the president."

The president jumped up and rushed over to the side of the bed. He cupped the Marine's face in his hands. They locked eyes, and after a couple of moments the president, without breaking eye contact, said to the military aide, "Read it again."

So we stood silently as the military aide presented the Marine with the medal for a second time. The president had tears dripping from his eyes onto the Marine's face. As the presentation ended, the president rested his forehead on the Marine's for a moment. Now everyone was crying, and for so many reasons: the sacrifice, the pain and suffering, the love of country, the belief in the mission and the witnessing of a relationship between a soldier and his commander in chief that the rest of us could never fully grasp. (In writing this book, I contacted several military aides who helped me track down the name of the Marine. I hoped for news that he had survived. He did not. He died during surgery six days after the president's visit. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery and is survived by his wife and their three children.)

And that was just the first patient we saw. For the rest of the visit to the hospital that day, almost every family had the same reaction of joy when they saw the president. But there were exceptions. One mom and dad of a dying soldier from the Caribbean were devastated, the mom beside herself with grief. She yelled at the president, wanting to know why it was her child and not his who lay in that hospital bed. Her husband tried to calm her, and I noticed the president wasn't in a hurry to leave — he tried offering comfort but then just stood and took it, like he expected and needed to hear the anguish, to try to soak up some of her suffering if he could.

Later, as we rode back on Marine One to the White House, no one spoke.

But as the helicopter took off, the president looked at me and said, "That mama sure was mad at me." Then he turned to look out the window of the helicopter. "And I don't blame her a bit."

One tear slipped out the side of his eye and down his face. He didn't wipe it away, and we flew back to the White House.

Dana Perino was the White House press secretary for President George W. Bush from September 2007 until January 2009. This excerpt from her book, "And the Good News Is ...: Lessons and Advice from the Bright Side," is reprinted by permission of Twelve/Hachette Book Group. ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago

View on Facebook

Likes: 9
Shares: 2
Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

Thank you We-Ha.com for your support and forming a Ruck team. Remember to recruit your team, too! we-ha.com/apk-charities-5k-ruck-walk-supports-town-cares-west-hartford/ ... See MoreSee Less

APK Charities 5K Ruck Walk Supports The Town That Cares in West Hartford - We-Ha | West Hartford News

we-ha.com

A ‘We-Ha’ team is forming for the third annual APK Charities 5K Race and 5K Ruck Walk on Saturday, Nov. 4. By Tom Hickey Are you looking for something different to do to honor veterans this year – especially since, sadly, veterans seem to be focused on less and less each year? Join a gang …

Likes: 16
Shares: 5
Comments: 0

Help APK Charities while helping homeless vets... and the first house renovated is dedicated to PK! Thank you, Tony U. Brown for all that you've done and all that you do. ... See MoreSee Less

Helping Homeless Vets Can Help APK Charities Reach our Goals · APK Charities Corporation, in memory of Capt. Andrew Pedersen-Keel, Special Forces

apkcharities.org

Helping Southern Comfort Care, Inc. Can Help APK Charities Reach our Goals when Southern CC dedicates their renovated home to Andrew Pedersen-Keel

4 days ago

Likes: 17
Shares: 6
Comments: 2

Thank you, we are working deligently on it. Can't wait for ribbon cutting day.

Tony U. Brown is an amazing man. This is only a fraction of Tony's accomplishments and passions!

Flag Code from The American Legion National Headquarters
www.legion.org/flag/code ... See MoreSee Less

Flag Code | The American Legion

legion.org

As Adopted by the National Flag Conference, Washington, D.C., June 14-15, 1923, and Revised and Endorsed by the Second National Flag Conference, Washington, D.C., May 15, 1924. Revised and adopted at P.L. 623, 77th Congress, Second Session, June 22, 1942; as Amended by P.L. 829, 77th Congress, Secon...

5 days ago

Likes: 1
Shares: 0
Comments: 0

APK Charities Corporation shared NBC News's VETERANS IN PUERTO RICO.

Veterans helping in Puerto Rico

NBC News
VETERANS IN PUERTO RICO: U.S. Army veterans in Puerto Rico head out on their own to help others: "If I was stuck, stranded in the mountains, I'd want somebody to come help me."

Via NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt ... See MoreSee Less

6 days ago

Likes: 6
Shares: 0
Comments: 0

APK Race Registration is now open.

See you at the 4th Annual APK 5K on November 4, 2017.

So what is a Ruck March anyway?

APK Race Registration is now open.

See you at the 4th Annual APK 5K on November 4, 2017.

So... what's a Ruck March?

Not a runner? Please consider making a donation.

Helping Homeless Vets Can Help APK Charities Reach our Goals

2016 APK 5K, 5K Ruck March Slideshow

A Great Big Thank You from Bob and Helen, plus… Race Results!!!

Zip06: Helen Pedersen Keiser: Keeping the Spirit of Her Hero Son Alive

Run the APK 5K for a Good Cause… and for the T-shirt and the After-Party!

Bob and Helen Met Gary Sinise!

Bob Visits Fort Bragg on his Coast x Coast Journey

WJHG Reports on Our Coast x Coast Riders

Bob Presents CrossfitVanZandt and First State Bank of Ben Wheeler with APK Commendations

Coast x Coast Riders with their Heritage Flags

About APK Charities

APK 5K Road Race

Recent Facebook Posts

Upcoming Events

APK 5K, 5K Ruck March, Kids Fun Run 2017

About APK Charities

APK 5K Road Race

Recent Facebook Posts

Upcoming Events

APK 5K, 5K Ruck March, Kids Fun Run 2017

APK 5K Road Race

Our 2017 Sponsors