Today was a wonderful day to celebrate! It started with a parade right here on the hospital grounds. We had front row seats under a canopy with beautiful weather. All the fellas enjoyed themselves with one exception. AJ was not particularly fond of the fire engine siren! 
However it was moving to see all of the hospital veterans, young and old, as well as our military liasions and their families. 
A visit by NFL legend Mike Ditka ended our afternoon. He flew in today to specifically visit the active duty soldiers, marines, and sailors here in the PolyTrauma unit and the Spinal Cord Injury unit. This hospital currently has 19 patients who fall in that category. As I have mentioned before Tampa is one of the four PolyTrauma Centers who care for the most serious of the active duty wounded.
football with a "Go Buckeyes" anyway. He even took a turn at pushing Mark's chair into a prime position for a group photo. There was a moment when the guys were wheeled in to meet him, that it was very evident that he was quite choked up, but continued to push on and greet each one individually. Of course, little AJ won him over completely.
4 comments:
Hey Mark ,LOVE that t-shirt !!!!
Sounds like you all had a great day. xx
What a great way to be honored! Thank you, Mark, for serving and defending our nation.
Hi Mark,
We are all very proud of you and every single one of the troops for all that you do/have done for all of us. We look forward to seeing you in Cleveland when you come home for the holidays!
The Adornetto/Saris Family from St. Matthews
What a great visit! It would appear that "Iron Mike" has a soft spot for vets! As I got up on Veterans Day and drove to school it occurred to me that the Pusti House did not have a flag up. I turned the car around and returned home to display the flag. As I hung it up I definitely thought of you and all those you have mentioned at Tampa. Freedom has never been free! I am hopeful that with the end of this year we can see less strife in the world and more of our soldiers back in the states and not so far from home! Take care Mark.....ps...Can I come and harass you when you come home for the holidays!
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