I’m on the road this week, in the company of some of the country’s great cartoonists (they’re taking me along to carry luggage). We’re traveling to Bethesda, Walter Reed, and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center to (hopefully) put some smiles on the faces of our wounded troops. The USO, along with several individuals and organizations (including the Gannett Foundation, the charitable arm of the owner of Military Times), have donated funds to get us there.
If you ever have a problem deciding where to send your Combined Federal Campaign donations, may I recommend the good old USO? Over the last four years the National Cartoonists Society has worked with that storied organization to visit many military hospitals around the country and in each case the USO was right there, keeping careful watch over our wounded warriors. They do it with smiles on their faces, with a focus on caring for those who have served our country so honorably. You should see them in action.
Many VA hospitals have also seen pro cartoonists invade their spaces. The VA has been an enthusiastic sponsor from the very beginning too, and their focus is no less intense as they care for our veterans. (See “Support the Troops” for a complete list.)
The National Cartoonists Society has conducted these types of visits since World War II – in fact, it can trace its creation directly back to those first trips in the 1940s. Its goal is to give back a little to those who have given so much for all of us.
We’ll be gone a week, and I’ll give you a recap when we return!
