In November, the Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Gold Humanism Honor Society sent care packages to 250 U.S. combat engineers on the front lines in Afghanistan in time for Christmas. Now the society is collecting get well cards for three members of the unit severely injured by improvised explosive devices.

The campaign will collect cards and notes of appreciation for their service for three wounded members of the 14th Combat Engineer Battalion of the U.S. Army. The company is stationed at Camp Leatherneck in Helmand Province, where members spend about 18 hours per day clearing IEDs and other ordinance.

Fourth-year medical student Jessica Heselschwerdt, society president, said the organization adopted the brigade for Christmas after speaking with J. Patricia Dhar, M.D., assistant professor of Internal Medicine, whose son is serving overseas.

“The goal is to try to get a ton of get well cards with handwritten notes thanking them for their service before the end of April,” Heselschwerdt said. “Any cards from Wayne State University School of Medicine faculty and staff would be appreciated and would add to the Humanism Society card campaign.”

Society members will distribute and collect cards outside required first- and second-year lectures this week. At their April 18 meeting, members will fill out additional cards. A collection box will be placed in the Student Affairs office for other students, faculty and staff members to place their cards and notes. For those cards collected in bulk, the society will pay for postage.

“These soldiers are going through a tough time with prolonged recovery, multiple surgeries and isolation,” Dr. Dhar said. “These cards will mean more than you can imagine. Sometimes when you sacrifice for others, all you need to know to keep going is that your efforts were appreciated, that it meant something. Thanking them for their service seems like such a small thing but it’s not. It’s so important to thank them and show them that we care.”

While the society will place a box in the Student Affairs Office to collect cards for mailing in bulk, cards and notes can be sent individually directly to the service members at the addresses below:

PFC Owsley
8511 83rd St. CT SW
Apt 722
Lakewood, WA 98498

SSG Grimes
c/o MSG Douglas Brown
10220 Martin Way E. #32
Olympia, WA 98516

SSG MCCallum
c/o MSG Douglas Brown
10220 Martin Way E. #32
Olympia, WA 98516