Keep Returning Troops Surfing at Walter Reed

Can any of us live without our computers these days? They have become a quality-of-life issue for many, most especially those who are mobility-impaired.

Wounded troops receiving care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center are no different. They'd like to be able to check their email, surf the web to listen to music or watch the latest videos uploaded on YouTube. More importantly, computers provide an alternate way to communicate for those who may be disabled due to their injuries. In addition, a large chunk of resources aimed at helping vets and their families navigate their way through the military medical system is found online, so access is vital.

Unfortunately, there aren't enough computers available at Walter Reed to meet the demand. Enter Laura Brown, a military mom who has sprung into action to fill the need, "one laptop at a time."

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From the Associated Press:

The 50-year-old from Cody, Wyo., was chatting on the Internet with the mother of a wounded soldier two years ago when the mother mentioned she had to print out her son's e-mails and take them to him at Walter Reed because there weren't enough laptop computers to go around.

Brown, whose own son had recently returned safely from the war, thought the solution to that problem seemed incredibly easy. "It just kind of hit me," she said. "If one person needed one, then there's others. ... I mean, my son had e-mail in Iraq. I was really stunned."

So Brown formed a group, Laptops for the Wounded, to raise money for the cause. Since its fundraising effort began in November 2005, Brown's organization has donated 27 computers to military hospitals around the country — 24 of them to Walter Reed.

A few details from the nonprofit's website:

Organization Mission:
We are non-profit organization with a goal to provide laptop computers WITH WEBCAMS for the wounded military personnel in hospitals, so they can have access to family and friends when they cannot be there with them. Unlike the other organizations that do similar work, our laptops will stay at the participating hospitals so they can continue to be used by the next wounded soldiers in those hospitals.

Donate by contacting Laura Brown
E-Mail: Laura Brown
Checks made out to: Laptops for the Wounded
Address: 1526 19th St., Cody, WY, 82414
Telephone/Voice Mail: 307-587-9371
Or donate online through Paypal.

Learn more by visiting the Laptops for the Wounded website, and consider joining together with Ms. Brown in this worthy effort. The power of one, indeed.