Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Fisher House Salute America's Military Heroes

By Gina Friedholdt
indy500.com

Fisher House Site

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has united with Fisher House™ to salute America’s heroes during the Month of May.

The Fisher House program is a unique private-public partnership that supports America’s military in their time of need. The program recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

Fisher House Foundation donates "comfort homes," built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful times – during the hospitalization for an unexpected illness, disease or injury.

Representing the Fisher House this weekend at the 2009 Indianapolis 500 are the following soldiers and their family members:

•Marine Gunnery Sergeant Blaine Scott and wife, Lillia Scott. While on his second deployment to Iraq, Marine Gunnery Sergeant Blaine Scott was awarded a Purple Heart as the result of the severe injuries he suffered when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb that killed three fellow Marines in Anbar Province, Iraq, on Aug. 20, 2006. Gunnery Sergeant Scott was severely burned over 36 percent of his body in that attack and was evacuated to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, for treatment of his injuries.  During the 18 months Gunnery Sergeant Scott was receiving care at Brooke Army Medical Center, the Scott family lived at Fisher Houses located just a short walk from the hospital.

•CPT (Army Ret) Ryan Kules and wife, Nancy Kules. While on patrol in Iraq, 1LT Kules was critically wounded when his Humvee was hit by an improvised explosive device on Nov. 29, 2005. His injuries were devastating, including a traumatic amputation of his right arm above the elbow, and left leg close to the hip. A mild traumatic brain injury resulting from the concussive force of the explosion further complicated Ryan’s recovery. Ryan’s wife, Nancy, and his parents, Jay and Canice, were rushed to Germany to be bedside as his condition was so tenuous. While there, they stayed at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center Fisher Houses. As soon as Ryan was stabilized enough to make the long, difficult journey back to the United States, his family traveled with him on the medical evacuation flight to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. There, Ryan began the very long, challenging recovery process. Nancy and Ryan, after he became an outpatient, lived at Fisher House III on the Walter Reed Army Medical Center Facility during the time he was receiving care for his injuries.

•LTC Richard Casper and wife, Cheri Casper. LTC Casper was the Multi-National Forces-Iraq Liaison Officer to the Minister of Interior, Baghdad, Iraq, on April 6, 2008 when he was wounded by a 107mm rocket blast. He was just six hours from going home at the end of his second tour in Iraq. As a result of his injuries, he has been receiving care and undergoing rehabilitation at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and residing at the Fisher House aboard the post. He is an Infantry Officer with 19 years on active duty and has served with the 101st Airborne Division and the 82nd Airborne Division.

•LTC Greg Gadson and wife, Kim Gadson. Lieutenant Colonel Greg Gadson has experienced the very worst of war, but he has not been defeated by unfortunate circumstance; rather, his life is a portrait of courage in the face of great adversity. A highly decorated lieutenant colonel, Gadson was commander of the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery in Iraq when, on the evening on May 7, 2007, he was severely wounded by an improvised explosive device, resulting in the loss of both legs above the knee and a severely damaged right arm. Despite this, Gadson remains on active duty service in the military and continues to inspire many with his message of courage, perseverance, determination and teamwork.

Magnum Equipment and Best Buy are partnering with IMS to support the Fisher House program and are sponsoring the commemorative Fisher HouseT-shirts and dog tags for sale to the general public at IMS, allowing all proceeds to go to Fisher House. Best Buy employees from across Indiana have volunteered this month at IMS to help support the sale of T-shirts and dog tags.

Fisher House T-shirts and dog tags are available for purchase at several IMS Retail walk-in stores, including the Plaza and Hall of Fame stores and the IMS Online Store. T-shirts are $10 each; dog tags can be purchased separately for $5 each.

The shirts feature the phrase "Helping Military Families" on the front along with the 2009 Indy 500 event logo, and the Fisher House logo on the back with Magnum Equipment and Best Buy each on a sleeve. The dog tags feature the 2009 Indy 500 event logo on the front the Fisher House logo and the Best Buy logo on the back.

Because members of the military and their families are stationed worldwide and must often travel great distances for specialized medical care, there is at least one Fisher House at every major military medical center to assist families in need and to ensure that they are provided with the comforts of home in a supportive environment. Annually, the Fisher House program serves more than 11,000 families and have made available more than 2.5 million days of lodging to family members since the program originated in 1990.

No family pays to stay at any Fisher House. Since the onset of combat operations in the Middle East, more than 5,000 families of military personnel hospitalized due to their service in Iraq or Afghanistan have stayed at one or more Fisher Houses.

In addition to constructing new houses, Fisher House Foundation continues to support existing Fisher Houses and help individual military families in need. Families and friends of patients at any of the military’s hospitals can receive up-to-the-minute reports on a loved one by going to the patient’s customized web page, thanks to new services provided through CaringBridge. Fisher House also is proud to administer and sponsor Scholarships for Military Children, the Hero Miles program and co-sponsor the Newman’s Own Award.

For more information about the Fisher House, visit www.fisherhouse.org.

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2009 IMS tickets: Established in 1909, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has long prevailed as an icon of motorsports excellence. Beginning in 2009, the Speedway celebrates its Centennial Era, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the facility in 2009 and the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in 2011.

Tickets for the three events in 2009 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – the Indianapolis 500, Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and Red Bull Indianapolis GP – can be purchased online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time.

Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.

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Media Contacts:     Ron Green, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, (317) 492-6780, [email protected]

Paul Kelly, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, (315) 673-0184, [email protected]

World Wide Web:  http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com