I had the opportunity to spend last week in Washington DC again. I was invited out to a military health convention as one of the wounded warrior speakers. They invited one representative from each branch of service to come share our story, tell them what went well, and what could or should work better.
This convention was a full week long and had a lot of folks from each branch of service.
I was able to take one of my best friends from back home with me on this trip. We met up during our layover in Atlanta and headed up to DC to the Gaylord National hotel. Very nice I might add. I have only been to a few really nice places like this. I have learned that you can judge the quality of a hotel on whether or not they have controls for the curtains on the walls.
We checked in and got settled and by that time it was somewhere around 7pm. We grabbed some dinner at a nearby place called Ketchups. They earned their name by having six flavors of the stuff. normally Cody and I are both not really fans of ketchup but we dig into their stuff. It was pretty good.
The next day was wen I was to speak. We had a morning meeting to meet each other and go over what the order was and things like that. We also went over and found the room so I could get a feel for the layout. After that we had lunch in the hotel and then it was showtime.
I was third in the lineup and since the first two guys had their wives there with them they had myself and the guy speaking last sitting in the front row so we could keep the stage free.
The opening speech was given by a 1 star general. He had a lot of good things to say but what really stuck with myself and the people around me was Xxon.
About halfway through the Generals speech, while pacing back and forth the front of the room, X decided to let his feeling be known. Right as the General walked in front of us Xxon let out a long and loud groan. It was pretty clear how he was enjoying the days events. I poked him with my foot to make him stop but not before hearing the muffled laughs of the other folks in the immediate area. If the General heard it he didn't reach at all. He just pressed on. Someone near me said something to the effect of "It's nice that someone here can let them know how were all feeling".
Once the General was finish it was time for all of us wounded guys to tell our stories. It went well and I think that everyone got some good feedback. After we were finished we had the normal meet and greet, which by the way is one of my favorite parts of speaking. I love meeting and hearing stories from folks. I am constantly amazed at how small the world is.
We wrapped up and headed up to change out clothes. Then we headed out to dinner with some of the other wounded guys and some of the folks who arranged for us to be there.We went to a place that I guess the DC locals consider Mexican food….shameful. Cody and I are from New Mexico and we knew before we even walked inside this place that it wasn't even going to compare. It sure didn't. I guess it was a good attempt though.
We decided later that night to go down to the lobby and see if there was anything cool happening. There wasn't. We just sat and talked about old times for a while. It was nice and relaxing.
Well about that time we get approached by a man who turned out to be a retired Army Sergeant Major. We talked about ourselves and had a good little chat. After a few minutes he said
" You guys stay here I have some people I want you to meet" and of course we started to wonder what this guy was all about.
Before we knew it there was about six people in front of us. Some retired Navy E9s and a handful of others. One of these others was a guy names Billy McDaniel.
We talked for a little while and then someone asked us if we would like to go with them to the 18th floor instead of sitting in the lobby. Cody and I looked at each other for a minute then agreed.
We followed them across the lobby and into an elevator. I noticed the music was louder than the other elevators I had been using and started to get curious.
The doors opened…..it was just like in the movies. It turns out that the 18th floor is the VIP lounge. We spent the next few hours talking with these men and hearing their stories. Some amazing stuff. Cody and I still can hardly believe it happened. Absolutely crazy.
After our awesome night the next day was destined to be boring. We had to check out before one and spent the morning just hanging out and getting out stuff together. We hopped in the shuttle at 1:30pm and headed to the airport. We went to the self check in screens and after a minute it tells us we have to see someone at the desk. We went over and it turns out that our flight wasn't until the next day. Ha ha neither of us checked the departure day. We just assumed that it was the same day our hotel reservation was up. By this time is was almost 2:00 and they couldn't arrange us the flights we needed to get back. We decided to stay at a close hotel and again headed off.
We checked in around 2:30 and decided that we would go out and see the sights. Well I guess Cody would see them…I listened. We spend a few hours walking around the National Mall checking out all of the monuments. It was freezing out there and yet there were a ton of people out running and playing ultimate frisbee. I always suspected, but now I know, people in DC are crazy.
We got back to the hotel and while in the lobby I get stopped by a pair of people who asked if I was wounded in combat. A normal routine. It turned out that one of them went through the Senior NCO Academy in October and recognized us…probably Xxon. What a small world.
The next day went off without a hitch. Cody and I both made it home safe and sound.
I doubt my upcoming trips will match the craziness of this trip but I can always hope. We had an awesome time!!!!
Thank you all for keeping an interest in what is going on with us here. I appreciate all of the support and prayers. God bless!!!
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